Too much tail for the dog?

[Cummins12V98]

This happened yesterday North bound I-5 thru Mt Vernon, WA.

Someone familiar with GM's may be able to tell was it a 1500/2500 ?

Those little backhoes are HEAVY along with the trailer.

[blt2ski]

I would agree, that too little hitch wt was probably the cause. Been there done that pulling my bobcat with my MDT dump truck. Has ZERO hitch wt, and trailer was moving back and forth. Moved the bobcat forward so I had the typical 800-1000 lbs HW for the total usually in the 7500-8500 lbs tween axel and HW depending upon tools, extra bucket and fork attachment I sometimes carried at the front.....Pulled straight as an arrow.

BUT with that in mind, the truck does look 1500'ish IMHO. So probably a bit over tailed for my sence of well being.

Here is my combo with the 2800 lbs mini trackhoe, bobcat....usually about 10500-11K on the axels, 1400-1600 hitch weight! assuming the link works......

[spoon059]

I investigated a similar wreck a couple years ago. F350 dually pulling a tracked loader on a heavy duty trailer. Plenty of truck and plenty of trailer for that loader. The guy has owned that combo for years and towed it thousands of times. This time he was in a hurry and placed the loader a little further back on the trailer than he normally does. That caused too little tongue weight and driving up the road the back end got loose. The F350 dually went from the right lane to the left, back to the right shoulder before the truck flipped over and was pushed back to the left median.

Just goes to show that even with the right tow rig and trailer, mistakes can still be made. If he was pulling that trailer with a F150 and sufficient tongue weight, it wouldn't have wrecked and flipped. It woulda driven like hell and likely caused some long term damage though.

[ksss]

I believe that mini ex to be a PC45. If so it is about 9K.

[jus2shy]

Whatever happened, it looks like the trailer tried to get in front of the truck. Look at that mound of dirt kicked up over the asphalt. There's nothing that treacherous around Mt. Vernon. You don't get the curves until well past there. I've made that drive many times and know the area fairly well.

[Cummins12V98]

Old-Biscuit wrote:
Small child ran out into road....driver slammed on brakes and swerved

I assume you are kidding?

It was a Interstate highway with no access.

[Tystevens]

Who knows, it could be anything. Earlier this week, my dad came across a 1-ton dually diesel in the ditch w/ an upside down trailer behind it. I'd say that usually when there is a problem, it is operator error and not equipment!

[rjstractor]

That's a decent size mini ex for that size trailer. The excavator alone could weigh over 10,000 pounds. If he loaded it with the drive motors toward the back and planted the boom down hard he was probably really light on the tongue. Even if that was a 2500 series truck (which it doesn't appear to be) a 14000 pound bumper pull with not enough tongue weight could get real squirrely.

[Old-Biscuit]

Small child ran out into road....driver slammed on brakes and swerved

[Cummins12V98]

Good ol soft sidewall tires.

I know exactly what a load feels like when there is too little tongue weight. Hauled my pickup backwards on a trailer like that since the tires were too wide to drive on. Had to keep speed to 35mph or it would start to sway.

[AH64ID]

Looks like a 1/2 ton to me.

OOPS!

[azwildcat99]

Based on the tailgate spoiler and wheels it looks like a half ton.

Regardless, Ouch!

[Ivylog]

I have hauled much the same and I'd say the problem was not enough tongue weight. The tail is not too big, the track hoe is centered on the trailer.

[Cummins12V98]

I just blew the picture up and the lug nut cap looks pretty small. I am guessing 1500.

Looks like a salesman's truck for a rental company to me.

[Majja13]

I am guessing a 2500. But that is a pure guess. If we could see the front tire better we could tell by number of lug nuts. It seams she took a bunch of damage in the rear frame area look how it is jacked up between the bed and the cab.

[Cummins12V98]

2oldman wrote:
Not sure what I'm looking at here

Mini track hoe still attached to trailer that is still attached to the truck hauling it and they are jackknifed and pointing South along the shoulder on North bound I-5 with two State Patrol investigating. Took the pic thru the rear window of my truck.