RV Crash - How We Overcame It In 6 Weeks

[@lawrencecavens5760]

Here's how you control trailer sway - You must know where the brake controller is and activate it manually - this in turn will activate the trailer brakes and get the unit under control. The other thing that you must understand is having a anti sway control installed at the hitch and mounts to the {A} frame of the trailer and connects to the tow hitch, This must be used if the trailer is over 25 feet and over 4000 lbs but morso on the length. What would of helped in controlling the sway is keeping all the weight to the front of the trailer instead of the rear. and travelling with the tanks empty. If you need to travel with water on board then make sure that the water tank is full and not just partially - but then keep your speed down to keep and maintain control...

[@WIDESIDE72]

@@Thechristianremnantnomad I’ve seen plenty of guys that can’t tow either. Having gonads doesn’t automatically qualify you to do “manly things”.

[@garyf8229]

First slowing down is exactly the wrong thing to do. Slightly increase speed on the two vehicle and use the trailer brake control. Also assuming your hitch has an anti sway feature, you must remember to shut off the anti sway feature in the tow vehicle. If you experience trailer sway the two work against each other.

[@lawrencecavens5760]

@@garyf8229 yes I would sort of agree on part of that but first hit the trailer brakes to get the trailer under control and as you do that slightly increase speed of the tow vehicle, but yes slowing down the tow vehicle first might amplify the situation.

[@garyf8229]

@@lawrencecavens5760 Many trailers do not always have electric brakes, farm, equipment rental trailers and the great U haul all have a surge brake system. The point is to control sway by getting the tow vehicle moving a little faster than the trailer to force it back into tracking behind the tow vehicle. On the few occasions I have actually encountered a sway problem on my trailer a quick tap on the controller has worked, but I always use both a weight distribution hitch with an anti sway bar. The only time in over 45 years that I really had a serious sway problem was towing a rental trailer downhill. The speed increase pulled the trailer back in line.

[@barryjackson1401]

Thanks for the tips. Interesting.

[@pdzh]

As a truck driver, anytime anything doesn't feel right, I stop and inspect the whole rig just in case. Once a hunch made me look around the rig and I found ball joint on a suspension leaking. That could have been terrible, but I learned to trust my gut.

[@pdzh]

@fladave99 I don't blame you, trouble only comes when you don't wait for it. So all we can do is search for potential problems to prevent trouble from coming

[@markwhitley6463]

Glad you guys are ok, this is my guess on what happened with the sewer issue on the new camper. They were using the black tank flush got distracted and it overflowed into the camper. It went through the floor registers into the under belly and pooled in different locations. They cleaned up the inside and made the one hole to drain underneath. When you lifted the front end you pushed the additional sewage water to the section with the drain hole they made. I have done this as well in my motorhome and it is not fun.

[@ethan....]

I haven't finished watching the video yet, but if you didn't mention it. The best thing to do in this situation is to reach down to the towing brake controller and engage the brakes on the trailer using the manual emergency slider. This will immediately straighten out the whiplash you were getting. Engage the brakes just enough that the trailer tires don't lock up, but enough to stop both the car and the trailer. Once the trailer settles down, release the brake controller manual override. You don't want to use the vehicle brakes to do this because when you use a vehicle's brakes there is a pushing effect on the trailer that causes it to become less stable. However, using the manual brake slider on the controller causes a pulling force on the trailer which will pull the vehicle inline, thus stopping the whiplash effect.

[@G53X0Y0Z0]

I agree that applying only the trailer brakes would have been the right thing to do. Also, having too much weight behind the rear wheels is a major cause of trailers swaying.

[@coomikaze21]

Agreed, anytime I am going downhill I am ready to to hit the trailer brake by hovering my hand over it so if needed I am ready. I believe you can also accelerate at the same time to help straighten out. Multiple times a trip I do a scenario in my head where I imagine that the trailer is swaying and what to do so that if it ever happens, it is just second nature and I don't have to think. I got this mindset years ago when I was driving a car on the freeway and there as construction ahead and all cars stopped. I started to slow down and quickly realized my foot was to the floor and had no brakes at 75 mph so I just kept pumping the brakes and they finally started working again after I swerved to the empty lane to right, master cylinder was bad. 12 years later anytime I am coming up on slow/stopped traffic my hand goes to the ebrake ready to slowing pull it as I didn't that day as I would have likely pulled it all the way and at 75 mph that would have been bad. Do these certain scenarios in the your head occasionally when you are towing, only takes a couple seconds, so that you know what to do. I also tow with a Ram 1500 and I would suggest getting stronger springs and airbags in the rear and that keeps my truck level and just feels better towing and only cost my $300 total, unless you get the airbags that are not inside the springs, and a few hours or work. It may make the ride slightly stiffer when not towing but worth it when towing.

[@G53X0Y0Z0]

@@coomikaze21 - Accelerating is counter intuitive to most people, but that might have done the trick. Hitting the truck brakes is definitely wrong. I have had a close call or two myself, was lucky to not have crashed. When ever towing a heavy load (relative to the tow vehicle capacity) I like to set the trailer brake controller a bit on the heavy side so the trailer does it's sharing of braking plus a little more.

[@billybritt5334]

@@G53X0Y0Z0 yes trailer brake and steer at the road she will straighten out....

[@Gratefulwon]

This. So much this! In fact, as a pilot who makes his living flying, I actually review this maneuver periodically.

[@franksuggett6745]

Browsing thru RV videos I came upon this one and after 5 minutes instead of moving onto another video I watched it until the end. It brought back some ugly memories my wife and I endured. A year ago 03/12/21 my wife and I suffered a similar fate. A person zipping in and out of traffic lost control and hit us on the front end of the trailer which started us fishtailing causing or trailer tearing off our hitch on the truck went down the freeway landing on its side. Our truck ended on its top. Both vehicles were totaled. We have since replaced both vehicles and slowly are getting back on the road. We were on our third day of a planned (4 years in planning) year long trip around the US. The telling of your displacement was so spot on. We had rented our townhouse for a year and ended up with working with the tenants and luckily the one next to ours came up for rent. I wanted to get right back on the road as you and Barbara had. Unfortunately my wife is not quite as embolden as Barbara was. But she is getting back to it now. So good on you and Barbara and I wish the two you of fun and safe travels.

[@wanderinwhilewecan]

Thank you for your comment Frank and ugghh really? Your third day? I am sorry to hear that! Sounds like you are very lucky to me okay. That is a huge fear of mine that a car hits us while we are towing because people don’t understand the seriousness of what could happen and just fly through traffic without any thought or concern for other people. It is a horrible experience to go through but I am really happy to hear that you are through it and looking to get back on the road. In our next video Barbara talks about what it was like for her to get used to being back in the truck and towing because like your wife, it was NOT easy for her. I really appreciate your comments and looking forward for you to get back out there. Thank you!

[@birdmanrobertlabodajr.3416]

I want to tell you what’s very stressful having a front wheel come off or the studs were warped and the head of the heated up to take the Lugnuts off and so I had broken studs so I think a wheel bearing I’m thinking brakes and lower control arm I’m getting tired

[@pamelastaton6390]

We totaled our 5th wheel on interstate 10 in Texas, we had just got back on interstate and hit a really bad rut on road and strong crosswind at the same time…..trailer began to go over and my husband turned into the flip and it came back down on the top of truck as we had a Glendale Titanium with a double step up over the truck which prevented it from flipping over as it came down on the truck instead….then it started to flip over from the other side…my husband again turned into the flip and it came crashing down again on top of the truck….he was able to finally get it slowed down enough to pull it over to the side of the highway…..we were so blessed that there wasn’t any traffic on the two lane interstate through this whole ordeal because we were back and forth on both lanes before he could get it stopped. It was unreal how the 5 th wheel never came off of the hitch in the bed of the truck but later once they were able to disconnect the trailer from the truck, the hitch plate was pulled up and looked like a dome instead of being flat. Our F250 crew cab roof was smashed in over the back seat area. Our 5th wheel was ripped open at the back on both sides where the slides were. We actually continued pulling our 5 th wheel the rest of the way to Florida…..where did we go wrong? We had it overloaded with our friends stuff because they were moving to Florida and just couldn’t leave these things behind and my husband just could not say no…..yes we learned a lesson….just say no and never over load your RV…our insurance was awesome….we were covered and well taken care of…learn from our mistake as lives could have been lost because of a bad decision….live and learn…

[@wanderinwhilewecan]

Wow! How scary! I really glad to hear that you guys made it out of that situation okay despite the truck's roof being damaged. I have never towed a 5th wheel and the size absolutely intimidates me. These types of accidents are really difficult to get over because in that moment it is utterly terrifying! Thank you for sharing your story and I wish you safe travels!

[@ross798]

Max tow speed in Texas is 60 in the daytime and 55 at night. I could not help but key in on what you said that the driver felt vibrations which stopped when she lowered the speed of the vehicle, but then when she felt comfortable, upped the speed to the same speed she felt the vibrations at and they returned, this time with much worse results. Could this of been avoided by following the speed limit? Almost certainly. You mentioned "gusts" of wind, well, one thing truckers can do to reduce the chance of flipping a rig is in high wind conditions, slow down. Hopefully, lesson learned here, you are not just driving a truck at 65 mph, you have a trailer back there too. In many states, the MAX speed while towing is 55 MPH, that's the max speed in good driving conditions.

[@bguilha]

What a great summary of those 6 weeks! It feels like ages ago! I will never forget how you took care of us and I will be forever thankful that you pushed us to keep going! ((and all of this before a worldwide pandemic, and more… o boy we knew nothing about what was coming))!

[@wanderinwhilewecan]

That was rough but we overcame it together. We both picked each other up as different times but so crazy to look back and yea I can't believe that was 2 years ago.

[@lindamurray5503]

I just happened onto your channel and my husband and I really felt for you both. We are both 71 and 72 and we have been full-time for 5 years, and our first rig was a travel trailer. We drove to Coldwater, Michigan from Amarillo, Texas to pick it up, after two weeks, we had water coming out the bottom, and ended up pulling it back to Michigan for repairs. I'm so glad you both came through everything and not hurt. If you still have a travel trailer, make sure you have good sway bars

[@carberry59]

Just a tip, practice engaging the trailer brake control manually so you get used to it, this way if something happens you hit it almost by reflex. Glad all were OK. Also minimize anything stored behind the axle, and almost nothing on the bumper.

[@birdmanrobertlabodajr.3416]

I like the tote tank that you have and you know I think overall I’ve had my I had my camper for nine years. It’s paid off. I just put new tires on mine five years ago. I put a new propane switcheroo on it so it switches the tanks I want I want put antenna on it. I bought a new generator I thought about buying a couple solar panels. I wanna put them up top if I came and bought a side-by-side, I’d have to have at least a 13 foot garage inside because I’m not gonna be using a side-by-side and most likely will probably get a 30 foot camper in the back half of. It will probably be a club golf cart type thing you can’t Side-by-side but you can have golf carts, but I would want 2 Wheel Dr. and be a little easier for me with a wiper and something a little higher the speed at Lake only about 6 miles an hour, but the thing does do 25 miles an hour all your newer ones can do 47 miles an houror 50 miles an hour

[@Retsy257]

Oh, what a story! First I’m so glad that you’re ok..... that was some accident 😰. I read the comments and learned a lot about staying safe during sway. I pull a 19’ GeoPro with a Mercedes 350. It’s a little beast. I’m usually solo and have taught myself everything so hearing your story is very helpful. Thank You and Safe Travels !

[@wanderinwhilewecan]

Thank you for your comment Loretta! Yup, we each have to educate ourselves and learn everything to travel safely. This was a lesson well learned and glad that we made it out okay. Safe travels to you as well! Thank you for watching!

[@Ricky-eo5ym]

Hey just finished watching the complete video wow what a story, funny how life can throw you a curve ball every once in awhile. Glad it all worked out for you guys. It really makes you grateful when times are good and to recognize them. Thanks for sharing

[@alexjasonchandler]

Proper tow vehicle leveling as well as realizing most trailer tires are only rated for 55mph is critical. That is why it is very common for people to get E-rated tires rated for 87mph, which I installed on day 1 and never go over 65 personally. Due to other factors of concern like trailer sway which is amplified by higher speeds. Also people will install suspension airbags and or special hitches that allow for leveling adjustment (assuming you're not squatting, which is over-towing & very dangerous). That Rockwood mini lite was 5,500 lbs unloaded. Your Toyota Highlander at the time was rated for 5,000lbs max, which means the dealer sold that to you, because he could not because he should. I realize you later got the Dodge Ram Truck. But the tire blowouts and the axle blowout were both a result of too much weight on one set of axles/tires, not distributing the load across both axles and all 4 tires. Which is why under-towing can also be a problem, if the trailer is not level, because rather than squatting you are now teetering the other direction, causing the same load distribution problem. Improper load distribution, causes instability, instability inevitably triggers a trailer sway situation, especially when passing or be passed by large Semi's and at higher speeds. This video link does an excellent job braking down trailer sway dynamics and causes - kzbin.info/www/bejne/gJaodnZrmruBec0&ab_channel=L2SFBC-RobertPepper-autojourno

[@normanmallory2055]

Omg what an adventure! You solved each problem as they came up and moved forward! Well done !

[@BigDaddy-ft8hv]

The positivity you guys kept was awesome. Can’t blame you at all for having her practice and get experience. We all have to start somewhere and you did it as safe as you could. A great ending to what you went through. Can’t wait to hear more stories!! My wife and I just bought our new RV and start full time in June.

[@flippinit373]

You never slow down you throttle out of it

[@wanderinwhilewecan]

Thank you so much! We wish you and your wife safe travels and enjoy exploring the US. We absolutely loved it!!

[@unimogdave]

Amazon has some fairly inexpensive trailer hitch weight gauges. If you have a rear bath trailer both black and grey tanks are aft of the axles. As you camp, travel and boondock weight is transfered aft. As the authors emptied their tanks this should have never happened so I have to wonder if even with empty tanks this trailer is inherently light on the tongue. The US has some hwys that are 70 and 80 mph, we never go over 60mph.

[@bobmartens1089]

Difficult and one of my greatest fears about towing, always go overboard on capacity and towing gear. And I almost never go over 60mph, I prefer 55, and I am 2000lbs under weight on my truck capacity. Funny thing though only close call I had was in Texas, it's just always windy!!!! Wind and mountains are our enemies. Glad you ok

[@wanderinwhilewecan]

Thanks Bob! Yea, towing is NO joke! Things can go from fine to horrible in 2 seconds and 100% about the Texas wind.

[@Kyle-ut4jg]

​@@wanderinwhilewecanit is not just because of the wind. It is because you had too much weight hanging off the back of your trailer combined with driving too fast.

[@Miness49]

Just got my truck and trailer last summer. I've only had one trip over 3 hours and I worry myself sick thinking this could happen. Thank you for sharing your story.

[@larrybe2900]

Be knowledgeable about the dynamics of what is happening when a trailer comes alive like happened here. The passing of the large truck can displace air and push the side of your trailer to start things off. Think pendulum and DON'T try to steer out of it should it happen as that will amplify the problem. Speed up or slow down in a straight path to break the rhythm of the trailer movement. Catch it early if at all possible.

[@leslie476]

I'm sorry to hear that this happened to you. Hindsight is 20/20. Something similar happened to us back in the early 80's and when I noticed the camper swaying back and forth I grabbed the brake controller and applied full trailer brake and we were able to save the camper from catastrophe. Years later we have switched over to 5th wheels to minimize that situation. This happens more often than you think.

[@wanderinwhilewecan]

Yea, that brake controller is there for a reason right!?! Thank you for your comment!

[@jglee6721]

They are very lucky they didn't get hurt. Great driver's response. You get what you pay for. It's more expensive for the 5th wheel setup but towing with a trailer hitch is the weakest link. Although I've never owned an RV I've recently looked at the towables. I would never go with a travel trailer for safety reasons.

[@ErikLiberty]

@@jglee6721 If you buy a hitch like the ProPride 3P it 100% eliminates all sway. kzbin.info/www/bejne/g2nIimCnl9mogLc

[@GROGU123]

They make anti-sway controllers now that do the exact same thing. 1 unit has an accelerometer on the trailer that looks for sway and automatically applies the brakes the same as you would on your brake controller. With the trailer going slower than the tow vehicle, it calms the trailer right down. The other brand goes a step further and can apply the brakes to the left or right side of the trailer as necessary to stop sway. A few hundred dollars can save your life. The worst reaction which happens quite often is the the driver applies the tow vehicle brakes to slow down, but now the tow vehicle is going slower than the trailer, which can make the sway worse.

[@chrisevans3887]

I had a similar experience where I lost the whole wheel but was able to keep mine upright but had serious damage to axle and undercarriage. This was right as everyone was coming out of covid so had to leave my trailer in Carlsbad for 6 months. I highly recommend a TPMS system with temperature sensor. This might have saved me.

[@MrIstvanc]

The other mistake you guys made when the trailer started to sway was to slow down, which made the situation worse as yourself has said. The right thing to do in such a situation is to increase speed. That will make the trailer right itself and stop swaying. That is a proven thing to do. I myself have experienced trailer sway and increasing speed has stopped it. Naturally after that you gently lower your speed.

[@wanderinwhilewecan]

Yup, you are absolutely right. I was told afterwards that I could have avoided it if we speed up which is counter intuitive but totally makes sense. You can be sure that I make sure I was educated on ALL of these tips after this incident and in the video I am working on now I talk about the new hitch we bought and other upgrades we made. Stay tuned and thanks for your comment and for watching!

[@MrIstvanc]

@lbialk The idea behind accelarating is that the increased airflow on the side of the trailer will bring it into a straight line behind the tow vehicle. Breaking either by the trailer or the tow vehicle won't do that.

[@Berrypancakes229]

I would think increasing speed would make it worse. It’s the first instinct to apply the trailer brakes.

[@arbonneladyTN]

I know this is a year old. Just saw this video. We have towing TT since 2000. A few thoughts I have (others mentioned too): 1) know how to use your trailer brakes! 2) stop driving 65! Took us a few years to slow it down too. 3) weight, balance & water tanks can cause so much to the sway 4) Big Rigs are a lot of trouble with the passing of them… and early on I noted the Rig drivers found it FUNNY to swoop in & out of our 36’ TT when I (lady) was driving. When I saw them coming up behind us I slowed a bit and always touched the trailer brakes a bit. I laughed at them but resisted the urge to flip them off! I hope the rest of the adventures are good ones! Blessings to you both. ps… love the Smoky Mtn shirt! We live close to it❤️

[@ThePerfectSeason1972]

Boy, I’m so sorry you both went through that experience. Live and learn, you walked away from it.

[@wanderinwhilewecan]

Thank you for your kind words Stanley!

[@jg6579]

This is a round about compliment on your story telling ability. You don't suck. Lol. Usually when I click on thumbnails of unknown content I'll find that after 5 mins of listening, due to the person's inability to tell a story and keep me interested, I'll want to rip my ears off, but just click off as it hurts less. You had me interested from beginning to end, and I still liked you when you were done, so good on you for your talent in keeping a viewer glued to the screen. Sorry for what you went through but it all worked out and you got a better home for it. Cheers.

[@kerplunk38880]

You’re kidding me. You don’t know how the sewer water got there? The previous owners were flushing the black tank, left the water running and it overflowed into the trailer and seeped into the underbelly. This is quite common. The trailer is a toxic mess. This is why they sold it. This is why they weren’t there when you bought it. They wanted to avoid questions. They’re lying to you.

[@leehaslett3885]

.jn; BBB be po ini8 mb6h h nhi u j i i k ii ;!

[@jvnicolai1]

👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼

[@alanrobisonPD1960]

Love your channel, keep up the great work, this is Alan, GREETINGS from Riverside in Southern California.

[@wanderinwhilewecan]

Thanks, will do!

[@wcwill84]

First thing i thought when looking at your video your trailer is way overloaded. Stuff everywhere even for a small trailer. Keep it simple. Ive pulled popups to fifthwheels but weight is everything. Always a bigger truck is better!

[@orenkern9778]

And the TV was likely over GVWR.

[@bcole3442]

Yuuup to both comments. Half ton pickup,overloaded. Excessive weight behind trailer axles causes sway. Probably didn't dump their black/ gray tanks or water tank. Also, weight stowed on rack behind trailer.Thats a recipe for disaster. They got lucky.

[@gretchenschaumann1808]

@@bcole3442 He did mention in the video that they had just dumped all of the tanks before the accident, so there wasn’t damage/mess due to the tanks having fluid in them.

[@bcole3442]

@@gretchenschaumann1808 Well, regardless,that trailer was overloaded,for the tow vehicle. Tow vehicle was also overloaded. And, the trailer had a rack on bumper,loaded. Thats the worst thing you can do, is put weight behind,or way behind axle( s) of any trailer.Thats leading cause of dangerous sway. Plus,coupled with excessive speed,recipe for disaster, which happened. I've seen lots of those rollovers. Most have never scaled their rigs for axle weights.Thats a fact. Old semi driver, I probably dont know what I'm talking about.

[@bigdaddeo76]

@@bcole3442 Another old semi driver here. I agree with what you said. Something I don't see anyone commenting about, the vibration that was mentioned at the higher speeds. Maybe excessive weight was causing a trailer tire to come apart?

[@duaneroepke8840]

Didnt go through all the comments but did you ever figure what the vibration was? Will it come back? Was the vibration even the cause. Any time ANYTHING dont feel/isnt right, slow down and get it figured out. Get professionals to check out the problem if you are not mechanically inclined. This is for ANYONE out there.

[@Flowerpower65]

I was wondering the same thing. Video does not mention the cause of the vibration or what caused the trailer to start swaying.

[@JeepRubicon548]

Don't know yas from a hole in the ground, but so glad you guys are safe. Enjoyed the video.

[@wanderinwhilewecan]

Thank you!

[@JRJones333]

I grew up in Arizona about 50 miles from Tucson. I had an Army buddy who lived in Tucson and he would share stories about the South side. When my parents retired, they lived in the Picacho area. Kind of out in the middle of nowhere. I have driven through Joshua Tree many of times. Absolutely beautiful during certain times of the year. Wouldn't recommend June - August. We bought our first camper last year. Small 23 foot 4600 pounds. Bought the weight distribution/sway bar with it, but even that won't help if you get a bad gust of wind which can be common in areas like Texas and Arizona. We are looking at upgrading our camper this year to something bigger so that other adults like friends or my grown kids and grandkids can go with us from time to time. I will need to upgrade my truck as well. Over the last few weeks we have been debating between a long trailer or a fifth wheel. Have looked at many of both recently and went to an RV show a few days ago. My camper dealership know we want something bigger and has been pushing me in the direction of the fifth wheel. The manager there said he has towed everything under the sun all throughout the country and he could remember towing long non-fifth wheel trailers with white knuckles on the steering wheel. Long story short, after running across your video, I'm going with the fifth wheel...lol. This is our 2nd year of owning a camper. Your story inspired me and scared me at the same time. I'm sorry you went through that and I'm glad to hear you survived the ordeal and thanks for sharing. My wife and I are older and I think the debate between long trailer or fifth wheel has been settled even if it means upgrading our truck. Thanks and stay safe.

[@vivillager]

Any idea as to what caused the trailer sway? To prevent it from happening again? Usually it's caused by not having enough tongue weight. Sometimes the trailer can be properly loaded, with proper tongue weight, but then loads shift while in transit. I've seen this happen on a boat trailer, where the boat comes loose, the boat slides towards the back of the trailer, this causes bad tongue weight, and then the trailer sways uncontrollably, and then the truck wipes out. The truck and trailer did a 180 on the highway, and the boat continued on its trajectory, spinning like a spin top. I'll share an emergency tactic that I have ready in case of trailer sway. Disclaimer, I've never had the opportunity to test this, I load my trailer with good tongue weight, properly secured, so without having dangerous trailer sway to test this on, I don't know if it will work. Okay, so here goes. People suggest to activate the brakes on the trailer, but not the truck, to stop trailer sway. In theory, this would work, because trailer sway is when the trailer is moving from side to side, trying to pass up the truck. If you can slow down the trailer, but not the truck, you can keep the trailer behind you, going in a straight line... at least until you can pull over and stop to figure out what happened. The problem is that when trailer sway happens, most people are not mentally prepared to recognize what's happening, reach for the trailer controls, and hit the brakes on the trailer. By the time they do, it's already game over. So this is what I do... I use a brake controller that allows me to set the maximum braking effort for the trailer (I think all controllers do that). What I also do is I set the boost really high. Boost is how much trailer braking the controller will initially apply, before ramping up to the max. For example, controller set to 8, but boost 0... if I touch the brakes, just enough for the brake lights to come on, the controller will apply little or no brakes until I really start stepping on the pedal, at which point the controller will apply brake pressure up to 8. If I set the boost to max, and just touch the brake pedal, the controller will apply 3 or 4, but still limit me to 8 if I really step on the brakes. If I ever encounter trailer sway, all I have to do is just barely touch the brakes, and the trailer will brake relatively hard, hopefully enough to pull me out of trailer sway. People tell me that this is a bad idea, because now, under normal braking, the trailer is doing most of the braking... which is true, when I barely touch the brakes, I can feel the trailer stopping my truck. So I do wear out my brakes prematurely, resulting in more frequent brake maintenance/repair. But I'm willing to change out my brake shoes and magnets more often if it helps keep the trailer behind me, and not having my trailer pass me while I'm on the highway. Also, most of my travel is on the highway, and I don't use my brakes much on interstate. Most of my braking is in the city. And when I'm in the city, I just turn down the boost, as I'm less concerned about trailer sway when I'm only doing 20 to 40 MPH.

[@wanderinwhilewecan]

Hey John, thanks for the question. We think a strong gust of wind came and hit the trailer. The vibration Barbara was feeling, was the trailer slowly losing control. When we spoke with the police officer and the tow truck they said strong gusts of wind in the area were super common. So what we did to prevent that in the future was to buy a Hensley hitch. It was very expensive but it does eliminate trailer sway although it is a big misleading because while the trailer cannot sway independently of the truck, you can still get pushed around the road by wind. It's just BOTH the truck and the trailer get pushed around although I would take that any day vs. a horrible sway situation. How often are you towing? Is it more infrequent or are you full-time? If it was more frequent or you were full-time, the only reason I would say that is a bad idea is that you would have to swap out your trailer brakes more frequently although if it is less frequent then what you do makes sense. After our incident, my hand automatically would go to the trailer brake if I felt any movement in the steering wheel or wind pushing the rig around so I wasn't too concerned with configuring it so that when I hit the truck brakes, it would trigger the trailer brakes harder than normal although I have played around with it. The thing I didn't like when the trailer brakes were set higher, was that braking was very jerky at stoplights which was more of an inconvenience and would make stuff inside the trailer fly forwards. Having the Hensley hitch absolutely gave me the peace of mind that I wanted although I still would have my hand ready to hit the trailer brake if needed. My biggest mistake in our accident was that I didn't think to tell Barbara about the trailer brakes and also I didn't think to hit them (even if I wasn't driving) as it was happening. It was just so unexpected....like any accident would be.

[@bguilha]

Great advice John! We hope we don’t have to test it out! I couldn’t handle another accident like that 😮‍💨 I hope you never have the chance to try either!

[@robertcolpitts4534]

@@wanderinwhilewecan - First, I am happy you are OK and are recovering from your accident. Yes, gusty cross winds will dump you in a heartbeat, usually when you least expect it. This has nearly happened to us but with a combination Anti-sway control in the tow vehicle, a friction sway bar and monitoring trailer motion with a hand next to the trailer brake controller, I was able to maintain control. One big factor with 1/2-ton pickup trucks is the type of tires you are running. These trucks are equipped with P-Metric Radial tires. Changing to Light Truck Tires (LT) solved my towing stability issues. The stiffer sidewalls and making sure they are fully inflated helped us and made the tow much more relaxing and enjoyable even in windy weather.

[@lamarchainey2346]

Weight distribution. Too much weight on the trailer hitch. It was lifting the front off the ground and she was getting front end wobbles till the trailer started fish tailing. Got a gust up under there and it was all over. Godda even out that load inside the trailer too..

[@vivillager]

@@wanderinwhilewecan, okay, sorry for the late response, but I thought I'd reply once I had more input to give, and since I just did maintenance on my trailer, I figured that this is as good a time as any. So my towing is about 2 to 4 times a week, about 380 miles at a time (I'm a used car dealer, and the auction that I go to the most is about 190 miles from me). As you can guess, I do not tow an RV, I tow a flat bed, so a different trailer than you guys. When empty, trailer is 2,950 lbs, and loaded, it depends on what I bring back. A car can add about 3,200 lbs, or a truck can add 6,000 to 8,500 lbs, depending on the truck. SUVs put me somewhere in the middle. So my return trip can be about 6,100 lbs to 11,500. So I've had my new trailer for about a year now, with about 32k miles. I just repacked the grease and inspected the brakes (Dexter N-evr Adjust Electric Drums, 12"X2"). Judging by the amount of wear, and how much brake shoe is left, I'd say I have about 2 more years left on the shoes. Maybe 3 years, but would be really pushing it. My magnets are a different story, they've taken some serious wear, I'm going to guess I have about 9 to 12 months left on the magnets. Keep in mind, while 32k miles sounds like a lot, the majority of this is on interstate, where brakes are seldom used. Not only that, half of those miles are with an empty trailer, which is less than 3,000 lbs.

[@laredo8960]

Your Little Bus is amazing!!! I’ve been building on my 40ft bus by myself for some time now! Building a Bus is so reward full. Hopefully one day I will get to gather will others like you!

[@dlsimes]

So glad you both are ok! One thing you can do in a situation like that is to apply the trailer brakes manually using the manual slide switch on the brake controller. Each time the trailer lines up with the tow vehicle you apply the trailer brakes until the swaying stops.

[@wanderinwhilewecan]

Great tip!

[@mtguy234]

And tow with a 3/4 ton.

[@Retsy257]

I’m learning so much from the comments. I’ve been in some windy situations and slowed down. I didn’t know about manually working the trailer break 😅

[@alanshaw4655]

@@mtguy234 , lol..1/2 ton, 3/4 ton, 1 ton , it makes no difference if you do not have the trailer loaded right ?, sway bars right ?, wd hitch right ?, i have towed a 29 ft tt , bp with my 1/2 ton chevy, reg cab, tow package from ar to az and back, ever drive along i-40 where it crosses into tx from ok ?, there is a stretch there that gets very windy all the time !. never had an issue with my 1/2 ton truck. now, mind you !..you can not pull a triple axle with a 1/2 ton truck ?!!..that would be stupid for sure !. but !!!!..there is a limit on what a 1/2 ton truck can...and can not do...IF ITS SET UP RIGHT TO TOW THAT TRAILER !. i'm sick of folks saying ''ah..you need a 3/4 ton to pull that trailer '' or..''you need a 1 ton dully truck to pull that trailer '' NO YOU DO NOT !!!..what you really need to do...is have the trailer match the truck, and have it set up right to tow the trailer !. if you get this right ?..then it will not be like this couple in this video.

[@mtguy234]

@alanshaw4655 you out of breath now? I've towed 30ft, with a half ton as well.. which was stupid. Get a bigger truck!

[@karengrindstaff8400]

34:42 I would like some info on what you did to make your truck more stable..also about up grades to trailer. I have an Imagine 2500RL and tow with an F-150. Glad you made out well following accident.

[@johnnya5116]

Research…research…research!!! I see other people here giving life changing advice. They are so correct. Weight balance…so incredibly important. I see you had a generator you mentioned and other items hanging off the rear of your trailer…plus im assuming you may have had fresh water? Grey and or black water in your tanks…all that weight behind your axels create a dangerous heavy weight on the rear and much too light on the front…your tongue weight was not sufficient. Plus yes anytime your trailer in the future ever gets a little sway…grab the trailer brakes and gently apply to bring it back from the swaying!!!! Stay safe. 😊

[@goalie2998]

Part of maturing mentally is putting materials aside and appreciating that no one was injured. It is a real shocking gut punch to be involved in such an accident. Ultimately at the end of the day slowing down mentally and realizing how bad things could have been is a good first step. I'm really glad you all survived and the dogs were OK.

[@wanderinwhilewecan]

Absolutely! It is so easy to feel like you need to hurry and it takes a lot of discipline to slow down, do one thing at a time and focus otherwise it can and will come back and bite you in the butt. Thank you so much for your nice comment and for watching!

[@reginaldoguilharducci3040]

Hi guys! What an incredible experience! You described important details about how you faced all these setbacks. And with this report of yours you make it very clear that situations that make us suffer are never punishment, but challenges that make us better when we understand that with patience and calm we will solve them. I love seeing and hearing all about this adventure!

[@wanderinwhilewecan]

Thank you so much Reggie! We are so lucky to have the support our family during these hard times.

[@williamrusk1675]

The main thing is you both were ok after the crash. Anything can be replaced except a life. Being from Tucson and still there I'm sorry you experienced that side of town and at that time of year with the gem show. I'm glad you guys are ok

[@maxpayne7419]

I notice weight/items tied on the back of the trailer. Always keep weight to the front and never on the back.

[@daveandkarenmast9552]

We had a similar situation, gray water leaking into the underbelly from the holding tank. It was discovered that during assembly of our unit, they had used too long of screws that punctured the top of the holding tank. We did not realize that we were pushing the capacity of the tank but on two occasions must have done so; one of the times was a cold-weather event when we left a trickle of water flow overnight so the supply line would not freeze up. We were able to get it repaired and also changed our frequency of draining the tanks when stationary for weeks at a time.

[@michaelstarr5860]

Appreciate sharing this … Unfortunately no comments on the cause and what could have been done differently An ounce of prevention is worth a ton of cure What would of been most helpful and was not addressed here was HOW TO PREVENT THIS appreciate the share as it shows how serious things can get when pulling a trailer Mike

[@CaptVII]

Too much weight behind the trailer axle made the trailer inherently unstable and once it started swaying it only got worse.

[@txshasta1968]

I rolled a 30 ft airstream in S. Carolina, very similar narrative of how. Tire On Airstream blew, started the crazy. got it controlled on the shoulder came to a stop, trailer kept going. Truck totaled AS was not. No injuries Thank God, had my boys with me. GL, I’m forever done with pulling.

[@wanderinwhilewecan]

Oh no! I am so sorry to hear that. I can completely understand your decision and how you felt. It is a horrible experience to go through. I am glad that no one was hurt though. Thank you for your comment and for watching!

[@ReflectedMiles]

As in aviation, the laws of physics win every contest in which they become involved. Working with them, not against them, can be a matter of life or death sometimes. Keep your loading balance in front of the axles, always, including the weight that is in your tanks. The trailer brake, applied separately from the truck, can definitely save some situations, though not all. Glad this came out comparatively well. Pre-purchase inspections are also very important.

[@markwitkop7022]

I dont recall you saying, "Why" the trailer flipped? A lot of times that is a result of excess speed. However, you mentioned that you were not speeding. Well, indicated. So, what? Axel break? Tire blow? Just really curious. What should i check on my camper to avoid that situation? Thanks.

[@amyhessman9262]

The best things in life come from enduring and overcoming adversity. And to do it together! We all know it doesn’t take much for me to get emotional so..yeah, I welled up a bit at times during this video. I’m honored to know such impressive & inspiring humans! Will say….rolling the dice with that claims adjuster. Lol.

[@BuildingByFaith]

Tough trial. Thanks for sharing. Lots of good lessons for all of us. We bought our first trailer used and the sellers hid interior water damage well. We didn't find it for several months. Buying new on the next one.

[@greghall9006]

So glad to know y’all are ok after your horrible accident and things are going well for you now. I really don’t think it was wind that caused you to flip. You had an earlier vibration and then a second one. As a truck driver of 40 years on the road, I understand the importance of weights and balances. First I see your truck was a half ton. Though the dealer says these ‘Lite’ trailers can be pulled with a half ton truck, they are only trying to make a sale. You want your tow vehicle over matched to what you are towing. Never tow any RV with less than a 3/4 ton truck. Your rig flipped because the weight of your trailer was heavier than what your truck could handle. Your new to you Grand Design Imagine should be getting towed by at least a 3/4 ton truck. If you don’t upgrade the truck, you may repeat your nightmare. Safe travels.

[@wanderinwhilewecan]

Hi Greg, thank you for your kind words and yea it really is something you figure out from 1st hand experience. Yes, our truck is a half-ton although it's towing capacity is 10,500 and the payroll 1,500 while our trailer weighed 5,000 lbs. (we never towed w/ our tanks full or partially full) and I felt upgrading to a 3/4 ton truck was overkill and an expense we absolutely didn't want although I would absolutely agree with you once we upgraded to the Grand Design. I would have much preferred a 3/4 ton truck despite still being in our weight capacities which you will see in our next video. Anyway, thanks again for watching!

[@Berrypancakes229]

Greg Hall, you are correct. We tow our Rock Wood 25ft, 6,000 pounds. It tows great with our ford 150 eco boost with max tow package. It tow’s better with the eco boost then a regular half ton truck. We’re careful of not over loading it. We would not tow a trailer weighing more then 6,000 pounds, or length no more then 25. We’re comfortable where we’re at .But in the future we’ll upgrade to a 250. Eco boost gives us great gas mileage as every day use without towing.

[@greghall9006]

@@Berrypancakes229 Y’all are very wise in realizing how important weight ratios are in connection to your tow vehicle and not exceeding your trucks capabilities. I tow our 41 foot Cyclone toy hauler (GVWR 18,000 lbs) with a Dodge 3500 dually. The trailer currently weighs 17,400 lbs with all our gear and two Harleys onboard. The dual rear tires really help for stability especially in wind since the trailer is 13’ 3” tall. Y’all are doing it right and thanks for your comment. Happy trails and safe travels.

[@ASDasdSDsadASD-nc7lf]

Liscence revoked. The weight class of the truck has nothing to do with tow capacity. Nothing.

[@michaelg.9791]

RV trailer sway into flip... Best upgrade or precautions for this is to have a 5thwheel set up , where you have a much better control of the trailer. I know they're Bulky, ugly & limit the use of truck bed, but if & when the swaying gets going you'd wish you had those ugly Bulky thingys back there. I went a step further & invested in a 1 ton Dually/5thwheel set up just for the piece of mind saiks.

[@chueyesquela]

What actually was the cause of your accident. So happy you're both safe and on your travels again.

[@semosancus5506]

Physics was the cause. Definitely Physics. The trailer was pushing the truck out of the way and then the truck was braked causing the trailer to push (and sway) harder.

[@timothysommers4863]

Inexperience and using too small of a truck. I wouldn't tow a lawn mower trailer with a ram 1500

[@Sadie04074]

Good video. Everyone is constating learning when trailering. Many of us have had mishaps of one kind or another and others have been just lucky. The biggest thing I have learned is that speed kills. Plan to make less miles and enjoy the trip more.

[@brokebuilt4827]

Great video! I just wanted to add that the friendliest people on the planet are west of San Antonio/Austin. My mother had a medical episode while driving just south of Junction, near Uvalde. The people there got her to a hospital and contacted us immediately. We drove 6 hours to the hospital and they were extremely friendly, outgoing, and offered us everything you could think of.

[@wanderinwhilewecan]

I gotta agree broke built! Glad your mother was okay!

[@tyb3938]

We have around 25k miles towing a 28 Airstream, sometimes in crazy winds. Never experienced sway, credit ProPride Hitch. Towing our 20’ flatbed trailer with a sxs crossing a pass and wind got us swaying, happens quick. 3/4 ton diesel both times, flatbed had no ProPride hitch.

[@benparker4230]

Glad your both ok 👍🏻- any thoughts on how it was swaying so hard ? i know i had sway in my trailer a few times and applied the trailer breaks n slowed down n it gets back in line , but it’s crazy uncomfortable 😳

[@wanderinwhilewecan]

Hi Ben, we aren’t sure what made it start but we think it was a rogue gust of wind. It was simply my fault for not educating Barbara on how to use the trailer brakes which would have straightened out the trailer right away…lesson learned! Thank you for watching and your comments!

[@EarlBalentine]

@@wanderinwhilewecan Did your trailer hitch have load distribution or a sway bar?

[@bcole3442]

You are mostly too heavy behind the axle/ axles.Thats the leading cause of trailer sway. Also, you can't be pulling heavy trailers,with SUVs and small trucks ( most have never scaled/ weighed) their rigs. Most of y'all are also going way too fast. 55 should be top speed for most, especially new drivers. Old semi driver, probably don't know what I'm talking about

[@douglasrooks2634]

Glad you guys are ok and as mentioned several times Trailer breaks are key to sway that being said early on I had experienced sway due to heavy cross winds and passing trucks constantly but controlled using the trailer breaks. Then I looked into the Pro pride 3p Hitch it eliminates sway. Before the 3p there was a lot of white-knuckle driving after getting the hitch on our last 4 month trip 90% was with one hand driving. I also have 10 ply E rated tires on the truck and trailer which improves stability. This has been our experience and the improvements we made towing with a F150 Max tow package, 32ft trailer loaded for travel around 8000 #s

[@wanderinwhilewecan]

Hi Douglas, thanks for your comment! Yup, that is exactly what I did too although I went with the Hensley hitch which I believe is very similar to the Pro Pride hitch. If you haven't watched it yet, take a look at our most recent video in which I go over our upgrades. Thanks for watching

[@kevinpilotte8738]

I’m sorry for your loss. A little late, but let me suggest that had you reached down to your brake controller and manually applied the trailer brakes, that would have stopped the trailer sway, or at least reduce it allowing you to come to a stop safely. We have a code word we use. If we yell BRAKE BRAKE, the other person is will reach down and manually apply the trailer brakes. Haven’t had to do that in our 15 years of towing.

[@wanderinwhilewecan]

Thanks Kevin, it absolutely was my fault for not properly explaining the trailer brake to my wife and everything happened so fast that my mind just blanked when it happened so I simply didn't hit the trailer brakes. You ca be BELIEVE that since that day, I've known my trailer brakes VERY well haha! Thanks for the nice comment!

[@killacrush3437]

That story🥺 🙏 bless both of you... keep on truckin❤️🤗

[@marybethstimeforpaper]

Oh my gosh , what a story. You are a very good story teller, kept me watching. We just bought a new trailer and will go out next weekend. I am a bit nervous. Glad it all worked out for you and your wife. God bless.

[@wanderinwhilewecan]

Thank you!

[@samtheskoolie]

Everything IS okay, because you and your loved ones are ok. Thank you for sharing your story. I cannot imagine losing your home this way. Stay safe 💛 you will get passed this. Best wishes to you and your family

[@wanderinwhilewecan]

Thank you Sam! I appreciate your kind words

[@carmenosmanski4504]

Wow, what a terrible experience. So glad you two and the dogs weren't hurt. You had me on the edge of my chair with worry as you narrated. Good luck in your future travels. Take care! Carmen

[@wanderinwhilewecan]

Hey Carmen! Yea, we were really fortunate. Thank you! We have been through it all so now we have a pretty solid check list and practices to help really reduce the chance of something like that happening again. Hope you and Robert are well. Chat soon!

[@natei3518]

Glad to hear that all ended well. My wife and I have a ~6,500 lb trailer. One of the many reasons that my wife and I just went overboard when we purchased our new truck, and went with a Ram 3500. I wanted overkill, when it came to towing and payload capacity. Even though!!!! If you have less than 10% of the trailer weight on the tongue, you can start to run into sway issues. ...or towing in high wind. Again, glad to hear all is well. Enjoy your travels.

[@johnnykoba_on_the_road]

You’re not doing overkill.. 1/2 ton truck isn’t good for towing a large trailer for sure. And you want a larger trailer.. please consider getting a bigger truck.

[@wanderinwhilewecan]

Thanks for your comment Natel. Yea, I do not blame you at all. Having a bigger and more power of truck (with higher towing/payload, etc. capacities) makes a HUGE difference. Our Ram 1500 had a towing capacity of 10,500 lbs and the payload is around 1,500. Our Mini lite weighed about 5,000 fully loaded or a little under 5,500 if we had the water tanks full (we never towed with them full). Our truck was more than enough to handle this trailer, and at the end of the day it was just my fault for not properly educating my wife on the trailer brake which would have stopped the sway immediately. Lesson learned. In our next video, I go over the upgrade we made to handle the new trailer. Thank you for your comment and for watching. I appreciate it!

[@stevemeiners2226]

@@wanderinwhilewecan Yes the trailer brake may have avoided the accident, but what would have avoided the sway in the first place. You mentioned you had just gone to the store and frig was full. With the frig behind the axles that would have altered your hitch weight. Adding the generator, bikes, etc behind the axles can cause a lot of shift. I'd study that and see if the trailer loading was the root cause. Glad you're all safe (pups included) and wish you the best moving forward.

[@rvdogfl]

@@wanderinwhilewecan Yes you are with in your tow rating. But tow ratings do not take in to account for light weight travel trailers that are a big wind sails and get blown around. Also you added weight to the back bummer of your trailer. If you are going to tow with a half ton make sure everything is perfect. Tongue weight is the most important. A larger truck will give you a bigger margin for error.

[@TheRetiredtech]

@@stevemeiners2226 You we're fine truck wise people and their big truck issues are mostly egos. Several mistakes but speeding back up after the initial problem without addressing the initial problem being one of the most serious. Not understanding brakes also major issue. But when you about lose control find out why don't just repeat.

[@jeffsteele1295]

Glad no one wasn't hurt badly or worst. We have been dealing with our problem Class A motorhome issue with the insurance company since sept of 2022. It is now Jan 12, 2023. The motorhome was tolled out but when they found the mileage that decided to not total it out but repair it. Now it can not have an engine put into it until it have the frame looked at. The frame shop is running two months behind and that is to know if it can even be fixed or not. After that Cummins will have to order the factory rebuilt engine that will take 7 to 10 days to get here and another 2 weeks to put ii in. After that it has to be taken to the shop to fix the body and fiberglass , and metal body work as well as paint it . I would say that this would take 2 to 3 weeks as well. the motorhome will need to be towed to each of these places in order to get repaired. I can only guess that this whole process could take 4 to 5 months or a little longer if extra problems are found.. So we will have been paying for places like 10 months out of the year and that is no other problems are found Really ? We have already ran out of time and money. I guess that is life what else can I say. lol but not funny.

[@rvlostagain6137]

You mentioned that there was a vibration in the steering wheel, but I wonder what was causing of the this? As for using the trailer brake to control sway, this is knowledge that comes with time. Glad to see you guys kept a positive attitude through this experience.

[@wanderinwhilewecan]

Hi RV Lost Again, we think a strong gust of wind came and hit the trailer. The vibration my wife was feeling, was the trailer slowly losing control. When we spoke with the police officer and the tow truck they said strong gusts of wind in the area were super common. We did have anti-sway bars as well as a weight distribution hitch although that did not help. Everything happened so fast that I simply did not have the presence of mind to hit the trailer brakes and neither did my wife. That would have absolutely straightened out the trailer and saved us from crash but unfortunately that is not what happened. So what we did to prevent that in the future was to buy a Hensley hitch. Check out the latest video in which I explain the upgrades we made after this incident. Thanks for your comments and for watching!

[@Alleria855]

@@wanderinwhilewecan Never be afraid to drive a bit slow if the winds are strong. Just throw on the 4 ways, people can go around you, it is better than the alternative. Glad everyone was ok.

[@Thinkforyourselves64]

No one was hurt. You are alive. Thank God and carry on! ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

[@wanderinwhilewecan]

Thank you Linda!

[@PeeterPuncher]

I cringe when I see tow rigs with a 1/2 ton truck (or less), not to mention Ram 1500's are horrible tow vehicles. Long distance RV towing with 3/4 or 1 ton trucks are the best decision. Thankfully no one was hurt and it was a learning experience.

[@lamarchainey2346]

YES! The best answer here. Get a 3/4 ton truck.. Pulling a trailer with a quarter ton is the same as if you're towing with a Crown Victoria..

[@orenkern9778]

1/2 tons can be capable. It is 100% a match up with each specific TV's payload, the loaded TT TW (not the listed dry) and the wrifhts of the people and stuff in he truck. With that said, an HD platform will always tow better than a 1/2 ton and they were built specifically for heavy payload and towing.

[@PeeterPuncher]

@Oren Kern You tow too much with your truck, I can tell. Just because you can doesn't mean you should. People with the illusion you have are blinded by stupidity and arrogance or just plain ignorance. A close call situation in a heavier, more stable 3/4-1 ton vehicle would more than likely be catastrophic in a lighter- overloaded 1/2 ton truck...why risk you, your family or someone else's life on the road?

[@hheatherhansen]

@@PeeterPuncher If you knew anything about Owen, you’d know he doesn’t overtow. He’s the most careful tower I’ve ever come across. And he spends a lot of time educating people about it. If anyone knows towing travel trailers, it’s him. 😃

[@darriusholt]

Why do some people swear you need a ram 3500 to tow anything. A ram 1500 can tow just fine as long as you keep the weight down. If someone is towing a 4,000-5,000 lb trailer, a ram 1500 will do just fine.

[@johnballerino9172]

You guys worked through a tough experience. Happy trails.

[@sheepdog401]

Anti-sway bars and the experience/knowledge to activate the electric trailer brakes when this occurs and not try and slow with only the vehicle brakes. To give someone "practice" pulling a large trailer at highway speeds was foolish. I'm glad you both survived.

[@wanderinwhilewecan]

Thank you Sheep dog. Yes, it absolutely was my fault for not explaining the trailer brakes to my wife and being more cautious. We learned A LOT from this experience.

[@cddart21]

So sorry y’all went through all that but so happy y’all were not hurt. Best of luck in your future travels and may God continue to watch over you!

[@wanderinwhilewecan]

Thank you so much Cheryl! That is really sweet of you. I really appreciate your kind words and well wishes.

[@randyholloway920]

So sorry this happened. How, this is why you need a special class of license and trying to drive and tow these RVs. You could’ve killed yourself and others. People don’t want to hear this,but it’s true. You need training and skills beyond a normal class drivers licencse to tow these RVs. Don’t be prideful or hard-headed. Take some classes including classroom and behind the wheel training before you do this again. Plus. DOWNSIZE! You don’t really need all that stuff. Look at all the van lifers and how compact they travel. You’ll be better for it. More fun, less stuff and hassle.

[@2Dawoods]

Oh Man...... that Truck is not big enough for fulltime towing in all kinds of conditions.. You can add springs, airbags, shocks and new hitches and your still gunna need to be carefull. A full 1 ton or at least a 3/4 ton. Glad your safe!!!

[@wanderinwhilewecan]

If you think our Ram 1500 wasn't big enough you could check out our last video, we were towing with a Toyota Highlander!! Thanks for the comment and for watching Sean!

[@JohnSmith-bb7rt]

Glad you are all safe! I saw at travel trailer overturned on Florida’s Turnpike last month…scary. My wife and I bought an Airstream in April (delivered the end of September). The 3/4 ton truck I ordered at the same time was not delivered and the dealer had no idea where it was. Long story short…I begged a Ford dealer to call me if anyone canceled their order. He called and I took a Ford F-350 dually! Way more truck than we needed. I had already bought a Hensley Hitch. So, Airstream Flying Cloud 25 with 1 ton dually and $3,000 NO SWAY hitch. That said…I have driven between semi trucks…across the Sunshine Bridge with a 20 mph cross wind…NO SWAY…NO ANXIETY…STRESS FREE TOWING. Everyone makes their own decisions and I am not telling you what to do, but there are alternatives that can help reduce risk of injury to your family and others. Bigger truck…Hensley/ProPride…anti-sway hitches. Good luck and safe travels.

[@wanderinwhilewecan]

Thanks John! Watch out for our next video...I go over the big upgrade regarding the hitch which I believe you would agree with :) Thanks for watching!

[@ministerioaliento77]

We have a Hensley - worth every penny!

[@byronewhite]

I agree with all the accelerate and brake trailer with brake controller. The hitch you had does not really have good sway control. Minimum add a friction sway control. Before going Hensley crazy look at Reese straight line hitch. Use for years and love. Now going from Motor Home and back to Travel Trailer. Happy Camping

[@SF-fm7ov]

Glad you were both OK. I can't help but wonder if you had a sway bar properly installed and adjusted. You did not explain. I had 2 tires blow on the left side of our travel trailer within an hour of each other. Because I had my sway bar adjusted, I never even felt the truck move either time. The first time I noticed what looked like smoke, so I pulled over. Tire was shredded so I put on the spare. Later I was on I25 going about 55-60 when a motorcyclist passed telling me to pull over. The other left tire had blown, so I found a tire shop that would stay open a few minutes and mount me a new tire. So many people don't think they need to use a weight distribution hitch and a sway bar, but they can save lives. Everyone should find a CAT scale and weigh every axle when fully loaded. 10-15% of trailer weight should be on the hitch, as well as every other criteria must be with in limits. No guessing. There are some great videos demonstrating how the incorrect location of the load in your trailer can cause dangerous sway.

[@brianj123458]

Ok I watched the video and I may have missed it sorry if I did. I'm just wondering what caused the vibration in the first place that caused the accident? Did you guys figure that out? Thanks and have great day

[@edhines4864]

We are so glad you are both okay. There is a great State park just south of Junction. South Llano River State Park. Maybe you can come back for a visit.

[@wanderinwhilewecan]

Thanks Ed! Nice! Yea I thought Junction was nice and would totally go back. Thanks for the recommendation!

[@tumbleweedking5668]

Coopers in Junction has the best brisket I have tasted, stopped there a couple of years ago on the way to Port Aransas.

[@bobelder18]

Really glad things worked out sorry for your loss. However, thank you for sharing because it makes me refocus on how to drive and know our motor home. Hopefully we will never take anything for granted. Good bless and enjoy your travels.

[@wanderinwhilewecan]

Thank you so much! Safe travels to you as well!

[@rickalexander1332]

I've towed with the Hensley Hitch, similar to the one shown at the fuel station, in excess of 30k miles in the last four years, two trips to Alaska, and no sway. Both truck and trailer have been moved sideways with wind or road conditions, but everything stayed straight, and no sway. They are very expensive, and a pain to Hitch up, but you would pay anything to have one in the middle of a bad sway event.

[@ginahernandez8419]

What a crazy adventure..thank you for sharing your story with us..its amazing how things can turn out for the better..your story actually made me teary-eyed..you are both brave and you're so lucky to have each other & thank God you didn't get hurt in the accident & your 4 legged kids also..I hope someday I can meet you so I can give you both a hug! From a grandma that loves camping in her RV. God Bless, Gina

[@wanderinwhilewecan]

Thank you so much Gina! I really appreciate your kind words and support. I would love to meet some day and get a big hug! :) Safe travels to you and thank you for watching!

[@ralphhorrawitz5879]

Maybe I missed it but you didn't say what caused the swaying and crash

[@lanceoa]

Biggest takeaway- you both were shaken but not permanently hurt. Count the blessings, you guys have one life. Vehicles and stuff can come and go. Thx for sharing

[@Islandgirl2133]

Why did the trailer start swaying? What driving skills, techniques, knowledge were gained in this wreck? Can you share? Or maybe you do in another video, I’ll go look after this. That was so traumatic. Its such a blessing you two weren’t physically hurt, and your truck was ok. I subscribed ❤ Very sweet young couple conquering fears and adversities, quite an adventure!

[@StacyAnneH]

Your time in Junction does sound like a Hallmark Movie. Nice to know there are towns where people will help others, especially strangers.

[@angiefitzgerald1409]

Such an amazing journey for you. Impressive how well you handled it, and in a short time. Have to ask if you ever found out about the “mystery water”. The owners shouldnt have left knowing you were coming. They should have walked you through and answered questions. Every trailer has its little quirks😂. That wasn’t OK in my opinion! Hope you have had 2 good years!

[@lindabrooks62]

I've had a trailer do the same thing. As I allowed the momentum of the to naturally slow down, then I slammed on the gas. The excellerated speed shot the trailer forward and straightened it out allowing me to again take control, I slowed down, and stopped. I checked anything that could be the cause. My load had shifted causing the weigh to be off balance. Once fixed I was back on the road. I'm so sorry for the problems. Praying all turns out well.

[@southerngypsy-pollyburnett3104]

Oh my, what a saga! You both are real troopers. I pray for continued safe and fun travels from now on.

[@wanderinwhilewecan]

Thank you so much! We really appreciate the kind words :)

[@Samvargas-j6x]

Well thank you for sharing your story my wife and I are getting ready to buy our first trailer and hopefully nothing happens we wait for our new adventure 😂

[@105cathy]

All I can say is wow! You did a very good job of recounting a horror story and making it very interesting to listen to! Congratulations!

[@wanderinwhilewecan]

Aww thank you so much! I am still new at this KZbin thing so I appreciate the support!

[@rjt67]

Sorry, not picking on anybody or what you did, but you grab the gear shifter, drop it to second and FLOOR the gas pedal, and throw the trailer brake control to full on brakes, hopefully you can pull it out of the sway, but yes, sometimes you can’t. Sway bars sure help, but advice from a commercial rv delivery team, downshift and mash that gas pedal to the floor. Glad to here you continued on rv’ing!

[@wanderinwhilewecan]

Yup! Thanks for the tips Rick and for the comment I appreciate it!

[@ASDasdSDsadASD-nc7lf]

Completely wrong. Drop you licence in the trash.

[@fitandwell333]

Oh my gosh that's exactly what happened to me. The travel trailer started swaying and it became so violent that it started hopping. Slowing down was not good enough to stop the swaying. I felt that I had no control over the vehicle and trailer anymore. It happened very quickly. I don't know how I did but I was able to stop the the vehicle on the shoulder on the right side. The momentum of swaying and stopping the vehicle resulted in the trailer sideswiped the back of vehicle and flipped over, exactly the same way as yours. I was so upset for a long time. It was a miracle that nobody got hurt. Your experience is exactly what I experienced. Glad you are okay.

[@wanderinwhilewecan]

Jeez! Yea NOT a fun experience and so happy to hear that you were able to stop your rig without destroying everything like us!

[@tamamicarney3043]

@@wanderinwhilewecan The claim adjuster is still working on the issue, and it has been almost a month since the collision. He thinks it is totaled but still needs to figure something out. It happened when we were on the way home. The vehicle was drivable, but we had to abondon the trailer because it was no longer safe to take it with us. So we rented the Uhaul trailer and transfer all the contents from the destroyed trailer, and drove home. Destroying the trailer was not good enough for the mother nature. We hit the pretty bad snow storm on the way home. It was quite something.

[@Hemifan4266]

Good job getting the truck stopped Barb, sounds like you handled it perfectly. The main point I see is you and the dogs are OK. It sucks replacing things. You and the dogs can't be replaced. That is the important part.

[@wanderinwhilewecan]

Thank you Rider! I appreciate your nice comment and for watching!

[@yourworstnightmare5902]

So sorry to hear about your unlucky adventure. Very impressed about the way you handled it. You’re to be commended for your positive attitude and ability to overcoming adversity. Good luck down the road!

[@wanderinwhilewecan]

Thank you so much! We learned A LOT from that experience and thankfully we weren't seriously hurt. Safe travels to you as well!

[@BB-zc4gq]

I pull that same 2019 RV with a 2017 Toyota Tacoma with a weight distribution and anti sway bar set up and have had no issues. I'm careful not to load it up with a bunch of stuff I don't need. The lighter you pack, the better.

[@terryduncan31]

LT tires on the truck, actual trailer tires on the trailer, all properly inflated, trailer brake settings inside the truck are set, make sure the tongue weight is right and the weight is distributed correctly. Towing anything that is rigged up properly should be smooth and uneventful as long as the driver is comfortable at the speed they a moving along at. It's better to be late than unsafe. Glad you guys and your pets were ok and y'all decided to keep following your plans.

[@cecilkarney9311]

What was the vibration in the steering wheel to begin with? I don't see how one problem contributes to the other. Unless the trailer was swaying during the vibration, but I'd thought you'd seen that. When I took my CDL back in the 90's and they preach that if your trailer/trailers start swaying DON'T hit the trailer brakes SLOW down.

[@trustme7731]

You never said why the trailer swayed. There's a reason for it. With no other information, I first suspected the heavy overloading of the rear of the trailer. Bicycles, generator, gas cans, dump tank, the spare tire, the racks themselves and whatever else I couldn't see which could be full tanks to the rear of the axles. The entire trailer may even have been over gross weight. Add to all of that a half ton truck. I know, I know, everything says it's ok to tow that trailer with that truck, but still, it's a half ton truck. You need to fully load your trailer for travel including full water tank and full gray and black tanks and take it to a scale. You've driven past hundreds of them. You need a total weight of the truck and trailer connected, the entire trailer by itself, each axle of the trailer, even each side separately, the hitch weight, the trucks total weight and each of it's axles. Then look at the manufacturers manuals for each to find the limits. A trailer like this MUST have 10 to 15% of the trailers total weight on the hitch. Anything less and even too much will cause uncontrollable sway. There is an excellent video here that explains in detail about this.

[@angelablack4]

This happened to us as well except we were side swiped by a semi truck on the interstate. Unfortunately, we are one of the few people who understand this video so completely. Ugh Getting stopped, not hitting anyone else, the silence, thankful the dogs are okay, and then....turning around to see the trailer on it's side. Worst feeling ever. It all definitely makes you stronger.

[@wanderinwhilewecan]

Oh man! I am sorry to hear that. I am always afraid of some dumb driver hitting us while we are towing because that is something completely out of your control. We were just happy that we were all safe. Thank you so much for your comment!

[@danielfarmer4311]

We are so happy you guys are okay. We purchased the Hensley Hitch to eliminate sway. It was expensive but there is no way the trailer can sway.

[@wanderinwhilewecan]

Yup, I was really happy for the peace of mind as we both the Hensley hitch as well (check out or newest video in which I talk about it). Thanks for your comment!

[@danielfarmer4311]

@@wanderinwhilewecan oh right on!! Yeah we were on the fence with the Hensley. It’s a ton of dollars. We bought a 21 Grand Design and just figured we’re already this far in might as well get it. I’m happy we did. We still tow under 70 mostly 65 and it was definitely a learning experience.

[@donnamanitu8673]

With sharing your story you will help out many people. Self induced tragedy is the worst but if we learn from it and are will to help others with what you have learned it means that it happened for a reason. So glad that everyone is ok and things can be replaced but people can't.

[@wanderinwhilewecan]

Thank you so much Donna! These things happen and when it comes to towing there is SO MUCH to know and agreed we were so thankfully that we were all okay. Thank you for watching!

[@bobkonkel6344]

I have an Imagine and after a huge rain that we drove through we had the same water thing and three years later it never happened again…so I think you are good!