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Re: [RC] Another Horse Rig Accident - Sky RanchI was pulling a 4 horse stock-type trailer with a 3/4 ton truck, going downhill on an icy road, going about 40 mph when the trailer started to try to jackknife on me. The back of the trailer was moving left. My heart was in my throat, but all I did was take my foot off the accelerator, steer into the right hand curve, and the trailer got back in line behind me. I was lucky. I slowed down and had no further incidents. It's so easy to get complacent as you drive along, and end up going too fast for conditions. (I had a broodmare and her 2 week old foal in the trailer, precious cargo. That 2 week old foal is now almost 4.) I think the worst thing you can do is hit your brakes. Steering out of a problem is best. Carla Richardson Colorado ----- Original Message ----- From: "David LeBlanc" <dleblanc@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx> To: "'Sisu West Ranch'" <ranch@xxxxxxxxxxx>; "'Raven'" <iceponygoddess@xxxxxxxxx> Cc: "'Ride Camp'" <ridecamp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> Sent: Sunday, November 26, 2006 7:12 PM Subject: RE: [RC] Another Horse Rig Accident I'd bet it was a case of the tail wagging the dog, compounded by driver error. A longer wheelbase may have made this less of a problem. If the tow vehicle had been heavier, it could have also been less of a problem. It's just physics - you apply a side force to the ball of a bumper pull, and the shorter the distance between the wheels, the more force is applied to the wheels, making it more likely to skid. The heavier the vehicle, the more slowly it's going to move, and the more weight on the wheels, the higher the friction. Especially with a bumper pull, the longer and heavier the tow vehicle, the better off you are. As to "never had a problem", I've done all sorts of inadvisable things (riding a bicycle at 60 mph, driving my VW Bug at 85 mph, etc) and never had a problem. That guy had probably never had a problem up until the accident, either. It's all rolling the dice - how much do you want them weighted in your favor? To be fair to the driver, he probably didn't have much experience with the back end coming around. Most vehicles start sliding in the front and have understeer. Rear engine cars (VW Bugs, Porsches) will have the back end break loose first, and if you react the same as you would for a regular car, you go off the road back-end first. Lots of new Porsches wrecked in the rear. He probably hit the brakes and steered into it, which would have made the problem worse.-----Original Message----- From: ridecamp-owner@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:ridecamp-owner@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Sisu West Ranch Sent: Sunday, November 26, 2006 2:07 PM To: Raven Cc: Ride Camp Subject: Re: [RC] Another Horse Rig Accident Possibly. Weight distributing hitch, would probably have helped. It is very very common for folk to overcorrect when a skid, or sway happens. The result is a counter skid etc. Since they were slow to correct and then corrected to much the first time things get even worse the second time.=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net. Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/Ridecamp Subscribe/Unsubscribe http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/logon.asp Ride Long and Ride Safe!! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= -- No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.1.409 / Virus Database: 268.14.16/552 - Release Date: 11/26/2006 =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net. Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/Ridecamp Subscribe/Unsubscribe http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/logon.asp Ride Long and Ride Safe!! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
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