Quote:
Originally Posted by jimh
if the trailer came loose, i believe i would rather let it go than take me with it.
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If it stayed connected (by the safety chains cradling the A frame) I think you would have a better chance of stopping the combination safely without involving other drivers.
1) Trailer cable stays connected - you control trailer braking with the TV while tugging against the chains.
2) Trailer unplugs and break away engages the trailer brakes full on and yanks on the TV still stopping the combination as a unit.
If the camper breaks away, (unchained or improperly chained - IE not crossed under the coupler) the A frame and coupler digs into the road surface potentially flipping the trailer off its wheels and it becomes an unstoppable 10,000 pound ballistic missile. This is a hazard to everyone on the highway except you.
I think I would feel pretty bad about that. Fighter pilots have nightmares about bailing out of stricken aircraft over populated areas knowing that the falling jet will kill innocents on the ground. During my flight safety training, we talked and studied about pilots who rode their aircraft in, fighting to control where the wreck occurred trying to miss large buildings and schools.
We talk about them as "Heroes" (and they ARE - no doubt), yet most have made that peace with themselves long before the event. (It is a "pilot thing" anticipating the worst that could happen and having a "bag of tricks" to pull from if it does happen.) "What would I do if?" is a way of life.
"Letting it go" would not be an option for me, I think.
I believe I would rather ride it to the wreck and fight it all the way.