Share Pics of People Hauling or Towing Something Wrong

3930dave · May 18, 2015

Sysop said:
Big problem with campers is they are made to be lightweight, and lots of the internal storage is up high. Once people get them loaded up and start traveling they're quite top-heavy.

Bingo.

Marble counter-tops don't help either.

Rgds, D.

MinnesotaEric · May 18, 2015

California said:
I might be wrong, but seeing that combination upside down with the trailer still in line with the Cadillac, I suspect he had tried to eliminate sway and had adjusted his hitch with the sway adjuster too stiff and with too little weight on the rear tires. I think he was going so fast that he swerved when he reached a gentle curve. He was lucky there was no impact, just a lot of grinding on the roof of the trailer and against the center divider as he slid to a standstill. He was still aimed neatly downhill when I came upon him.

Here's the location - (static photo. That live webcam is at Magnifeye.com - Traffic Webcams for the Truckee/Tahoe area). Cars run 75+ down that grade because they expect there is nothing but open road and gentle curves ahead, trucks 20 mph because its so steep.

I defer to your local knowledge of the area.

Diamondpilot · May 18, 2015

Good buddy of mine lost control on black ice in a K5 Blazer. He was doing about 40 miles a hour and hit a cement culvert. He just had the spare tire laying behind the back seat and a 2" trailer ball. The ball went through the front window. The spare tire folded down the back seat, broke the passengers seat from the floor, and pushed the dash into the firewall.

He was lucky, both of those objects could have killed him.

Chris

California · May 18, 2015

EricTheOracle said:
I defer to your local knowledge of the area.

Well, 20 years with the hwy department.

Here's a similar photo of the grade a few miles west.

Related to towing that went wrong - here's my story of a brand new truck escape ramp. I went out to review the contractor payment records for the project. Nothing special, just the routine review to meet a Federal requirement to verify that funds they contributed, were actually spent as intended. (Some places, not California, I've heard that these reviews occasionally catch real money that went for imaginary projects.) I walked in to the regional construction office and learned the new escape ramp had just served its first customer. A fully loaded moving van, cargo 40k lbs, went in and most of the way to the end. No injury, maybe dented fuel tanks. A big wrecker went to drag him back out and on the first try all he did was pull down a light pole. The engineers were discussing an addition to the project for anchors that a wrecker could pull against. The atmosphere was a mix of humor and the realization they may have just saved a trucker's life.

sixdogs · May 20, 2015

Sysop said:
Big problem with campers is they are made to be lightweight, and lots of the internal storage is up high. Once people get them loaded up and start traveling they're quite top-heavy.

I live near a very windy stretch of highway and it is a common sight to see a couple of campers a year get blown over in high winds. Semis, too and every now and then the high winds will blow over an empty semi that's going too fast. Sometimes even loaded. Happens once or twice a year.

California · May 21, 2015

When towing goes wrong ...

4570Man · May 21, 2015

Today I saw a s10 with a load of scrap metal in the back towing a trailer with a lawn mower and more scrap metal on it. The bumper was a few inches off the ground and of course none was tied down.

fordmantpw · May 21, 2015

4570Man said:
and of course none was tied down.

Pfft! It's all scrap, why tie it down? :laughing:

4570Man · May 21, 2015

fordmantpw said:
Pfft! It's all scrap, why tie it down? :laughing:

It was mostly old engine blocks and transmission housings. They aren't going anywhere. Especially since he was only going 40 mph down the interstate.

LouieJunior · May 31, 2015

Travelover · May 31, 2015

LouieJunior said:
View attachment 427193

This I understand. I have a mother-in-law, too.

George2615 · May 31, 2015

California said:
When towing goes wrong ...

Wonder what he was trying to tow that got him bouncing like that.

bcp · May 31, 2015

George2615 said:
Wonder what he was trying to tow that got him bouncing like that.

Looks like trying to pull an excavator onto a trailer.

Bruce

George2615 · May 31, 2015

bcp said:
Looks like trying to pull an excavator onto a trailer.

Bruce

Thanks, Californias vid didn't show the excavator.

PhysAssist · Jun 2, 2015

Diamondpilot said:
Good buddy of mine lost control on black ice in a K5 Blazer. He was doing about 40 miles a hour and hit a cement culvert. He just had the spare tire laying behind the back seat and a 2" trailer ball. The ball went through the front window. The spare tire folded down the back seat, broke the passengers seat from the floor, and pushed the dash into the firewall.

He was lucky, both of those objects could have killed him.

Chris

Similarly, the biggest argument for backseat passengers to wear seatbelts is not to prevent their death or injury in accidents, it is to keep them from killing the driver or front seat passengers, which they otherwise do pretty regularly.

PhysAssist · Jun 2, 2015

Diamondpilot said:
Good buddy of mine lost control on black ice in a K5 Blazer. He was doing about 40 miles a hour and hit a cement culvert. He just had the spare tire laying behind the back seat and a 2" trailer ball. The ball went through the front window. The spare tire folded down the back seat, broke the passengers seat from the floor, and pushed the dash into the firewall.

He was lucky, both of those objects could have killed him.

Chris

Similarly, the biggest argument for backseat passengers to wear seatbelts is not to prevent their death or injury in accidents, it is to keep them from killing the driver or front seat passengers, which they otherwise do pretty regularly.

California · Jun 2, 2015

I believe it.

A 'Best ads' winner by Volvo emphasizing their safety features showed hitting something that stopped the car instantly. Everyone was belted properly, no one was injured, but the kid's doll flew from the back window shelf and broke a star into the windshield.

(Volvo never ran that ad in the US. I happened to see it among other winning ads several years ago).

MinnesotaEric · Jun 2, 2015

Not wanting to turn away a free boat lift, I made arrangements to do a recovery of the free-to-me-boat-lift. After getting the lift on my trailer, a garage fire broke out two doors down.

10 seconds after taking this photo, it occurred to me that if the fellow had a propane bottle in his garage, I didn't want to be near what could amount to a timed fuse artillery simulator and so I high-tailed it out of there.

Upon getting back to my truck, it dawned to me that all of our local police were over at the fire, and right now would be a good time to hit the highway with my unsecured load. So off I went!

Earlier in the week I snapped a photo of a kindred spirit who very carefully had leashed down his load to the pallet it was sitting on and the pallet itself was leashed down with nothing more than gravity.

chopped · Jun 2, 2015

EricTheOracle said:
Not wanting to turn away a free boat lift, I made arrangements to do a recovery of the free-to-me-boat-lift. After getting the lift on my trailer, a garage fire broke out two doors down.

10 seconds after taking this photo, it occurred to me that if the fellow had a propane bottle in his garage, I didn't want to me near what could amount to a timed fuse artillery simulator and so I high-tailed it out of there.

Upon getting back to my truck, it dawned to me that all of our local police were over at the fire, and right now would be a good time to hit the highway with my unsecured load. So off I went!

Earlier in the week I snapped a photo of a kindred spirit who very carefully had leashed down his load to the pallet it was sitting on and the pellet was leashed down with nothing more than gravity.