Where's the DOT when you need them?

[wolfie]

Saw an example of 4-wheel fail at a truck stop. First of all, they were in the "heavy trucks" section of the lot - where they weren't supposed to be. The 4-wheeler in question was a pickup truck with a car on a trailer. Problem was, it was a BOAT trailer. They'd laid a pipe across the front of the trailer frame, and put down a couple 2x4s for the tires to sit on, and jury-rigged the tie-downs. How they got the car onto the trailer is a mystery to me.

Naturally, boats are lighter than cars the same size. After all, they have to float. Did some internet checking, and a Pontiac Grand Am has a curb weight slightly over 3100 pounds. Assuming it was a class 2 trailer (covers trailers up to a gross weight of 3500 pounds), that leaves less than 400 pounds for the trailer itself. Somehow I think the trailer was heavier than that. From the way the tires bulged out at the bottom, they were clearly overloaded for the air pressure they were carrying (single axle trailer - car trailers are typically double axle).

Why not just go to U-haul (or one of their competitors) and rent a trailer DESIGNED to carry a car? If they had any serious distance to travel, the risk of the car falling off (possibly due to a trailer tire blowing, resulting in fishtailing) could cost them FAR more than renting the right trailer would.

[catcul]

It's the same reasons that many people would overload a car instead of renting a truck. They're cheap, lazy, and have absolutely no foresight. I have had a trailer come loose on me once. It was absolutely scary. I was only going 30 mph. I can't imagine what would have happened if I was on the interstate.

[Rosco the Iroc]

Bad DIY trailer aside- were was he supposed to park? Most rest stops have car or truck. if you nose in a large suv and a duel axle trailer you would block the drive lane in the car lot.

[Aragarthiel]

This reminds me of a time my grandfather, my husband and I were all packed into my grandpa's car driving down a major road. We spotted two trucks (I'm not good with vehicles but they were rather small) driving down the road with their beds filled with sheet metal to the point that the top of the stack was three feet above the top of the bed. As we watched, something broke in the first truck and we could see the bed begin to wobble back and forth as if it was made of Jello. Both trucks pulled over and I could only wonder what happened next, but we all had a good laugh at the stupidity of these guys.

[wolfie]

Bad DIY trailer aside- were was he supposed to park? Most rest stops have car or truck. if you nose in a large suv and a duel axle trailer you would block the drive lane in the car lot.

It's fairly standard practice for truck stops to have their RV area as part of the car lot, not the truck lot.

Besides, he wasn't in a parking space - he was in the aisle between the driveway and the fuel islands (a.k.a. interfering with traffic in the busiest part of the truck area).

[EvilEmpryss]

Why not just go to U-haul (or one of their competitors) and rent a trailer DESIGNED to carry a car? If they had any serious distance to travel, the risk of the car falling off (possibly due to a trailer tire blowing, resulting in fishtailing) could cost them FAR more than renting the right trailer would.

Not saying that they weren't sucky in the design of that trailer, but when I tried to check on the cost of a car dolly to haul a car from one state to another, I couldn't even get the site to permit me to rent one, not for the Jeep I drive or the big ass Ridgeline that my sister drives. They may have thought they didn't have any other option.

[mhkohne]

Not saying that they weren't sucky in the design of that trailer, but when I tried to check on the cost of a car dolly to haul a car from one state to another, I couldn't even get the site to permit me to rent one, not for the Jeep I drive or the big ass Ridgeline that my sister drives. They may have thought they didn't have any other option.

Ahh. So not only were they pulling too much load on the trailer, they were probably overloadi g the hitch and/or their vehicle's ability to pull. Because I would expect nothing less from people who would lasha car to a boat trailer and then block pump access to rigs.

[BearLeeBadenaugh]

I used to be amazed at people trying to overload trucks and trailers, but I think I've gotten a bit inured to it by now. Seen it enough at my business that I actually have a prepared liability release for the customer to sign when they're telling me to overload their vehicle.

Like the regular who came in to pick up 3 pallets of brick pavers with an F150 and a single axle trailer. Each pallet is around 3500 lbs. Warned him, and he still insisted on a pallet in the truck and 2 on the trailer. Even pointed out the #'s, with the legit #'s he could barely manage a split a pallet between the truck and trailer. Still insisted he could do it, though.

Didn't even make it out of my shop yard. First bumpy section of gravel coming around the building and the tongue bent, putting the front of the trailer into the dirt. Wound up delivering his trailer and those 2 pallets of bricks on my buddy's rollback.

[BearLeeBadenaugh]

...I couldn't even get the site to permit me to rent one, not for the Jeep I drive or the big ass Ridgeline that my sister drives....

I've dealt with a few of the rental places, their "requirements" get interesting sometimes. Thinking of the 2 vehicles mentioned and the grey n orange truck rental place, the main criteria I can think of would be the weight of the vehicle being towed. Wetote states that the vehicle doing the towing must weigh at least 3500 lbs and must equal or exceed 80% of the combined weight of the trailer and vehicle being towed. Ridgeline curbs at about 4500 lbs, Jeep varies depending on model, wranglers about 3500, Grand Cherokee about 4200. Subtracting trailer weight of 2200 lbs gives a max payload of 3425 and 2175 for the Ridge and the Wrangler, respectively.

[EvilEmpryss]

Yeah, I figured there was some math in there to deal with liability, but it boggles me that I can rent their heaviest trailer for my Jeep that when fully loaded would weigh more than a car dolly (the kind that lifts just the front wheels up so minimal weight), even with the car on it. Meh.

I'm petty sure if I just drove out to the rental place they'd hand a trailer over without a fuss. It might just be the website that has a problem with it.

[bunrotha]

I used to be amazed at people trying to overload trucks and trailers, but I think I've gotten a bit inured to it by now. Seen it enough at my business that I actually have a prepared liability release for the customer to sign when they're telling me to overload their vehicle.

Like the regular who came in to pick up 3 pallets of brick pavers with an F150 and a single axle trailer.
.

BG:My dad's last job before he retired was ready-mixed concrete, and they allowed collections at some depots. Teenage me spent much time at the depot after school, to get a lift home.

Guy in an old Volvo 240 with trailer turned up, wanting a metre of concrete. Got told he can't carry that in that little single axle trailer. He proudly opened the boot to reveal two household bins in the boot of said Volvo, claiming to have done the maths, and was confident that the trailer plus bins was enough.

A cubic metre of concrete is about two, two and a half tonnes, IIRC. Guy would not be told.

He paid, they got started tipping, and the guy realised that after a quarter of a metre that the trailer was already badly overloaded, and the bins would be unliftable (and also completely f****d) even half full.

He gave up and got it delivered.

[wolfie]

Wetote states that the vehicle doing the towing must weigh at least 3500 lbs and must equal or exceed 80% of the combined weight of the trailer and vehicle being towed.

Once I get the receiver mounted on the Peterbilt of Natural Selection (no class 4 receivers made for it, so I'd have to get a welding place to modify a "universal" receiver to fit), I'd probably blow their minds. They wouldn't be able to use the excuses "It's not heavy enough to safely pull that trailer" (weighs 10 tons, and the maximum allowable weight for a class 4 trailer is 5 tons) or "That trailer exceeds the vehicle's towing capacity" (can tow 60,000 pounds on the 5th wheel).

[DGoddessChardonnay]

That's as bad as using a Chevy Blazer SUV to haul a mid size car attached to the back without a trailer using chains.

This is what happened to a coworker who was moving into a new condo she had just purchased (she was separating from her husband and her son and his g/f were helping with the move) and had her spare car chained to the back of their SUV to haul it a short drive from their old residence to the new condo (just a short couple of blocks down the road from the Litter Box.)

Chain snapped, car came loose, causing the SUV to lose control and flip . . . co-worker was driving and the SUV flipped onto the driver's side, pinning her son and his g/f on top of her, who was pinned against the door and the ground.

Both son and g/f were treated for minor injuries but my coworker was left paralyzed and is confined now to a wheelchair for the rest of her life. Now she's collecting disability and her son (last I heard) was still living w/her and helping to take care of her daily needs along w/nursing assistants.

I'm sure she wishes she could have done over again . . . she'd have found someone to either get her car started so she could have it driven to the new place or hauled it on a trailer.

[notalwaysright]

I'm sure she wishes she could have done over again . . .

I know someone who had that one moment. He dove into the shallow end of a pool. He's a quadriplegic now. Well, he can move one finger on on hand, a little bit. When people start getting loud about YOLO and "not wanting to regret what you didn't do" I think of that person. He was 16 when it happened. Just thinking about a decision for a few seconds can make all the difference, and doesn't automatically make me a party-pooper.

I used to go camping with my dad a lot, and we would be pulling a trailer with ATVs in it, or on the back of the truck. It was amazing how many big rigs, or other people pulling campers would FLY around us! You know what, my dad always got us there safely, and in a reasonable time. He was not big on bathroom breaks, though.