.... showed the results of a "blow-out" on the caravan and the
resulting "snake" flipping over the Kia tow-car.They were lucky to get
out alive...
... but can anyone explain why the Alko Stabiliser handle is in the
upright position - if it had been "engaged" as it should be - wouldn't
the caravan have gone over too and it still be locked down?

Perhaps the snake occured because the stabiliser hadn't been engaged
correctly. Any comments?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b008s14x/b00dwpz2/  - about
22mins into the prog.

After our own blow-out this year we are beginning to feel a little
nervous as we felt that it was the Alko that had done a good job while
we were slowing down!

<Aiden> wrote in message news:p99id451csr4rggembqs85j76cmbbl300h@4ax.com...
> .... showed the results of a "blow-out" on the caravan and the
> resulting "snake" flipping over the Kia tow-car.They were lucky to get
> out alive...
> ... but can anyone explain why the Alko Stabiliser handle is in the
> upright position - if it had been "engaged" as it should be - wouldn't
> the caravan have gone over too and it still be locked down?
>
> Perhaps the snake occured because the stabiliser hadn't been engaged
> correctly. Any comments?
>
> http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b008s14x/b00dwpz2/  - about
> 22mins into the prog.
>
> After our own blow-out this year we are beginning to feel a little
> nervous as we felt that it was the Alko that had done a good job while
> we were slowing down!

I think you simply have to accept that, occasionally, shit happens.  You can 
do your best to try to ensure it doesn't, you can put in place measures to 
reduce its effect but you can't always stop it.

Rgds

Andy R

"Aiden" wrote in message news:p99id451csr4rggembqs85j76cmbbl300h@4ax.com...
> .... showed the results of a "blow-out" on the caravan and the
> resulting "snake" flipping over the Kia tow-car.They were lucky to get
> out alive...
> ... but can anyone explain why the Alko Stabiliser handle is in the
> upright position - if it had been "engaged" as it should be - wouldn't
> the caravan have gone over too and it still be locked down?
>
> Perhaps the snake occured because the stabiliser hadn't been engaged
> correctly. Any comments?
>
> http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b008s14x/b00dwpz2/  - about
> 22mins into the prog.
>
> After our own blow-out this year we are beginning to feel a little
> nervous as we felt that it was the Alko that had done a good job while
> we were slowing down!
---------
Firstly, thank you for introducing me to BBC iplayer. I'll use it often.
That accident scared the hell out of me! Why on earth would a snaking 
caravan cause the car to roll 2-3 times? How incredible that they both got 
out of that alive.
Thank you again,
Dribbler

After serious thinking Aiden wrote :
> Perhaps the snake occured because the stabiliser hadn't been engaged
> correctly. Any comments?
>
> http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b008s14x/b00dwpz2/  - about
> 22mins into the prog.

'Rolled a couple of times' was said. It didn't look as if the caravan 
had rolled therefore the tow car had rolled. I could not see the tow 
ball on the car and there is no way one can roll without the other 
without something giving, so probably that had been snapped off. It 
looked as if it had jack -knifed then the car alone had rolled snapping 
the tow ball off.

-- 
Regards,
        Harry (M1BYT) (L)
http://www.ukradioamateur.co.uk

Dribbler presented the following explanation :
> Firstly, thank you for introducing me to BBC iplayer. I'll use it often.
> That accident scared the hell out of me! Why on earth would a snaking caravan 
> cause the car to roll 2-3 times? How incredible that they both got out of 
> that alive.
> Thank you again,

The tail starts wagging, which then makes the dog wag. If not caught in 
time, the the dog can roll over. The vans width between its wheels is 
wider than the car, so the car had less stability and rolled.

-- 
Regards,
        Harry (M1BYT) (L)
http://www.ukradioamateur.co.uk

"Harry Bloomfield"  wrote in message 
news:mn.c4687d894f378138.86812@NOSPAM.tiscali.co.uk...
> Dribbler presented the following explanation :
>> Firstly, thank you for introducing me to BBC iplayer. I'll use it often.
>> That accident scared the hell out of me! Why on earth would a snaking 
>> caravan cause the car to roll 2-3 times? How incredible that they both 
>> got out of that alive.
>> Thank you again,
-------------- 
> The tail starts wagging, which then makes the dog wag. If not caught in 
> time, the the dog can roll over. The vans width between its wheels is 
> wider than the car, so the car had less stability and rolled.
>
> -- 
> Regards,
>        Harry (M1BYT) (L)
> http://www.ukradioamateur.co.uk
----------------- 
Thank you Harry, it makes more sense now.
73's
Dribbler

On Wed, 24 Sep 2008 09:35:47 +0100, "Dribbler"
 wrote:

>
>"Aiden" wrote in message news:p99id451csr4rggembqs85j76cmbbl300h@4ax.com...
>> .... showed the results of a "blow-out" on the caravan and the
>> resulting "snake" flipping over the Kia tow-car.They were lucky to get
>> out alive...
>> ... but can anyone explain why the Alko Stabiliser handle is in the
>> upright position - if it had been "engaged" as it should be - wouldn't
>> the caravan have gone over too and it still be locked down?
>>
>> Perhaps the snake occured because the stabiliser hadn't been engaged
>> correctly. Any comments?
>>
>> http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b008s14x/b00dwpz2/  - about
>> 22mins into the prog.
>>
>> After our own blow-out this year we are beginning to feel a little
>> nervous as we felt that it was the Alko that had done a good job while
>> we were slowing down!
>---------
>Firstly, thank you for introducing me to BBC iplayer. I'll use it often.
>That accident scared the hell out of me! Why on earth would a snaking 
>caravan cause the car to roll 2-3 times? How incredible that they both got 
>out of that alive.
>Thank you again,
>Dribbler
If it's any consolation I have attended several accidents which
involved the car rolling over several times and the occupants rarely
sustain serious injury.

It is the sudden deceleration that does the damage, when a car hits a
tree for example, but in the course of rolling the vehicle is slowing
down slowly.   There is a lot of crumpled metal but un-crumpled
people.
-- 

Dystopia

<snip>
>If it's any consolation I have attended several accidents which
>involved the car rolling over several times and the occupants rarely
>sustain serious injury.
>
>It is the sudden deceleration that does the damage, when a car hits a
>tree for example, but in the course of rolling the vehicle is slowing
>down slowly.   There is a lot of crumpled metal but un-crumpled
>people.

Some consolation but - our blow-out this summer in France was
(luckily?) early morning on a RN road, almost empty, very liitle
damage, thank God and Tyron. 

Had we decided to go Autoroute, as usual, and happened to be
overtaking one of their juggernauts at 60mph whilst they're  trying to
edge us into the fast lane doing their 56mph - we would all have been
underneath it in a moment and "a lot of crumpled metal" and a lot of
crumpled people.

Now we haven't had a blow-out on any car in 40 years of driving -
sometimes, in the past, as much as 30000 miles a year.

Are these "caravan tyres" made in Poland,Indonesia, China, etc -
really up to the job? Noticed today the other tyres that came with the
van, brand new, 18 months ago, are actually 3 years old already. 

How can this be?

Oh, by the way - save having to start a new thread - has anyone heard
of/or uses tyre pressure sensors? A German family we met said they
were quite common in Germany and they had them fitted - haven't seen
any ourselves here.

<Aiden> wrote in message news:jmv4e4luc8o4p2uialbeme2e3ms14kfrc0@4ax.com...
> <snip>
>>If it's any consolation I have attended several accidents which
>>involved the car rolling over several times and the occupants rarely
>>sustain serious injury.
>>
>>It is the sudden deceleration that does the damage, when a car hits a
>>tree for example, but in the course of rolling the vehicle is slowing
>>down slowly.   There is a lot of crumpled metal but un-crumpled
>>people.
>
> Some consolation but - our blow-out this summer in France was
> (luckily?) early morning on a RN road, almost empty, very liitle
> damage, thank God and Tyron.
>
> Had we decided to go Autoroute, as usual, and happened to be
> overtaking one of their juggernauts at 60mph whilst they're  trying to
> edge us into the fast lane doing their 56mph - we would all have been
> underneath it in a moment and "a lot of crumpled metal" and a lot of
> crumpled people.
>
> Now we haven't had a blow-out on any car in 40 years of driving -
> sometimes, in the past, as much as 30000 miles a year.
But in your car the tyres are lightly loaded, on most caravans they 
permanently run up near their limit (and possibly over the limit if you've 
never taken your loaded caravan to a weighbridge)

> Are these "caravan tyres" made in Poland,Indonesia, China, etc -
> really up to the job? Noticed today the other tyres that came with the
> van, brand new, 18 months ago, are actually 3 years old already.

If they meet the relevent standards then they can be deemed to be up to the 
job, they have to be to be on sale.  However, you may find that reputable 
manufacturers exceed the standards whereas the cheap ones only just meet it.

If you can get them in the size that your caravan needs consider getting 
'camper' tyres, something like 'Continental Vanco Camper' or 'Michelin 
Camper'.  The manufacturers claim these are more up to the needs of a camper 
van (and presumably a caravan) which is also running near its max weight and 
spends most of its life sitting still in one place.

Rgds

Andy R

<snip>
>If you can get them in the size that your caravan needs consider getting 
>'camper' tyres, something like 'Continental Vanco Camper' or 'Michelin 
>Camper'.  The manufacturers claim these are more up to the needs of a camper 
>van (and presumably a caravan) which is also running near its max weight and 
>spends most of its life sitting still in one place.
>
>Rgds
>
>Andy R 
>
Thanks for that. We feel our problem is that we are trying to weigh-up
the reassurance by the manufacturer that their tyres are up to spec
and perfectly safe and therefore the unnecessary cost of replacing 3
(spare) virtually new tyres - balanced against the odds of another
blow-out and the safety of the rig and occupants.

Sounds obvious - safety first -  but the c.£300 to replace what we've
been assured are perfectly safe tyres is a difficult decision
especially when £££ppp's are in short supply :-}

Expect we'll end up taking the manufacturer's word for it and hope
they know what they're talking about.