Scary few seconds

**130man** · 26th August 2007, 09:11 PM

Hi all, I had a very scary few seconds this afternoon. Last Monday our house rainwater tank overflowed and as we hate to lose water I put a 1000 L tank in the double axle trailer and filled it up.This afternoon I decided to tow the trailer to the tank on the hill above our house and pump the 1000L into it .However, half way up the hill the track is slightly damp and the Defender lost traction ,the trailer asserted its authority and dragged me backwards for about 15 metres.Sliding down the hill I had no steering and could see, in the mirror,the trailer starting to jack knife to the right.Just as I thought all was lost and serious damage was about to occur everything came to a halt.The rear tyres on the Defender had hit the drier track and the brakes had worked, slewing the front of the vehicle about 1 m to the left.After dumping all the water I was able to drive out without further trouble.Too close for comfort.Moral? A tonne of water can make a big difference.Cheers, 130man.

Defender=1st · 26th August 2007, 09:19 PM

Geez

Lucky mate.

**Bytemrk** · 26th August 2007, 09:21 PM

Need to clean the defender seats do we?..... sounds like you were very lucky..

Mark

**130man** · 26th August 2007, 09:33 PM

No need to clean the seats but my heart got all its aerobic exercise for the week in one hit.130man.

**hiline** · 26th August 2007, 10:21 PM

your a lucky man i say

even more lucky for your fender

**vnx205** · 27th August 2007, 06:19 AM

Unless your tank was completely full with absolutely no air space, your situation might have been partially caused by weight transfer.
Years ago we had a large bull thatweighed more than your load of water in a single axle trailer behind an empty FJ ute. As we were going up a slight hill on a gravel road, the bull stepped back slightly in the trailer. The back wheels had so little weight on them that we had almost no traction whatsoever. Fortunately, just as we were about to come to a complete stop, the bull helpfully moved forward again and we continued on our way.
Of course with your double axle trailer, the weight transfer effect would have been much less, but in conditions where traction is marginal, it sometimes doesn't take much to tip the balance.
It's not much fun is it when you are in a situation where you have the feeling that there is nothing you can do to improve the situation and there is nothing in any instruction manual or advanced driving course that covers such a problem.
Glad to hear that you and the Defender survived scared but not scarred.

olbod · 27th August 2007, 10:17 AM

If all else had failed you could have stepped out and
taken photo's for us as it unfolded !

**Hymie** · 27th August 2007, 04:19 PM

As I say in these situations, "Adrenaline is brown".

**cartm58** · 27th August 2007, 05:21 PM

spent an afternoon collecting discarded railway sleepers for re-use as retaining walls in a garden bed for a friend using my father's 1987 swb nissan patrol td and our off road trailer.

On way back to friends house there was a small hill to go down l told dad put in low range 1st to go down the hill. dad being older and wiser said no need and proceeded down the hill.

Weight of railway sleepers in trailer greater than holding power of the nissan and it fish tailed the trailer down the hill throwing all the railway sleepers out onto the ground as we speed along.

After collecting our spilled load of railway sleepers on tackling the hill wiht the second load of railway sleepers dad engaged low range 1st and walked it down the hill.

Moral of the story father's may think they are always right but sometimes theey aren't.

JamesH · 27th August 2007, 05:55 PM

Originally Posted by cartm58

Moral of the story father's may think they are always right but sometimes theey aren't.

The vibe back in the cab afterwards would been a bit interesting. Dad's don't like being wrong.

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