Harrowing experience

[mickeys4]

We had a nice weekend camping at the North Carolina Traditional Archery Championship,NCTAC 2010.Experienced torrential rain with hail the size of marbles turning the ground white.We stayed high-n-dry under the pup canopy.As we were leaving Sunday afternoon I had to make a moderately hard sweeping turn  and I felt the camper thump as we were going over a dip at the time.The access road leaving the area is a gravel road out to the highway with a downhill followed by an uphill.As I was going down the hill before starting uphill I checked my rear view mirror and thought the camper looked a little lower in front than normal.As I started uphill the trailer dropped to the ground.It had come off the ball.Thank goodness for safety chains.We immediately chocked the trailer wheels and the next vehicle,a truck with three men stopped and helped lift the tongue so we could swivel the tongue jack and raise the trailer and reconnect.The dilemma for me was ,did the trailer come off the ball or was it not hooked properly ?I had backed the vehicle as my wife and 40 year old nephew hooked the trailer.They both have many years experience hooking trailers of various types.I had actually felt the trailer drop down on the ball from inside the vehicle and had to ease forward a little so they could easily depress the lock down lever.I searched the Internet and found various opinions about replacing the ball.One person who works for an RV dealership states that they have had to replace the trailer coupler,weld on new couplers.as the coupler will wear over time since it is less thick than the steel ball.I bought a new ball,$13 6000# capacity,as the one I have been using is 30 years old yet shows no sigh of wear,no grooves or flat spots.I am going to give the coupler a thorough  inspection when I unhook.I don't think a pup would wear the coupler since the tongue weight is minimal,not like a 7-10,000 # trailer.I'll never really know for sure but I tend to believe that the sharp turn over the dip caused the trailer to come off the ball.Its hard to believe that three experienced people would not notice that the trailer wasn't down on the ball.After reconnecting and finding a place to pull off we stopped and cranked the wheel jack down lifting the rear of our tow vehicle about six inches to see if it would come off the ball.I think this would be a good habit to follow each time we hook up.I am going to invest in a breakaway switch since the camper didn't have one when I bought it.I hate to think of what would have happened if I had been on the interstate going 60 mph.All in all it could not have happened at a better place, gong slowly up a hill on a gravel road.I'd like to hear if anyone has had this happen before.Here is a link to our weekend,mostly pics of us shooting 3D targets with our traditional bows if anyone is interested,Thanks!http://outdoors.webshots.com/album/577823108XBvDyF?vhost=outdoors.

[wavery]

If the trailer tongue was properly latched after hooking-up then came off the ball, I would be far more suspect of the trailer coupler than I would be the ball.

Glad everything is OK. :sombraro:

[mickeys4]

Many thanks to BiXLL.

After I replaced my ball,which did show signs of wear after I cleaned it off,I used my old ball to adjust the coupler tightness.I inserted the old ball clamped it down and put the pin through it.I was able to make a complete turn on the adjustment nut to get a more snug fit and still rotate freely.I found this information on the Internet.

If the hitch's latch mechanism deforms in any way, do not use the trailer until the latch
assembly is replaced. When the coupler slides over the hitch ball, the latch should close firmly.
If the coupler is loose, tighten the adjustment nut until a tight fit is achieved when the latch
is closed. Keep the latch mechanism lightly oiled and clean.

Now that camping season is in full force this should be a heads up for everyone who tows.I never gave a thought to the coupler adjustment.I believe that the combination of a 30 year old slightly worn ball and a coupler slightly out of adjustment may have caused my problem.Being turned at just the right angle when I went over that dip may have caused my camper to come off the ball.It may not have happened again but I know that I have a much firmer grip after adjusting the coupler.

[4Campers]

Scary situation, glad to hear you were moving slow enough to not cause any damage. I've had a few trailer ball mishaps over the years for unknown reasons, the worst being when I was pulling a boat and the coupler came loose. Doing 60 down a narrow 2 lane with deep ditches on both sides when a noise startles me, as I look to see what's happening the boat passes me on the right side, swerves and hits the ditch (which was luckily FULL of water) like a ship being launched. No damage, the boat stayed tied to the trailer, but it could have been a disaster. No known reason why the hitch came loose, or why the chains slipped off. However similar situation, deep hills and turns to maneuver before hitting the road. Most times I stop now shortly after hitching up/pulling out to double check things.
Stay Safe!

[cndlzrus]

We have always put a padlock through the whole in the hitch to lock it down. We never had a problem, but then again we don't have to many steep grade to deal with here in Michigan.

[sacrawf]

Glad you had no major damage.  It sounds like you may have the problem solved.

Great photos.  This looks like a fun event!  It shows my age to remember the days when only a long bow would have been considered traditional and recurves were considered "modern" before compounds became popular in the mid-70's.

[surffishjimmy]

I am glad to hear that everything and everybody is ok.  Glad to hear you were going uphill and not down.  

I found this on the internet.

Push the coupler locking handle forward and over the front of the trailer tongue until it locks into place. Insert a cotter pin or a small padlock into the hole in the locking handle to make sure it does not work loose while underway.   Raise the front of the trailer to test the hitch coupler connection by cranking the tongue jack down in a clockwise direction until the rear of your tow vehicle starts to raise. Be aware that if your trailer tongue can raise the rear of your tow vehicle, you have a good connection.

You bet I am going to do this everytime now.

Read more: How to Lock Down a Hitch Coupler | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/how_5932336_lock-down-hitch-coupler.html#ixzz0qoy7P6yV