One of those nighttime driving dangers

Topic: One of those nighttime driving dangers (Read 1737 times) previous topic - next topic

One of those nighttime driving dangers

December 21, 2013, 08:53:56 am

Well I just couldn't miss all of what was left of a re-tread laying on I-75. Blew out the passenger side rear inner tire and took off part the fiberglass wheel well trim. No other damage as far as I can tell. Just waiting now on the new tire and repair truck from Knoxville.

Oh well, after so many years of working and driving during midnight hours I've always looked out for them but this one caught me. So much for trying to get ahead of the storm lol. At least we are all comfortable while we wait!

Re: One of those nighttime driving dangers

Reply #1 – December 21, 2013, 08:57:25 am

I caught one last trip out too. No way to avoid it but no real damage. Sorry to hear you have some.

Re: One of those nighttime driving dangers

Reply #2 – December 21, 2013, 07:28:10 pm

Got one on I-10 in Florida last trip. Only other car on the road decided to stay beside me so I couldn't lane change until we hit it. Real courteous.

All I could do was lay on the Hadley's and give him an earful.
Fortunately we had no damage to the toad or more importantly the coach.

Dean

Re: One of those nighttime driving dangers

Reply #3 – December 21, 2013, 07:43:32 pm

Me too, had to straddle it and it broke my exhaust pipe to the Aqua-Hot. I never did like the way they ran that pipe to the outside of the rig. It makes about a 3' long target for anything big enough to hit it.

Being a pipefitter years ago, I decided there was a better way. Where the pipe turns to run to the outside of the coach, I rolled the 90 degree elbow on a 45 degree up above the front bulk head flange and then with another 45 I ran it nearly to the wheel well and then with a combination 90 and 45 brought it out on a angle just under the edge of the coach, add a nice chrome tip. This reduces the potential target from about 3' to about 2" where the 90 rolls up at the center of the coach. Something to think about if you ever have to replace the exhaust pipe.

Re: One of those nighttime driving dangers

Reply #4 – December 21, 2013, 10:06:29 pm

Any one use their spotlight while driving at night. I've thought about it but just dont do any night time driving. Seems like it would give more visibility for road hazards. ---- Have a great day ---- Fritz

Re: One of those nighttime driving dangers

Reply #5 – December 21, 2013, 11:02:52 pm

On the way home from FOT. several years ago , I could not miss that damn road gator because I was in the show off lane passing a string of big trucks . Hit that thing hard with the curb side drive axle and tag axle wheels . Then it caught my Honda CRV. I watched as the CRV. went off the ground about a foot and a half on the curb side . Pulled into the next rest area and found that the right side door on the CRV . was bent in about four inches with black marks all down the side . Those cold caps from big trucks weigh about ninety pounds and can be about ten feet long if in one piece . They can have wire in them if the tire blows along with it and the wire part is where the term (road gators) come from as they can cling to your coach tires and wrap around the axle .This is now really a bad thing to deal with , and that is one of the reasons I stopped driving at night . Being retired , old , fat and slow between the ears figures in there some place as well .

Brad Metzger

Re: One of those nighttime driving dangers

Reply #6 – December 21, 2013, 11:25:41 pm

Quote from: fkjohns6083 – December 21, 2013, 10:06:29 pm

Any one use their spotlight while driving at night. I've thought about it but just dont do any night time driving. Seems like it would give more visibility for road hazards. ---- Have a great day ---- Fritz

Driving at night in forested areas I would shine the roof spotlight along the shoulder of the road a hundred yards or more ahead.

Stopped people from pulling out from side roads onto your lane and froze the deer so they did not jump out in front of you either. Miss my roof light. On my list.....

Re: One of those nighttime driving dangers

Reply #7 – December 22, 2013, 10:12:33 am

I just try to drive a little slower at night. One of these days I'll do a headlight conversion and get rid of the original worthless ones

Re: One of those nighttime driving dangers

Reply #8 – December 22, 2013, 11:31:58 am

Quote from: Brad Metzger – December 21, 2013, 11:02:52 pm

On the way home from FOT. several years ago , I could not miss that damn road gator because I was in the show off lane passing a string of big trucks . Hit that thing hard with the curb side drive axle and tag axle wheels . Then it caught my Honda CRV. I watched as the CRV. went off the ground about a foot and a half on the curb side . Pulled into the next rest area and found that the right side door on the CRV . was bent in about four inches with black marks all down the side . Those cold caps from big trucks weigh about ninety pounds and can be about ten feet long if in one piece . They can have wire in them if the tire blows along with it and the wire part is where the term (road gators) come from as they can cling to your coach tires and wrap around the axle .This is now really a bad thing to deal with , and that is one of the reasons I stopped driving at night . Being retired , old , fat and slow between the ears figures in there some place as well . Brad Metzger

I don't agree with the "slow between the ears" part.

Re: One of those nighttime driving dangers

Reply #9 – December 22, 2013, 11:35:08 am

The road gator I hit in FL took off the wiring tween the coach and toad. Spent hours rewiring and finding new parts. I guess everyone will hit a gator sooner or later. And I agree worse time is at nite.
Gary B

Re: One of those nighttime driving dangers

Reply #10 – December 22, 2013, 01:01:20 pm

You guys keep watching for the gators. I'll keep a eye out for those hoofs and antlers. And I thank my HP that I don't have to put up with those big 1000 pound, 4 legged critters, that they have running around up there in Maine!

Re: One of those nighttime driving dangers

Reply #11 – December 22, 2013, 01:34:36 pm

Last year late at night just outside of Kayenta, an oncoming pickup hit a cow. With the headlights in our face, we would have never seen it if it had been on our side of the road.

Reminded me of night driving on the Yucatan. We had a couple of close calls with livestock so were following very closely a bus through a small town close to Palenque, letting him avoid the animals. We were only about 10 feet back at about 35 mph when a mule raced between the rear of the bus and our Fiat 850. How he missed the bus and us is still a mystery. Remember he kicked up his heels as he just made it.

Lots of spots here in the west and south of the border where it does not pay to do much night driving especially on reservation lands where there are no fences and no cell coverage in case of an accident. Where we live, the deer outnumber the neighborhood dogs, 10 to 1. They just love to wait until the last minute before crossing in front of you.

Pierce

Re: One of those nighttime driving dangers

Reply #12 – December 22, 2013, 01:47:11 pm

Quote from: bbeane – December 22, 2013, 10:12:33 am

I just try to drive a little slower at night. One of these days I'll do a headlight conversion and get rid of the original worthless ones

Buddy put piaa bulbs in mine and the brightness is incredible.

The original what did you do to your coach thread included an owner running different power wires to the headlights as he said they only had 11 volts at them.

At 13 volts he posted a much brighter headlight.

Re: One of those nighttime driving dangers

Reply #13 – December 22, 2013, 01:58:53 pm

Quote from: Caflashbob – December 22, 2013, 01:47:11 pm

Buddy put piaa bulbs in mine and the brightness is incredible.

The original what did you do to your coach thread included an owner running different power wires to the headlights as he said they only had 11 volts at them.

At 13 volts he posted a much brighter headlight.

headlight relays! Power straight from the batteries, and relays to turn the power on and off.

Re: One of those nighttime driving dangers

Reply #14 – December 22, 2013, 02:13:59 pm

Quote from: PatC – December 22, 2013, 01:01:20 pm

You guys keep watching for the gators. I'll keep a eye out for those hoofs and antlers. And I thank my HP that I don't have to put up with those big 1000 pound, 4 legged critters, that they have running around up there in Maine!

Pat - those large antlered critters are closer than you think. There was one on the Taconic Parkway in Putnam County, NY earlier this month. Fortunately RVs aren't allowed on the Parkway but unfortunately for the moose it lost the battle with a car.

Re: One of those nighttime driving dangers

Reply #15 – December 22, 2013, 02:23:16 pm

I met Bob and Faith Rozek in South Dakota. They have a coach of similar vintage to ours, but with FBP and new projector headlamps. I commented on the headlamp upgrade from Xtreme. Bob replied that the upgraded headlights didn't supply much improvement in night time visibility until he rewired them with adequate wires. Big supply wires and relays for the headlamps apparently can provide for a significant improvement in headlights for night time driving.

Re: One of those nighttime driving dangers

Reply #16 – December 22, 2013, 03:27:19 pm

Quote from: PatC – December 22, 2013, 01:01:20 pm

You guys keep watching for the gators. I'll keep a eye out for those hoofs and antlers. And I thank my HP that I don't have to put up with those big 1000 pound, 4 legged critters, that they have running around up there in Maine!

The problem with those guys is their long legs. The bulk of the moose's body is just about windshield height for a car or truck. Look where this one ended up.

Re: One of those nighttime driving dangers

Reply #17 – December 22, 2013, 04:21:43 pm

Another problem with moose is their eyes do not reflect the headlight beem. So it they are in the road, which happens very often on I-95, you really don't see them until it is almost to late. With smaller cars the driver is ofter killed. They end up with at least 1000 lbs or more in their face. So heed those signs that say MOOSE.

Re: One of those nighttime driving dangers

Reply #18 – December 22, 2013, 04:39:34 pm

Quote from: sawdust316 – December 22, 2013, 04:21:43 pm

Another problem with moose is their eyes do not reflect the headlight beem. So it they are in the road, which happens very often on I-95, you really don't see them until it is almost to late. With smaller cars the driver is ofter killed. They end up with at least 1000 lbs or more in their face. So heed those signs that say MOOSE.

My old Saab car had overbuilt front windshield pillar posts for running under moose.

Re: One of those nighttime driving dangers

Reply #19 – December 22, 2013, 04:43:46 pm

Quote from: J. D. Stevens – December 22, 2013, 02:23:16 pm

I met Bob and Faith Rozek in South Dakota. They have a coach of similar vintage to ours, but with FBP and new projector headlamps. I commented on the headlamp upgrade from Xtreme. Bob replied that the upgraded headlights didn't supply much improvement in night time visibility until he rewired them with adequate wires. Big supply wires and relays for the headlamps apparently can provide for a significant improvement in headlights for night time driving.

Sure could use the info on what was done and how?

The old "what did you do to your coach today" had it in there. Don't know how to find it.

The piaa bulbs even with low power are really impressive. Probably blinding to opposite traffic?

Power rewiring is more my time and budget versus a drive to extreme and lots of coach bucks.....

Bob

Re: One of those nighttime driving dangers

Reply #20 – December 22, 2013, 05:12:33 pm

Bob,
Checkout BArry's motorhome tech section, look under headlight for some hints.
Headlight Modifications on Older Coaches

Re: One of those nighttime driving dangers

Reply #21 – December 22, 2013, 07:28:34 pm

I'll take the road gator over a moose or deer any day of the week!! I do have some body work to do...bummer

Re: One of those nighttime driving dangers

Reply #22 – December 22, 2013, 08:36:37 pm

It seems to me that a year or so ago I saw a picture of a moose or elk that actually ended up INSIDE the car! I guess the older 'Birds (FC and PT models) with the steel fronts would stand the best chance in such a collision. Isn't there a picture of a Foretravel with some sort of extra steel in front just for such incidents?

Re: One of those nighttime driving dangers

Reply #23 – December 22, 2013, 09:28:14 pm

We just arrived home after a trip thru H--l as the weather in Nevada in the Great Basin was attricious. Woke up to NO batteries-dead because of bad connections and intense cold. Truckers saved us-freezing rain and snow. Next day in Boise Idaho again frozen freeway and vehicles in all ditches and yes, the truck in front of us way haead lost control and finally because I had no retarder working and throttle cable problems I could not slow it down quick enough so I slammed in back of his trailer as it cut off my escape route. Luckily not too much damage, just some fibre glassing!! But Ruth I think had to change clothes almost!! Now after christmas I have many more issues than I thought I was buying to fix but time will heal.
Did have a nice stay in PHX with friends and they helped start to clean coach up with us.
Glad to be back--safe.
John H

Re: One of those nighttime driving dangers

Reply #24 – December 22, 2013, 10:52:53 pm

Wow, so glad you and Ruth got back safely, John!!! I'm sure you are both very grateful to have made it home. We were wondering how things were going with your trip after leaving the warehouse. Sounds like it was a nightmare and certainly makes me glad we decided not to go to Canada till next spring/summer, even though I missed out on visiting my family this year.

Have a wonderful Christmas and New Years...after surviving a trip like that you have much to celebrate!

Tys and Don

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