Hitch lock when towing? no no
Yesterday (27 June.16) was a photograph on the BBC Welsh news of a Mondeo towing a caravan along the A55 in North Wales. The car caught fire and was gutted, fortunately passers-by managed to pull the caravan away which was undamaged. A good reason for not
putting the hitch lock on when towing.
Comments
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When I bought mine many years ago the dealer advised me againt using when towing as the caravan would not be able to detach in the event of the caravan turning onto it's side and hence taking the car with it. Never towed with it on.
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I would rather have the extra 30 seconds to get away from the fire. Not as quick as I was 30 years ago.
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I would rather have the extra 30 seconds to get away from the fire. Not as quick as I was 30 years ago.
If you are towing and the caravan catches fire I would just stop and run off. The time taken to unhitch even without a lock might just be fatal.
If the caravan turns over the car goes with it even with no hitch lock so the number of events when a lock would be a problem is pretty minimal in my view and if the fire brigade cut the A frame the caravan was probably written off by whatever had happened
anyway.0 -
Minimal is one thing - Negligable another - I don't need to take risks with my son in a wheelchair and a messed up life after a "freak" accident. I managed to unhitch the caravan from a burning car in ample time to prevent more trouble - although it didn't
prevent the M25 being blocked clockwise from the Dartford Crossing back to Heathrow!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Part of the blame lies with the idiots UNDERtaking a burning car on the hard shoulder!0 -
If you are towing and the caravan catches fire I would just stop and run off. The time taken to unhitch even without a lock might just be fatal.
Car or caravan on fire, I would agree, get everybody well out of the way. They are after all both insured and can be replaced. Even on a good day, without a hitch lock, it takes me 30 to 40 seconds to lower / lock the jockey and lift the caravan off the
tow ball. Far to long to be next to a burning vehicle / van full of explosive gas / fuel.0 -
It takes about 30 seconds to remove a ALKO hitchlock. Let's not get paranoid over one incident folks.
....conversely it takes about 30 seconds to fit it when you stop too.
I usually work on the assumption that no one is going to steal my van whilst actually driving, but I keep the lock handy and fit it if we ever stop anywhere.
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It takes about 30 seconds to remove a ALKO hitchlock. Let's not get paranoid over one incident folks.
....conversely it takes about 30 seconds to fit it when you stop too.
I usually work on the assumption that no one is going to steal my van whilst actually driving, but I keep the lock handy and fit it if we ever stop anywhere.
Write your comments here...That's the way I do it as well.
Mike
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It takes about 30 seconds to remove a ALKO hitchlock. Let's not get paranoid over one incident folks.
....conversely it takes about 30 seconds to fit it when you stop too.
I usually work on the assumption that no one is going to steal my van whilst actually driving, but I keep the lock handy and fit it if we ever stop anywhere.
.I have a Nemisis Ultra that I use if we leave the caravan when stopped. Takes about the same time to put on but doubles as a wheel clamp on site.
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