We have been pulling the trailer with a Toyota Tundra for a little over a year now with little or no incident until about three weeks ago.  In fact, the Tundra has been and continues to be a fabulous vehicle for our purposes.  Unfortunately, we have had three minor mishaps in the past three weeks that have added some new contours to the body of our truck.

1)      At speeds of less than 5 MPH,” we” caught a patch of ice navigating snow banks and a narrow passage as “we” attempted a left-hand turn.  The front wheels of the truck turned and began negotiating the turn while the back wheels hit the ice and slide into a tight jack-knife with the trailer.  So tight in fact that the trailer and hitch system put a more than noticeable dent in the rear bumper and driver-side rear panel of the truck.  Luckily, it did not damage the taillight or any major functional part of the truck.
2)      While in Wyoming recently “we” managed to hang the front passenger side of the truck up on a small boulder.  “We” were driving on and around the sidewalks at the University of Wyoming en route to our load-in site at the theater.  In the process of making a left-hand turn, “we” swung the truck out far to the right to avoid hitting a large wall on the left with our trailer.  Again at less than 5 MPH, the front of the truck leaped into the air and abruptly stopped.  “We” hopped out of the truck and found the license plate rumpled on ground and the truck lodged on a small boulder that marked the intersection of two sidewalks.  Fortunately, there was little damage to the working components of the truck.  If I could only say the same for “our” ego.
3)      The final episode occurred again on the ice, this time with the addition of a roundabout.  As “we” attempted to slow down and follow to curve of the roundabout, “we” caught the ice and could not slow down and only slightly turn.  As if in slow motion (and not far from it) “we” collided with the curb of the roundabout and once again the trailer and truck slide into a firm jack-knife – only on the opposite side of the vehicle this time because  “we” were attempting to follow the roundabout to the right.  By the Grace of God, there were no other cars in or near the roundabout at the time and “we” were able to drive away with little more than a matching dent in the rear bumper and passenger-side rear panel of the truck.  Nice! (-:

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