9/30/09:
Hello again, It has been a busy week and there were a
few things I overlooked in the last newsletter that I wanted to go over in this Customer Letter. I will keep
it short, explain a few things and remind you to look over a few things. We also are announcing the Axle Upgrade Kit to put
15” tires on your Toad.
· Breakaway safety cable: Have you checked the emergency breakaway cable lately? Hook up to the trailer, get ready to move it and
simulate the trailer coming unhooked by pulling on the cable until it triggers the breakaway switch. Then try to move the
trailer, the brakes should be locked. You can also test it with a 12V test light to make sure it is working. This little watched
item can save your trailer and the contents! Make sure it is in working order.
· Hook it up correctly: Make sure the breakaway cable
is extended so it hooks to the motor home frame or receiver hitch. If it only goes to the Trailer Toad what happens if the
drawbar (hitch bar) breaks or the pin vibrates loose and the Toad comes loose from the coach? UH-OH is right! That is why
it is important to attach the breakaway cable to the motor home or whatever your tow vehicle is.
· The drawbar (hitch bar) and equalizer hitch: Trailer Toad LLC does not manufacture these items and we cannot warranty them. If your trailer weighs 10,000 lbs
or more there is a lot of side load on the drawbar when you backup into a tight spot and have to turn the trailer at a sharp
angle. This stress can cause the drawbar to bend or fail altogether. If the “fit” of the drawbar
into your receiver tube is loose (in exces of 1/8" of side or vertical movement the drawbar is absorbing
so many impacts going down the road that the drawbar can become damaged. There are few ways to prevent this problem. The drawbar
is a critical part, use the best one you can find.
· Stabilizer Bar Kit:
1. Install the Stabilizer Bar Kit. This will
prevent side loading of the drawbar and they spread the stress out over three points on the hitch. If you have an earlier
model of the Trailer Toad without the threaded insert on the outer ends of the front of the Trailer Toad you can still install
the Stabilizer Bar Kit. Racer Net price for the Stabilizer Bar Kit- $119.95.
2. When backing up, take your time, when tire hits the trailer frame stop backing up, pull ahead and take some angle out
of it. You can still back up, we are asking you to use caution and common sense. We know a few customers have damaged
tires and drawbars by simply being impatient and jammng the Trailer Toad tires into the Trailer tongue so hard it damaged
tires or the drawbar itself. PLEASE BE PATIENT. This probably will not happen on 7000 to 8000 pound trailers but on trailers
over 10,000 pounds it could easily happen if the tires are jammed into the trailer tongue and then the motor home is used
to jam the trailer sideways and backwards. Use common sense, you are pushing 10,000 to 18,000 pounds backwards with a 2”
square piece of cast iron or solid steel…be smart about it. Some of you, a lot more weight than that, for sure. Trailer
Toad is a great tool but it can be broken if used beyond its limits.
3. The Stabilizer Bar Kit is just one way to spread the load away from the drawbar. A lot of you are innovative and creative and can probably make your
own Stabilizer Bar Kit. We offer one that is simple to install and all the parts are there for you. If you want to build your
own; maybe because your coach has a rear lower body panel, that is fine. If you have an earlier model Toad there is NOT a
threaded hole in the outer end plate. You can thread this but it is pretty thin. The best way is to weld a bracket to the
outer end panel and the rod end will sit inside the bracket. I hope the attached pictures of the Stabilizer Bar components
helps out to see what I am talking about.
4. Receiver hitch on your tow vehicle: We have had a few guys call that have recently switched to a stacker trailer from a regular tag. Of course, the difference
in gross trailer weight is significant. We suggest you take a close look at your receiver hitch and make sure it is braced
well enough to hold up under emergency stops. It is NOT going to be the weight on the hitch you have to deal with, it will
be the “pushing force” from the trailer trying to shove on the back of the Toad and the tow vehicle. Make sure
the center receiver tube has some support to prevent it from “rolling under” and possibly tearing off the side
support panels. I have only heard from one customer who had this happen, but one is enough. If we can help prevent it from
happening to your tow vehicle, that is nothing but GOOD!
