Folks Of Interest Driver Killed returning home from Back to the 50's

California Vehicle Code 21715-a. No motor vehicle under 4000 lbs shall tow any vehicle 6000 lbs or more.
That Spartan is a 5000 pound trailer. The Stude weighed 2800 pounds, stock.
Just not safe under any cir***stances

 

Wisconsin just increased the speed limit on the super slabs to 70 MPH so people would burn more gas and thus the state would bring in more gas taxes. Maybe the little Stude was just trying to keep up with traffic. Which now goes 80 MPH. I feel for all involved, and I hope the driver pulls through.

 

If it helps prevent some one from doing some thing stupid, whats the problem?

 

I do both, I tow a 27 foot fifth with my duramax, and I run around for fun in a 2700 lb 36 ford pickup. The 36 might someday pull a teardrop weighing around 600 pounds or so, but never more than that. I figure I may build a teardrop for a Bonneville trip, (if I live long enough to actually go), but I'm smart enough and experienced enough to know that a light tow vehicle and a heavy trailer don't mix. Even if the trailer involved in this tragedy was lighter, it was longer, creating it's own set of concerns. Sad to see stuff like this, tragedy born from inexperience or ignorance, one or the other. I sincerely hope things like this are education for the rest of us, not to be critical of someone elses mistakes, hoping the driver gets well and doesn't suffer too much from this obviously horrible experience.
The driver may have never had a problem towing the Spartan in the past, but one panic stop will fold the two vehicles up like an accordion, and off the road they'll go. That's all you need to know about a light towing vehicle towing something it shouldn't. I hate seeing **** like this, a lot of hours and love went into both vehicles, to be wrecked on the hiway is just a shame.

 

****, I was running 80 and getting run over by little old ladies in their Mercedes'! There was a lot of 90 mph traffic on that stretch of road Sunday.

 

Those involved in the safety industry will tell you that there are no accidents. There are incidents with one or more unsafe practices that combine to turn into a tragedy. We can't do anything to prevent what has already happened but we can try to prevent future incidents. Obviously it was possible to pull the trailer with the pickup. It made it to the event and they were on the way back. Who knows how many other times and places they went with the same combination and made it there without incident. Something happened this time that changed that. Something as simple as a punctured tire, a bump in the road that caused the rig to become unstable, other traffic doing something unexpected, equipment failure, a wind gust or any number of factors could put the setup in jeopardy. A larger towing vehicle allows a greater margin for safety in adverse cir***stances. Wisconsin also just upped the legal speed limit on the interstate highways to 70 mph that week.

 

The traffic does run fast and it really isn't safe to pull anyone over for it. A vehicle stopped can cause more problems. If you try to leave a space ahead of you, someone moves into it.

 

Well, that and farmers. There WERE a lot of farmers!
Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!

 

Well, imagine that.....Farmers in farm country! Like saying San Diego is full of City Slickers......

Ray

 

I got stuck in the backup,haven't heard anything though.

 

As if this guy who was driving this rig hasn't got enough to worry him after losing his partner or friend in this accident. He doesn't need a heap of keyboard critics who don't know any of the cir***stances to be judging him also. He could be a HAMB member and read all this so You lot mind your own ****** business!!!!

 

I feel sorry for the folks mentioned, this is a featured thread?

 

^^^^^Ah, I doubt he is tuned into a hoky *** message board right now. There is a very hard lesson learned here by the looks of that very LIGHT short wheel based truck pulling a longer/heavier load. No judging, this is a straight up observation point.

 

Heartfelt sympathy to the family.

 

A terrible loss and it seems to happen to car folk at an alarming rate lately.

I don't have a clue as to what happened and most likely someone did something stupid in front of that truck causing the driver to lock up the brakes and the trailer to come around on him/her.

Having pulled similar stunts towing a trailer including towing an overloaded 16 ft UHaul fom Texas to Washington in the 70's I can relate to what the guys are saying about too much trailer for that truck. That trip almost ended before it started when the trailer decided to tell the truck how things were. It handled so bad that someone turned in a drunk driver report on me in New Mexico.

Rather than second guess the folks in the truck and throw out wild guesses as to what happened lets let it serve as a reminder that sometimes just because it would be so cool to tow something like that trailer behind our rig or do something else beyond the capacity of the vehicle it may not be the wise or safe thing to do.

By the way: after saving and expanding the photo of the trailer one can see both safety chains and that they are serious chain and not just decorative to get by the law along with seeing an anti sway setup hanging off the left side of the frame that appears to be broken. It looks like they may have had the safety pieces in use.

 

Maybe if people had pointed these things out to him, he might have listened and avoided the whole situation. Let's pretend it didn't happen and do the same next time it does to someone else. It's everyone's ****** business to try to keep things like this from happening again.

 

One thing I don't recall seeing mentioned so far is the issue of trailer brakes. Without question, a trailer that size and weight would absolutely need to be equipped with a good set of (preferably) electric brakes and a suitable actuator on the towing vehicle.

Even THAT will not prevent all mishaps, but goes a long way toward minimizing the "tail wagging the dog" syndrome.

Another towing principle to be taken seriously is weight distribution., An overloaded trailer, in and of itself, is not as hazardous as a improperly loaded trailer. Weight of the load is secondary to placement of the load. To be stable when in motion the trailer should have a forward weight bias of around 10% of the load. In aviation it's referred to as weight and balance. A trailer that is tail heavy will inevitably begin to sway.

Ray

 

Prayers to Family
Noel
Aussie

 

Very sad to see. Any update on the driver? I see the Studie had been upgraded with (apparently) chevy running gear and some OE high-back seats (and hopefully seatbelts).

I am in the process of putting a Reese hitch on my 1949 F1. I have a 5.0L EFI and AOD with a 8.8" 3.27:1 and 4-wheel disc brakes a 1983 El Camino front suspension and a re-enforced and boxed frame, but my goal is to pull a parade float for local events, maybe up to speeds of 25MPH!

 

There was a hell of a bunch of tracks going over the embankment, (the reason I thought more than one vehicle involved) so I would ***ume he had operational trailer brakes. A Spartan trailer was/is a fine towing trailer, very similar to an airstream, so I doubt it was poorly balanced. I still am willing to bet some other driver did something to cause him to lose control.

 

Our sympathy to the family. As a camper most of my life and a trucker I do know what can and will happen. We all now know the truck was too small for the trailer. We can't change that and as I've done in the past, they gambled.
I too pulled a large single axle RV with a 1/2 ton pickup and had people on the CB warn others there was a drunk ahead. I knew the trailer was swaying but didn't realize till then how badly.
I loved that red 75 Ford truck but I drove slower to camp and when returning home traded on a 1 ton rated camper special 3/4 ton and dual axle 5th wheel trailer.
These accidents are sad and we may never know the real cause. But we all can learn from this and the other accidents involving hot rods and customs. We're not exempt just because our cars are old.
As a reminder check some of the RV's pulled by Tin Can Tourists and others. Many too big for the tow vehicles yet towed for many years. Many are accidents waiting to happen. With luck they return home.
Sadly for some the luck runs out.

 

even the best equipment will fail,,

 

I live about 30 miles from where this happened and there have been over ten incidents involving trailers in the last 2 weeks. Most of them are the result of the trailer coming off the hitch or the tongue breaking. Safety chains are to keep the trailer from going into oncoming traffic but pulling a trailer on a chain is almost suicide. The trailer will jerk the tow vehicle all over the place. Make certain the hitch is in good condition, rated for weight of the load, you have the correct size ball and don't have too much tongue weight. There are also some questions about faulty hitches.

 

Something which I learnt at my current employment. Cross the safety chains when attaching so that if the unfortunate happens and the hitch comes off, it shortens the chains so the front edge of the drawbar doesn't dig into the road surface and tip you over. Plus the trailer can't swing as badly from side to side, therefore whipping around and getting as unstable. I've been driving trucks for 30 years and didn't consider it until our safety man informed us.

 

So no one here has ever done something a bit dangerous like overloaded trailers or towing another car with a chain or rope. Maybe some of you have actually used the HP of your hot rod on a public road? Anything unexpected can happen instantly and even the best driver, and of course everyone here is an expert driver, can be caught off guard..

 

Truckedup - WOW !!! You must be a WESTERN NY HILLBILLY, Your Comments SAY SO.

 

Yes I am....I once towed a full sized school bus on public roads with a chain hooked to a Chevy Suburban....I ride motorcycles in excess of the speed limit...But I never drive intoxicated and my vehicles are in good repair...But **** can and will happen...
That car in you avatar is what you drive on public roads? You feel safe a**** the 6000 pound 4x4 pick up trucks that'll squish it like a bug ?

 

Hate to see this. Hindsight is always 20/20. We've all done stuff we shouldn't and get away with it. And the next time maybe we don't see quite as much danger in the same action. Each 'successful' attempt erodes our concern a little bit more until we don't see the danger any longer. And it's not just towing, it's all aspects of the hobby. We're all wearing safety gl***es every single time we bust out a drill, right? Trusting a 50 yr old weld that 'looks good to me'. Pulling an engine using a block/tackle and a tree branch? Climbed under a car raised on a jack, no stands? We've all done it. Just try to stay safe guys.

 

Sad for the loss of the family or families involved in the Stude crash.
Unfortunately, no rewind ****on exists - the best we can do is exercise awareness of the situations around us and act to try to minimise risks. Us humans, being imperfect, will still **** up now and then.