Wow....this is crazy.

[Matt42]

So, I was buying fuel yesterday and heard a serious dragging sound. I turned around and there was this Suburban pulling a car dolly with a Caddy on it. The tongue of the dolly was dragging the ground. There was a come-along hooked to the hitch and the tongue of the dolly, evidently holding it all together.

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How is that even working? Is the part of the tow dolly missing? The part that the toad's wheels rest on? And yes, that kind of stupidity starts wildfires here in the Southwest.

 

[Cummins12V98]

I tow my Kendon MC Trailer behind my MobileSuites 5er. Have done so for 7 years from NW WA to SoCal and back every year. Made it home to the NW and next day hopped on my MC and started pulling it backwards then all of a sudden I felt like the coupler came off the ball. I hit the front brake and looked, HMMMM still attached. Got the bike off looked and went HOLY SCHNITZLE!!!

I had a small pc of steel welded on the the lowest part of the tube steel where it would drag the ground on occasion. Good thing as that is the only thing that kept the trailer from separating and loosing it and the nice HD somewhere along the Highway.

 

[Matt42]

I tow my Kendon MC Trailer behind my MobileSuites 5er. Have done so for 7 years from NW WA to SoCal and back every year. Made it home to the NW and next day hopped on my MC and started pulling it backwards then all of a sudden I felt like the coupler came off the ball. I hit the front brake and looked, HMMMM still attached. Got the bike off looked and went HOLY SCHNITZLE!!!

I had a small pc of steel welded on the the lowest part of the tube steel where it would drag the ground on occasion. Good thing as that is the only thing that kept the trailer from separating and loosing it and the nice HD somewhere along the Highway.



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Wowzers. It looks like that crack has been growing for a while, based on the rust that had developing in the break. The drag bar you had welded on probably kept it all together.

It looks like it's repairable by cutting out and welding in some good size sections. The welds could be rewelded, but I think that wouldn't be the best way to go unless there are some gussets custom cut and welded into place. I'm cure that you've checked the other part of the tongue to make sure that it hasn't also begun to crack.

Disclaimer. I am not a professional welder. I admire the pros and look to them to do the critical stuff.

 

[SnoKing]

In the Southwest, that mess sets fires

We got off I-15 to head up through the middle of Nevada on 93 and about 3 or 4 miles up the road was I guy parked on the side of the road towing a utility trailer. Wheel was missing on the passengers side of the trailer and the side on the road was on fire here and there for about 2 or three miles up the road behind him.

 

[Cummins12V98]

My good friend is a Machinist/Metal Fabricator so when he has time we will make it better than new!

 

[NIsaacs]

Can some of you guys explain this rig? Kind of a poor picture, I took it with my cell phone off a video. It was a video of a custom harvesting/transport crew on the move. Most of the trucks were semis towing two big trailers. First trailer was hauling the combine and the second trailer was towing the header.

With that type hitch there is no weight on the pickup plus he is double towing a fuel trailer. It looks sketchy to me, but maybe it is legit? I found the trailer but pulling them with a pickup, as high as 20k gvw??

 

[Cummins12V98]

I have seen something similar having a Suburban towing a 5th wheel.

 

[bcbender]

My uncle pulls his on a dolly like this

 

[NIsaacs]

I have seen those dolly's being used on the second trailer of two gooseneck empty stock trailers being delivered. I wouldn't have a problem with that but to pull something heavy with an empty pickup....

Something else I would not be comfortable with is two vehicles on tow bars behind another one. Two bumper pulls are not legal in Arizona, one has to be a gooseneck/fifth wheel but I see them here anyway.

 

[seafish]

I think it’s important to remember that it’s not so much HP that determines safe tow capacity but rather brake HP.
Which leads me to ask if those tow dollies have braking on their axle as well??

 

[BSeyler]

Nick,

A lot of it depends on who is using it - private farmer or custom/for hire, and the state in which they operate. We retired to Missouri to my wife's family farm and I work part time for some farmers. They have two combines and a corn head and draper head for each. They farm a little over 5,000 acres, spread out over two counties. So, that entails a lot of moving of equipment. They have several header trailers, none of which have brakes. I believe the 16 row corn heads weigh right around 12,000#. I'm not sure what the drapers weigh. That means having both heads at a particular place, as they raise both soybeans and corn, (and sometimes wheat). When we move, it's usually two combines, four heads and trailers, a tractor and 1000 bushel grain cart (sometimes two), and four semis. Mostly, it's just a few of us moving a few machines at a time so it doesn't all look like a circus parade. If that is a custom outfit in your pic, I can't imagine they would have the fuel trailer full, but could be wrong.

To drive a farmers's tractor/trailer in Missouri, no CDL is required within a 150 mile radius of the home base and it's not for hire. I'm not sure what you are allowed in other states. Also, during harvest, we get a 10% overage on weight, so can be legal at 88,000#. Personally, I'd like to see drivers required to have CDL training...

Bud

 

[NIsaacs]

This trailer is more my style, that other one is funky.

 

[NIsaacs]

This is what makes this avoidable accident even worse. Not to mention, miles of flat sagebrush desert.

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Update.

https://mynews4.com/news/local/man-...y-sheriffs-office-nevada-state-highway-patrol

 

[NIsaacs]

Grade school drop out?



Bison 1, tourist 0.

 

[BSeyler]

 

[Gearclash]

Can some of you guys explain this rig? Kind of a poor picture, I took it with my cell phone off a video. It was a video of a custom harvesting/transport crew on the move. Most of the trucks were semis towing two big trailers. First trailer was hauling the combine and the second trailer was towing the header.

With that type hitch there is no weight on the pickup plus he is double towing a fuel trailer. It looks sketchy to me, but maybe it is legit? I found the trailer but pulling them with a pickup, as high as 20k gvw??



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Those header trailers are common around here. Never hear any horror stories of towing them either. The reason the dolly style trailer is so common is ease of hookup behind a combine. The Demco trailer in the picture comes from a factory less than 10 miles from me.

 

[Jim W]

I have even seen Bison attack a car in Yellowstone. Everyone was stop for the heard to move over the roadway. Except for one guy who went around the stop cars and trucks, try force his way through the heard. Nice size dent in driver's door, move the car about a foot to the right side of the road when he hit the car. The car was a small Mazda sport car.

 

[BigPapa]

Sounds like we need to develop a new accessory, the Bed Bison, kind of like the Trunk Monkey. Carry him in the bed to take care of the impatient jerks in the traffic jams...

 

[BSeyler]

Is the Trunk Monkey still available?

 

[Diesel Gunner]

Well. when one does stupid things, one will receive a stupid prize. No pity or sympathy here.