down but not out
Gunnison, Colorado, USA
New Member
Joined: 07/28/2003
View Profile
|
A few weeks ago in a heavy cross wind, I experienced catastrophic anti-sway bar failure that caused my trailer and tow vehicle to roll, resulting in the total loss of my travel trailer and tow vehicle. The vehicles were properly hitched, the trailer was properly loaded (and well below its maximum GVWR), and the overall GVW was well within the limit for my tow vehicle.
I was driving a 2003 GMC Envoy with a 4.10 rear axle, towing a 21' Coachmen Captiva ultralight, and using an Equil-i-zer anti-sway system. Is this known to be a bad combination in a cross wind? Has anyone else experienced this disaster with any of these products?
|
beaner34
Oregon
Full Member
Joined: 02/27/2003
View Profile
 Offline
|
holy cow!
that seems like a small tow vehicle for a 21' trailer, but... were there any other factors identified in the incident besides wind? do you know what your tongue weight was? i'm interested in whatever other details you can provide.
me, the wife, and two kids
08 Chevy 3500HD 4x4 CC LB SRW Duramax/Allison
10 Keystone Fuzion 405 with the works
08 Polaris RZR
00 Yamaha Banshee 350
|
beaner34
Oregon
Full Member
Joined: 02/27/2003
View Profile
Offline
|
oh and one more question, what brake controller were you using? thanks
|
Westronics
Redmond, WA
Moderator
Joined: 08/07/2002
View Profile
Good Sam RV Club Member
Offline
|
You may be misunderstanding what sway control does for you.
Sway control cannot prevent a catastrophic single event like a large cross-wind knocking your trailer over.
Sway control is designed to either eliminate or control the back-and-forth swaying of a trailer caused by winds or other causes. It prevents the normal slight sied-ways pushing of a trailer by passing sem-trailers, etc., from developing a dangerous oscilation that ends in disastor.
Nothing known to man will prevent a trailer from getting blown over if there is sufficient wind for that to happen. A trailer has a really large surface to catch cross-winds. There are certain times one should simply not tow. High winds and very slick road conditions (ice) come to mind.
If enough winds exists to push your trailer over, there is nothing you can do about it but pray. Slowing down helps, as the faster you are going the more likely it is that a dangerous situation will turn catastrophic.
I'm glad that your damage was seemingly limited to property only.
2002 Jayco Greyhawk 24SS, Camera, ScanGauge, Inverter, Airtabs, Portabote, SeeLevel II, Tireman valves, Xatnrex Battery Monitor, Aero-flo vent, Trik-L-Start, XPS Rib, Chains, Lil' Stanker, Be kind to septic systems Ford: 1-800-444-3311. RV Tires
|
BlackEagle
Howell, MI
Full Member
Joined: 10/08/2002
View Profile
Offline
|
Was the Envoy the short wheelbase or long wheelbase version? Seems like I read a post on here recently where someone else rolled either a Trailblazer or an Envoy due to a trailer sway condition. They also were using the Equal-i-zer hitch. I tried looking for the thread and coulsn't ffind it.
* This post was
edited 08/14/03 08:14pm by BlackEagle *
1998 GMC Savana 1500 5.7/3.73
|
|
|
HuntingSteve
Peoria, Il
New Member
Joined: 08/14/2003
View Profile
|
I concur with Westronics.
Your hitch may not be to blame, I used to be a member of another RV message board and was convinced to buy the Hensley hitch for my F250 and 2000 Jayco 296FBS.
I was towing just this spring just outside St. Louis when major winds struck our tow vehcile and Travel Trailer. We were doing about 65 mph when a blast of wind from across a corn field hit us. Plunk....over on our side as one piece skidding toward a bridge (underpass). Thank goodness we stopped just short of the pylon.
Thanks to seatbelts we were relatively unscathed.
The Hensley kept us from swaying...that is for sure but sometimes I wonder if a little movment between the travel trailer and the tow vehicle would have faced the wind shear better.
What I am saying is maybe the Equal-i-zer hitch wasn't any cause of your misfortune, look at us, we had the Hensely and ended up the same way. Anywho...we're shopping for new trailer again. Haven't decided if I am keeping the Hensley, it too came out unscathed.
HuntingSteve and family
Shopping for a new TV and trailer as soon as our insurance check comes in.
Steve and family
Looking for a new travel trailer and tow vehicle as soon as insurance check comes in.
|
COACHHD
South Jersey
Full Member
Joined: 07/28/2003
View Profile
|
Hi,
Im towing with a 2003 Envoy XL 3.73 rear and reese weight distributing hitch and friction sway control. Ive had it out several times and stability is very good. My TT is a Nomad 232XL Lite. About 4600 pounds loaded. 23'11" long. My brake controller is a reese digital brakeman. No problems yet. Is your Envoy the short wheelbase?
Hank
Hank ,Janice, Peter, Chris, & Matty
2005 Jayco Eagle 298BHS
Reese w/d hitch,Dual Cam HP sway control, Prodigy brake control - Dish Network.
Yamaha EF2800i Generator
2004 Ram 2500 QC Hemi 410 rear
Pictures of our Jayco
|
6MISFITZ
Fort Erie, ON, CANADA
Senior Member
Joined: 04/15/2003
View Profile
Offline
|
D.b.n.o., First I hope nobody was too badly injured and I hope you still have the courage to keep RV'ing in the future.
You are WELL WITHIN your trucks ability with that size trailer and I am surprized at beaner34's response. I checked Coachmen's site for trailer weight and you are WAY UNDER weight for a trailer this size and even with your trailer at max you are still way under G.C.W.R.
I regularly see trailers on their way from the border going to one of the many local campgrounds. For example an Astro van towing a Terry Dakota 829S (just barely legal if you ONLY look at dry brochure weight) and similar sized trailers 26'-29' (some with slide outs) pulled by Explorers, Envoys, TrailBlazers and Durango's.
There are times when high cross winds have done the same to Tractor Trailers, buses and other vehicles as they have shown on the news over time and may even have happened if you were towing with a dually, given the right scenario.
Sorry to ask a dumb question but was this a failure of your trucks suspension anti sway bar or was this the failure of the EQ hitch wieght bar/sway control bar?
Mike.
Mom, Dad, 4 kids, 2 Camping Dogs
Express 2500 LS (135"WB) 6.0L, 4.10, G80, PYO wheels, HENSLEY & McKesh
--------------------
MISFITZ RACING
MFCC Member
Rallies Attended 4, 7 Un-Rallies
|
down but not out
Gunnison, Colorado, USA
New Member
Joined: 07/28/2003
View Profile
|
My Envoy had the short wheel base. The maximum trailer weight approved by GMC for my particular Envoy is 6200 pounds. My trailer weighed in well under 5000, loaded as it was at the time of the accident. I don't know what the tongue weight was that day. The trailer had a hitch weight of 380 lb., and the heaviest cargo I was carrying was a full tank of fresh water (water tank was at the rear of the trailer). Up front, the heaviest cargo was 40 lb. of LP gas (two full 20 lb. bottles) and two marine batteries... nothing that would have caused the tongue weight to exceed 10-15% of the total trailer weight, as recommended by GMC.
Apparently the documentation about my brake controller was not recovered from the wreckage. I'll have to phone the shop that installed it to see what brand it was.
To clarify the situation, I was driving in a strong, fairly constant cross wind. When I emerged from an underpass, the cross wind caught my trailer and started it swaying violently. I remained upright long enough for the motorists around me to see what was happening and hold back. Thanks to that and my seat belt, I am alive to tell about it. One witness told the police that it looked like the trailer was swaying so violently that the wheels were lifting from the road.
|
down but not out
Gunnison, Colorado, USA
New Member
Joined: 07/28/2003
View Profile
|
P.S. I was stitched, bandaged, and released from the hospital... cuts, bruises, "road rash" in varying degrees. My two dogs, riding with me, only suffered some tiny nicks from glass particles. No one else was in the car with me, and no other vehicles were involved. The worst of it was that my daughter was ahead of me in her car and saw the accident in her rear view mirror. I felt awful for her in those first few minutes until she got back to where I was and I could assure her I was not seriously hurt.
I've been trailering for 26 years and don't want to give it up. Just trying to make some sense of this so I can make educated decisions about my next trailer and equipment.
|
|
|
|
