Right size truck ???

[The_Texan]

I kind of think he may have needed a larger tow vehicle. A Nash is heavy to begin with and then 30' ???
Yesterday near home

[spoon059]

Grit dog wrote:
Spoon, you're spot on, but then this would not be the rvnet soap opera that we've all come to know and love!

I know... shame on me. Its been a long day and I'm tired. I respectfully apologize for employing logic and sense on a tow vehicle thread on rv.net...

[Grit_dog]

Spoon, you're spot on, but then this would not be the rvnet soap opera that we've all come to know and love!

It's easier for the guy with a 350dooley to bash on how unsafe that little truck is.
What Dooley doesn't think about is, somehow he can pull an 8ton trailer safely with a 4 ton truck, but as soon as it don't have 8 lugs and 6 tires, it's unsafe to pull a 2.5 ton trailer with a 2 ton truck!

[spoon059]

Ouch, that's a shame. I owned a 22H, it was a fantastic trailer. If it was a 22H, it is probably within spec for the Tacoma, although the smaller and lighter your truck, the easier it is to flip over.

All of us can be internet engineers and speculate all we want, but none of us know for certain why this happened. With it being a new trailer owner, I am sure that operator error had at least some play in this accident. Too fast for conditions, inability to control sway, improper WDH setup, etc could all be relevant and would still have existed with a heavier truck. Lets face it... there are people that could safely haul a fifth wheel with a Ford Ranger, and there are people that couldn't safely tow a utility trailer with a dually.

Glad this fella and his family are okay, hope that he had insurance on his newer truck and brand new Nash.

[soren]

patperry2766 wrote:
From Nash's website, it looks like model # 22H which is 25' and dry weight of 4700 lbs...more than likely well within the towing capacity of the truck but getting close to maxing it out. Can't determine from the pics if he's running any kind of weight distribution/anti-sway hitch.

If a microburst can take down an airliner, it's quite plausable that he just caught a bad break and possibly compounded the problem by a lack of experience since this was a new trailer to him.

I'm sure you're right. The side views make it abundantly clear that the thing is nowhere near a 30 footer. I'm sure he is under his max, especially since it was heading home as a new rig. This one has operator error all over it.

While wandering the Interstates, in the west, I have seen two very similar wrecks. Both were Grand Cherokees with modest 22-25' TTs. Both single vehicle wrecks that most likely were a case of "the tail wagging the dog" caused or magnified by inexperienced drivers, wind gusts, or even a tractor trailer zooming by, catching the driver off-guard. Like another member mentioned, point the nose where you want to go, give it gas,and grab the lever on the brake control. It only takes a few seconds until everything is behaving again.

[DaveF-250SD]

Just yesterday, a guy around the block from me got a new, or maybe rented travel trailer. I guess at minimum 32 to 35 feet long without the tongue. Will have to get info from the trailer next time I walk the dog past it. In his driveway, you guessed it. Double cab 4x4 Tacoma. Does have a WD hitch head on the back. Some folks you just can't talk common sense into.

[patperry2766]

From Nash's website, it looks like model # 22H which is 25' and dry weight of 4700 lbs...more than likely well within the towing capacity of the truck but getting close to maxing it out. Can't determine from the pics if he's running any kind of weight distribution/anti-sway hitch.

If a microburst can take down an airliner, it's quite plausable that he just caught a bad break and possibly compounded the problem by a lack of experience since this was a new trailer to him.

[BenK]

Wonder if this driver/owner learned anything about what and why it happened? Since the cab area looks intact, hoping no major injuries and everyone okay in there

As said, saw several semi's on their sides passing them up at Grants Pass. Several more were NOT on their sides and are the ones whose drivers stopped on the side of the road where the road was cut through the hill (those giant 'V' in the road where they leveled it). We talked shop for a few minutes and he said this happens too often in this very high wind area (why they have huge wind farms out there)

Patrolman said they were monitoring and only allowing a few through at a time, as the winds had died down...after he checked out my setup. K5 with 1 ton suspension (makes no matter...it was still a very short wheel based K5 1/2 ton) towing a PUP (low side profile).

From this picture...wonder how much force it took to 'dent' the side of the TV like that


These two pictures shows pretty flat area and straight...about to enter a curve area




Say that it could have happened to a larger TV...heck even a dually...if the wind MPH was high enough and caught enough square inches of the trailer sidewall (sail area)

Personal choice...I'll always go with as much safety margin as can and try like heck to not be at the hairy edge of my ratings...but that is just me...

[MOshorthair]

I have a Toyota Tacoma and it's rated at 6,500# was looking at a camper that was beneath the 6,500# limit and I still didn't buy because I don't want to be that close to the maximum limit. Currently in the market for a 1/2 ton TV which I will buy before I decide on a model and style of TT. Just because it can tow it doesn't mean it should tow it. Looked like a nice trailer.

[blt2ski]

One can be safe in an undersized rated truck, just as one can be unsafe per say in an over rated truck. Depending upon how you drive, how the loads are placed. Are the loads balanced or not.
I've seen tandem Axel trucks not handling swaying trailers behind them because the trailer was loaded asset heavy! The trailers appeared within ratings. I've had my 12k empty MDT dump truck get tossed around by my equipment trailer loaded to 8k of its total 12 gvw. Because a bobcat was loaded too far aft.
Being under a rating(s) does NOT mean you are safe!
Marty

[transamz9]

LIKE2BUILD wrote:

St. George News wrote:

......single-vehicle rollover .....involved a black Toyota Tacoma pickup truck pulling a Nash 30-foot trailer.

I don't nitpick weights terribly. If the trailer is within the rated specs for the truck then it should pull the load.

But.... C'mon.....seriously?!?!? The guy was pulling a 30' TT with a Taco? A sub-1/2 ton truck pulling a TT that borders on the 1/2T - 3/4T weight range? I don't think this should be a surprise to anyone. I just spent the last 2 weeks in the Rockies. There are crosswinds out there...lot's of them, and often very strong. It's very fortunate that this guy didn't take out someone else in his huge mistake.

KJ

In the right conditions it would have done the same thing to a 1/2 - 3/4- or 1 ton truck. The moral of the story is you have to drive the equipment you have to the conditions you are in.....period.

[garyp4951]

I'm sure glad no one was seriously injured, and I feel for this person who was just getting a new unit, and heading home.
I just got back from YS, and the winds have to be respected, and drive accordingly.

[blt2ski]

Must be the same reason in gusty winds you see 18 wheelers on there sides in gusty cross winds!

Marty

[The_Texan]

It was a 24AS model which has an "overall" length of 30'. The dry weight is approx 8000#, so it was well over all specs of the truck.

[BenK]

Prime example of 'can do it' vs 'doing it well & safely' and the need to match the whole setup for that day Mr Murphy crosses our path...

No time to go back to the store for bigger/better/right/etc...either it is there spot on, or not...nor time to resetup...

The size/severity of the 'dent' on the side of the Taco says to me, that the sway went into a complete jack-knife during the accident

Newbie learning session and this one didn't make it through it well...likewise newbie won't know to hit the manual trailer brake controller to straighten it out...most will hit their brakes to make the sway worse...

Doesn't look 30 foot, but pictures make it hard to truly tell...maybe a 24'er....but regardless...it happened...