A aviation & planes forum. AviationBanter

If this is your first visit, be sure to check out the FAQ by clicking the link above. You may have to register before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages, select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below.

Go Back   Home » AviationBanter forum » rec.aviation newsgroups » Soaring
Site Map Home Register Authors List Search Today's Posts Mark Forums Read Web Partners

Cobra Trailer Emergency Brake Experience



 
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
  #21  
Old March 12th 19, 03:54 PM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
Jock Proudfoot
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 91
Default Cobra Trailer Emergency Brake Experience

At 12:51 12 March 2019, Stephen Struthers wrote:
. Out of interest how many of you have had a trailer break away from
the tow vehicle and what was the cause?

I have. 1979, towing with a motor home. Excessive vibration wore the front

side of the ball flat. then the hitch just slid up and off.

  #22  
Old March 12th 19, 04:17 PM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
BobW
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 504
Default Cobra Trailer Emergency Brake Experience

On 3/12/2019 6:51 AM, Stephen Struthers wrote:
I have towed large and heavy trailer combinations all over the UK since
the age of 17 (40 years now) and not once have I had a brake issue or for that
matter a tyre issue. We don't use chains and to be honest I not sure I
would want them as the swing of a trailer having "broken away" would likely
cause the towing vehicle to have its own accident. That I would rather
avoid. Out of interest how many of you have had a trailer break away from
the tow vehicle and what was the cause?

"Ditto"...except: 1) I'm up to 51 years after beginning at age 18, 2) in the
USofA, and 3) I use chains 'religiously.'

Having done the bulk of my towing with a relatively lightweight vehicle (2600
lbs), I've long 'intellectually worried' what might happen in the wake of a
trailer becoming disconnected from the towball, but - to date - haven't
crossed the chasm from imagination to reality...and hope I never do,
regardless of the weight of the tow vehicle!

The closest call of which I'm aware was the time my wife requested I
reposition her side-by-side two-donkey-/axle-trailer after she'd unloaded at a
parade marshaling site. Despite reaching the driver's seat by approaching the
combo from the rear, I failed to even glance at the tow connection...which
she'd disconnected for some never-quite-understood-by-me reason. Upon feeling
an unexpected minor thump while letting out the clutch, I listened to 'that
little voice in my skull,' hopped out to inspect the connection, and learned
chains were about to become my friend. (I *did* lose a 'safety bolt' one time
while towing, but the latch continued to function...and, yes, the bolt
disappeared because I failed to properly snug the 'self-locking' nut I was
using at the threaded end.)

I suspect - but likely will never know for certain - that the vast majority of
'trailer came loose!' events are like the vast majority of aviation
events/accidents, in that (IMO) most are directly attributable to 'pilot
error' of some flavor or other.

Paranoia can be your friend, although - as always - YMMV.

Bob W.

---
This email has been checked for viruses by AVG.
https://www.avg.com

  #23  
Old March 12th 19, 05:28 PM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
[email protected]
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 2,124
Default Cobra Trailer Emergency Brake Experience

On Tuesday, March 12, 2019 at 9:00:06 AM UTC-4, Stephen Struthers wrote:
I have towed large and heavy trailer combinations all over the UK since the

age of 17 (40 years now) and not once have I had a brake issue or for that

matter a tyre issue. We don't use chains and to be honest I not sure I
would want them as the swing of a trailer having "broken away" would
likely cause the towing vehicle to have its own accident. That I would
rather
avoid. Out of interest how many of you have had a trailer break away from
the tow vehicle and what was the cause?


There have been quite a number of tongue failures of Cobra trailers with round tongues, towed almost exclusively by motor homes. Safety chains have kept almost all of them captive to the vehicle which meaningfully reduces the probability of a trailer killing someone else.
One friend noticed his trailer was gone at a fuel stop and drove back 40 miles or so to find it happily stopped in a grass median with no tongue. He was lucky.
The available update to square tongue is a worthwhile improvement if towing with a big vehicle.
UH
  #24  
Old March 12th 19, 06:18 PM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
[email protected]
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 580
Default Cobra Trailer Emergency Brake Experience

50 years towing for me, with everything from a Jeep CJ-7 (don't ask) to a van camper. I had the tongue of a Komet trailer break where it had previously been bent and straightened. The trailer was retained by the safety chains and also the brake rod. The wild swings behind the vehicle were apparently fairly dramatic to my sister following the rig but very controllable. I suspect the motion was exaggerated by the brake rod being yanked on and off repeatedly.

The tongue of the same trailer broke at the front attach point and the trailer settled onto the often-abused brake rod. The rear attach point stayed intact so it trundled along nicely. In our wide-bodied van camper, I didn't even know I had a problem until a guy pulled up next to us and waved back at the trailer, where smoke was pouring off the bearings/drums from the brakes being full on.

I concur with those who think our European trailers aren't really designed for the U.S. My Cobra tows fine up to any speed you want to drive. To be sure, it's 27 years old now but the brake system requires more maintenance than I would like and keeps developing new failure modes. The support for the spare tire failed a few years ago (fatigue at a weld) so I relocated the spare to the floor under the fuselage nose from its original position poised over the nose. I've recounted other problems in earlier threads.

There are just some cultural differences. When my Cobra was new, I noticed that when I flipped down the tailgate to act as a support, there was no protection for the painted metal edge of the tailgate where it touched the ground. I had to add rubber bumpers, which now come standard. But it's almost like the factory assumed that all of us would always assemble our gliders on grass airports and never on pavement (common here).

Chip Bearden
JB
  #25  
Old March 12th 19, 06:29 PM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
Charlie M. (UH & 002 owner/pilot)
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 1,383
Default Cobra Trailer Emergency Brake Experience

Agreed.

The only "issue" I have heard regarding chains as a safety device..... going down a long hill, trailer was not properly attached to car, trailer came off ball, car slowed, trailer tongue went under car and punched a hole in the car gas tank.
This was likely early 80's.

Yes, sorta heavy and long wheelbase tow vehicle lessens the issue of a glider trailer behind it. Part of why I bought a wagon in 98 for normal driving and glider towing.
Granted, a ASK-21 in an enclosed trailer means you really need a big tow vehicle (or lessen your speed).....my wagon was OK until an "oh poop" of an aggressive driver on a long downhill at speed cut across 3 lanes of traffic in front of me.....yikes.....
  #26  
Old March 13th 19, 06:04 AM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
Charlie Quebec
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 253
Default Cobra Trailer Emergency Brake Experience

I had a trailer with a club Libelle jump off the ball on a very rough railway crossing, examination revealed that it was a combination of a worn imperial ball and a metric tow hitch.
The safety chains saved the day, and stability was not an issue.
On another none gliding trailer, the coupling on the trailer my brother failed to put the chains on, and the trailer came off and crossed to the opposite side of the road, where another vehicle just missed.
I’m far happier to chain the trailer and risk myself, than to not and risk others.
  #27  
Old March 13th 19, 04:06 PM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
Dan Marotta
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 4,601
Default Cobra Trailer Emergency Brake Experience

Not really the same issue, but I recall the retrieve of a 1-26 when the
car towed the loaded trailer through a ditch and the trailer became hung
up at both ends with the wheels suspended in the air. What a hoot!

On 3/12/2019 11:04 PM, Charlie Quebec wrote:
I had a trailer with a club Libelle jump off the ball on a very rough railway crossing, examination revealed that it was a combination of a worn imperial ball and a metric tow hitch.
The safety chains saved the day, and stability was not an issue.
On another none gliding trailer, the coupling on the trailer my brother failed to put the chains on, and the trailer came off and crossed to the opposite side of the road, where another vehicle just missed.
I’m far happier to chain the trailer and risk myself, than to not and risk others.


--
Dan, 5J
  #28  
Old March 13th 19, 04:18 PM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
[email protected]
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 41
Default Cobra Trailer Emergency Brake Experience

“ but in contrary to the US we have engineers building them so that they drive well.”... Isn’t Fiat built in Europe? -

DC
  #29  
Old March 13th 19, 05:27 PM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
Tango Whisky
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 402
Default Cobra Trailer Emergency Brake Experience

Le mercredi 13 mars 2019 16:18:45 UTC+1, a écrit*:
“ but in contrary to the US we have engineers building them so that they drive well.”... Isn’t Fiat built in Europe? -

DC


Well... For me as a longtime Saab driver, a Fiat would never be a first choice ;-) but I would prefer it over any Chevy or its compatriotes anytime :-D

The bottom line is that US cars are designed for US street conditions and US driving habits, which are very different from the European conditions and habits. It just happens that for this reason, any mid-size car in Europe has no problem towing sailplane trailers - nobody here would actually think about which car to buy in order to trailer, even though we also may drive fast and across mountain ranges.

Bert TW
  #30  
Old March 13th 19, 05:44 PM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
[email protected]
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 61
Default Cobra Trailer Emergency Brake Experience

Il giorno martedì 12 marzo 2019 09:36:01 UTC+1, Tango Whisky ha scritto:

You seem to confuse Europe with Germany. Speed limit in France is 130 kph, in Italy it's 120 kph. I usually set my speed control at 120.



This is incorrect.
The speed limits in France have been substantially modified in 2018.
The speed limit while towing a trailer in Italy have always been: 80 km/h on Highway, 70 km/h on other roads. In practice, the same as for heavy articulated lorries.
Italy is leading in Europe when it comes to speed cameras. Your average speed can be monitored over dozens or hundreds of kms.

Some more information regarding Italy:
.. fines are doubled when towing (including points penalties on driver's license)
.. +5 km/h tolerance always applies to any speed limit (or 5% whichever highest).
.. fines are bearable for up to "+10 km/h measured speed" VS "limit+tolerance"

in practice, most truck drivers set their cruise controls at 84 km/h GPS (no fine), or 94 km/h (relatively small fine). If you exceed 94, you're testing your luck or don't need your driver's license for your job: in this case, you may as well drive at 124 km/h as the fines and points cuts are just the same (as for 96 km/h).

If you receive a fine from the Italian authorities, make sure you understand all that's written in our language, not only the brief and inaccurate translation. Failing to notify the name and driver's license Number brings much heavier fines and legal costs.

In distant days I remember having towed my DG600 on the highway in the Appennines' bendy road at above 150 km/h with a 1600cc 115HP car. I'm old.


Aldo Cernezzi
www.voloavela.it

 




Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

vB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Forum Jump

Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Cobra trailer brake heating up Eric Greenwell[_4_] Soaring 14 August 14th 18 05:48 AM
1987 Cobra Trailer Brake drum removal [email protected] Soaring 14 June 26th 17 12:38 AM
Source for Cobra Trailer Brake Shoes Chip Bearden[_2_] Soaring 1 September 22nd 10 02:48 AM
cobra trailer brake lever gas strut failure? Frank[_1_] Soaring 11 March 31st 09 08:59 PM
Older Cobra trailer brake oscillation Brian Bange[_2_] Soaring 9 March 10th 09 08:41 PM


All times are GMT +1. The time now is 07:55 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.6.4
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Copyright 2004-2024 AviationBanter.
The comments are property of their posters.