Thank God for safety chains.

[native pepper]

Have two camera's on the back of my bus, one on the back window and one on the back of the trailer, they are on all the time and can switch between them, I also use high tensile bolts for the tow goose neck, have found over the years the pin they have is not high tensile and easily wears over time. In the past had to re-weld one a couple of times because of wear, so got a couple of high tensile bolts and never had wear or any other problems since.

[supersparky]

We have a permanently on rear view camera. But it our case it wouldn't have helped. Our event lasted a total of maybe 15 seconds. Wish it was recording though. It looked pretty spectacular.

[T1 Terry]

Have two camera's on the back of my bus, one on the back window and one on the back of the trailer, they are on all the time and can switch between them, I also use high tensile bolts for the tow goose neck, have found over the years the pin they have is not high tensile and easily wears over time. In the past had to re-weld one a couple of times because of wear, so got a couple of high tensile bolts and never had wear or any other problems since.

If the bolt/pin doesn't wear, the hole does until the movement becomes enough to shear the high tensile bolt. The higher the tensile strength the greater the shear before deform.
I think the problem in our case, the bolt had rusted in the centre and finally sheared off with all the rough Victorian country roads.

T1 Terry

[native pepper]

My bolts sit inside a plastic sleeve and are still A1 after more than 2 decades, I check them every trip and have changed the plastic sleeve twice, but the bolts and holes remain as new.

[T1 Terry]

My bolts sit inside a plastic sleeve and are still A1 after more than 2 decades, I check them every trip and have changed the plastic sleeve twice, but the bolts and holes remain as new.

Good to hear. Did you make the plastic sleeves yourself or was it a feature in the towbar original design?

T1 Terry

[native pepper]

Just used the plastic pipe you buy at the hardware shop, took the bolt with me and bought the pipe that fitted the bolt.

[T1 Terry]

Just used the plastic pipe you buy at the hardware shop, took the bolt with me and bought the pipe that fitted the bolt.

..... then redrilled the holes to fir the plastic tubing? Just the towbar or the gooseneck as well?

T1 Terry

[native pepper]

Just used the plastic pipe you buy at the hardware shop, took the bolt with me and bought the pipe that fitted the bolt.

..... then redrilled the holes to fir the plastic tubing? Just the towbar or the gooseneck as well?

T1 Terry

Nope, have a large collection of bolts and when I found the size that fitted with the plastic, bought those in HT.

[Swisslulu]

We had a similar issue on our Qld trip last year. I think I didn’t post about it due to embarrassment! We flat tow a Suzuki GV.

Our post-Covid trip was about 12 weeks July-Sept when we caught up with Tanks and Bernie and Carol in Dysart. If I have told the story, apologies!

We left Charters Towers heading along the “highway” towards Townsville and then south to Ravenswood. Motoring along without a care in the world, we heard and felt a major clunk. “What was that?” we said. No idea! Looked at the rear view camera to see the Suzi veering to the left behind the MH. It was a narrow road and winding so we had to slow right down to find an area where we could get off the road, more or less. The left arm of the Ready Brute towing system was floating in the air. The bolt had disconnected from the connector, never to be seen again! We had a spare bolt, but the force of the uncoupling had ripped out the break away cable. We eventually were able to disconnect the car from the still connected right hand arm and I drove the Suzi to the Ravenswood Showground where we planned to camp.

We got on to North Coach in Brisbane and organised a new breakaway cable to be sent to Townsville. I drove the Suzi while Erich drove the MH to Townsville. He is hopeless at navigation and took a wrong turn to the CP but eventually turned up. Picked up the new cable and all was well till we got home. We couldn’t remove the coupling (for want of a better word) that the arm fits into on the front of the car. Fortunately, we have a Ready Brute approved installer just down the road here in Maryborough. $2200 later all fixed. Did I think about insurance at the time? Nup! Lesson learnt. And this would have been our secret if Dave hadn’t spoken up.

So how did it happen? We think the driver failed to insert the R clip into the bolt. We will never know but I will revert to inspecting the hook up as I used to with the caravan. Who said motorhomes are less complicated than caravans?

[T1 Terry]

Just used the plastic pipe you buy at the hardware shop, took the bolt with me and bought the pipe that fitted the bolt.

..... then redrilled the holes to fir the plastic tubing? Just the towbar or the gooseneck as well?

T1 Terry

Nope, have a large collection of bolts and when I found the size that fitted with the plastic, bought those in HT.

Let's hope you never have an issue that involves an accident with the towed vehicle and that includes a trailer. If you have reduced the size of the retaining pin/bolt to the size that was engineered, insurance will wipe you and the authorities will start all sorts of investigations that never turn out well. I've seen it before with non engineered A frames and modified goose necks, they don't give a rodents rectum about how anyone but the original design engineer who did the approval, what they said is carved in stone and any alteration that is not re engineered is the cause of the accident, even if it had nothing to do with it ......
Such are the ways of an insurance assessor and the motor vehicle accident investigation people. They will only deal in stamped certified paperwork so any failure can be shifted in their direction while knowing they can fight back, if you don't have the certified and stamped paperwork, you don't stand a chance in the fight .....

T1 Terry