...I think more than inspections are needed. For instance, some dang good safety chains. I wonder what he was hooked to on the car. In the video, it was hard to see if there was a hitch on it. Then again, it might have come off of the car entirely.
As a lesson for others, back when I was a kid, Mom and Dad had a camper. When Dad would go to hook up the trailer, he would always just fasten the safety chains to the pickup with two or three wraps with baling wire. (Think small diameter wire.) His explanation was that if the trailer was going to break away from the tow vehicle, he wanted it to be free and clear to crash without hitting the tow vehicle. (We lived out where there was not a lot of traffic, even when going on vacation.)
One day, the hitch did fail, and even with the safety chains only fastened with baling wire, the trailer tracked straight and true behind the tow vehicle. After Dad saw how well it worked, he then put proper fastening devices on the safety chains. In his case, even though he was a truck driver, it was live and learn.
https://vid110.photobucket.com/albums/n118/TRAILERKING/runaway.mp4
Yes this happened in front of my shop...
Uhh...
...I think more than inspections are needed. For instance, some dang good safety chains. I wonder what he was hooked to on the car. In the video, it was hard to see if there was a hitch on it. Then again, it might have come off of the car entirely.
As a lesson for others, back when I was a kid, Mom and Dad had a camper. When Dad would go to hook up the trailer, he would always just fasten the safety chains to the pickup with two or three wraps with baling wire. (Think small diameter wire.) His explanation was that if the trailer was going to break away from the tow vehicle, he wanted it to be free and clear to crash without hitting the tow vehicle. (We lived out where there was not a lot of traffic, even when going on vacation.)
One day, the hitch did fail, and even with the safety chains only fastened with baling wire, the trailer tracked straight and true behind the tow vehicle. After Dad saw how well it worked, he then put proper fastening devices on the safety chains. In his case, even though he was a truck driver, it was live and learn.
Terry