*Truck and Towing thread........ask your questions here.*



Couple of questions here.

1) half ton truck with that payload? Dang!
2) What happened to the trailer axles/ tires? Those had to have launched big time!
3) Nice chain job. Then again when I worked in the construction equipment industry, we would have guys come in with no chains or straps all the time. Then they would get all whiny about us requiring them to buy chains from us to take the equipment out of the yard.

We had one company bring back an attachment on a deck over trailer with no straps or chains. When we told him that was unsafe, his attitude was " I have insurance so who cares. You will get a new one from my insurance company if it falls off. If you are going to read me the riot act I will take my business elsewhere including my equipment purchases." This was coming from the owner driving the truck attached to said trailer. We contacted our main office and explained what happened since the owner of this company had told us this. The owner of our company said don't worry he would handle it. Sure enough, the owner of the landscape contractor called our owner and complained about how he was treated in the yard. He told the owner that he would not do business with us anymore and he was going to tell his other contractor friends to deal with a company that could handle his needs. The owner of our company just said OK he would give him the rental for free and would have a chat with us. The contractor still came in for a rental on another piece of equipment the next week I think. We had a mechanic watch him chain the unit leaving the yard. All of our locations got a memo from above to have customers sign off on chaining and strapping clause added to the rental contract with company representative present . If they didn't know how to do it or refused to do it, it would delivered to the job site for a charge. Contractors would complain saying they didn't need to sign it since insurance would cover it or would want our people to do it. Probably for an insurance scam. I was leary of this type of stuff over a dozen years ago.

However so there after I left as the house crisis of 2007 broke. Our branch's sales in all departments were down. When the owner would come in, he would ask me if I had been noticing anything different. I said yes. People were not buying as much in parts, holding off on repairs, rentals seemed to be down. I knew this since I worked the front counter and helped in the shop and yard. We had contractors who would normally be good on the billing start slipping. He would brush it off as nothing. Everything was fine nothing to worry. One of largest accounts we dealt with a large landscape contractor who's biggest account was a large developer who basically went cold turkey on all subs and the like. I want to say it was DR Horton or Toll Bros. That company (landscaper) wound up failing about 2 years into the great recession. They gave their shop location to a local town. Sold off about 35 pieces of equipment and laid off everyone. It was crazy since we were always at their vendor parties for all the holidays. If there was a problem with the bills, the owner would come down from the shop to our branch. He would apologize for the problem and make the account current right there. His attitude was I need to keep my guys working. If my account is holding them up, I am not making money.


Side story...

Soon after I left the company, they closed up the branch about 18 months later. I ran into a former co worker of mine about this. When I left there were 3 management changes in the matter of 7 months. Each change got worse. When I left, they had someone in charge with no clue of how to run the branch. Turns out that person left after they let go of all the people I knew there. They fired one mechanic after his workers comp case was settled. He knew it was coming though. That same manager said they would come after him. He won unemployment since she said it in front of another worker at the place. She also fired the head mechanic when he asked why he was not brought in on release of the mechanic. He was part of all personnel issues within the shop. They even told this same head mechanic he was in a supervisory role and his input was critical of running the service shop. LoL As he was being fired, the new mechanic showed up early and went to him and asked where he should put his tools as he was locking his tool box up so he could get his trailer to pull his tools out. The head mechanic very funny guy turned to him and said something to the effect "up where the sun does not shine or something" right in front the manager. It made for an awkward exchange. That new guy #2 since they had a replacement for the other guy that was fired working there. Oh and that manager, yeah it turns out some other stuff happened. I heard a few different things. I would say there was some truth to it. She left about 3 months after that whole thing claiming she was too far from home every day. Funny before all of this she commuted from the same location everyday for about 5 or 6 years prior without a problem. Go figure. Worst part was it was a great place to work for the most part. We knew our customers old and new as well as they knew us. Everyone knew everyone by first name and most of problems where handle quickly and with everyone happy. We had a good rep up to that point for sales, service, rentals, and parts. The owner of the company wound up having to close 2 of the 3 branches down due to economy at that time.

Another crazy thing, I happened to be walking down the road near my parent's house. The head mechanic's wife knew me from the company. This was also right after my daughter was born. I was in a place at the time in which I could not comprehend. While walking down this quiet lake community road trying to deal with being a new parent and other issues in life, I heard the screech of tires and some yelling. At first, I thought it was a resident of the lake doing something or another. As I looked back over my shoulder, I saw this car coming back at me. As I was just about to jump out of the way, it was his wife yelling for me not at me. She was going about a minute a second about her husband and how he lost my number. He wanted to call me about this place and everything. He was depressed.... so forth and so on. She was just coming back from her friend who apparently lived no more than a street away from my parents. She offered to give me a ride to their house to talk to him and the like. I said give me a ride back to my folks and I will come over. I gave her my numbers so he could reach out at anytime.

I got home, told my DW what happened. She was like "Are you serious? They let him go?" She said go over to his place. I picked up a 12 pack of beer for the guy. I stopped at the house and we had a talk for several hours. He told me everything that just happened. He said at the time, he thought I was wrong for leaving but soon realized, I was the first one to wake up there as he put it. He started there about 3 years than I was and I was there for about 6 years. He asked about me and my wife. He congratulated us on the birth of our daughter. He was happy to talk to someone about this. He said he had reached out to the other mechanic that was fired about 4 days before. (We were friends with him too but we fell out when I left the place as well. Same reason they thought I was wrong. became friendly again. However when he got fired he was one of the first people I got a call from. He said I was right. I wound up helping him find another job by working with him on a resumes and the like. He is doing pretty well these days.) Then he dispatched some fatherly advice with the whole daughter thing. We were the same in the fact we both had single daughters. As I helped him, he kind of helped me too.

Anyway, I digress.
 
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So quick unhitching story. Ive had my 32 travel trailer for a year now. We were are the Williamsburg, Va KOA. Our lot was on a very slight decline. I chalked the trailer wheels, put 2 leveling blocks on top of each other and put the jack pad on top of it and started the unhitch process. I already had the chains off. Once the jack unhitched from the truck, the whole trailer slid back and to the left. This has never happened to me before. I freaked out for a minute and had to calm down. A guy at the next site ran over and checked on me and said that has happened to him a few times. He recommended that I keep the chains on until im completely set. Has this happened to anyone else?
 


Has this happened to anyone else?
Try it with a 5th wheel. :D

I think most of us have had this happen at some point. My first trailer was a 19ft hybrid, single axle, weighed less than 4,000 lbs. One of our first trips was to Destin at Camping on the Gulf. Beachfront site. You think it would be flat. I didn't even have wheel chocks. I just used some 2X4s. I didn't put the "boards" behind the tires, figuring the trailer can't go anywhere in the sand. You should have seen me trying to hold the trailer back after it cleared the ball. I finally gave up and let it roll back until it nudged the telephone poles they had in the sand to keep you from driving onto the beach.

Two years ago with my new 5er (42 ft, 15,000 lbs), I was camping at a COE lake in central IL. The site wasn't level side to side and one set of wheels were on about 4 inches of blocks. I had the wheels chocked, but when I hitched up, I hit the pin a little hard and it rolled the side on blocks right off. The landing legs were down and the side that rolled drug the landing leg, bending it about 30 degrees. Because the legs telescope into each other when they retract, the bend kept them from going up. I ran to town and bought a grinder and cut the leg off at the campground.

I have scissor clamps that go between the wheels now.

One of these is not like the other. I still keep the grinder in the trailer, just in case.

20170430_182557-1328x747.jpg

j
 
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You should have seen me trying to hold the trailer back after it cleared the ball.

It was probably 6 years ago at an overnight stop in PA...We pulled into the spot, dropped the jack, and the moment it came off the ball, the 35', 8,000lb, trailer begins to roll. Do I get out of the way? No! Do I run to grab boards or chocks to slide under the wheels? No! Do I yell at everyone in the area to look out? No! What do I do? I grab onto the tongue as though my 5'6" super-strength is going to somehow manage to stop the 4 ton trailer from rolling down a hill! :idea:

I don't leave it chained to the truck (although it's a policy worth consideration), but you can bet that my X-chocks are well in place before I ever unhook anymore!
 
Try it with a 5th wheel. :D

Yep, some scary stuff with a FW. I backed onto my level parking pad along side of my house. Got out of the truck, didn't put any wheel chocks out, didn't put my tailgate down, didn't put down my landing gear, pulled the "unlock" lever on my FW hitch … FW slide off the hitch head and the tailgate stopped the FW. Thank goodness the pin box contacted the tailgate before the FW had a chance to crash down. Talk about a pucker factor :crazy2:

Fortunately, no damage was done to the tailgate :duck:
 
Lets talk Tires, my 2015 Jayco feather-lite 23f - factory tires have about 6500 miles on them.. while they show little or no wear, i think its time to replace them. Anyone have a recommendation on brands. st175-80r 13.. I thought about buying new tires and wheels and using the old tires for spares. thanks SamBuster
 
Lets talk Tires, my 2015 Jayco feather-lite 23f - factory tires have about 6500 miles on them.. while they show little or no wear, i think its time to replace them. Anyone have a recommendation on brands. st175-80r 13.. I thought about buying new tires and wheels and using the old tires for spares. thanks SamBuster

Sailun tires, Goodyear 614's and I have heard good things about Carlisle Tires. Boar Tires would be overkill on your trailer as they are for heavy fifth wheels.
 
I put Sailuns on my 5er last Fall and they are great. The only problem for you is they (Sailun S637 and the Goodyear 614) don't come in a tire small enough. The 614s are also VERY expensive.

Carlisle are OK. I had some on my old 5er for a while. I can't say they were any better than the no-name tires. Goodyear has a new small/medium trailer tire, Endurance. It replaced the Marathon. My tire guy said they haven't sold enough to know if it is any good. He said it seems like a rebranded Marathon. Unfortunately, the Marathon turned into junk the last 5 years or so it was made.

I've heard good things about the Maxxis M8008, but I've never had them. They do come in your tire size.

j
 
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Howdy folks,
I am towing my 32 ft travel trailer to the fort next month from Virginia. I have a 2012 1500 Silverado with about 164,000 miles. I have worked on vehicles since high school. I just started towing our trailer last year. I have done most routine maintenance so far. I changed out the front and rear gear oil, engine oil last month. Transfer case was done last year, and transmission was serviced done about 4 months ago.

My question is what else should I do before we leave?
 
Howdy folks,
I am towing my 32 ft travel trailer to the fort next month from Virginia. I have a 2012 1500 Silverado with about 164,000 miles. I have worked on vehicles since high school. I just started towing our trailer last year. I have done most routine maintenance so far. I changed out the front and rear gear oil, engine oil last month. Transfer case was done last year, and transmission was serviced done about 4 months ago.

My question is what else should I do before we leave?

Check your brakes and coolant levels. Then enjoy the Fort.
 
You want to check the tire pressures and wear on truck and TT tires. Maybe grease the truck and the TT also.
 
Take a look at belts and hoses. The age isn't too bad, but mileage may be having an impact. If the serpentine belt is getting cracked and dry, do the tensioner and idler pulleys at the same time. It will cost more, but one of those will go bad at some point and it is easier to do them when the belt is getting done.

j
 
I got to test the brakes on my new truck and TT for our July 4 trip when someone decided they needed to make an exit from the middle lane of the interstate by coming to a full stop and taking a right turn. Cars on either side of me.

Happy to say it was a successful test and everything looked ok after.
 

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