This Will Spoil Your Whole Day...

[Mad Bomber]

I suspect relatively few have ever had to make a frantic emergency stop, especially if a swerve is part of the equation - and the heavier you are, the more difficult to do without damage to sheetmetal or shorts...



Keep safe out there guys!

The family was on way home a year ago from the ocean. I had a kid out of control sliding swideways towards me on freeway. I of course did everything I could to stop but if I had hit him it would have been with the front end. When I finally was able to stop about 1 or 2 feet from him he was because all he could see was the grill right in his face.

 

[klaybus]

Talk about a bad day!

My biggest fear everytime I tow... ... And I'm within my limits. What a shame.



Clay

 

[Sarge]

This much I know for sure. The driver of that truck pulling that 5ver wont be on any web site bragging about how he can tow so much weight with his truck with no problems.



It's common though. While comming back from the Sierra's this weekend, I pulled off the I-5 in Tulare for fuel at a Flying J. As I was pulling away from the RV island, a F250 pulled in towing a 40' 5ver tri axle toy hauler. Even with that much carrying capacity with the triple axles, the tow vehicle was nose up from the pin weight. I shook my head, and got back on the freeway to put as much distance between him and I. Wouldn't want to be in front of him when he tries stopping that thing... . Sarge

 

[GerryDrake]

A couple of the pix of it after they flipped it right side up showed cab marker lights, so unless they were aftermarket, I would vote that it was an F350. Kind of hard to tell whether it was long or short box though... .

 

[catoiler]

Their was one about 3 months ago on Hwy 14 by my work that involved a F150 towing a 30' toy box. The guy lost control and jackknifed it across all the lanes. I was talking to one of the CHP officers a few days later and he said they sited him for overweight and speeding. When will people learn to tow with the right rig. The people now a days are in to much of a hurry and will do the dumbest things to get there 4 minutes sooner. When I went to pick up my new truck coming up the I 15 we were all going the speed limit and this dumb girl in a new mini cooper was weaving in and out of cars like it was a video game!she just missed the right front of the truck buy no more than 2"!If she would of caught the fender she would have been spinning like a top!That was on Saturday,on Sunday we took the new truck and boat out and while I was waiting in line to get the boat out of the water some bonehead rolled into the trailer!

 

[SnoKing]

Couple more articles this morning:

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2002294664_crash01m.html



http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2002294674_guardrail01m.html



I think they are measuring the trailer without the front overhang at 30 Ft. That would make it about 38 feet long. Again state it as a F350 pickup. SNOKING

 

[SnoKing]

They say that it is at the Marysville SP impound yard. Someone should run by and get a picture. Todays articles say that driver reported the weight at 12,000 lbs for the trailer. Maybe that was axle weight, as a triple axle trailer at 12,000 does not sound right.



Watched another video that showed the drivers side of the trailer, after they righted it. Had a couple seagalls flying on the from corner and a mountain range a little farther back along the side. Has bedroom slide and large main slide. Appears to be in the 36 to 38 foot range. 12k on the ground and 3K on the pin sound closer to what it was most likely weighing. SNOKING

 

[DragonflyDriver]

The people in the truck and trailer were fine it was just the people they hit

"fine" physically. Now they have to live with it. Even if the accident wasn't their fault, I still imagine it would be difficult.

 

[Mad Bomber]

I found out from the news that the family that was killed they had 5 other kids now W/O mom or a dad.

 

[JThiessen]

Yeah, it sounds like they were "some of the good ones". And I got to work this morning to find an email stating that both of them worked at Boeing. After looking into it, I've actually worked with him a time or two - just general acquantinces, but it still hits home.

 

[DHorstman]

Being forced off the road is almost worse than cut off I'd think. I recently talked with a fellow that totaled his suburban and TT. He was passing a dually pulling a 5ver and the old guy was admirring the nice sub and didn't follow the curve in the road and went straight. The guy in the sub was pushed onto the shoulder, on the brakes, in good shape until he hit the driveway for emergency vehicles(divided highway) and proceeded to roll the units. The other truck kept going. Luckily witnesses stopped and the cops went and caught up with the other truck. Also luckily nobody was hurt and it didn't cross into oncoming traffic.

 

[rweis]

I have a driving theory when towing heavy.



Stay in the right lane at about 5 - 10 mph BELOW the speed limit.



The reasons are:



1. You are where you legally are suppose to be (right lane).

2. You are at approximately the speed LIMIT.

3. You have a place to go in an emergency (the shoulder)

4. Everyone wants to go faster than you, so when they pass they are accelerating and widening the gap rather than closing it.

5. You generally have more gap than in other lanes.

6. You only have 1 lane beside you (and on the drivers side) to deal with.

7. If you are following a semi, he will activate brakes generally early which gives you a slightly longer reaction time.

8. If you are following a semi he is generally heavier than you and needs a long stopping distance like you.

9. I find it a less stressful drive.

10. Your Knetic energy=Mass*Velocity*Velocity is significantly less (Mass stays the same but 60*60 = 3600 vs 70*70 = 4900 vs 75*75 = 5625 or about 36% - 56% LESS kenetic energy you have to deal with when stopping and 10 - 15 mph less should not disrupt overall travel plans)



I wonder if the above might have given him an out? Certainly less likely to be cut off.



Bob Weis

 

[SnoKing]

Bob, the skid makes show that he took the out to the inside shoulder. In you example taking to the outside shoulder would decrease hitting other traffic. Only problem around the state of Washington is that the right hand lane will beat you rig to death, as it is in really bad shape, and will cause many rigs to start bucking. SNOKING

 

[DavidTD]

Horrible accident. No winners there for sure.



I find it hard to travel safe anymore. People just don't understand what a load does for braking distance and will fill gaps you create. I usually travel in the right lane, at 65mph, and try to keep a nice gap between myself and who I am behind. But I also travel with a CB, and put in on channel 19 around congested areas. That has saved my butt in a few cases hearing about stopped traffic before I ran into it.



Two close calls for me. 1st one with the 32 ft. horse trailer. Traveling I24 into Nashville. Trucker chimes in that over the next hill traffic was stopped. I slowed and crested the hill at 35mph. Almost wasn't able to stop. Had I been at 55 mph? Crash.



Second one was coming out of Kentucky with the dyno. Up a mountain grade at 65 mph. Crested the top at 55mph and traffic was stopped. The truck in front of me (in my group) slammed on his brakes, I did too but wasn't gonna make it. I had to take the emergency lane to stop. Penny was behind me in my 12v pulling the Dakota on the trailer. She did a fantastic job, took the gap I left and stopped safely.



Point is both times we were at or below the posted limits. Not being able to see "far ahead" would have caused both accidents. The CB saved me on one. Somebody else was helping me on the 2nd one.



Be safe, slow down, stay alert and enjoy the ride.

 

[Driftwood Ram]

Bob,

I too try and tow in the "slow" lane, but as Snowking said there are also some disadvantages. Here are a couple more. Traffic entering from the on ramps do not know how to yield much less merge. Big trucks block your vision and sometimes throw tire tread and other stuff off the roadway. Opinions and armpits, everyone has them.

 

[OTRPU]

Driftwood is kinder than I. . . the part of the anatomy I'd quote, everyone has one, now if you choose to be one is another matter. I drive virtually all day everyday, coast 2 coast & border 2 border. The more I drive the more times I see. . . those that will never learn how to drive cause they died trying. There's really no such thing as an accident, other than something totally out of anyone's control such as a boulder falling from the sky. It's usually somebody doing what they shouldn't or not doing what they should. Therin lies the problem, we each can only control ourselves and have to depend on others to do the same. Dead is dead. . . it's permanent. . . and such a waste. You can bet. . . I'll be a watchin for ya.



Cheers,

Steve J

 

[DaveHess]

I rweis hit it right on the head with his suggestions in #32. That's how I operate. I ran my mouth in another post how my first towing experience with my '03, I was running up and down the mountains of PA and TN, passing cars and so on and so on. Truth is, it was a sobering tow. I have a 26' TT behind my '03 and the truck doesn't hardly acknowledge it is back there. When I ran the camper across the scales fully loaded, it was a hair under 5,000 pounds. So you guys know what these CTD's are capable of with that little bit of weight. Anyhow, my driving scared the hell out of me in those mountains and I became a believer in "just because the truck can do it, doesn't mean I have to do it". Screw that. I happen to love my wife very much and have two great kids (9 and 11). And if the Powerchoke in the outside lane wants to haul his 5-ver at lightspeed, have at it. It's not worth it. So instead of running 75 down the interstates, it's 65 in the slow lane. My prayers go to that family.

 

[OTRPU]

Just drove from my last drop in Grande Prarie, AB Canada, to Cheyenne, WY, 62 and a decimal all the way, cause I'm limping home with tail tween my legs and my recently installed BD transmission leaking like a sieve and slipping as badly as the ATS it replaced. I-25S MM30, several emergency vehicles in the center, pickup w/tag upside down in the middle. From the looks of the tow vehicle, if anybody survived it was a miracle. I run Wyoming lots. . . many haulers I know won't cause of the wind. Don't take much of a gust to start things a oscillatin. If you don't tow lots. . . easy to make the wrong decision and step on the brakes. Pretty near guarantee you'll end up with it a commin around. I've learned to grab the panic button and back off the throttle. Happens to me so often now it's second nature anymore. Still remember the first time it happend. . . took me awhile to decide what to do. Reasoned it out and made the right decision, but badly needed to change my shorts. Be cautious people, nature's everywhere and rather indescirminate in whom she strikes.



Cheers,

Steve J

 

[DaveHess]

Interestingly enough, on North Dakota highways yesterday (9 Jun 05), 5 people died. One adult and two children in a motorhome vs. car accident in which the motorhome burned. No further information (NFI) and a truck pulling a 5-ver on I-94 overturned killing two adults and critically injuring two children (NFI). We also had a guy killed here in the city yesterday by his utility trailer. Let me know if you want to hear that one.

 

[AHuggard]

Folk, Let's face it, almost if not all of us pull overloaded. The rules are the trailer and load can't exceed the towing vehicals wieght. That means that a 3/4 ton shouldn't put more that about 6k. Now that said I often pull 17k or a CGVW of 23200 with an old Ford heavy 3/4 460cid I have because the c6 stands up better than the Dodge transmission. The critical item we all need to watch is trailer brakes and the trailer brake controler. The new proportional controllers with bost, and very importantly where you put it, are what I have found to be the best choice. You have got to be able to get to the manual control quickly on the controller when you need it. Also, checking trailer brake adjustment every trip or at least every day is a good habit to get into. Sure we can pull it; just make sure you can stop it, and remember to increase your separation significantly when towing, it just takes a lot more distance to stop even with everything working great. Just my 1 cent worth, I'll leave the 2 center' to the real pros. in this towing game.



al