Need help on the road!
 

Details later, but while leaving state park in west Texas I hit someone this morning. Shallow turn and dragged curb side of trailer across back of Chevy pu parked near bathrooms. His slide in ball assembly took out the front lower awning support and bent the diagonal frame assembly with the front curbside pulley seriously toward the rear. A McGyver type guy came over with a scissor jack, electric drill and lumber and " jacked it back" towards original position. I'm now in las cruces in a motel afraid to raise it too far because of all the additional issues I can imagine. Pulley is bent somewhat sideways. I di d just raise it about three feet however to get some stuff out and it lowered ok . Phew. Need to get to Albuquerque tomorrow and hopefully crash at a koa for four days to visit and
Dearly uncle. Then back to wi. Do I risk going up all the way? Try jacking a bit more? Resolve myself to motels with wife and dog rest of the way bac? Advice all is welcome.

Rick

Another photo
 

Here is another shot of bent pulley.

Ugh!

Rick, were there any bad noises when you raised and lowered the top the bit you did? Three feet is almost all the way up. I think about four feet would do it.

I suspect if it were me, I'd try raising it being alert to any warning signs. If it went up and then goes down ok, I'd probably just act like the misfortune never happened until I got home.

Good luck!

- Jack

Probably more like two feet. A little clicking over by pulley on way up which makes sense if it isn't running true. I guess I started worrying about it being off balance and getting a bit twisted and binding or slipping off the pulley. What a dumb head thing for me to do. Brain lapse. Fortunately I didn't do enough damage to the other guy to wreck his vacation. I'll try it gingerly tomorrow.

Rick

hilltool ...sorry about your accident!!
 

We all have done dumb things me and DH included. Coming out of a campground DH hit a big bolder and dented our outside compartment. Another rebuild/repair job. I'm sure what ever dammage you have it can be fixed. The last accident was DH turned right into a shopping coral and did about $2000.00 worth of damage. Our vehicle ins. covered it. We were out $500.00 deductible ouch!! Take a deep breath and you will be okay.

Thanks Sam. I just want to be able to get home with thing.:)

hilltool, Sorry for the boo-boo. Whatever you do to it will only help. If it's broke, ya try and fix it! Just take your time and watch and listen, if you try to twist it back. That's what your going to do when you get home, right? If you have the tools, do it. At least I would!
Tree

Rick, Like Sam said, we have all done something (for me, stupid) and we just have to step back and take a deep breath , then continue on. We totaled our first Towline at a campground and I was concerned about towing the trailing to a junk yard in the "up" position (duh?) Last year we were south of Albuquerque and when lowering the trailer, a window valance was squashed. We later had to raise the top and the valance was ripped off. Didn't get that corrected until we got home.:mad:

A closer and calmer inspection this morning indicates that part of the pulley out wall is broken off. Thus the " click" each revolution. However, if I take it easy, it goes all the way up I just need to keep an eye on it when raising that it doesn't jump the pulley when it comes round. I've got some jb weld expoxy I carry and when I set up again maybe I can fashion a bit of a patch ---though there isn't much to bond to. More to come I'm sure.

Rick

if there is enough metal left you might be able to secure with so vice grips,

JB Weld is a miracle worker! Use it like putty, if you can, to build up a larger reinforcement. Failing that, maybe you could take a trip to a nearby hardware/home improvement store and get something like metal strips or mending plates that you could "weld" in to provide the needed reinforcement.

I wonder if you could straighten it a bit more before applying any repair to minimize the chance that the cable would come off? You're really only going to be bending the metal a short amount. Surely, that won't cause metal fatigue failure.

On the subject of clumsy driving, I managed to scrape my trailer along a wooden fence on my property when I moved in up here in Pine. It tore off/broke the awning supports and I had to replace them.

- Jack

Bummer Rick. You were staying 40 miles up the road from me. These cats use to work on Hi-Lo's in ABQ. Buena Suerte and travel safe!

Rocky Mountain RV & Marine - NEW & USED RV and Boat Sales & Service in ALBUQUERQUE NEW MEXICO

Wow Reuben, thanks. I do believe they are right across the street from where I'm staying in this urban koa. I didn't know you lived that close to fort Davis.

Rick

Rick, maybe they'll come to your site and take a peek at your boo-boo. It'd be great if they can do something to make you more comfortable. Let us know.
Tree

About 3-3 1/2 hours away, Rick. So, if you ever need anyone to check on your land....:D

How are you doing? Did you make it home ok? We had the same problem with a bent pulley cable. The damage was done by the previous owner. My husband was able to straighten it out, but it wanted to bend because of the weakened metal I guess. He attached a large screw to stabilize the metal holding the pulley. It seems to be holding up ok and we have had no problems raising and lowering the top.

Sometimes when rains it rains hard. Still stuck in ABQ. Someone last thurs nite cut my gas filler hose and then proceeded to siphon my tank. No gas. No way to get gas in tank. Waiting for part to arrive At ABQ Nissan dealer today. Been driving rental Sentra while stranded at KOA. Hard to pull that size trailer with Sentra. :). I mean really! Gas is like 1.80!

Damn, Rick. I hate to hear of trips like yours. You're way overdue for some good luck! Those clowns that cut your gas hose must have been almost stupidly "bold". I can't imagine doing something like that in a campground with all the people around. And yes, it's not like gas is costing a fortune now - why take the chance?

Any progress with the pulley problem?

- Jack

Well, on the bright side, things can only get better, Rick. ABQ is a pretty rough town. Hope all goes well from here on out. Safe travels, amigo.

With regards to boldness it could be this happened in a residential district early in evening when I was having dinner at my cousins down in old town district. Still bold in that it had to have happened before 10:00 right on the street. Never thought of carrying splicing materials for gas filler hoses. As for pulley, I've left well enough alone for now seeing as trailer has been up for 4 nights now. I'm not sure which way I would be pushing my luck by messing with it and I feel I should lower it before I do anything anyway. So we will see. Thanks for the support, all:). Honest

Rick