So I bought this motorhome on Friday and was planning to take it to the
Baertrax run for it's inaugral camping trip. I've been flat towing my Jeep
for many years behind what ever else I had around the house. After a few
years in the pop-up, needing people to help me get all my **** to the trail,
the motorhome is the perfect scenario for us. So... I proceed to hook the
Jeep to the 35 foot class A I just bought. I bought the thing in Denton at
Ancira. I headed south on 35W about 3:30 PM. The Jeep was tracking perfectly
behind the MH. Charlotte had come over to the camper place in her car so she
was behind me. We were through Denton and about to TMS when I called Char
and had here go on ahead of me to get to her sisters in FW where we were
going to leave her car for the weekend. MH was cruising nicely at about 65
mph. I had owned it about 1 hour. So I've got this big I have arrived grin
on my face while I cruise down 35 at about Alliance Gateway, when this lady
with a crazed and frantic look on her face pulls up beside me and was waving
me over. I immediately checked my rear monitor thinking perhaps something
had gone wrong with my Jeep back there. In the monitor everthing seemed OK.
The monitor has a bit of a wide angle lense and distorts the image some
what. But considering the look in that lady's eyes, I thought it prudent to
stop and check things out. As I slowed and moved to the shoulder the Jeep
wiggled some.
THIS IS WHEN I NOTICED JUST HOW WRONG THINGS HAD GONE.
The back tires and wheels were gone, and I don't mean ruined, I mean not
there, GONE! I jumped out of the MH and ran to the Jeep. It was sitting on
what was left of the diff. I looked behingd me, some folks had stopped
behind me and were fighting the grass fire I had started on the shoulder.
The lady that stopped me ran up to me and said, "you wheel came off and went
across the median and hit some body." Well, my heart sunk. I can see from
what was left behind that not only did my wheel cross the intersated at 65
mph, but it had an axle shaft and brake drum attached to it. I just knew I
had killed someone in rush hour traffic. She saw the panic in my eyes and
quickly followed up with, "but he's OK, he got out to look at the damage."
That was a relief. I called 911 and called Char to come back. Wes was asleep
in the MH. As I surveyed the damage and looked behind me for the north bound
acciedent I had caused I realized I must have drug the Jeep a couple of
miles before anyone stopped me. I couldn't see the accident or the traffic
jam it caused and the pumpkin was shaved about 1.5 to 2 inches. The shock
mounts were ground off and the shocks were wrapped under the fuel tank. I
have pictures. The police showed up and we called a wrecker. The policeman
and I walked back to where the fire had started and found what probably
started it. One of the bolts tha holds the carrier brackets in the diff was
shaved in half length wise and had fallen out of the bottom of the diff into
the grass. I should have kept it but it was too hot to touch and I forgot to
go back and get it. It took 3.5 hours for a tow truck to show up. The fellow
my tire hit, hit the flat side of the tire and dug the axle shaft into the
asfault. The passenger side tire was never recovered.
In conclusion, on the trail Saturday, someone I didn't know mentioned my bad
luck. I say my luck could not have been better. A mile before the wheels
came off, my wife and one year old were right behind me, the had passed me
just in time. A 65 mph wheel crossed the median on 35 W and didn't hurt
anyone. I waited 3 hours for a tow truck but I was in an air conditioned
motorhome not a broke down civic. And finally, my Jeep is fully insured and
I wanted a better axle for a really long time.
Baertrax run for it's inaugral camping trip. I've been flat towing my Jeep
for many years behind what ever else I had around the house. After a few
years in the pop-up, needing people to help me get all my **** to the trail,
the motorhome is the perfect scenario for us. So... I proceed to hook the
Jeep to the 35 foot class A I just bought. I bought the thing in Denton at
Ancira. I headed south on 35W about 3:30 PM. The Jeep was tracking perfectly
behind the MH. Charlotte had come over to the camper place in her car so she
was behind me. We were through Denton and about to TMS when I called Char
and had here go on ahead of me to get to her sisters in FW where we were
going to leave her car for the weekend. MH was cruising nicely at about 65
mph. I had owned it about 1 hour. So I've got this big I have arrived grin
on my face while I cruise down 35 at about Alliance Gateway, when this lady
with a crazed and frantic look on her face pulls up beside me and was waving
me over. I immediately checked my rear monitor thinking perhaps something
had gone wrong with my Jeep back there. In the monitor everthing seemed OK.
The monitor has a bit of a wide angle lense and distorts the image some
what. But considering the look in that lady's eyes, I thought it prudent to
stop and check things out. As I slowed and moved to the shoulder the Jeep
wiggled some.
THIS IS WHEN I NOTICED JUST HOW WRONG THINGS HAD GONE.
The back tires and wheels were gone, and I don't mean ruined, I mean not
there, GONE! I jumped out of the MH and ran to the Jeep. It was sitting on
what was left of the diff. I looked behingd me, some folks had stopped
behind me and were fighting the grass fire I had started on the shoulder.
The lady that stopped me ran up to me and said, "you wheel came off and went
across the median and hit some body." Well, my heart sunk. I can see from
what was left behind that not only did my wheel cross the intersated at 65
mph, but it had an axle shaft and brake drum attached to it. I just knew I
had killed someone in rush hour traffic. She saw the panic in my eyes and
quickly followed up with, "but he's OK, he got out to look at the damage."
That was a relief. I called 911 and called Char to come back. Wes was asleep
in the MH. As I surveyed the damage and looked behind me for the north bound
acciedent I had caused I realized I must have drug the Jeep a couple of
miles before anyone stopped me. I couldn't see the accident or the traffic
jam it caused and the pumpkin was shaved about 1.5 to 2 inches. The shock
mounts were ground off and the shocks were wrapped under the fuel tank. I
have pictures. The police showed up and we called a wrecker. The policeman
and I walked back to where the fire had started and found what probably
started it. One of the bolts tha holds the carrier brackets in the diff was
shaved in half length wise and had fallen out of the bottom of the diff into
the grass. I should have kept it but it was too hot to touch and I forgot to
go back and get it. It took 3.5 hours for a tow truck to show up. The fellow
my tire hit, hit the flat side of the tire and dug the axle shaft into the
asfault. The passenger side tire was never recovered.
In conclusion, on the trail Saturday, someone I didn't know mentioned my bad
luck. I say my luck could not have been better. A mile before the wheels
came off, my wife and one year old were right behind me, the had passed me
just in time. A 65 mph wheel crossed the median on 35 W and didn't hurt
anyone. I waited 3 hours for a tow truck but I was in an air conditioned
motorhome not a broke down civic. And finally, my Jeep is fully insured and
I wanted a better axle for a really long time.
Whoa
