Grandpa's greymatter is failing!
Submitted: Wednesday, May 13, 2009 at 14:13
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Member - Royce
Towed the big triaxle stock trailer to
the block to move some cattle a couple of hours ago.
As I drove, I thought I'd give the electric brakes a
check. They seemed be pretty 'soft' but I could feel them okay.
WHAT A LOAD OF @#$%^&*
When I got out after backing into the
gate to load..... I noticed....
that I hadn't even hooked them up... What's more, I hadn't dropped the handle down into place, or hooked the safety chain up! I CAN'T BELIEVE IT!!!! I remembered doing it! .. But of course I mustn't have.
This proves several things.
1. You have to double
check your trailer hook up before you drive off.
2. You can make yourself believe anything if you want. 'Yes' the brakes are working... 'Yes' the
hiclone makes a difference. 'Yes' the fuel additive is good. 'Yes' the rust is a lot better since I put that little box in the engine bay.....
3. My trailer doesn't fall off down our steep rutted, corrugated gravel road even when it is just resting on the towbar!
4. My son is not the only richard cranium in the family.
Reply By: Member - DAZA (QLD) - Wednesday, May 13, 2009 at 15:18
Wednesday, May 13, 2009 at 15:18
G/Day Royce
A few months back, I was hooking up the Tandem Trailer, and had just started to place it on the Towball, when the
Cook yelled out that I was wanted on the phone, I must have yapped for about 15 minutes, and then had some Smoko,I then put my work boots on, jumped in the truck and drove down the road, I went about one and half ks and heard this allmighty bang and a screaching /grinding noise, I looked in the rear mirror couldn't see the trailer,next thing it passed me on the passenger side, it went through a round about and ended up on the medium strip, it didn't hit any body, a couple of cars stopped and let it go pass, I reversed back hooked it up and carried on up the road, the Moral of the Story is double
check every thing, I
check the Caravan two times when I hook it up, I learnt my lesson the hard way, yeh I'm an OLD FART TO.
Cheers
Daza
AnswerID:
364668
Follow Up By: Bushwhacker - Wednesday, May 13, 2009 at 15:36
Wednesday, May 13, 2009 at 15:36
Yup, I'm considering cutting the cord off the iron, and putting it in the glovebox before I leave
home, then when SWMBO has a panic attack, I can just reach in the glovebox and show her :)
Gotta agree though, I
check things 2 or 3 times before moving off too, must be the age thing. 'Whacker
FollowupID:
632314
Follow Up By: Member - Oldplodder (QLD) - Thursday, May 14, 2009 at 08:14
Thursday, May 14, 2009 at 08:14
You get the iron question too?
Good answer though, try and remember it for next trip :o)
FollowupID:
632406
Reply By: Member -Dodger - Wednesday, May 13, 2009 at 15:36
Wednesday, May 13, 2009 at 15:36
Yep e all do it ?????????
Hooked the van on did all the usual checks , Brake lights and turn lights ok
hitch ok
Chains connected ok
Ball coupling connected & ok
Van turned over to vehicle 12v, ok
Jump in and drive off then looked in mirrors after about 50 meters and noticed caravan door still pinned in open position.
DOH!
AnswerID:
364669
Reply By: Sigmund - Wednesday, May 13, 2009 at 15:38
Wednesday, May 13, 2009 at 15:38
Erk!
Yeah, I left the jockey wheel down on the garden trailer once. Got to the tip before the guy there pointed it out.
...
Interesting what you can persuade yourself of. Drug trials show a consistent positive effect among many of those only receiving a placebo.
AnswerID:
364670
Reply By: wild dog - Wednesday, May 13, 2009 at 15:44
Wednesday, May 13, 2009 at 15:44
Last place I worked the boss told us repeatedly to make sure we put a stand under the rear of the big tandem trailer we used to transport tractors.
The reason being that when the weight of the tracor went on the trailer the front of the trailer would lift the cruiser rear wheels and the whole assembly could head off into the wild blue yonder.
Fronting up to the workshop one Monday morning for work I see the cruiser and the trailer with serious damage. I had to wait till lunchtime before the boss finally admitted that HE was the one that made the mistake and the cruiser and trailer had gone down a
hill and into a gulley.
Just goes to prove we all make mistakes.
AnswerID:
364671
Reply By: Member - Beatit (QLD) - Wednesday, May 13, 2009 at 15:45
Wednesday, May 13, 2009 at 15:45
G'day Royce,
Don't be too hard on yourself we all do these things. What really thows me is someone interupting when I'm in the middle of something like that. This is usually the bride.
Just be greatful nothing bad happened.
Kind regards
AnswerID:
364672
Reply By: Baz&Pud (Tassie) - Wednesday, May 13, 2009 at 16:14
Wednesday, May 13, 2009 at 16:14
Even the old farts in Tassie do it, hooked the trailer up drove to the local cement guy, got a bucket load of wet cement dumped in, and yep you got it, up off the tow ball in no time at all.
Now go down the drive and before going out on the road get out and
check for the third time.
Is it being over 60 or is it just you and me????
Cheers
Baz
AnswerID:
364674
Reply By: Willem - Wednesday, May 13, 2009 at 16:54
Wednesday, May 13, 2009 at 16:54
Royce
I went through a period like that about 10 years ago. My favourite passtime was leaving my Credit Card behind after paying for fuel. Had a couple of close calls. Then there have been incidents in losing keys....lol Seem to have gotten over that. The trouble is that we carry so much junk with us these days trying to remember the phone, the bottle of water, the coffee flask, the in-cabin sweets, the GPS....did we switch the fridge on? I have got a hanky? where's my wallet??? etc etc
Yer just have to work the
grey matter more and concentrate on what yer doing!.....:-)
Cheers
AnswerID:
364677
Follow Up By: Steve Ellis - Wednesday, May 13, 2009 at 20:24
Wednesday, May 13, 2009 at 20:24
A
check list is a good idea. Had them for all sorts of things in the mines. I believe I may have to go back to them. Only problem is to remember everything that needs to be put on the
check list and then to actually
check each item. I notice that Willem has a lot of stuff he takes away. Not hard to convert that sort of list to a checklist and I bet he has at least one. Cant cover the credit card in the servo but. Thats we we take our better halves. Need to be able to blame someone else.
FollowupID:
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Follow Up By: Member - Royce- Wednesday, May 13, 2009 at 22:06
Wednesday, May 13, 2009 at 22:06
I have always... not just recently....had the problem of filling a gerrycan, paying for it and driving off leaving it beside the bowser..... 60k round trip to get it!!!
FollowupID:
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Follow Up By: Member - Redbakk (WA) - Wednesday, May 13, 2009 at 22:21
Wednesday, May 13, 2009 at 22:21
Yep....after my little effort with the caravan hitch ( forgot to snap it down)....I now have a
check list which I have to go through and
check off before I drive off.....now where did I put it????
FollowupID:
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Follow Up By: Member - Old/new Girl (QLD) - Wednesday, May 13, 2009 at 22:43
Wednesday, May 13, 2009 at 22:43
Willam and other oldies. Its not that your getting old its just as you get older you have absorbed more information and wisdom.
I too have been caught. The kids USE TO play on the car trailer that we used to tow behind the Hino to carry machinery so it was pretty heavy. Was taking it to pick something up. Drove about 10 ks not needing to break much cause I didn't drive fast enough to need breaking and the road was flat any how. Went down one of the ranges in
Toowoomba then decided to use the brakes. I got the fright of my life when the bloody thing swayed all over the place and smoke was coming out of the wheels. Once I finally pulled over pale faced I found the trailer brakes were turned on full.
Sharon
FollowupID:
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Reply By: Nutta - Wednesday, May 13, 2009 at 20:19
Wednesday, May 13, 2009 at 20:19
MY worst oldie moment and i was only 37 at the time.!
I was doing an oil change on a diesel mazda ute when i got sidetracked, i'd drained the oil then the long interupting fone call of course, i was filling it back up thinking crikeys these things have got big sumps! I better
check the sump plugs in!!
About 8 litres later!!! Plus what i needed to fill it again, it was an expensive oil change, lucky i had a 20 litre drum!
BTW it was parked on the grass which was pretty thick so i didnt pick up on it.
Cheers Wayne
AnswerID:
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Follow Up By: Member - Royce- Wednesday, May 13, 2009 at 22:11
Wednesday, May 13, 2009 at 22:11
My similar oil story: .... didn't notice that the sealing ring from the old oil filter had stayed behind. So... two rings = bad seal. A terrible mess in the local supermarket
carpark and a walk down the street to buy more oil.
The mark remains till this day, 8 years later. [sorry Safeway]
FollowupID:
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Reply By: Member - Pedro the One (QLD) - Thursday, May 14, 2009 at 23:01
Thursday, May 14, 2009 at 23:01
AND .......... Royce :
What about the old bloke who hitched up his boat/trailer to the Troopy, drove to the launching ramp, plonked the hand-brake on, chocked the wheels, cut the engine, placed gear in first, walked to the rear, released the safety chain, straddled the draw-bar, released the winch cable, shoved mightily on the boat which slid easily down the trailer. !!!!
All perfect you would think ? done the lot, hasn't he ?? NOT SO .....
Said old bloke had failed to
check that the towball hitch was locked down.
As the boat passed the trailer centre point - gravity then came into play, pivoting the said drawbar mightily upwards. Luckily, I had stategically placed my "goolies" in the way and was thus able to prevent a real disaster .......
Relevant to your earlier post re 'water container size' - I too, no longer feel the urge to father any more offspring.
Actually, "down there" I no longer feel anything at all .... !!
AnswerID:
364949