It could have went bad!

[cougar28]

What's the single worst thing that you did or didn't do that could have really went bad but didn't?
Couple years ago first trip of the year. One of those spur of the moment trip-got in a hurry because getting off work late. Get home the DW already loaded most of the stuff. I jumped on the tractor and use the bucket to load and install the 5th wheel hitch. Get that done hook the rv up -do a walk around all is good and hit the road to the camp ground.
Get there all is good for the weekend- pack up head home. Get home park the rv in the carport-unhook and notice on a little table I have there my 4 hitch bed rail pins! Yep pull the rv 40 mile round trip with the hitch not pined to the bed rails.

[CavemanCharlie]

Years ago, When I had my first Travel Trailer it had a single axle. The door was toward the front. I unhooked it at the campground walked inside and toward the back. When I did the jack on the front of the trailer came off of the ground and the trailer started to roll down the hill toward the lake !!! I ran toward the door on the front of the trailer and the jack came back down digging into the dirt.

After I got it reset on the camping spot I drove to town and bought some wheel chocks.

It's funny now but, at the time it was scary and embarrassing.

[Lightning55]

I'm almost too embarrassed to share this. My FW was brand new and I was in the storage yard trying to back into a narrow space and had the FW in a tight angle to the truck. I apparently had my brake cable hooked up with not enough slack for the tight turn and it unplugged from the trailer. The rig came to an abrupt stop. I quickly jumped out of the truck to see what happened and saw the cable was disconnected. I climbed into the bed and plugged it back in. What I didn't realize was that I didn't put the truck in park when I jumped out - it was still in gear! Next thing I know is the rig is driving itself across the lot with me in the bed. I about broke my neck jumping out the bed and scrambled to the open door to slam on the brakes before it hit a building. OMG was I lucky! I could have hurt myself or got tangled up under the rear wheels of the truck when I flopped out of the bed to the ground. I beat myself up pretty good for being so careless and stupid. The RV god was watching out for me that day. Looking back I should have just unplugged the brake cable and it would have stopped the rig but I was panicked at the time and didn't think of it.

[rollexx]

We were about 5 miles from our destination when the TPMS alarm sounded. Rapid pressure lose. Right rear tire flat. No big deal, had room to pull over to put on spare.
Pulled tire off and noticed a deep groove around the rear sidewall of tire. It’s then I discovered the problem. The shackles holding the rear axle leaf springs to the center equalizer had broken. The tire had been rubbing up against the shock absorber bracket.
Since we were so close I put the spare on and we limped the final few miles. It was then I discovered that the shackles on the other side was broken also. So basically the only thing holding the rear axle on was the two rear leaf spring bolts. Can’t say how long it had been this way. Shudder to think what could have happened.

[Cocky_Camper]

*Knock on Wood*, I think the worst thing that I done was left the awning rod in the strap. It flopped in the wind and along the side of the motorhome for about 50 miles before I noticed it! Luckily it didn't come off in traffic, which could have ended bad.

My uncle was removing his load levelers, and had a piece of steel pipe that he unlatched them with. His phone rang and he went to answer it, after he remove the load level pin, The bar came flying down and gashed the front of his pants and and leg open. He just knew that it cut his "man goods" in two. He went inside and his wife checked, and the bar barely scraped his thigh. That could have ended real bad!

[RayJayco]

Back in the early '80's, had a friend that had a small boat, seems like a Cobia. We left Tampa about midnight pulling the boat with his old barge of a car. We liked to get to Lake Okeechobee early, get breakfast and be on the 10 mile cut before dawn (Moore Haven).

Well about 2 AM or so, somewhere about Sebring, a convenience store was open and we stopped to get a coffee. We smelled something burning before we got the doors open. Smoke coming off the passenger side trailer tire...

What to do?? In the bible belt at 2 AM on Sunday morning...
Options;
Sit and wait at the store until after church when a parts store should open OR keep heading south real slow...

We went with option 2. No traffic on the road. Our other friend was a bit scared, so we had him in back seat watching the tire to let us know if the wheel came off... LOL The 2 of us knew that would do nothing but it made our buddy in the back seat feel better!

Empty road, we drove real slow and made it to Moore Haven just about sun rise. Ordered biscuits and gravy to go, backed down ramp, off loaded boat, parked car and away we went!

We fished and did ok, got turned around in the monkey box, old POS boat wouldn't always start without a fight, friend from back seat hadn't caught anything...

We need to get back and fix the trailer before everything closes! He finally had a bite! (not really, he was just hung! We felt bad and let him fight it! LOL Watching our watch and the sun. Finally he broke the line! Lets go!

Boat wouldn't start! Pull, pull, pull, taking turns pulling the cord and fiddling with it. Finally got it running, misfiring bad. Could only run at basically a rough idle.

As luck would have it, a fishing tournament was ending as we were putting up the 10 mile cut. Them big Ranger boats throwing 50 ft rooster tails, blowing us all over the place! They had to make the weigh in.

Finally made it back to ramp. Only our car and 1 truck was there.

Back seat buddy stayed to watch boat, and me and other friend took off to Roland Martin's Marina, probably about 25-30 miles away.
Got there just as a lady was locking the door.
Please!!! We just need a set of bearings! We are desperate!

She let us in! Bless her heart! Gratefully we grabbed the bearings and away we went!

Lifted up trailer and just pulled the wheel off! Oh boy! Bearings was melted-gone, inside of wheel was damaged. We jammed a bearing on each side of wheel (only way to do) and slide it on axle...

That was when we realized the washer that held bearings was gone! I guess that it completely melted on the way. What to do?!

I walked around looking for ideas, thinking hard. Aluminum can won't work... Hand in pocket I felt some change. Pulled out a couple of dimes...

Hey guys, I need more dimes!

An old man had loaded his boat and was pulling out. He was the last person there. I waved him to stop and asked if he happened to have a big washer.

No, he had too many tools stolen there and brings nothing, starting to drive away...

I said that I didn't think that the 5 dimes that I had holding the wheel on would make Tampa. He looked at me and said, What? Yes sir.

He walked over looked at it, scratched his head and said, Son, if you'll follow me home, I'll get you a washer! He couldn't believe it.

So away we go! Back seat buddy watching the wheel again (LOL) as we go over the levy, down the roads to the old guys home. Probably drove 10 miles or so, over bad roads. But the wheel stayed on.

He wouldn't let us do anything. With boat on trailer, we couldn't lift it as before, he brought out a jack, tools, washer and fixed it.

He stood up and shook my hand as I was trying to hand him some money.
He wouldn't take it. ...All that he wanted was the 5 dimes!

So if you ever find yourself around Moore Haven, ask an old timer about the 5 dime guy. That was me.

[olfarmer]

It seems as if I am having more of these happenings as I age.....senior moments! I am 75 and in pretty good shape but.....

[Naio]

wa8yxm wrote:
Ran off the side of the road and put the right side tires in a ditch on a KY country road. that's a deep ditch.. Was seriously concerned the rig might decide to lay down and take a nap.. THINKING faster than most folks can imagine I cranked the wheel TO THE RIGHT.. inertia held me up just long enough for the wheels to climb out the other side.. Straddled the ditch till I came to a culvert where the farmer entered/exited teh field and back on the road again.... Changed underware when we got parked.

I do not EVER want to try that again,.

Great job! And I bet I am not the only one who learned something from your post. One of us may need your idea someday. You may have saved several lives by posting.

[wa8yxm]

Ran off the side of the road and put the right side tires in a ditch on a KY country road. that's a deep ditch.. Was seriously concerned the rig might decide to lay down and take a nap.. THINKING faster than most folks can imagine I cranked the wheel TO THE RIGHT.. inertia held me up just long enough for the wheels to climb out the other side.. Straddled the ditch till I came to a culvert where the farmer entered/exited teh field and back on the road again.... Changed underware when we got parked.

I do not EVER want to try that again,.

[BarabooBob]

Towing the TT in heavy traffic near Niagara Falls, Ontario. This (b)witch in a little car that looked like a survivor of a demo derby cuts in front of me with about 6 inches between my bumper and her car. I could not see the back half of her car over my hood. Because she cut in front of me so close, I hammered the brakes. I found out that my trailer brakes worked very well. Just after I hit the brakes, she hit the brakes, hard. The left and center brake lights were both not functioning on her car and her right brake light was very dim. I missed her by inches.

I think this whole thing was a set up for an insurance scam because there were 4 very large people in a very small car and all three passengers were looking at me when she stomped the brakes. It looked like they were anticipating impact.

[mleekamp]

Our first TT -- a small Starcraft 16 footer, single axle. Got to campsite, unhooked from truck, and !!!!!!!!!!! forgot to chock the axle! She rolled back into a tree, low speed, minor incline, no real damage except small dent in the thin tube bumper on the TT, and huge damage to the old ego as other campers watched it unfold. Needless to say, that's the one thing I've never forgot again..chocking axles!

[Naio]

I grew up in a remote, rural area. That was the normal thing to do when you hit a deer :-).

Maybe not for an on-duty cop, though. I don't know about that part.
Depends on how busy the night is?

[rk911]

Naio wrote:

2oldman wrote:
I scene a deer, almost hit it. That could have went, or gone, bad.

Not if you'd'a got it in the freezer quick!

worked and later managed a regional 9-1-1 call center. we answered calls and dispatched police, fire and medics for ~500,000 night time residents (more during business hours due to reverse commuting) in 12-communities.

anyway, one day we had an officer report that his squad car collided with a deer, no injuries to the officer, the deer was DOA and the squad was drivable. he reported out-of-service at the scene. we ass-umed it was to move the carcass to the side of the road. nope. we learned later that he cleared as much space as possible in the trunk and then muscled the carcass into the trunk and then took it home before heading into the station. must’ve been a small deer...maybe a doe or youngster. the sgt. wasn’t happy but we’re thinking the officer shared some venison steaks with the rest of the dept.

[Naio]

2oldman wrote:
I scene a deer, almost hit it. That could have went, or gone, bad.

Not if you'd'a got it in the freezer quick!

[opnspaces]

2 lane highway out in the desert. Came around a corner at 70 MPH at twilight and there was a huge black cow standing broadside in the emergency lane like it was waiting to cross the road. Hit the brakes and was probably still doing 60 when I went past her. Yeah that will wake you up. 🙂