Margin of Safety and a WDH

On 10-27 I posted a reply to a thread about WDH's and made a comment to the effect that in my research about the advisability of getting a WDH I was finally pursuaded by other fellow forum members -- particularly RockMtnRay -- that the extra margin of safety made the purchase of a WDH a reasonable bit of insurance even though my 2720SL and Ford F150 had traveled very easily through the rockies without one. (In other words, the ability to go up and down hills at speed is only part of the story.)

In an odd bit of irony, less than two weeks after the 10-27 post, I wish to report that I sincerely believe that my decision and the advice of my fellow forum members could possibly have saved my life this past Saturday!

At around midnight on I-70 about 30 miles west of St Louis while traveling at 60 mph a small herd of deer suddenly ran across the freeway directly in my path. By swerving left I hit only the lead buck, stunned the next one in line and missed two others completely. Had I not been able to safely swerve hard left and then right to stay on the freeway I would have hit the buck directly in front of my driver's position and two would have been directly in front of the c/l of the TV. As it is, the one deer I did hit hard on the passenger side did quite a bit of damage (Obviously the deer got the worst of it!); however, I shudder to think of the consequences had I hit three OR had my truck been slightly less stable. A nasty inconvenience--not to mention the mess--could have become a major disaster.

A truck driver following behind indicated that as he watched the deer appear before me he "thought you was a goner" and "...that was a good bit of driving -- especially pulling a trailer". (He was later interested in the TM but that is another story. ) By the way, these were the first deer I had seen that night.

Obviously, there is no way to know if the WDH provided a critical margin of safety or not. It certainly did not hurt! What I do know is that I very suddenly found myself in an emergency avoidance situation that was completely unpreventable. In this kind of situation, every little bit of margin helps and I am glad I had a couple of hundred more pounds on the front wheels.

When in doubt -- get a WDH. When in doubt, go with a longer wheelbase. When in doubt, get the bigger rig. You can only trust in luck for so long. I have driven for 35+ years without an accident but last Saturday all the experience and defensive driving in the world could not help me. I was unlucky.

It really is not worth the risk of totalling your very cool TM and/or risking life and limb. Like I said earlier, I have towed with and without. The setup is definitely more solid with and last Saturday, I was very grateful.

By the way, does anyone who resides in the Virginia Beach area know a good body shop? I am now safely and solidly planted at the RV park at NAB Little Creek for the next six months.

HAPPY VETERANS DAY TO MY FELLOW VETS AND TO ALL THE SPOUSES & PARENTS OF OUR SERICEMEMBERS! YOUR SUPPORT OF YOUR SERVICEMEMBER IS HUGE!