Cobra Trailer Hookup

Due to a senior moment, my cobra trailer became unhooked as I was
pulling it out of my back yard. The emergency trailer brake activated
and broke the safety chain I had installed as well as the trailer
wiring, fortunately all this happened at a very slow speed before I got
on the road and it was no big deal to repair.

I had not realized that if you are going to use a safety chain it
should be shorter than the cable which activates the emergency trailer
brake. Probably everyone knows this but I thought I would pass this
along.

The other bit of knowledge I wish I would have known before my first
towing trip is to remove or somehow secure the front wheel as it can
loosen and drop down to the road surface.

wrote:
Due to a senior moment, my cobra trailer became unhooked as I was
pulling it out of my back yard. The emergency trailer brake activated
and broke the safety chain I had installed as well as the trailer
wiring, fortunately all this happened at a very slow speed before I got
on the road and it was no big deal to repair.

I had not realized that if you are going to use a safety chain it
should be shorter than the cable which activates the emergency trailer
brake.

Since the chain broke so easily, I suggest you install a much stronger
one. A trailer that comes off the towing vehicle will whip around and
apply much more force to the chain(s) than even fully applied brakes will.


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Eric Greenwell
Washington State
USA

The use of a single chain is also a dangerous thing to do and can lead
to an uncontrollable trailer swinging wildly behind your vehicle, or
worse tracking off in another direction throwing your vehicle out of
control . Trailers should all have TWO chains for this purpose, and
they should cross under the tongue in an X fashion . In the event that
the trailer should seperate from the vehicle the tongue will fall onto
the crossed chains and not the roadway , this keeps the trailer
tracking straight behind the tow vehicle . It prevents the tongue from
digging into the ground and last but not least it keeps the tongue of
the trailer from going up too far under your vehicle .

A number of safety chains sold on the market only have a single hook on
the end of the chain . This hook can fall out of place on rough roads
so a hook with a "gate" on it , or a different style of clasping
mechanism is prefered. Make sure that your chains can not contact the
road , this is especially inportant on gravel roads because the chains
can cause stones to fly up onto your trailer.

If in doubt contact a RV Dealer or a Hitch Shop .


--
keithw
------------------------------------------------------------------------
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The jack wheel will not come down do long as you crank it fully up -
visually check that it is not askew with the diagonal cut in the jack
casing. That said, if you plan to leave the gliderport for a retrieve
or long trip, you should keep a plastic bag in the car or trailer.
Removing the jack is simple, but it leaves grease on anything it
touches.

wrote:
Due to a senior moment, my cobra trailer became unhooked as I was
pulling it out of my back yard. The emergency trailer brake
activated
and broke the safety chain I had installed as well as the trailer
wiring, fortunately all this happened at a very slow speed before I
got
on the road and it was no big deal to repair.

I had not realized that if you are going to use a safety chain it
should be shorter than the cable which activates the emergency
trailer
brake. Probably everyone knows this but I thought I would pass this
along.

The other bit of knowledge I wish I would have known before my first
towing trip is to remove or somehow secure the front wheel as it can
loosen and drop down to the road surface.

wrote:
The jack wheel will not come down do long as you crank it fully up -
visually check that it is not askew with the diagonal cut in the jack
casing. That said, if you plan to leave the gliderport for a retrieve
or long trip, you should keep a plastic bag in the car or trailer.
Removing the jack is simple, but it leaves grease on anything it
touches.

wrote:
Due to a senior moment, my cobra trailer became unhooked as I was
pulling it out of my back yard. The emergency trailer brake
activated
and broke the safety chain I had installed as well as the trailer
wiring, fortunately all this happened at a very slow speed before I
got
on the road and it was no big deal to repair.

I had not realized that if you are going to use a safety chain it
should be shorter than the cable which activates the emergency
trailer
brake. Probably everyone knows this but I thought I would pass
this
along.

The other bit of knowledge I wish I would have known before my
first
towing trip is to remove or somehow secure the front wheel as it
can
loosen and drop down to the road surface.

I think removing, carrying and reinstalling the jack is too much
hassle.
I thread a chain through the jack's wheel housing and attach both ends
via a climber's snap clamp to the trailer's tow bar. Takes about 20
seconds.
Bela

wrote:

I think removing, carrying and reinstalling the jack is too much
hassle.
I thread a chain through the jack's wheel housing and attach both ends
via a climber's snap clamp to the trailer's tow bar. Takes about 20
seconds.

Sounds good. Besides the falling down problem, my jack interfered with
the mini-van tailgate and the bicycles I carried on the back of the
motorhome, so I replaced mine with the boat trailer style that rotates
90 degrees to the stowed position. Doesn't fall down, and there is no
long tube sticking up in the way of things.


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Eric Greenwell
Washington State
USA

I thought the same thing until I wore big flat spots
in 2 tires. It happens as you enter or leave gas stations.
Tow vehicle rear wheels drop into the low drainage
area at the curb, trailer wheel contacts pavement,
can't swivel because we pulled it all the way up and
locked it. BTW, I'm convinced this is the scenario
that over-stresses your trailer tongue and leads to
failure.
JJ

At 20:00 11 January 2005, wrote:
I think removing, carrying and reinstalling the jack
is too much
hassle.
I thread a chain through the jack's wheel housing and
attach both ends
via a climber's snap clamp to the trailer's tow bar.
Takes about 20
seconds.
Bela

"Eric Greenwell" wrote in message

Since the chain broke so easily, I suggest you install a much stronger
one. A trailer that comes off the towing vehicle will whip around and
apply much more force to the chain(s) than even fully applied brakes will.

I have done the same thing, Eric (installed strong chains), and I guess it
is good advice.

Note, however, that glider trailers are set up from the European factories
to not use safety chains at all. It appears that the idea in Europe is that
it is safer, if the trailer somehow releases from the tow vehicle, for the
brake to self apply via the cable. The loose trailer (and the other traffic
on the road!) can fend for themselves.

That concept is not legal here in the U.S. and I don't necessarily recommend
it, either. If you do agree with the European idea then it might be smart
to use the weakest chain that is legal where you are based...
-Bob Korves

Bob Korves wrote:
"Eric Greenwell" wrote in message

Since the chain broke so easily, I suggest you install a much stronger
one. A trailer that comes off the towing vehicle will whip around and
apply much more force to the chain(s) than even fully applied brakes will.


I have done the same thing, Eric (installed strong chains), and I guess it
is good advice.

Note, however, that glider trailers are set up from the European factories
to not use safety chains at all. It appears that the idea in Europe is that
it is safer, if the trailer somehow releases from the tow vehicle, for the
brake to self apply via the cable. The loose trailer (and the other traffic
on the road!) can fend for themselves.

That concept is not legal here in the U.S. and I don't necessarily recommend
it, either. If you do agree with the European idea then it might be smart
to use the weakest chain that is legal where you are based...
-Bob Korves

I suspect the reason is the generally smaller vehicles that they use for
towing, compared to ours in the US. It might be safer for the trailer to
break loose than send the trailer AND the car flying into the oncoming
traffic.


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Eric Greenwell
Washington State
USA