Full On Panic Stop at 18,000 Pounds & 6% Grade

[BradW]

Many years ago I posted a question asking if anyone had panic stopped their truck camper from interstate speeds and what were the results. That was not exactly the same scenario we experienced Thursday, but it was my first full on, petal to the floor, panic stop with a truck camper in the bed and here are the results.

Coming out of Silverton, Colorado and headed down the south side of Coal Bank Pass on Hwy 550 with about a 6% grade and a 4,000 lb truck camper in the bed and a 7,000 lb jeep/trailer on the hitch, we had a large black bear sprint across the road directly in front of us. Not much time or room for steering, just a straight pedal to the floor deceleration from 55 to 20. Other than a longer than expected stopping distance; no other unexpected ill effects were noted.

Bear, passengers and driver continued on their merry way.

Brad

[bigfootford]

Over many years when traveling with the camper I usually drive around 60mph. I like to travel in the slow lane with the trucks. Most Truck drivers hold their speed well. That makes it nice, not to be constantly speeding up and slowing down.

That said, some trucks like to drive faster than other trucks so they will pass me and other trucks. As they do I used to give them the flash of my headlights to tell them they are clear so they can move into the lane ahead of me if needed.

I found that over the years many of the truck drivers would change lanes very close, in front of me. One time, a truck changed into my lane, very close and as he did he ran over a tire tread that was on the road. The tread flew up and smashed into the under carriage of our truck... Holy crap! Thought that it did some destruction so as soon as I could I got off the Freeway and did an inspection... All OK..

I am now very cautions about letting the truck slip in like that. I usually will slow down and make way more room for them so if they kick something up I have more time to evade if possible.

I have watched many truck drivers evade obstacles on the road... This one did not...

When driving at night I am very careful about trucks turning into my lane at close proximity. Can not see obstacles very well at night.

Jim

[bigfootford]

Few years back we were headed home from Los Vegas towing a 8ft Uhaul single axle, loaded with stuff, with our 94 f250 and our 2000BF 2500.
Weight of the truck and camper 10,200....
We were on 58 approaching Kramer junction, doing about 50mph... I was about 20 car lengths from the car in the front. Some jerk pulled in front of him, he laid into his brakes as did I.... The ABS for the rear brakes on the 94 was pounding away. We stopped with about 10 ft to spare... I did veer to the right and was ready to drive onto the shoulder if I could not get stopped.

Another time it was raining, early morning, traveling with the T&C, in an Oregon town. Car in front of me driving about 30mph was approaching an intersection. Light turned yellow and the driver panic stopped...I was not sure that I could stop in the rain in time but was into stopping....checked my right side, went around the car and through the intersection and the still yellow light. That was the fastest lane change I have ever made with a camper/RV. I almost felt it was one of those set-up accident things... A normal driver would have hit her.

2 times in the past 40 years have I had to do any exciting driving with our RV's.

Our 2000BF has almost 200,000 miles on it and has been on 2 trucks.



Jim

[camperfamily]

KFS wrote:

I hammered the brakes, and I mean they were howling. At the last second, when it became clear I wasn't going to stop in time, I steered onto the shoulder. I came to a stop even with the b-pillar of her Saturn, and looked down into the back seat at her daughter sleeping in a child seat.

God Bless You.

x2
Good driving, good choice.

[KFS]

I hammered the brakes, and I mean they were howling. At the last second, when it became clear I wasn't going to stop in time, I steered onto the shoulder. I came to a stop even with the b-pillar of her Saturn, and looked down into the back seat at her daughter sleeping in a child seat.

God Bless You.

[Bigimac]

-removed-

[wintersun]

Twice I have had law enforcement officers cut me off while I was pulling a boat on a trailer and then slam on their brakes as they pulled off the highway. They seem to get tunnel vision at times. My boat and trailer were 3,000 lbs. so no brakes and a full on panic stop would have most likely jack-knifed the trailer and smashed up one or more cars in the next lane.

With animals I hit the horn and try to go around them. One thing I did learn from my mandatory high school driver education course was to know at all times what was beside me so I could immediately switch lanes without having to take time to look and decide if it was safe to do so. It has something I have done ever since and it has saved me several times when drivers have come over into my lane without bothering to turn their head to see if it was clear to do so. This has become increasingly common with so many drivers using a cell phone in their left hand while driving and so their hand is blocking their peripheral vision at the same time that the phone call is using most of their brain cells.

I don't drive where I don't have a place to go into the next lane or onto the shoulder if I have to do so. If I am boxed in I will double the distance between my vehicle and the one in front as they are likely driving too close to the car ahead of them and that affects the stopping distance that I will have.

[RenoAl]

Yep. Not a bear but some nitwit driver. Pulled out in front of me coming down the east side of Carson Pass highway CA 88. Went from 55 to 5 mph. 3500 Dodge dually + Lance 1191 + 3000 lb fishing boat full of fish and beer maybe 3500lbs. Brown stuff in shorts and on seats. Nitwit driver never knew I was there.

[BradW]

RCMAN46 wrote:
You indicated you had a jeep in tow on a trailer. I assume the trailer had brakes. I am curious what brake controller you are using.

We have the built-in Ford factory brake controller that came on our 2006 F-350. We also have electric brakes on both axles of our trailer.

On our previous trucks we used a Prodigy brake controller and it worked extremely well, but I like the Ford factory controller even better.

Brad

[mlts22]

In Austin, that is a normal thing. An inexperienced college student misjudges speeds when changing lanes, slams the brakes, and it validates the 60-0 braking distance.

The good thing is that most new pickup trucks can out-brake the econoboxes.

[RCMAN46]

You indicated you had a jeep in tow on a trailer. I assume the trailer had brakes. I am curious what brake controller you are using.

[SRT]

On one panic stop the 3# weights in the bedroom on the floor in the back made it part way to the front. We learned to move them to the side of the bedroom. Can't understand some of these 60mph to zero mph to 60mph on the in town freeways.

[2Gordons]

Brad:

We drive similar rigs. We were pulling the horses on a trip when traffic suddenly slowed as we came over a hill at about 60 mph. I figure we were about 18,000# or so going down the road. Inexplicably, the lady in front of us stops her car dead on the highway about 20 lengths back from the car in front of her.

I hammered the brakes, and I mean they were howling. At the last second, when it became clear I wasn't going to stop in time, I steered onto the shoulder. I came to a stop even with the b-pillar of her Saturn, and looked down into the back seat at her daughter sleeping in a child seat.

That would not have gone well for them.

We pulled over a couple miles down the road to check on the horses. They were fine, but they were giving us the WT* look.

[trail-explorer]

I've driven that route, and it's a steep one!!

[Matthew_B]

Buzzcut1 wrote:

Matthew_B wrote:
I don't mind the sprinters as much as the ones that stop, stand and stare right at you.

yeah but they do taste good on the grill later on!:B

The only deer I ever hit hard got launched off a highway embankment and went down into thick blackberry bushes. I didn't think the meat was worth the effort on that one.

Otherwise they've always gotten up and run off. I suspect one of them may have died later, but who knows where he ran to.