Why safety chains come off last
I accidentally learned the optimum sequence for disconnecting the TM from the TV yesterday.
1. Unplug electrical connector
2. Disconnect hitch from TV with wheel on tongue.
3. Disconnect safety chains.
4. Disconnect breakaway cable.
The sequence of 3 and 4 is not critical. The sequence of steps 1, 2 and 3 *ARE* critical.
I had one wheel up on a ramp a few inches and forgot to chock the TM wheels. As the hitch released the TM rolled backwards until:
A. The TM brakes locked.
B. The safety chains were stretched tight.
This being in front of my house on a nearly level street it wouldn't have rolled very far. If I had disconnected the brake cable and safety cables first then this could have been a disaster. This is why I recommend leaving at least the safety cables attached until after the hitch is released.
I had actually considered leaving the wheel off the tongue and just setting a wooden block under the post. Good thing I didn’t do that. The post wouldn’t have rolled very well without the wheel.
The reason that I recommend disconnecting the electrical connector is because I know that many people use the Prodigy controller. According to the Prodigy manual you should unplug the TM from the TV when *TESTING* the breakaway brake switch. According to the manual this will permanently destroy the Prodigy controller. I still had the electrical cable connected. If I had the Prodigy I might have toasted it. However, I bought the Odyssey, anticipating that some day my kids would accidentally manage to do what I did yesterday and fry the Prodigy. Perhaps my choice of the Odyssey just saved me a hundred bucks.
I have never heard of anyone actually damaging the Prodigy controller by doing what I did. I'm just going by what the book says. I can testify that the Odyssey controller appears to be working fine.
So, you might wonder, how did this happen.
Midway through my procedure of disconnecting the TM I stopped to gossip with a neighbor. I resume where I had left off, but skipped one step, chocking the TM wheels. I wasn’t working from a checklist, just going from memory.
Lesson learned. I'll never make that one again.
At least no harm or damage occurred and I can laugh at myself. My wife and kids are probably thinking it has something to do with my heritage, Polish Oakie. Or as my brother would say, a Pollie-Oakie.
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