Lost control when towing?
Purpose of this post is for me to learn something, If you don't have first hand experience with a towing accident and you do respond please extend all the courtesies as if it were you that this happe...
Forum Discussion
Lack of tongue weight is a disaster waiting to happen. I have a '91 Ranger pickup. Standard cab, 4 cyl, 5 speed, don't get any less than that. I do have a good draw-tite class III hitch on it however, don't believe in bumper mounted balls.
Anyhow, I decided I wanted a load of M10 stone from the quarry, thats fines mixed with small pea sized stuff. Its heavy. I took my 5x10 lawn service type trailer (had 2 ft sideboards inside the angle iron side frames) and lined it with plastic and went to the quarry. I weighed in at 4080 lbs.
I'm directed where to go and this guy with a HUGE rubber tired loader shows up. I mean huge. He gets a small scoop load and tries to shake off some into the trailer, but a whole bunch came off. I knew the trailer was heavy, and didn't have a shovel. The trailer was bottomed on the axle, but the truck wasn't sagged too much, I knew it was tail heavy. I weighed out at 9280 lbs
I was about 25 miles from the house and started out slow and slowly sped up, but somewhere around 30 mph the trailer started tail wagging violently. I let up on the gas and it finally stopped and I was able to maintain about 25 mph without any issue after that, except one momentary wiggle when I got too fast. I stopped at a dollar store "got any shovels", "whats that?" "i guess not then" and went on. A few mile further, I came to a landscape place and pulled in. They had a bobcat and the guy working was a furloughed mechanic from the same company I worked for. He took the bobcat and scooped up a bucket full and I asked if they sold that type, he said yes, and I told him to dump it in his revetment with the rest, I didn't want that much. He took another couple of scoops and managed to move them forward and I shoveled some forward. Was able to drive about 45 mph after that for the 15 or so miles home.
Never again will I go to the quarry, now I go to the landscape place and pay a little more for it, to get a small scoop full.
Also, a co-worker not long ago told a story of his stupidity, loading a early '60's restored Impala backwards on a trailer. I saw where this story was going even before he got it out of his mouth. They didn't lose or damage the car, but the trailer ended up on top of a guard rail somehow.... "all of a sudden....." Yep, don't ever load a vehicle backwards on a trailer (unless its a VW microbus).
Charles
Anyhow, I decided I wanted a load of M10 stone from the quarry, thats fines mixed with small pea sized stuff. Its heavy. I took my 5x10 lawn service type trailer (had 2 ft sideboards inside the angle iron side frames) and lined it with plastic and went to the quarry. I weighed in at 4080 lbs.
I'm directed where to go and this guy with a HUGE rubber tired loader shows up. I mean huge. He gets a small scoop load and tries to shake off some into the trailer, but a whole bunch came off. I knew the trailer was heavy, and didn't have a shovel. The trailer was bottomed on the axle, but the truck wasn't sagged too much, I knew it was tail heavy. I weighed out at 9280 lbs
I was about 25 miles from the house and started out slow and slowly sped up, but somewhere around 30 mph the trailer started tail wagging violently. I let up on the gas and it finally stopped and I was able to maintain about 25 mph without any issue after that, except one momentary wiggle when I got too fast. I stopped at a dollar store "got any shovels", "whats that?" "i guess not then" and went on. A few mile further, I came to a landscape place and pulled in. They had a bobcat and the guy working was a furloughed mechanic from the same company I worked for. He took the bobcat and scooped up a bucket full and I asked if they sold that type, he said yes, and I told him to dump it in his revetment with the rest, I didn't want that much. He took another couple of scoops and managed to move them forward and I shoveled some forward. Was able to drive about 45 mph after that for the 15 or so miles home.
Never again will I go to the quarry, now I go to the landscape place and pay a little more for it, to get a small scoop full.
Also, a co-worker not long ago told a story of his stupidity, loading a early '60's restored Impala backwards on a trailer. I saw where this story was going even before he got it out of his mouth. They didn't lose or damage the car, but the trailer ended up on top of a guard rail somehow.... "all of a sudden....." Yep, don't ever load a vehicle backwards on a trailer (unless its a VW microbus).
Charles
