Coast Resorts Open Roads Forum: A very old stray {The Old Fella Story}

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Topic: A very old stray {The Old Fella Story}

Posted By: MetalGator on 09/19/20 08:19am

Spoke to Richard on the phone yesterday. It was really nice to speak with him. I wish we could do another get together like we did in Sevierville last October. That was the only gathering I have been able to attend.

Burch

2018 Miramar 35.3 Motorhome
3 fur kids (Monty, ZuZu and Pinto)
Rainbow bridge (Murphy, Petie, Lola)

Posted By: SGTJOE on 09/19/20 11:04am

Too bad there wasn't one closer to me in Utah, would have enjoyed meeting everyone. Guess there's not that many on here out West.

2001 Trade Winds 7390
Toad 03 Grand Am

Posted By: Martyn on 09/19/20 08:12pm

SGTJOE wrote:

Too bad there wasn't one closer to me in Utah, would have enjoyed meeting everyone. Guess there's not that many on here out West.

Well we did have one out west some years ago, in Colorado. That was the only one we could get to as we were both still working. Now we're retired, and in Florida with a new 5er, we could be game for another!

2020 Keystone Cougar Half-Ton 27SGS;
2019 Dodge Ram 2500 QC 4x4 6.4 Hemi BigHorn;
DEMCO Autoslide; 2 Honda EU2000i's;
Our Website

Posted By: Toolguy5 on 09/21/20 05:20am

MetalGator wrote:

Quote:

=Martyn
Burch - where in the panhandle are you headed?

We are going to Navarre Beach. We are staying at Santa Rosa RV resort. It's a little pricey but we have a place on the water. We really like that area and it's been a couple of years since we've been up there.

Burch

Burch great place. We stayed there in 2015. We had a spot on the water next to the pool.
My wife follows them on Facebook and they made some improvements since we were there.

Dan & Patty
Miss Pickles the Pomeranian Princess Rainbow Bridge 8/8/2023
2020 GMC 3500 Sierra Denali 6.6 Duramax / Allison tranny
2021 Jayco Eagle 319MLOK
BWRVK 3710 companion
Maddy the Pampered Pom @ Rainbow Bridge 12-3-2013

Posted By: Scottiemom on 09/22/20 04:52am

I wish I could say the first day of our trip from Florida to Indiana was uneventful, but nothing could be further from the truth. After 30 years of towing a toad, ours broke loose from the motorhome.

I saw it probably almost immediately as one towbar pulled out from the sleeve in the baseplate. Running 62 mph on I-95 around Titus. I eased off the throttle and turned on the flashers as I eased toward the shoulder, not too fast or breaking too hard, either of which would spell disaster. I got Phaeton Place stopped and had to pull up and adjust to get the toad off the roadway as it had drifted toward the travel lane. We both got out and rushed back. The towbars, one of which was completely loose, the other intact, but they were folded together like when they are stowed. I had to back the toad up so Terry could get between the coach and car as the car was "kissing" the back of the motorhome. Fortunately, no damage there, but some scratches in the gel coat which can be rubbed out. We got the toad loose and decided to drive both separately to the next rest area a short ways away and try to regroup.

We got a tech from Demco, towbar manufacturer, (on the phone) who after requesting a dozen or so pictures, determined the tow bar to not be damaged. The parts on it that were bent are aids for stowing and would not interfere with the normal operation of the tow bar. What happened was that one of the bars that is inserted into the baseplate on the car and locked in plate by a spring clip had come out. This is a standard part and is used to convert a Blue Ox base plate to a Demco towbar. Thousands of us use these and we have been trouble free with towing this way for years. But somehow it came undone. How? Well, suprisingly, the part was still funcational even though it had suffered some dragging and grinding on the road. But Terry has extras of these and removed the old one and put another on. The Demco rep thought we would be good to go although he didn't care for that system and wishes Blue Ox would find a better solution. We continued on our way another 250 miles without incident.

Terry thinks, and we have all heard this but don't think it could happen, that someone at the truck stop where we had just fueled up may have pulled that locking pin on that part. Just pulling it a tad bit would have done it. We had so much wind that a good jerk on the loose pin could have done it. There just seems to be no way it could fail by itself. I think surely no one would do such a thing that could result in a serious and perhaps fatal accident, but then I look at what has been going on around the country and think. . . . oh yes it could.

Fortunately we had a good ending. Arrived at our predetermined place for the night, albeit a couple hours late, but got a good night's sleep.

Travel safely, friends.

Dale

Dale Pace
Widow of Terry (Teacher's Pet)

Traveling with Brendon, my Scottish Terrier

2022 Honda Odyssey
2011 Mazda Miata MX-5

2021 Coach House Platinum III 250DT
Fulltimed for 15 years, now living in Florida

http://www.skoolzoutforever.blogspot.com/

Posted By: dturm on 09/22/20 05:44am

OMG, potential nightmare that turned out well.

About 50 years ago I dropped a utility trailer in rural Minnesota where the tongue broke leaving the hitch attached to the car. The safety chains held and I had the trailer loaded correctly so what was left of the tongue slid along the ground. I was able to pull off the road like you did and jury rig the trailer to slowly drive back to town (about a mile) and found a wonderful guy that welded a whole new tongue and we were back on our way within a couple of hours.

Doug & Sandy
Kaylee (16-year-old Terrier of some sort)
Winnie 4 1/2 year old golden
Sasha and many others at the Rainbow Bridge
2008 Southwind
2009 Honda CRV

Check out blog.rv.net

Posted By: MetalGator on 09/22/20 06:53am

Wow, that is scary stuff! I take for granted how easy it is to pull our Jeep behind the motorhome. I always forget it's behind us unless I have the backup camera on. I used to always check the tow bars every time I stop for fuel but I have gotten out of the habit of checking. I will be checking from now on!

Burch

Posted By: Scottiemom on 09/22/20 05:13pm

dturm wrote:

Glad that all worked out well. Years ago we were on a trip to Maine with the kids in an old motorhome towing a Dodge Colt. The towbar literally ripped the metal it was attached to in the front of the car. We also found a wonderful welder who welded it for us so we could move on. He did a great job!

Dale

Posted By: Scottiemom on 09/22/20 05:18pm

MetalGator wrote:

Yeah, that's us, too, Burch. Another 400 miles today and no problem, but when we would stop and fuel, we always doublechecked. In fact, I turn the accessory on so the camera comes up so I can see the front of the car. We do always have the camera on.

A funny story about cameras. We were in Quartzite boondocking with the "Class of 2005." A friend of ours had a Gulfstream Diesel 40' motorhome. He had a problem with the toad. I said, Dan, aren't you watching that toad in the camera all the time? He said, WEll, No, I can't stand all that noise. I asked him what noise and he said engine noise (like I was stupid or something. LOL I said Dan . . . you have a volume control on that camera. . .just turn it down. The strangest look passed over him and he immediately ran to the coach and checked. He was really contrite when he came back. He never knew there was a volume control on that camera. Hahahaha.

Posted By: Toolguy5 on 09/24/20 05:00am

Dale Wow glad you guys came through with serious damage or injury.

We have heard same things about people messing with our rigs at rest areas or fuel stops.
I put a padlock to lock my hitch so no one can tamper with it. I always do a walk around and check things before we leave when we stop.
I had a cargo door come open when we were in Idaho a few years back. Fortunately we did not loose anything from inside.

Stay safe out there.

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