Close call . . .

Today, while coming down the mountain on Hwy 34 (Big Thompson Canyon) from a week of camping in Estes Park, Colorado, we had one of those white knuckle experiences that we all fret!

I was following another travel trailer and was probably 8-10 truck-trailer lengths behind them.

It had just started to rain so the road was just starting to get wet . . . the speed limit 45 and we were going about 35 . . . then a blind sharp left curve and the trailer in front of me disappeared . . . I slowed down a little more . . . and as I rounded the curve, the trailer in front of me was stopped as another vehicle was making a left turn into a driveway and was waiting for oncoming traffic to pass!

"Oh $#!+!" I shouted out and hit the brakes, only to start sliding and squeeling . . . I let off the brakes . . . pumped them a couple of times . . . slammed them again . . . slid a little more . . . pumped them a couple more times . . . then put all I had as I slammed on the brakes one last time!

I was sure that we were going to run into the back of that trailer, but somehow I managed to get the beast stopped about 10 feet from the rear of that trailer . . . in a huge cloud of smoke as that burning rubber smell encased us!

And . . . somehow I kept the whole rig straight!

I pulled over about 10 miles down the road as there were no pull-offs handy that I could use (they were all closed off as this is one of the canyons that suffered major damage last year during the Colorado floods) to check everything out (including my shorts ), and all seemed to be OK, other than the kitchen drawers came open inside the trailer.

I don't know how I managed to stop . . . but I did!

We've been shopping for a new truck, and I told my wife that this was my current 1996 Dodge Ram 1500 4x4 trying to keep it's job!

Which it did very well today . . .

Took this shot as we were getting ready to pull out of our campsite about 20 minutes before the big skid:

John Does your TV have an electronic brake controller? That may be a more affordable option than a new truck.

My concern from your post is that your wheels locked up. From what I recall the 96 4x4 may or may not have ABS on all wheels. During that time frame I think Dodge only offered all wheel ABS in the optional stability package. A lot people opted out, and a lot of dealer stock didn't include this option. A vehicle with 4 wheel ABS would definitely help on wet roads. Also as the previous posted stated, a good proportional brake controller, properly set, helps also.

My truck has rear ABS brakes, and I do have an electronic trailer brake controller.

It was the front tires that locked up.

How well are the trailer brakes adjusted? Since I switched to self adjusting brakes, things all work a lot better. I live in Colorado too and now feel a lot better going down mountain passes.

I haven't tried it yet (although almost a couple of times), so not sure how effective it would be. But coming down a hill, in the rain and coming up on a blind curve sure has to get your hair standing up.

One of the selling points for me when I got the F-350 was the integration of vehicle brakes and stability control with the trailer.

The Ford has trailer sway control, which sway is detected the trailer brakes are supposed to be applied.
The TBC is hydraulically linked, the control uses a pressure sensor in the brake lines, so trailer braking is linear with brake pressure, instead of inertia.
The ABS is also linked to the TBC. As I said, haven't tried it yet, but in a ABS event, the trailer brakes as a whole should also be "ABS'ing".

Good to hear your outcome.

John,

Glad you made it through ok. Quick stops on steep downhill grades and towing RVs don't usually go together in the same sentence.

I don't remember the math, but I'm pretty sure as speed increases, stopping distance increases disproportionately. A few mph probably makes a big difference.

John,

I blew out a caliper seal and lost the rear brakes on my Class A pulling a 18 ft trailer with a couple ATVs on it going down the hill from Estes Park into Lyons. That's a pretty steep grade with a few blind turns, not a good place to go around a turn and find traffic stopped or loose most of your brakes. Glad you got it stopped.

JohnD said:

My truck has rear ABS brakes, and I do have an electronic trailer brake controller.

It was the front tires that locked up.

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That's what I thought, front wheels locking up is bad because you lose your steering ability. The newer models have it on all wheels (not a choice now) plus as others have pointed out they've added even more capability to the brake system. I know I've been on some slick roads in a panic stop situation, and while I never lost control or had a wheel lockup, that chattering noise the brakes make when the ABS kicks in can really set your nerves on edge.

congratulations on a stop well done. Glad everything ended well. About 6 years ago had one of the OH S---! stops too which we also survived but I did check my shorts.

Thanks for the thoughts!

We are going out this weekend looking for a new truck, but the reality of the situation is that no matter what truck you are in you can find yourself in one of these "Oh $#!+" situations!

From now on, those blind curves will be entered with extreme caution.

By the way . . . since then I opened a new package of Hanes Boxer Briefs!

Close call . . . follow up!

Well . . . we got the new truck last Friday!

2015 Chevy Silverado 2500HD . . . this thing is a beast!

I hitched up the trailer on Thursday and hauled it around the area for a couple of days, including a stop at Camping World in Longmont to get some hitch parts as the new truck is quite a bit higher in the rear end than my old one.

And WOW! . . . what a difference!

Pulling . . . and stopping!

The differences were so dramatic that it almost brought tears to my eyes (of course, us guys don't cry . . . )

I'm having some issues with getting the hitch low enough (bought a drop-down at CW, but it ended up not lowering the ball any lower than it was before without it being too close to the ground).

The trailer sits about three inches too high in the front with it just sitting on the hitch without the WD stuff even hooked up, which is not really that big of a deal except that the scissor jacks catch on the ground when I'm trying to back it into our yard.

However, I really don't use them (as I think they are junk) so I think for now I'll just remove the rear jacks and save the $200 for the drop-down and put it towards the license plates!

The sale of my old truck is slated to pay for a spray-in bed liner and a bed topper!

Or maybe in my 'Replace the Blowmaxes' fund!

Also, it seems that nobody local carries a pin lock long enough to fit through the hitch on the truck (Class V receiver), so I found one online that will fit.

We'll be going to Rifle, Colorado in three weeks for our last campout of the season at the Colorado HOC Fall Rally . . . can't wait to see how 'The Beast' pulls in the mountains!



Footnote:

The fact that the new truck is the same color as the old one was not planned . . . just happened that this one was on the lot already and had what I was after!

JohnD,

If the trailer is not level, I think you'll be loading the axles unevenly when towing. You may exceed the weight rating for the heavy axle, or for the tires. I have no idea how off-level you have to be for this to get serious, but I'd suggest getting it as level as possible.

danemayer said:

JohnD,

If the trailer is not level, I think you'll be loading the axles unevenly when towing. You may exceed the weight rating for the heavy axle, or for the tires. I have no idea how off-level you have to be for this to get serious, but I'd suggest getting it as level as possible.

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Here are some shots for scrutiny:



First shot is a side view with the WD stuff attached.

Second shot is the WD hitch arrangement set at it's lowest.

Third shot showing the drop-down that I bought at Camping World (and promptly returned a few hours later).

I didn't like that drop-down arrangement as I didn't like how far away from the back of the truck it was, not to mention that having two connection points made me feel uneasy.

Plus, with that the chains and the truck-to-trailer plug would not reach!

I'm going to go to the hitch place in Denver (Lampert's) where I had both of my previous trucks hitched up and wired as I know they'll have a drop-down like the one I have now (which I bought there, I might add) that should give me a couple more inches.