Remember the Handbrake!

[Peter48]

Just been away on our 3rd outing had a fab week in the New Forest, we stayed in Kent on our way home at a lovely site which was very very wet (thankfully),whilst parked on the hard stand with our MH facing a lovely field on a slight incline, I decided to move our MH to a more flat area and got out to check which way I was going to skilfully reverse my way out without going onto the sodden grass, as I walked round the back of my MH the owner of the site informed me very loudly that my MH was gently rolling away!, of which I legged it to the passenger door (which my springer spaniel was sat) and jumped into the MH fumbling for the brake and my springer thinking it was playtime!unfortunately i was too late as my MH had rolled onto the mud and swiftly sank into the mud gently pushing the fence into the cow field! 3 hours later and the farmer assisting with various Jacks we managed to get my MH back onto the Hard stand with me being very embarrassed, the motto of my story is remember the handbrake when stopped! luckily not a mark on the MH only my pride......

 

[Badknee]

Well done, you were very lucky.

 

[The Dudess]

So was the dog!

 

[Allanm]

At least you didn't run to the front of the van and try to push it back!
Allan

 

[simply]

I have a belt and braces policy of always leaving my vehicle in gear in addition to applying the handbrake.

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[pappajohn]

the farmer assisting with various Jacks


Must have been a very poor farmer if he didnt have a tractor

 

[retiringjoyce]

My present hubby did that, moved the MH on the drive and forgot the handbrake. The van knocked down the wall of the house across the road, he never did it again!

 

[DBK]

It could have been worse. I met a bloke in a hotel on La Gormera in the Canary Islands once who was wondering around looking dazed. He and his wife had hired a car and then gone for a drive in the mountains. He stepped out to take a photo and the car with wife aboard rolled off and bounced down a hillside. His wife survived but had to be airlifted to hospital on Tenerife leaving him behind on the island.

My Fiat "auto" box beeps loudly if you try and turn off the engine with it in neutral, which is a useful feature I think.

 

[Wildbill]

Many wears ago I got out the car at a fends of my with to collect the wife car parked on the hill in gear as the hand brake didn't work to good.
On the way back the over exited springer spaniel knocked the car out of gear.
There is the dog looking over the steering wheel as the car roles down the hill backwards.
She had that oooshite look abut her as she diapered all most 200yds before the car went off The road and finished it's journey up side down in a ditch,
Some one had let her out by the time we got there in one leap she was in my arms liking me to bits and peeing all over me.
The car was a right off but the dog was ok
We replaced the car and the dog lived till 161/2
BILL

 

[TheBig1]

WARNING! seriously, if you fit a handbrake extender to your motorhome, always put it in gear too. I cant recall the number of times I've got out the driver's door and my trousers have caught the brake releasing it. the design was known as the "suicide brake" in rally cars for a reason

as for cars running off by themselves, i personally know of 3 with caravans attached and several without doing this. one car and caravan nearly rolled off a terraced hillside but for a very quick thinking german jumping in the drivers seat at the last second.

a mate of mine had the same with a caravan that came uncoupled and rolled off down a steep road. thinking quickly, he overtook the van and used the car to stop a disaster. result was both van and car written off and a nightmare with the insurers

bottom line is that handbrakes can and do fail, so always take extra measures in case. i grew up in a house on a steep hill. because of this, i always turn the steering towards the kerb and leave the vehicle in gear or park if an automatic as well as pulling on the handbrake when parking on any hill

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[PP Bear]

From an earlier post ref handbrakes

 

[peter marshall]

Not the MH we had a Smart car at one time for trailer use, the car had been on the drive for around 3 hours, we was sat eating our tea when a knock at the door alerted us to the Smart across the road with traffic going round it I wouldn't mind but the drive is quite level and of course I got the blame. Pete