Jockey wheel safety

[Lonesome-Whizkid]

What would happen if the jockey wheel retentioner were to work its way loose whilst in tow at 40 - 50 mph on the motorway and the jockey wheel were to fall to the ground, do they have safety pins to prevent this from happening? Has anyone ever heard of this happening before as i read it in the book im reading that it could happen if its not secured enough.? My Motto is - prevention is better than cure.

 

[PaulT]

Some plant trailers that I've towed have safety pins but I've never seen a caravan with one. I've never had the retaining bolt work loose but have had the jockey wheel handle vibrate and turn, thus lowering the wheel. You know straight away that its done it because of the noise and vibration in the car. If left down the tyre on the jockey wheel wears out in no time. I always, now, tighten the handle as far as I can and then give it a wack with my hand "just to make sure".

 

[paws]

Hi LW, I've never had this happen in over 45 yrs of towing, if its tightened properly and with components in good condition, there should be little risk.
However a length of stout cord could be used to lash it, so that it cannot descend (without undoing the lashing)
Its important not to drill any holes to facilitate this ...it could weaken the structure, with potentially calamitous consequences .
Happy caravanning
paws

 

[ProfJohnL]

Another good question,

I have seen a trailer where the jockey wheel did "work loose" and fall to the ground whilst towing. The tyre was obliterated, the wheel hub badly bent, and the actual jockey wheel stem was bent. The driver told me he became aware of a bump , followed by quite a vibration, then a grinding noise, all the matter of about 100 meters. :huh:

On inspection the jaw clamp that held the jockey wheel stem was not fully closed and tightened up. The owner went on to tell me the clamping handle had been stiff for some time, so I guess he simply hadn't fully clamped the jockey wheel.

I have also seen a number of caravans where the jockey wheel jack screw was quite free when it was unloaded, and unless it was fully screwed up and firmly against its end stop, it might have started to work down with the motion and vibration of towing.

As you say prevention is much better than cure. The first thing is maintenance, make sure the locking clamp thread is greased and easy running and pulls up tight. :evil: The obvious thing is to double check the locking of the jockey wheel when you hitch up, and the prevention I have used, and continue to use does two jobs, I use a piece of bungee chord or rubber band made from an old inner tube around the jockey wheel handle and use the other end to lift the 12V electric cables, so there is no chance of them dragging on the floor when towing. It can also be useful to keep the plugs off the ground in storage.

 

[starlightdj]

I've never had a problem with the jockey wheel.

Always make sure its wound up right so its locked into the outer collar slots, therefore it cant unwind with vibration. (some vanners are not aware of the locking slots on the collar tube, I pointed the same out to a guy on site the other week)

once the whole wheel is raised I always tighten the clamp as far as it will go, then give it a good tap with my palm just to be sure.

Towed the van all round Europe & never had the wheel move.

I think it just comes down to double & triple checking everything is secure prior to setting off.

cheers
John

 

[xtrailman]

Some plant trailers that I've towed have safety pins but I've never seen a caravan with one. I've never had the retaining bolt work loose but have had the jockey wheel handle vibrate and turn, thus lowering the wheel. You know straight away that its done it because of the noise and vibration in the car. If left down the tyre on the jockey wheel wears out in no time. I always, now, tighten the handle as far as I can and then give it a wack with my hand "just to make sure".

Yes I've had the jockey wheel unwind itself on a brand new caravan.

Turned out it was packed with grease, removing most of the grease sorted it. It actually happened twice before I realised it wasn't user error!. You certainly know something is wrong when it happens.