Broken Couplings and Jack-Knifed Trailers

Broken Couplings and Pintle Hooks are a result of a Jackknifed Trailer.

Trailer jackknifing usually occurs when reversing, and unfortunately, the driver is blissfully unaware that the trailer is approaching jack-knife angles.

Suddenly, the driver feels resistance to his reversing, stops, and tries to reverse again.

However, forcing the trailer even further causes severe damage to the rear of the vehicle, the rear bumper, the trailer coupler, the trailer tongue, and the camper chassis.

Jackknifing a trailer is more common when reversing.

Drivers and Jackknifing

Every owner we have spoken to has been unaware drivers are not reversing their rigs correctly.

If you are unlucky like me, the old school was not taught to reverse a trailer or caravan. In 1970, my driving instructor asked me to reverse park the mini into a roadside car park, which I did correctly.

If he asked me to do the same with a trailer coupled to the vehicle, this 18-year-old would have failed his driving test.

These days, caravan driver training is available, and of course, I would recommend folks take advantage of the instructor’s words of wisdom, as he is skilled in caravanning.

There is much to learn about the do’s and don’ts. For example, how do you tell if a hot wheel is pending bearing failure or excessively hot brake shoes?

Ask your caravan driving trainer; he will know the answer.

Another Reversing Disaster

We know of instances where drivers back into the coupling, causing hairline fractures in the coupling head. These factors accumulate and cause multiple until the coupling fails and detaches from the vehicle.

Detached trailers cause enormous damage and can cause loss of life.

Quite often, the owner rightly thinks the coupling has failed; however, multiple fractures have been identified under an X-ray, and the cause was found to be a drive error.

At Couplemate, we know of untested equipment failure and driver error. However, we have found that equipment certified with a registered CTA has never failed in all cases.

Learn more about CTA testing here.

• Intro to Road Vehicle Compliance (CTA)
• Trailer Regulations & ADR
• Overview of ADR 62/02 (Mechanical Connections Between Vehicles)
• Overview of Industry ADRs & Regulation Material

In our view, all vehicle components over 3.5t must be CTA accredited.

Finally, there are many valuable tips on how to reverse a caravan without jack-knife from the trainers.