Do you see the problem? A high-school friend of mine was killed…

Do you see the problem? A high-school friend of mine was killed exactly this way.

When the draw bar is left in the receiver too long, it rusts into place. Then someone pulls the pin, but can't get the draw bar out, and either moves the draw bar enough that the pin can't be put back, or forgets to put it back. As long as there's enough rust in the receiver to pull the occasional trailer, the draw bar can stay there for years. But eventually, it can work its way out, with catastrophic results.

In my friend's case, he didn't know the truck he was trying to pull out of a ditch had this condition. And a rope was being used to connect his truck to the stuck truck's draw bar. When he floored it, the rope stretched until the draw bar slipped out. Then it flung the draw bar through the top of his tail gate, causing it to rotate end-over-end so the square was facing forward as it punched through his back window, and then his skull. As his head came forward, the draw bar came out again, and nearly went through the cab at the top of the windshield - that's how much energy a rope (or strap) can store.

A cable or transport chain can't do that, which is why I prefer them for vehicle recoveries. Unless something else springy breaks during the pull, a chain or cable will simply fall to the ground.

Owner caption March 2019 · Photo 0 of 5000