Video of TT flips over on Parkway Monday

Acdii wrote:
Here is a much clearer video

HD vid


After looking at it, that trailer looks closer to 35' than 30. My coleman is 28' and ends roughly in the middle of the back windows in comparison. I have a decent eye for measurements and sometimes surprise myself when I get something centered exact. If you look at the axles, there is a lot of overhang both in front and behind them. It also is a slider unit with an outdoor kitchen under the rear bunk. That is not a light trailer, and it is too much trailer for that SUV.


Not knowing the options on that SUV, which looks like maybe a 2008 MY, if it has 4wd, or if it has the heavy duty tow package, but if it doesn't have the HDTP then it is limited to 6K pounds, and if 4WD with it, then 9050 pounds.

I doubt weight is the limiting factor, though that trailer looks like it is right there at the edge of over weight, but the length is definitely more than that SUV should have been pulling.

The key factor is, it only has a 119" wheel base. My F150 has 145" wheel base, and even that would not be enough for me to be comfortable towing a trailer over 30' long, though properly setup with a WDH and sway control, it will tow it as long as it doesn't exceed payload. The longer the wheel base, the more stable the TV will be when sway is induced.

The way I see it, it is a combination of not enough TV, improper weight distribution, and lack of tow experience that caused this wreck.

Ouch yeah - that's definitely longer than my 30' - which doesn't have the options you mentioned (does have single slide tho). My axles are almost in the middle, and I still have a 615lb TW. The axles are much further back, and heavier trailer - that thing (regardless of overall weight) looks like it could be ~800+lb TW.

As I mentioned in my last post at end of other page, the overhang on the Expedition seems very long. Lots of lateral and vertical leverage.

I still wonder how $hit got so out of hand randomly, but I guess we might never know. Every time I watch it, about 5 seconds in I want to SCREAM "tap trailer brakes!"

EDIT: As someone else mentioned, it's clear that something else had to have been going on already. This person seemed very intent on filming whatever was going on with that trailer, BEFORE this incident began.

EDIT2: One article claims the person filming had been following for 5 miles and that the driving / sway was already concerning to him.

afidel wrote:
Unless my understanding of physics is wrong slamming on the brakes is the exact wrong thing to do. It's the same situation as a blowout, you want to gently accelerate to put the dominant vector in the proper direction (forward), hitting the independent trailer brakes also helps to align the vectors through the tow vehicle, just in a smaller total momentum, so the ideal solution is likely to gently accelerate AND hit the trailer brakes, none of that would visibly illuminate the taillights.

You would be correct, however try telling someone to punch it if the trailer starts swaying and see the confused look you get!
Although one time someone heeded my advice (literally after instructing him what to do if a trailer started swaying), he effed it all up. Apparently was already doing about 75 when he started heading downhill on the freeway and the sway started. No trailer brakes, hence my warning and instruction because I knew this kid didn't know sh--- from shinola and also wasn't the brightest bulb in the drawer.
Well after hitting the 92mph speed limiter on the ole F250 and not getting straight, he lost it.
Weight cops and moral authorities need not respond to this. It was over 20 years ago. I was a colleague of the "kid" same age too and he was not working for me, he was on another project not under my supervision. I wouldn't have trusted him to tow a trailer! Lol
As evidenced by him totaling his new Trans Am into the side of a mountain with 4 of us in the car shortly thereafter, He just couldn't drive,
period!

If he'd a punched the throttle as that trailer came back onto its wheels he mighta ended up with everything rubber side down at the end of the ordeal!

Ignorance, Lack of understanding cause/effect and lack of experience caused that rollover. Not the wrong size tow rig, not an inferior wdh, not the passing car or a spilt cup of coffee.
Even if he did everything else wrong, but just used the big wide open road to his advantage he could have reigned that in with no brakes. When the tail is wagging the dog, don't fight the tail. Go with it until you get to be friends with the tail again!

EstorilM wrote:
WSLS news reporting that the driver said it began with a blown tire. Hm.

6 pages of endless pontificating...and not one person suggested this. Everyone was too consumed about putting on the TV/TT combination, poor driving skills, speed, etc. And since the only person present claims it was a blown tire, that's what I'm going to believe until such time that more definitive evidence comes along.

Well, after some searching the traders,I found the trailer in the video. Not the EXACT trailer since its obviously wrecked, :) but the model of trailer. It is a Keystone Springdale 294 BH-SSR, has a GVWR of 9450 pounds, and is 33 feet long.

Get it before it's gone

OK, so I was off by 2 feet. :) But I was right in that it is way too much trailer for that vehicle.

BTW I reviewed the HD video, I am not seeing a blown tire on either the SUV or the trailer. Even if it was, it furthers what I said, inexperienced driver with too much trailer.

Grit dog wrote:

afidel wrote:
Unless my understanding of physics is wrong slamming on the brakes is the exact wrong thing to do. It's the same situation as a blowout, you want to gently accelerate to put the dominant vector in the proper direction (forward), hitting the independent trailer brakes also helps to align the vectors through the tow vehicle, just in a smaller total momentum, so the ideal solution is likely to gently accelerate AND hit the trailer brakes, none of that would visibly illuminate the taillights.

You would be correct, however try telling someone to punch it if the trailer starts swaying and see the confused look you get!
Although one time someone heeded my advice (literally after instructing him what to do if a trailer started swaying), he effed it all up. Apparently was already doing about 75 when he started heading downhill on the freeway and the sway started. No trailer brakes, hence my warning and instruction because I knew this kid didn't know sh--- from shinola and also wasn't the brightest bulb in the drawer.
Well after hitting the 92mph speed limiter on the ole F250 and not getting straight, he lost it.
Weight cops and moral authorities need not respond to this. It was over 20 years ago. I was a colleague of the "kid" same age too and he was not working for me, he was on another project not under my supervision. I wouldn't have trusted him to tow a trailer! Lol
As evidenced by him totaling his new Trans Am into the side of a mountain with 4 of us in the car shortly thereafter, He just couldn't drive,
period!

Being that I hold a Class A CDL, and have countless miles under the belt, this information about punching the throttle when sway happens is completely wrong. The only time that you would punch the throttle is in the event a steer tire blows, and only to regain control by lifting the front end, then take foot off the pedal and let the rig slow on it's own.

If your trailer starts to sway on the road, the NHTSA recommends activating the manual brake control override by hand. Applying the tow vehicle brakes will generally make the sway worse. Lift your foot from the accelerator but don’t step on the brake pedal unless you’re in danger of hitting something, according to Estes.

When the trailer starts to wag, lift your foot to reduce speed and tap the trailer brakes to straighten it out.

The faster you travel, the more sway will be induced. Once that back end starts to move side to side like in that video, added speed wont stop it, but just the opposite will happen.

The one and only time adding power helps is if the trailer breaks to one side that could cause a jackknife, then adding power will straighten it out, at which point tap the trailer brakes, then brake the entire rig.

EDIT: As someone else mentioned, it's clear that something else had to have been going on already. This person seemed very intent on filming whatever was going on with that trailer, BEFORE this incident began.

EDIT2: One article claims the person filming had been following for 5 miles and that the driving / sway was already concerning to him.

At 70 mph, 5 miles goes by pretty darn quick.

My guess is the TT started to sway a little bit which prompted him to get the ole cell phone out to film it when he saw this guy was not slowing down to correct the sway, knowing it was going to end up not good for the driver of the TT, but 'would' net him a good video for youtube. My guess is that the guy filming it was someone who has towed before and just knew what was going to happen.

That's right. A clear case of error on the part of the "pilot-in-command".
IMO

This accident happened at my exit where I live on the Garden State Parkway the other day, exit 100B south bound Neptune/Bradeley Beach, NJ ..... the speed limit here is 65mph.... I use this exit every day on the way home from work and even though I don't know how fast he was traveling I can tell you that people in the right lane here GENERALLY are going 65mph or less.

When the accident happened it was sunny (no sun glare in this spot)and it was about 4:00pm and there was no wind in the area.... just a typical summer day

After the accident the wrecker crew took the TT off the GSP to a Dunkin Donut parking lot to re secure it for safe transit that's where I came across this as I was going to the store so I stopped to have a closer look because I was interested in what happened here...here is my observations:

- The TT was definitely a Springdale in the 35ft range with a full super slide, due the crash the slide almost pushed through the passenger side of the TT

- There was no weight distribution hitch set up (no yokes on the A frame)

- There was a Friction sway control connected to the A frame ..... in my opinion this is not enough in this case....am I correct here?

- The tires looked fine... as someone speculated in a previous reply a broken spring bolt (or something similar might of caused this but I saw now evidence of that

- I didn't see any propane tanks on the A frame but I suspect the fire dept or the wreckers might of disabled them for safety reasons

I wanted to take pictures because I knew this accident would quickly end up here but there were people also gathered around so I didn't want to be disrespectful to them if they were family members

It was pretty incredible to see the damage on the TT and to see what the forces will do in a crash

I'm not judging the driver here and I hope they are ok