Went to collect van from storage tonight took locks off and hooked up.. Pulled away and got about 2 metres before a large thud and to my horror the van had come off.
I'd forgotten to remove the ball from th hitch that comes with the hitchlock and despite this the hitch did go on and the black handle clicked on and gave me green so to speak. I don't think the red Alko handle had given me rhe green indicator looking back. I even put both hands under the hitch to lift it and check.
Anyway I'm lucky .. No real damage done and I didn't get to the road. New electrics adaptor as the wires ripped out and a new breakaway cable.. And a lesson learnt.
I've nearly forgotten to take the locking ball out before and seems an easy thing to do or am Ijust a plank...
The real ball can't get into the hitch while the locking ball is there. The green indication was caused by the locking ball.
You didn't lift it hard enough, or it would have come off.
Jim
I am sure you are not alone. Have not done that (lost the ball actually) but have driven off with the jockey wheel down. Also driven off with the handbrake on. Have also unhitched and move car forward with the breakaway cable still connected.
Quote: Originally posted by Greendemon315 on 14/12/2011
The real ball can't get into the hitch while the locking ball is there. The green indication was caused by the locking ball.
You didn't lift it hard enough, or it would have come off.
Jim
Yes I suppose it was come to think of it, shows how easy I managed to mislead myself into thinking everything was good to go..
I'm a recent convert to caravanning. Every time I hitch up & move off I feel like I've forgotten something.
With my tents set-up it takes ages to pitch-up & strike camp, but it's so much easier with a caravan it just leaves me thinking it's a bit too easy & something must've been left out.
I went away last weekend, to try out my old crappy (maiden voyage I suppose). All went well, until I got home & realised I'd left something important in the van!
Luckily the storage is only about 5-7 miles down the road. The irony was that I hadn't forgotten anything whilst towing, it was after I had un-hitched & stored the van I actually managed to forget something!
its a learning curve.onced pitched up and moved off with the breakaway cable still on.cost me £9 to get one made in a boat yard.now i double check everything before i move.
------------- the only silly question is the one you do not ask.
Can't help feeling that there could be a better design for hitchlocks, even a simple chain attachment of the ball that goes into the hitch to the main body of the lock. That way you can't lift the hitchlock off fully without releasing the ball from the hitch.
I've written out a must do tick list of all things to be done prior to pulling away, because I've driven off with the jockey wheel still down and the hand brake on. Now it doesn't move till all jobs have been ticked off.
------------- 74,going on 25
Beauty is in the eye of the beerholder
It shows how we all take things for granted at times which I very rarely do that's why I always wind my jockey wheel down to the floor and slightly lift the hitch connection first. If it starts to lift the rear of the towcar then I know the connection is right and if it doesn't and just the caravan lifts on it's own then something is not right which you can then rectify. It's a good practice to get in to actually because it has never happenned to me but the more cautious you are the more safer you are knowing that you have done all the checks properly and not taking anything for granted. Rear lights check is also important and it's amazing how many have towed off site without checking and again taking it for granted that everything is working satisfactorily. Better safe than sorry.....every time.
Whenever I leave the house it's always "phone, money, fags, keys" it just kinda rolls off the tongue (won't sound right if/when I give up smoking).
I need something similar for hitching up.
I believe in the trailer test you're supposed to use the jockey wheel to test if you're locked on properly. My old car has quite soft suspension on the back though, so you have to lift the hitch quite a bit to actually tell if you're properly coupled, as a quick lift will just relax the load on the suspension, giving the impression of a properly hitched outfit.
Even though my outfit comes under the class B regulations, I would still like to take the trailer test one day, as I won't have the same outfit for ever. They are very particular on that test about hitching up. Like I said, I think the jockey wheel is used to check if you're locked on & I know the breakaway cable is the first thing to be attached when hitching up, before ANYTHING else. (A friend of my dad's is an HGV & PCV instructor, he knows all about this stuff. Although he didn't know I could tow a caravan over 750kg without taking the test, but I guess it's not in his company's interests to advertise that fact, as many of their pupils will find out they're taking an unnecessary test).
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Topic: Anyone else made this schoolboy error
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