the purpose of trailer safety chains ... (pictures fixed)

[safiri]

Until Sunday I thought the purpose of trailer safety chains was to keep the trailer attached to the tow vehicle in order to keep the trailer safely behind the tow vehicle, thus protecting trailer contents as well as surrounding drivers and property. That changed Sunday. (87th and Nall for those familiar with Overland Park.)

In pics below:
- Note the hanging safety chain: That's the one that came with the trailer, welded to the tongue. I always thought the OEM chain was a bit on the light side.
- Note the intact safety chain: That's the one I added and is what kept the trailer from pushing farther into my vehicle.
- Note the bent hitch adapter: 10000 lb draw, 1000 lb tongue.
- I was stopped at a red light. Texting 20-something in the Subaru doing 35 didn't hit the brakes.
- Lindsay and I are ok; the trailer absorbed a lot of the force. (The texting dufus is ok, too.)
- Trailer is totalled; 4Runner questionable. My airbags didn't deploy; Subaru did. 4Runner got pushed forward ~6'. I didn't see the dufus coming. I was stopped clear of the cross walk.

Morals:
- Get off the damn phone and drive.
- Safety chains are also there to protect the people in YOUR car. Keep them beefy, attach them securely, and keep them as snug as you can. Mine could have been tighter.





Bikes and gas cans picked up, ramps moved as we used them to help get trailer out of 4Runner.


All of my pics: https://photos.app.goo.gl/B7MNyegTYhsxo8PZ9

[Creekside]

Glad to here your both OK. That could have been a lot worse!

[troy]

Scary! Agree 100%. That trailer hitch could have easily killed passengers in your 4Runner.

Like you, I had not considered that possibility. I always thought of the chains to avoid a run-away trailer to mostly prevent injury to oncoming traffic.

[xr-nut]

Dibbs on the trailer.......................................................


what? Too early......??!!!!!


Super glad everyone is ok. If they total the 'yota, consider a truck instead? Crew cab truck can carry six people. Puts another 6 foot of space between you and that trailer.

Oh and that $hit will buff out.

[xr-nut]

(The texting dufus is ok, too.)

Was there a ticket administered to said dufus?

[troy]

Ironic. I just wrecked into a school bus full of kindergartners because I was reading this thread while driving. Oops.

[safiri]

(The texting dufus is ok, too.)

Was there a ticket administered to said dufus?

Yes.

Young man said to police officer "this isn't so bad ...". Officer replied: "Have you looked at that?" (pointing to trailer and 4Runner)

[safiri]

Oh and that $hit will buff out.

I parked the 4Runner in my high school auto shop so students couldn't see the back until they walked around the car. I swore earlier classes to secrecy. At the start of my 4th block Advanced Auto class I asked one of my students to buff out the liftgate as I got some scratches. She came back a minute later with a big smile shaking her head "that isn't going to buff out".

In one class a student was walking beside the car and said "Mr. A, is this your 4Runner? It's pretty nice ... oh, $h!t!" I replied "Exactly".

Lesson plan yesterday was teaching my students about car insurance, deductibles, fault, claims, when it gets totaled, etc. And the safety lessons I shared in the first post. My planned lesson was to change all of the fluids (front/rear diff, xfer, trans) in the 4Runner. That's on hold.

[xr-nut]

Oh and that $hit will buff out.

She came back a minute later with a big smile shaking her head "that isn't going to buff out". That's hilarious!

Lesson plan yesterday was teaching my students about car insurance, deductibles, fault, claims, when it gets totaled, etc.

Maybe add in some info about gap insurance, when you do that. I see too many potential customers, who had an auto loan and wrecked said auto, then walked away from the remaining gap. Ruining their credit. Obviously it would be best to not borrow for a car, but hey, thats what I do for a living so......

[safiri]

Maybe add in some info about gap insurance, when you do that. I see too many potential customers, who had an auto loan and wrecked said auto, then walked away from the remaining gap. Ruining their credit. Obviously it would be best to not borrow for a car, but hey, thats what I do for a living so......

I'll add that, with the caveat to keep loan term down to a reasonable amount of time. Recently articles on NPR and WSJ about how 7 year car loans are leaving people upside down.

I took the 4Runner into a body shop I have had good luck with, as well as reasonable cost. Estimate was $7200.

Hitter's insurance company had me submit photos to their appraiser electronically: $3500. They don't list replacing the frame mounted receiver hitch (OEM Toyota rated to 7500 lb), ball adapter (OEM, 10k trailer / 1k tongue), or ball. I feel like all 3 should be replaced. A 10k ball adapter got bent ...