You learn early on it's the DRIVERS job only to do the walkaround before driving off just like the truckies. Early days and 'we' had left one back catch undone luckily to be honked shortly by a passing car as the canvas had begun billowing out the corner. When I'd also sawn a trailer plug off on the road after unplugging it at a rest stop to isolate the fridge I decided I'd do what the old boys do and NEVER take the wheel without the walk, even for a fuel or cuppa stop.
It wasn't just the sawn off plug but the mini drama it caused on the Barkly. First thing you notice the marker lights in the mirror don't go on when you flick the lights on at dusk and then the penny drops. You left the plug out at 3 Ways stop you dummy! Pull over, yep plug gone but you've got another on the extender lead you made so you can unhitch the wagon and lift the hatch without the bed in the bloody way. No worries missus and kids, super-dad will have this err.. small oversight sorted in a jiffy. It's getting dark and torchlight isn't good for colours but plug it back in and yep all the lights are working as they should and how's that for memory young fella eh.....adjusting halo! Just one small problem. The car wouldn't pull the Jayco off the solid gravel verge and back onto the bitumen. Check the handbrake, nope not that, but just bloody wheelspin with the car and we're going nowhere. What the...?
Well after several futile attempts, I unhitched the car and no worries with its brakes so its gotta be the van brakes. Jack out and lift her up and no the wheels won't budge with tackers starting to whimper and mum trying to keep them cheerful. It was right there a young owner worked out his Jayco's override brakes were really just converted electric brakes and if you wire the live feed to the blue wire you're going nowhere chum. That's right.. now it's coming back to me... the previous owner mentioned something about converting it to cable override because the family used different tugs. It was showroom when I bought it and couldn't wait to drive it home without all the lessons he wanted to give me and naturally the books, etc that came with it were lost to posterity somewhere at home or in the bin. So that's how electric brakes work eh?
Plug in, hitch catch down, chains on, handbrake off, bottle off, front hatch lock, handle cover, front stabilisers up, front roof catch, side hatch, door locked, latchback arm secure, step in, kick LH tyre, awning locked, power outlet cover in, LH back roof catch, roof hatch down, rear stabilisers up, spare tyre and cover shake, RH back roof catch, fridge vents OK, power inlet cover closed, kick RH tyre, water inlet cover locked, front RH roof catch and then up and down with the drawbar and ball. I even feel those wheel rims for heat periodically. Yep one Jayco ready to go driver, even if someone has messed with it while I had my back turned.
