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What happened?
While being towed by a tipper truck, a tag trailer carrying a 14 tonne (30,865 lbs) excavator partially detached from the truck.
The trailer remained connected only by the safety chains.
Sparks from the detached trailer hitch contacting the road surface started a grass fire.
The driver safely stopped the vehicle without further damage.
A response team was mobilised to extinguish the grass fire.
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Why did it happen?
The truck had a ‘flying saucer’ hitch where a large pin is secured via a nut at the bottom of the hitch.
The thread on the nut had become worn, causing the nut to fail and the pin to come loose during operation.
The design of the hitch made visual inspection of the wear difficult.
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What did they learn?
Flying saucer hitches can be prone to failure in certain conditions. They must be regularly maintained and inspected. Secondary retention is critical.
Driver competence / experience is a key control. The driver in this incident responded by gently braking in a straight line and bring the vehicle to a halt. This prevented further escalation.
Robust emergency response communication and capability is critical. The grass fire started by this event could have escalated significantly if a response crew had not been quickly notified and mobilised.
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Ask yourself or your crew
What checks do you conduct prior to starting a journey? Do they include trailers? Do you check your trailer attachment points for wear and tear? Do you check that secondary retention is in place?
How would you respond if a hitch fails while you are driving?
Do you know how to initiate emergency response procedures if needed when you are undertaking a journey?
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What happened?
While being towed by a tipper truck, a tag trailer carrying a 14 tonne (30,865 lbs) excavator partially detached from the truck.
The trailer remained connected only by the safety chains.
Sparks from the detached trailer hitch contacting the road surface started a grass fire.
The driver safely stopped the vehicle without further damage.
A response team was mobilised to extinguish the grass fire.
Why did it happen?
The truck had a ‘flying saucer’ hitch where a large pin is secured via a nut at the bottom of the hitch.
The thread on the nut had become worn, causing the nut to fail and the pin to come loose during operation.
The design of the hitch made visual inspection of the wear difficult.
What did they learn?
Flying saucer hitches can be prone to failure in certain conditions. They must be regularly maintained and inspected. Secondary retention is critical.
Driver competence / experience is a key control. The driver in this incident responded by gently braking in a straight line and bring the vehicle to a halt. This prevented further escalation.
Robust emergency response communication and capability is critical. The grass fire started by this event could have escalated significantly if a response crew had not been quickly notified and mobilised.
Ask yourself or your crew
What checks do you conduct prior to starting a journey? Do they include trailers? Do you check your trailer attachment points for wear and tear? Do you check that secondary retention is in place?
How would you respond if a hitch fails while you are driving?
Do you know how to initiate emergency response procedures if needed when you are undertaking a journey?
A tag trailer carrying a 14-tonne (30,865 lbs) excavator partially detached from a tipper truck, causing sparks that ignited a grass fire. The driver safely stopped the vehicle, and a response team extinguished the fire.
Original material courtesy of Safer Together (Australia)
To access the PDF and PowerPoint versions, please visit https://www.safertogether.com.au/resources/sharing-library/driving-collision-sep-2024
