This poor guy didn't leave Ford Raptor in N

[lwmcguire]

Certainly a bad deal

Hope he has a different insurance carrier than I do given the 600k or more loss

Regarding Ford aluminum bodies i think they are one of the best improvements ever, sure like mine

In a fire that engulfs a vehicle the less to haul off the better, still creates a huge mess

Anyone think RV insurance rates won't go up a bit to cover additional claims?

[JamieGeek]

Putting a Raptor into neutral tow mode isn't as simple as moving the transfer case lever to "N":
https://owner.ford.com/support/how-t...0-raptor.html#

I can see how easy it would be to mess up that procedure.

However, if it wasn't in neutral tow when they started I don't understand why they didn't feel it. Yes its a large motorhome but it would be pulling a very heavy rock instead of something freewheeling.

[lwmcguire]

I think it would be very easy to have the transfer case in gear and not know it with a 450 and up hp Diesel pusher

Especially if you're not used to towing

Putting an electric shift transfer in neutral takes 5 steps that have to be spot on

[paulwadley]

I am with you Judge. I discovered that my extinguisher has a recall from our last trip so I applied online for a replacement, but I plan to add another as a back up.

Paul

[Travelin' Texans]

Originally Posted by Popfla

Looking at what's left of that Raptor, it certainly doesn't say much for the aluminum bodies of the Ford trucks.

The plus is that cleanup only requires a broom & dust pan.

[lwmcguire]

And many of you are driving fiberglass and gel coat rigs? Ever seen one burn?

anyway it was a bad deal for all RV's in general and drives the cost up even if ever so slightly but it never goes down

[EA37TS]

Originally Posted by Judge

That is why I always have my rear camera on and the DW and I can keep an eye on things while we are driving.

I will say this does make me think I will add an extra fire extingquisher or two to the coach before next season.

I added 2 extra extinguishers (one red and one white) and 2 fire blankets to the Challenger a couple years ago. When we bought the Accolade those items transferred over to the new rig.

[Bob Denman]

No doubt: these things don't have the terms, "fire-resistant" in their vocabulary.

[EA37TS]

Originally Posted by TurnerFam

it's easy to 'assume' someone did not leave their vehicle in Neutral, or for these 4-wheel drive vehicles, with the TRANSFER case in neutral, not the transmission - but that's not something to assume.

I lost a toad, a 2014 Ford Fiesta, in a similar situation, but it certainly was in it's Neutral position, at least WHEN we left the campground. 25-30 miles later the 'accident' happened... [we are seasoned RVrs - we had towed this car already 50,000 miles!]

What happened? Well, certainly the vehicle was initially in NEUTRAL, as you WILL KNOW, as a motorhome owner/driver, if your vehicle is being pulled with no wheels turning - as this will absolutely be a BIG DRAG on your motorhome - you would know it immediately. I imagine that his situation could be similar to ours:

We had left the campground on some dirt roads, in Manitoba, Canada, coming out of Angle Intlet, MN(which is a very small area of the U.S. totally surrounded by Canada and water... you MUST go thru Canada to get to it!), down some VERY dusty roads, and eventually, back into Canada, and down some quite skinny roads, though traveled extensively by commercial DUAL-DUMP trailer semi trucks, which are very long and heavy. I remember that one of those had just passed us when I felt a 'tug' on the motorhome, at first considering it as 'wind' generated by the passing semi, but even then realizing that it didn't feel 'normal'... then, a few seconds later, another 'tug', and I then started considering that something ELSE was amiss - and then suddenly realized that billowing SMOKE was showing in my rear-monitor - I instantly thought that my DIESEL motorhome engine was smoking!
But, when I could come to a stop, and pull slightly off the highway, I jumped out and ran back to find that my TOAD was billowing smoke, and NOT the diesel pusher engine right in front of it - there was no 'fire', but you certainly at first don't really 'know' if fire is present under the hood the car until you can see it - but then I noticed that the hood was ALREADY popped...and then I noticed that the hood had SHRAPNEL coming thru in several places - like a 'bomb' had gone off under the hood.
The tires looked PERFECT - with NO issues, no flat spots, nothing - I instantly KNEW that the car was in Neutral, and looking into the car, it WAS still in Neutral.

So, in the end, thru an insurance claim and many folks having laid eyes on the damages, which consisted of a engine 'blown up', and a transmission 'pierced' by a piece of metal, it was concluded, and I agreed, that the passing dual-dump semi truck had run over something in the road, throwing it over and under the toad, as we passed, piercing the transmission body as it also simultaneously knocked the transmission gear lever, located between the transmission and engine, into REVERSE!

you get the picture...

Insurance paid a total loss on the toad, via the comprehensive coverage. I had a $100 deductible. I only wish I hand't only recently put brand new tires on it : /

There was a member of the forum a number of years ago that failed to adequately adjust his supplemental braking system and it fried his toad beginning with the brakes. If I remember correctly he caught the problem by seeing smoke billowing out of the wheel wells of his toad.

Not safe to assume it was a neutral problem or a rooking mistake for that matter. The issue could have be caused by a mechanical or electrical failure rather than user error.

[Chance]

Older all-mechanical transfer cases were hard to screw up.


I’m sure new ones have lots of advantages, but I’d bet 99% of time they are wasted.

[Bob Denman]

Originally Posted by Chance

Older all-mechanical transfer cases were hard to screw up.
I’m sure new ones have lots of advantages, but I’d bet 99% of time they are wasted.

Give me a twin-stick CJ2A any day...

https://www.thorforums.com/forums/at...1&d=1609876092

[Laco]

You can't miss a step when you are towing. I always used a check list when I hooked up. Guess a habit from my flying days, where using a pre-flight check list was just SOP.

[Bob Denman]

... and as we all become... "less young": our memory turns to crap.

[powerboatr]

Originally Posted by Travelin' Texans

The plus is that cleanup only requires a broom & dust pan.

and gm has used alum hoods and other panels, just like ford for years and years.
ford took the big leap and go all in.
price of alum, sort of makes you wonder why? but it saved weight to be used elsewhere.

[Elite Washington]

Originally Posted by Judge

That is why I always have my rear camera on and the DW and I can keep an eye on things while we are driving.

I will say this does make me think I will add an extra fire extingquisher or two to the coach before next season.

Same here on the camera, always watching that to make sure and then after we start off always make a stop 5 to 10 mins down the road to double check. Maybe by then may have blown the transmission but at least it didn’t catch on fire. A lot cheaper fix.

[lwmcguire]

I always stop a mile or so depending on space to get out of traffic to triple check the rig

The second check is after hooking everything I let the Tuscany idle forward a few feet and then walk around

On one such check I was using the dolly and had left the parking brake on the towed

Drug it and would have known

[jkfirecap]

I am new to towing and have a 2020 Rubicon that I am flat towing. In the story it say it happen that they jump into gear. Is he just saying something or does this happen.

[lwmcguire]

I have towed hundreds of thousands of miles over the years with all kinds of set ups

Only things that ever happened to me were self inflicted