Armchair Quarterbacks Unite! Stupid Stuff We've all Done...

[adamis]

Saw this video on YouTube of a 5th wheel wreck. Thankfully everyone was okay though at the end as a warning their is a child panicking. There is a follow up video where the guy talks about what lead up to this moment. I haven't seen the whole follow up video but he mainly talks about how quickly the weather came in and such. From what I saw, I would say speed is what led to the disaster. He said he was driving about 30mph just before but looking at the video I think it's a bit faster then that. As soon as there was snow and ice, he should have pulled off but then on a mountain pass, that isn't always possible. At a minimum slow to a crawl.

As much as I would like to say I would never put myself in this situation, if you are on the road long enough, it's only a matter of time before you encounter a situation where seemingly small decisions end up in near disaster. When you look in hindsight, you will then see how those small choices ended up being poor choices.

For myself, probably the worst I've done (though not necessarily life threatening like this) was to trust Google Maps routing way too much. Unbeknownst to us we had been routed off of I5 near Garberville, CA because of a rock slide. It lead us from pavement to a nice dirt road that progressively got worse as the miles went by. Eventually we were in the bottom of a ravine where it became really muddy and couldn't climb up the other side. The road was super narrow and had about an 18" drop off on either side for water to run off. Ended up having to backup nearly a 1000ft before we could find a place to turn around.

If you haven't been to the Garberville area, just know it's a place that out in the sticks, people don't want strangers driving around on their dirt roads. We managed to turn around and on the way out, managed to intercept several other people who were following their GPS to the same path as us. Even if we had made it up the muddy road, our victory would have been short lived as there was a gate across it not more than a hundred meters up the other side. Apparently Google Maps had routed us into private roads.

In the end we were safe but a little more skeptical of Google Maps. When the pavement ends unexpectedly, it is time to pull over and take a second look.

So, what was your near miss from disaster and what lesson did you learn?

[valhalla360]

SpeakEasy wrote:

valhalla360 wrote:


But to play along: At a campground, the owner decided to help us back into our site. He's standing right next to my window, blocking the view in the mirrors and of the DW. He then proceeds to back me over a hump...5th wheel proceeds to meet truck bed rail.

Another time, we were parked and hanging out working and the park was helping someone into the pull thru site next to ours, the worker proceeded to direct them such that the trailer drug along the side of a tree scratching it up. To make matters worse, 3 days later, the worker helped another guy come in and did the exact same thing.

We no longer accept assistance from park workers.

We camped at a campground in Alabama where the owner INSISTED on guiding us into our site. It was a VERY tight fit, and I went along with it. (Didn't have much choice.) Mrs. S. and I have our system, and we do fine with it. Well, he's guiding me in and he's within earshot of me in the driver's seat. I'm backing up (slowly), and he kept saying (louder and louder), “You’re Good!” Interpreting this to mean I was heading in the right direction, I kept going. He kept getting louder, until he finally bellowed “STOP!!!” I stopped. He told me he wasn’t sure I was going to stop. I thought, “Hm. I stopped as soon as you told me to stop.” Later, as I was reflecting on it, I realized he was probably using the words, “You’re good” to mean “Stop.” Weird. With my normal partner she tells me to stop when she wants me to stop. I’m just glad he finally figured out the correct way to use the English language to get me to stop. It wouldn’t have been pretty to back into the huge tree that was back there.

-Speak

We use hand signals and if I can't see her, I'm on the brakes. Avoids a lot of yelling. If there is something that can't be dealt with via hand signals, it's time to stop and confer at close range, not yelling but that's pretty rare.

Occasionally, you will get someone insistent upon helping, so I just watch her and ignore the verbal direction from the "professional".

[SpeakEasy]

valhalla360 wrote:


But to play along: At a campground, the owner decided to help us back into our site. He's standing right next to my window, blocking the view in the mirrors and of the DW. He then proceeds to back me over a hump...5th wheel proceeds to meet truck bed rail.

Another time, we were parked and hanging out working and the park was helping someone into the pull thru site next to ours, the worker proceeded to direct them such that the trailer drug along the side of a tree scratching it up. To make matters worse, 3 days later, the worker helped another guy come in and did the exact same thing.

We no longer accept assistance from park workers.

We camped at a campground in Alabama where the owner INSISTED on guiding us into our site. It was a VERY tight fit, and I went along with it. (Didn't have much choice.) Mrs. S. and I have our system, and we do fine with it. Well, he's guiding me in and he's within earshot of me in the driver's seat. I'm backing up (slowly), and he kept saying (louder and louder), “You’re Good!” Interpreting this to mean I was heading in the right direction, I kept going. He kept getting louder, until he finally bellowed “STOP!!!” I stopped. He told me he wasn’t sure I was going to stop. I thought, “Hm. I stopped as soon as you told me to stop.” Later, as I was reflecting on it, I realized he was probably using the words, “You’re good” to mean “Stop.” Weird. With my normal partner she tells me to stop when she wants me to stop. I’m just glad he finally figured out the correct way to use the English language to get me to stop. It wouldn’t have been pretty to back into the huge tree that was back there.

-Speak

[notsobigjoe]

valhalla360 wrote:
With modern weather forecasts, not much excuse for running in bad weather and if you do get caught out, pull off and wait it out or crawl along to a safe spot.

But to play along: At a campground, the owner decided to help us back into our site. He's standing right next to my window, blocking the view in the mirrors and of the DW. He then proceeds to back me over a hump...5th wheel proceeds to meet truck bed rail.

Another time, we were parked and hanging out working and the park was helping someone into the pull thru site next to ours, the worker proceeded to direct them such that the trailer drug along the side of a tree scratching it up. To make matters worse, 3 days later, the worker helped another guy come in and did the exact same thing.

We no longer accept assistance from park workers.

I do it myself or I don't do it.

[JoeChiOhki]

adamis wrote:
Saw this video on YouTube of a 5th wheel wreck.

Judging by the content of that channel, and that being one of only five videos, the last being "We bought a house", I do believe that wreck did, in fact, end their RVing adventure. 😉

[valhalla360]

With modern weather forecasts, not much excuse for running in bad weather and if you do get caught out, pull off and wait it out or crawl along to a safe spot.

But to play along: At a campground, the owner decided to help us back into our site. He's standing right next to my window, blocking the view in the mirrors and of the DW. He then proceeds to back me over a hump...5th wheel proceeds to meet truck bed rail.

Another time, we were parked and hanging out working and the park was helping someone into the pull thru site next to ours, the worker proceeded to direct them such that the trailer drug along the side of a tree scratching it up. To make matters worse, 3 days later, the worker helped another guy come in and did the exact same thing.

We no longer accept assistance from park workers.

[noteven]

I was smugly parading out of a overnight sleep parking location in my Big Dodge Diesel with our Big Camper and our Totally Badass Tires

Running the Cummins up to 1800 steady RPM to show everyone it is a manual...

Burping the exhaust brake on an upshift to show everyone I'm a Driver...

Sunglasses on...

Good thing they weren't too dark so I could see a man waving both arms in the cross wave universal "STOP!" signal...

So he could tell me to put the slide in...

[SpeakEasy]

OP - You're not getting much of what you asked for here, are you?

I'll play. Although I wish I didn't ever have to 'fess up to this.

It was on one of our very first trips with our very first "RV." A popup. I parked it. I detached. But it wasn't exactly in the spot I wanted it to be. I tried picking up the tongue to move it, but it was too heavy to lift. I asked my wife and two daughters to stand on the back bumper to lighten the tongue so I could move it. They innocently complied. Now I could pick up the tongue. But the trailer started to roll backward toward a 5- or 6-foot drop. Yeah. It's rolling backward; loved ones are standing on the back bumper; it's heading for a drop off. I quickly dropped the tongue, and luckily it stopped rolling.

I still have nightmarish thoughts thinking of that trailer rolling over one or more of my girls.

-Speak

[JIMNLIN]

two things stand out to me in the vid was the person pulling the trailer was going way too fast for conditions and the silly mother in the vid screaming which will always upset little kids. Both should have known better.
Having pulled commercially with LDTs/heavy GN trailers for over 11 years I've been lucky with no dings. I've pulled in those conditions doing this type of work but I will not pull with a rv trailer. It sits a few hours till the roads are cleared.
How ever around the place here using tractors and farm/ranch equipment I've done the stupid type stunts you think about later....as being a real dumb thing to have done.

[free_radical]

Driving too fast in those conditions.
Many people make that mistake at least once.

Ive been binge watching rusian car crashes and speeding is the cause of most accidents
Driving while drunk is another
See John Connor chanel,,
surprisingly most people stop and help there,maybe its the law.?

[theoldwizard1]

I enjoy "messin'" with small engines. So this means disassembling and cleaning carburetors. I have done dozens.

I broke my cardinal rule the other day. Always disassemble a carburetor in some kind of a pan, plastic or metal. I dropped the main jet and it is GONE !

Main jet, a couple of tiny O-tings, gaskets and a diaphragm we going to be over $40 with shipping. A complete new carburetor was about $58.

[dieseltruckdriv]

I have seen that one before, and he was definitely driving too fast. When I first started driving semis, a guy gave me some advice that I use to this day.

"Figure out what speed you feel safe at , then slow down 5 mph and you will never get in trouble." It has kept me trouble free, even pulling doubles in the mountains for over 30 years.

[specta]

Simple.
He was driving too fast for existing conditions.
People need to understand their limits.

[Kayteg1]

From what I see on the video, the rear axle locked up, what very likely is result of lack of practice in snow driving and pushing the brakes too hard, what made transmission downshift and holding the drive wheels.
Proper practice in this situation would be using trailer brake controller in pulses.
Growing up in 4-seasons I spend countless hours practicing ice and snow driving. That still pays 40 years later as practiced reactions stays with you, like bicycle driving.
When you have a job to come back to and kids who have to back to school, you are pressured to put yourself in less than ideal situations.
Took me retirement when going on vacations in June, I was advising neighbor taking care about my garden that my return date might be in September or November.

[Supercharged111]

I don't think that road would have stopped me, but I would have been going slower. The grip was a tire width wide, deviate from that and you get what we see in the video. That snow looks like the real slick kind, it's like snot. The snow just started, the ground is still above freezing. Gotta take it slow through the hills and the curves. I had the trailer try wiping me out behind my 1500 last year. I went to pass someone going egregiously slow downhill and the trailer started whipping. I grabbed a handful of trailer brakes and got it back, by then the other dude had checked up and I was on my way again, albeit on high alert. I pulled the car farther forward for the return trip, but it's still not as good as it used to be. I've added a bit of stuff and weight to it and the 1500 doesn't seem terribly fond of the present layout. For now I use the dually, but long term I'm going to better centralize the weight of the contents so it's not concentrated at both extreme ends. My tongue weight is sufficient, but there's a lot behind the trailer axles. Knowing to grab those trailer brakes saved me a lot of asspain that day. I think if dude in the video had done that going downhill, he could have gotten it hauled down in time for that turn.