Am I the only one this has happened to?

[frisbeekev]

Am i the only one this has happened to? I pull into my site, level up on blocks, and start Unhooking in the rain. After I get the WD bars Unhooked I lower back down and unlock the ball latch. I raise it up again (chains still attached), the ball stays in the socket so I add some pressure, it pops loose and because the wet ground the trailer rolls back, buries the wheel chaulk and the jack comes off the block and buries itself too low to get the hitch on the truck under it. A few pump jacks later, the problem was resolved.

Lessons learned: don't rush because the rain, and leave the safety chains on as long as you can.

I feel like a dope. Been rving for years.

[eDUBz]

Yup! Happened to me too.

[Fordlover]

It's a bit overkill, but I use a built up pair of 2X12's with 1/2" plywood between them as a jack pad. It's a piece of a beam from home construction. Only 3.5" high, but saves a few inches of travel time for the electric jack, and is nice, big, and stable.

[K-9_HANDLER]

Dont beat ur self up. Happened to me before, jack slide of board and buried itself.

[Jay_Coe]

If you're anywhere that isn't pretty level to start, you should have 4 wedge chocks and 2 x-chocks on the tires before you start unhooking and if not on a hard surface, a board under your jack even if it has a foot.

[Atlee]

Concur. If it's raining so hard that the dirt has turned to soft mud already, I'm not sure I'd ever unhook. Or if the ground was already so soft that it could swallow a rubber chock I think I'd want a different camp site.

time2roll wrote:
Rain? I would stay connected if possible and unhook in the morning.

[trail-explorer]

frisbeekev wrote:
...buries the wheel chaulk and the jack comes off the block

WOn't totally solve the problem, but I ALWAYS place my large block of wood (a 6x6) so that it runs the same direction as trailer, not crossways

[wnjj]

azdryheat wrote:
You'd have to take the chains off sooner or later.

I think the point is later is best. The chains should come off after the coupler leaves to ball in case the ball was the only thing keeping the trailer from rolling.

[CavemanCharlie]

My first travel trailer that I bought used, was made in 1969 ,only had one axle, and was 12 foot long. I was younger and had no idea what I was doing.

I unhooked at the park, went inside and walked to the back of the trailer, as I got past the axle the jack on the front of the trailer came off of the ground and the trailer started to roll down the hill toward the lake ! WITH ME INSIDE OF IT !! I panicked ran toward the door on the front of the trailer and when I did the jack came back down and dug into the ground stopping the roll.

After that is when I learned about wheel chocks. lol

[time2roll]

Rain? I would stay connected if possible and unhook in the morning.

[rbpru]

I had it happen with my PUP but fortunately not with my TT.

[naturist]

Not the only one.

Camped once on a site very far off level. Needed a bazillion legos under the low-side wheels and put the tongue jack up on a stack of 6x6 blocks. Put the stabilizers atop some big rocks so they'd reach the ground. Next think I know, it rolled over the chocks and off the blocks. Bent the tongue jack a bit, but still functional. There is no such thing as chocks that are too big. I recommend those X-jack things that go between the wheels and lock those babies down tight.

[Lwiddis]

No, AZ. I’ve slept with the chains as a safety backup attached to the TV and used a tow strap around a tree when out of camp.

[frisbeekev]

DutchmenSport wrote:
I had something similar happen once at home, except I had the tongue jack (post) directly on the ground and we we got a heavy rain and it sunk. (dirt, not a drive way). This was one of my earliest "oops" with my RVing experience, many years ago.

After that, I've kept one of these on the tongue tack post, which helps from the post accidently sinking in the ground. I never remove it.

Funny thing is I have one of those, unfortunately it was not on at the time....doh

[mike-s]

azdryheat wrote:
You'd have to take the chains off sooner or later. I have always used wheel chocks and not those cheap plastic things from Camping World. Mine are large and solid rubber.

Because you've had a plastic one crush to nothing? Solid rubber will sink into mud just as easily as a plastic one. If that's a problem, one needs one with more surface area, not more structural integrity. Carrying a few 2x8 cutoffs covers that.