overturned 4x4 and van

TAJ · Senior Member

overturned 4x4 and van

jules47 · The Happy Helper

Crikey - does that make it about five that we have heard about in the last week? Please take care out there, and stay safe.
Thanks for posting, and the advice TAJ - hope some heed it!

GaryKelly · Guru

Yep, you can't beat using the gears as a brake when negotiating steep descents.

Gerty Dancer · Guru

You can use your gears to keep the tug slower but that doesn't do anything for the caravan... what to do? Use the Electric caravan brakes separately?

rockylizard · Guru

Gerty Dancer wrote:
You can use your gears to keep the tug slower but that doesn't do anything for the caravan... what to do? Use the Electric caravan brakes separately?

Gday...

This may prompt others to tell me I'm wrong but ... I have always had the electric brakes on the van set so they come on before the vehicle brakes are actually slowing the vehicle.

That way, when going down a hill, in an appropriate gear to "hold the load", a slight touch of the vehicle's brakes, activates the van brakes providing a slight "pulling" effect on the vehicle, therefore enhancing the stability of the whole rig.

It is always best to not 'ride' the brakes (of either the vehicle or van) but to apply them for short bursts - e.g. in the straight, brake on for say one or two seconds then off again, brake on for one or two seconds then off again. It is best to do ALL the braking BEFORE you begin turning into and through the curve. Do not brake once you have entered a bend/curve.

That means having a slow (even if it is too slow) entry then initially coast into the bend and GENTLY apply the accelerator to stabilise the rig and drive through and out of the curve.

Cheers - and happy and safe travelling - John

pambaz · Senior Member

We drove down there last Sunday and a car and van past us at great speed . Half expected to see him in a mess further down but saw no sign of him. He was lucky as a highway patrol had pulled another car over . The trucks have to engage low gear that should apply to cars and vans too.

Just slow down everyone!!

I hope that couple were ok that had the accident.

herbie · Guru

Yep I recon this is about the fifth accident this week that one of us has reported via here,just makes one wonder how many more happen around Oz that we don't hear about...At this rate between the insurance companies/police dept and gov dept I can only see some new legistration being implemented for anyone towing any thing more than a box trailer.

Some thing like they have now ...you can ride a scooter with just a car licence, but you need a bike licence to tide a 125cc bike, ..Trouble is some of these new scooters are as fast as the 125cc bike.

neilnruth · Guru

We've had a caravan tyre blow out going down Mt Ousley and there's nowhere to stop until you're at the bottom!
Yes, my hubby uses his gears in low just as a truck has to, to do that mountain and any other mountain.

Wow! I've just checked the Wollongong paper. How did they come to be on separate sides of the median strip barricade?

http://www.illawarramercury.com.au/story/1791332/mt-ousley-rd-caravan-crash-holds-up-traffic/

-- Edited by neilnruth on Saturday 21st of September 2013 08:34:25 PM

rockylizard · Guru

Gday...

I'd reckon it is a Jayco Freedom. Pajero? maybe Prado??

Cheers - John

-- Edited by rockylizard on Saturday 21st of September 2013 09:38:41 PM

mr glassies · Guru

hey herbie you can acutely get on a 650 now on ls or ps

and i cant work out why these diesel utes dont have exhaust brakes

i like my electric brake controller close at hand so if needed i can touch the trailer brakes to pull you straight

dibs

rockylizard · Guru

Gday...

Whilst it would probably be interesting to see the insurance figures - eg which 'make' has the most claims - perhaps it could be biased given Jayco as a 'brand' has something like 70% of the van sales in OZ so they would be 'higher incidence' of claims ... even if number per 100 of vans registered may 'colour' given the high number of Jayco.

And even that needs to be 'purified' by categorising by 'reason for claim' - mechanical failure/tyre failure/operator error/weather conditions - it gets unwieldy, doesn't it hmm

Cheers - John

-- Edited by rockylizard on Saturday 21st of September 2013 10:15:44 PM

bloomoon · Veteran Member

Except when you are in a 11ton bus and car behind going down bus and trailer.jpg to Coledale NSW??

Pam_Chris · Veteran Member

Its reports like these that will sell the ESC (?) system.

herbie · Guru

I was trying to read what brand name was on the van,but my specs are in the 4x4be ,has anyone onn else got good enough eyes sight to pick it up ?

neilnruth · Guru

I'd agree Jayco Freedom - with the poptop facing the camera. I wouldn't guess the car. Mangled one perhaps?

rockylizard · Guru

Gday...

Although I cannot see what difference the make of van would make ... or the vehicle for that matter.

We are talking about a machine - to be controlled by an operator hmm cry [excluding mechanical failure]

Cheers - John

herbie · Guru

Was just interested in what make the van was,due to my son telling me the other day from the last 12 months insurance claims what brand has had the most accident claims to the ratio of x amount of brand names sold.

herbie · Guru

That is way the insurance industry has come together on this mater and done the sums (for a better word ) and broken it down to be fair to all brands .

Happywanderer · The Master

Latest on local news tonight, a motorhome was destroyed at a Gin Gin service station when the owner was filling up with diesel.

Just heard the driver is 65, been taken to hospital with burns.

-- Edited by Happywanderer on Monday 23rd of September 2013 07:37:27 PM

herbie · Guru

First day of the week and another roll over (ute towing caravan ) Pacific Hwy Rainbow Beach mid north coast NSW.

Said to be an elderly couple involved.

herbie · Guru

WOW now that could have been a major incident ....

hako · Guru

rockylizard wrote:
SNIP
This may prompt others to tell me I'm wrong but ... I have always had the electric brakes on the van set so they come on before the vehicle brakes are actually slowing the vehicle.
That way, when going down a hill, in an appropriate gear to "hold the load", a slight touch of the vehicle's brakes, activates the van brakes providing a slight "pulling" effect on the vehicle, therefore enhancing the stability of the whole rig.
SNIP
Cheers - and happy and safe travelling - John

G'Day John, Could you explain a bit more on how you set the brakes up so they come on before the vehicle brakes - I take it you are using electric brakes and a garden variety controller?

I tried to adjust mine in this manner but found they locked up.

Rergards

Denis

rockylizard · Guru

Gday...

The electric brakes on the van are activated, through the brake controller, by the operation of the brake lights of the vehicle. When the brake lights come on the brake controller begins to send 'signal' to the van brakes.

Usually (at least in the vehicles I have owned) the brake lights come on before the vehicle's brakes are actually retarding the vehicle. Therefore, I set the brakes up on a dirt road, drive at 25kph, touch the brake pedal slightly (to operate brake lights but not retard the vehicle) and the van brakes begin to operate. I then adjust the "power" on the brake controller so that the van brakes come on a slight bit more at that point. Driving at 25kph and setting, re-setting the controller until I get the right "balance". It takes a bit of time.

Final check is drive at 25kph on dirt road, operate the 'manual control' full on quickly and the brakes of the van should lock up - not severely - but lock up. This means that should I need a 'panic stop' the van locks up and drags the vehicle back while the vehicle's brakes are providing full retardation to all four vehicle wheels.

Been doing this for years - going back to towing rally cars on tandem trailers and through into vans.

Cheers - John

hako · Guru

Thanks John, My P3 Prodigy only allows proportional braking - activating the brake lights does not apply the van brakes as it's the actual interia from slowing that supplies the power to the van brakes. It would be nice if the van brakes could be applied a micro second before the tug brakes but I guess this is really not possible at least with my controller.

Regards

Denis