History Stories relating to towing incidents (What was i thinking)

Thanks NashrodMan.I have been told I should write a book.LOL.Bruce.

 

DAMN,Rocky, that a scary and sad post.Bruce.

 

All these stories remind me of some of my towing adventures. Didn't know I had so many until I started thinking about it. I'll spread them out. A lot of them will involve Minis (not the new ones).

First one: 1967 My first Mini was a 1962. It stalled on me one day, so later that evening my dad, my sister, my best friend (Kenny, who was involved with most of my adventures) and I took dad's 63 Valiant and a chain to tow the Mini home (about 15 miles). We hooked up and hadn't gone very far and it seemed like I was catching up with dad. I thought the chain had come un done and started to pass my dad. We were on a level road and my sister told dad "he's passing us!". Dad pulled over and we checked the chain, it was still connected. Kenny was riding with me and I told him to work the hand brake and I would concentrate on steering. Going on to expressway ramp which was almost a full circle was a little scary and Kenny was white as a ghost. We made it home okay and it turned out to be broken small wire from distributor to coil.

Second one: A few months later. Engine out of same Mini. I had done my first brake job and I was towing it to the military hobby shop. I was using the same Valiant and Kenny was in the mini. Went a few miles when I noticed smoke coming from the mini. I pulled over and saw that the smoke was coming from the wheels. Stupid me felt the wheels, yes, they were hot. I say they, because I didn't touch another one. First brake job, did I adjust them too tight or was Kenny riding the brakes? Anyway we made it to the hobby shop. Actually never had the mini running again. Sold it and bought engagement ring for girlfriend (now wife of 47 years).

Kenny was the best for driving the cars I flat towed. He always paid attention to my hand signals. We were a good team, except the time (mid 70s) I was towing a different mini. I was driving his chevelle and he was in the mini. If I remember right, he was having to use the hand brake and ran into the back of his own car. No damage, we had enough sense to put an unmounted tire between the 2 cars.

Thanks for the opportunity to tell these stories. Brings back other memories of Kenny. Unfortunately, he passed away last May. I hadn't seen him in 10 years but I did make it to his funeral. In 1971, I named my first son after Kenny. He named his son Kenny also. Lol.

 

I know, I know! SPHINCTER!!

 

I worked for a big commercial roofing co. back in the 80s.{good $$$$ back then ask my ex wife. lol.}I towed everything huge compressors, 6 wheeled hot tar kettles and a lot more. A lot of them had broken loose from the big truck I would drive over the 10 year period I worked for them, but the 1 that scared me the most is when the 68 foot long conveyer i was towing{ we used to use that to get stone up on the roofs after the hot tar was down}Broke lose and passed me. When I saw it coming by me I almost pooped a purple turd! I pulled on to the shoulder and luckly it passed me and went straight in to the woods. The guy that had hooked it up in the yard had closed the tow clamp that held it to the truck but forgot to put a pin in the latch to lock it. I must of hit a bump and the latch popped open and popped both safety chains. Now I was longer then a tractor trailer when towing this thing and the turning radius was huge. I had sliced open a tractor trailer once. Took down a stop lightand a telephone pole,Taken a chunk out of the side of a building while turning a corner. I don't know how many times I got kicked off the N.J. turnpike with one along with a state police escort along with a ticket. I still have nightmares about that place. Thats why I wont tow anything any more. Well maybe if it on a trailer. LOL. Bruce.

 

1gearhead, aint that the truth. That may why I had hermoride surgery about 10 years ago. LOL. Bruce.

 

Not exacally a towing story but close enough. I had a good friend who spent his life in the Air Force ,he was a great guy but sometimes I forgot to 'plain things to him. Going to take a car to the crusher, ,pushed and shoved and got it loaded. I was pulling the wheels off and he ask if he should tie it down . What could I lose? I didn't pay any attention so he wrapped a chain around the car frame and around the trailer frame and axles. When we got to the crusher they were not busy and ran us right in front of the big crane with the Magnet on it . I thought my buddy had taken the chain off so the crane guy dropped the magnet on top and picked up the junker. Luckily he stopped about the time the rear axle on my pickup came off the ground, Yep car , trailer and pickup was not problem for that bad boy. Everybody thought it was funny but me . I never thought a trailer ball was that strong.

 

I have done some really dumb stuff flat towing cars ---I reckon it was about 1966 I was doing some motorcycle work for a feller in Lake Helen-little town about 30 miles from where I lived-He had sold the property where his garage was and had some old cars in the lot out back.There was a pretty decent Hudson Hornet that was more or less running,another Hornet that was junk,a 55 stude sedan,some 40s chevs and a 1939 Austin 2dr sedan with no engine or trans.I asked him what he wanted for the Hornet and the Austin and he told me I could have any of "that old shit" that I wanted but I had to have it gone the next day.Remember in 1966 these cars had no value,he was likely figuring on having to pay to get them hauled off.I showed up bright and early the next morning with my buddy who wanted the Hudson for help.What we did was this,we took the trunklid off the Hudson and put it in the pickup,chained the Hudson to the back of the pickup with an old tire in between the hudson and the truck bumper-brakes didnt work on the Hudson.Then we rolled the Austin up to the back of the Hudson,picked the front end up and set the tires in the trunk.Tied the Austin into the trunk with ropes around the axle and through the trunk hinges.We proceeded to drive home staying on the back roads as much as we could.We eventually had to get out on US 92 for a few miles,of course the highway patrol had to be there and pulled us over.I explained what we were trying to do and the trooper finally wrote me for not having brake lights on the towed car,made us tie red shop rags on the back of the Austin as warning flags and told me "he by God ought to arrest our asses for allowing cars to misceganate".Its a lot funnier now than it was then!

 

A number of years ago I went with my 2 sisters in their OT compact car North from Los Angeles to Mammoth Lakes. About 35 smiles short of Mammoth the car craps out. The tow comes along and hooks up the car. Now, how will the 3 of us fit in the cab of the tow? I volunteer to say in the car during the tow and the tow driver says OK. It was really surreal, no engine or road noise, very quite. A few times cars would pass by and look to see me in the back seat and do a double take, sort of a 'What did we just see in that towed car??!!" Very funny. I'm sure we broke several laws but we made to Mammoth and the car had its engine issue fixed.

 

So it was my first time really towing. I had bought a corvair powered dune buggy. It was a real POS but i was 17 and had a dune buggy so im going to the dunes. This is where i learned about how to distribute the weight on the trailer. Because i had this thing too far back on the trailer it was picking up on the truck. So i get on the freeway and get up to about 55-65 and this thing starts swaying in the middle. Im dumb and hit the brakes. That truck and trailer did a huge 180 in the freeway sliding alll the way around. So im sitting there looking at everyone that stopped so they didnt get hit by me. Realized i was at an off ramp so i made another 180 and got off the freeway. I dont think i made it to the desert that weekend but im alive.

 

My dad asked me to help him bring his engine-less 49 Stude home with his 60 ford pickup as a tow vehicle. By the time we got up to Parkdale, the ol man was in the bag, big time. The stude had brakes so we fastened a tow chain between the stude and the pickup and he piled into the stude with his dog, Prunella and a 6 pack. I was the tow operator. The road was steep and narrow..a 15 mile downhill run to the interstate . I felt the pickup jerk around and looked in the mirror to see my dad trying to hit his dog with his hat! Every time he'd do it the stude would head for the ditch and he'd whip it back...seems the dog wanted to stick her head out the window and would step all over my dad's junk...he'd try to beat her back to the passenger side of the car. It would have been funny were it not for the fact we're dodging all over the road. Somehow we made it alive with no tickets or jail. I eventually ended up with the stude.

 

we had a buddy that was in the air force and was moving all the time so, They were moving their stuff and he was towing his 67 shelby fastback behind his car with a tow bar , going down the interstate and a guy pulls up to him says hey you lost your car back there.
they whip a u tern head back to find the car. they find it and there's a crowd gathered around it.
It had crossed two lanes of traffic across the median across two lanes oncoming traffic went in ditch back across oncoming across median across incoming traffic and coasted to a stop on the shoulder!!

 

In the Fall of 1963 I was in my second year of High School in the Bronx, New York City. I had a 39 Ford 4 door Deluxe Sedan that needed a motor. SOOOOO.... I bought a partially stripped 56 Chevy 210 2dr.with a 265/Auto. just for the motor. No brakes, no windshield, no battery/lights . It was about 6 city blocks from where I lived...not THAT far.... lotsa hills though. My brother in law was a city cop so towing on the street w/no lights etc. ....no problem. We go over to get the Chevy with my brother in laws 57 Plymouth Fury 2dr. Hard top (sweet car BTW) and the oldest tow rope in the world. It was at least 150ft. long so we were.... GOOD..... I jump in the Chevy with my buddy Tony after we tied the Chevy to the Plymouth and off we go. Remember the hills ? We get to the first one and my brother in law shoots up the hill ...we... shoot back down...the rope broke.....remember no brakes ? Well we were both tugging on the E brake for all we were worth, we weighed about 115 pounds each.. Got it stopped and then doubled up on the now shorter worlds oldest rope. We made it about 2 blocks till we got to a stop sign. While we were stopped 2 girls passed between the 2 cars. Being the slick guys we were we struck up a conversation. We were ignored of course.....but ..what we didn't realize was that the girls never stepped over the rope. It had broken just as we stopped. My brother in law pulled away and we let the E brake off ...and remember the hills?.... back down the hill we went, with both of us yanking on the E brake ...again! After a while my brother in law finally came back and we hooked up the worlds shortest oldest rope again. We made it up the hill and onto a pretty level/ slightly down hill stretch. We got about 2 more blocks and the rope broke again. I think my brother in law wanted to arrest us but decided to just leave us there. We kinda alternated between pushing, coasting and tugging on the E brake for all we were worth the rest of the way home. I put the 265 in my 39 Sedan....THAT is a story for another day. Fifty some odd years later my brother in law STILL refuses to talk about that night so long ago.

 

My bud Mike Donahue had a red '34 Five window Coupe, "the Red Devil": 274" flattie, '37 Lincoln box, 4.44 rear. The real shit, in those days... He was goofin' around one day North of Santa Clara, (our home stomp) up by Palo Alto, and snapped a rear axle, passenger side. Checked it with hub caps off, axle, not just the key.
He called me from a pay phone, I was home, our pal Larry Perreira was over, we grabbed the 25 foot chain and left to tow Mike and the "Red Devil" back home.
Larry's '50 Olds tudor was black, and nice. Mike hooked the Coupe behind, Larry and I got in the Olds, and Larry told Mike, "You stop me, keep the chain taut." Mike said, "Yeah, yeah..."
We had to get on 101 (1957, before it was a freeway...) 45 MPH, and were passing Moffett Field in Sunnyvale, when we felt a "Whump!" and Larry hit the brakes...Mike's right rear wheel/tire came bouncing past us on the right, past a pole, then Mike was alongside, 15 feet away, going backwards! He had a cigarette hanging from his mouth, and appeared to be turning the steering wheel, then the chain caught the pole, then 'SMACK!' The right side of the Red Devil smashed into the right side of Larry's Olds, also blew out the right front tire. All in 3, maybe 4 seconds!

When the dust cleared, and I shagged the right rear wheel of the Coupe, there was about 4" of sheared axle sticking out from it...Larry backed the Olds enough to assess the damage, and to refit the wheel onto the Coupe...There was a long smear where the running board and fender of the '34 had nerfed the Olds at the end of the chain...
We used Larry's Olds jack to lift the bumper of the Coupe, and plugged the wheel back onto the axle housing, the bearing was fine, long as it didn't spit the wheel back out.

Larry jacked the front of the Olds now, with the double-action GM bumper jack...(Bodymen used these jacks as 'comealongs', 'powerpaks', etc. as they provided movement on both actions...)
Larry jacked it up, we changed the wheel to the spare, and as he began jacking it back down, he said: "Watch this..." and pushed the handle down, then let go.
The jack automatically did the 'down' action, from 'escapement'...'Tick-a, tick-a,' 'til the handle did its OWN 'escapement'. Up in the air the tire iron went, about 10 feet, end-over-end. We watched as though hypnotized... Then it stopped, but continuing its end-over-end Now-dive, "Chunk!" Sharp end right thru the passenger side windshield!
Mike and I howled, Larry was hot... I swear you could see smoke come out of his ears.
We shortened up the chain, and with aptly described tight sphincters towed Mike the remaining 6 miles to my Grandma's house, (uneventfully, thank the Lord!) where I could replace the axle...and Larry's windshield...
Looking back, that was only ONE mishap running with those guys. Lucky I'm still here...

 

Not my story, but I'll tell it. Doug Rice and his wife were heading home after racing on the dry lakes. This was in the early '50's and Doug had run his '39 Coupe on nitro. The '39 Coupe was also the tow car and they were pulling his wife's Model A roadster that she raced. Somewhere along the road the crankshaft fell out of Doug's '39 (from the nitro), it just kinda blew right out of the bottom of the motor. Well, she steered the Coupe while Doug used her race car to push them all the was back home. They said they got the strangest looks when pulling for gas.

 

In the late 60' a friend of mine went snow skiing at Stevens Pass near Seattle. On the way back he slid off the road and needed a tow truck. Finally one showed up and pulled him out of the snow drift. The car he was driving was a 1959 Ferrari 250gt coupe. The left front Boranni wire wheel was bent so they decided to tow the Ferrari down off the mountain.

When my friend went back to pick up his Ferrari he realized the tow truck drive towed the car some 4o miles while the transmission was in gear. The gears in the transmission were blue from the heat generated and the motor was fried internally. The car was totaled by the tow companies insurance carrier.

My friend bought the salvage and found a used motor and transmission and got the car back on the road. He still has the car and drives it on occasion

Just sayin'

brasscarguy.

 

Fifty plus years ago John had a 50' Pontiac [fast back?], straight 8 and hydro; a good solid field car which he/we drove around the field behind his father's gas station..I acquired a 48 Austin A40 for its engine but we thought we'd get it running and have some fun before his father threw me out..Now he is towing me around trying to jump start the Austin...We would make a loop around the field and across the gas station pavement...Being a smart ass I locked the brakes up on the Austin out in the field and it didn't bother the Pontiac much so once we got to the pavement I locked them up again; that dragged the Pontiac down but John floored it and proceeded to burn rubber while dragging the Austin with the brakes locked..We both thought this was hilarious until the chain broke just about in the middle...The end of the chain attached to the A40 came back along the passenger side of the hood and the end just reaching the Passenger windshield busting it all up...Better was the Pontiac end of the chain that went forward laying on the trunk lid and the end just reaching the rear window; yep a zillion pieces all over the place..Wasn't funny when we were sweeping the pavement..I still have those two pieces of chain..

 

Couple more. I was helping a buddy load a car onto a trailer hooked up to his Blazer. The car hung up (high centered) just before the rear tires reached the ramp so I back it off and tell him to jack up the front of the trailer, you know, tilt it a bit to get that little extra clearance. So I'm sitting in the car talking to his wife while he's up there cranking on the trailer jack. He finally motions me back on the trailer so I get a little run at it figuring it will still drag some. To my surprise as soon as I hit the ramp the trailer tongue shoots up in the air and the trailer takes off forward, caving in the tailgate of the Blazer and blowing out the rear window. I didn't realize he had unhiched the trailer to make it easier to jack!
My brother had bought a 56 ford 2dr sedan. Clean old car but not running. He was trying to get it started, decided to try and pull start it. Hooked a chain to his new (2 weeks) van, put his wife in it and they take off. Soon found out the tranny was stuck in neutral. Started gaining on the van so hit the brakes, pedal goes to the floor. Pulls the e-brake, not hooked up. Wife see's him gaining on her so speeds up. He sat there knowing sooner then later she's going to stop, he's not. Did a LOT of damage to both the van and the 56. He was so disgusted he sold the 56. I was there when these guys came by to buy it. They hook it up with this pos towbar to the back of a jacked up 4X4. Ball was so high the towbar hitch didn't really set on it right. Sure enough, it pops off as they pull out of the driveway but this flimsy safety chain catches it. They hook it back on and head down the road. I head home a couple hours later and here is the 56 a ways away, sitting on it's roof in a vacant lot. Poor 56.

 

When I was stationed at Clark AB in the Philippenes back in 1985-88, we had a nice Miller welder on a trailer that used a pintle hook instead of the standard hitch ball. I had to go out on a call over the weekend with it; everything was hooked up properly (safety chains, hitch pin, trailer lights - we had a check list) when I went to the job site. However, theft was a huge problem over there; while I was doing the weld job (out of sight of the welder), someone had unhooked the welding machine and were probably hoping to take off with it. I didn't discover this until I got halfway back to the shop when I noticed that the welder was no longer behind the truck...it had come off the pintle hook and coasted to the side of the road not too far from where I noticed it missing. Hooked it back up and was very thankful nobody got hurt or found out!

 

Back when I was young and Street racing, carried a 20' HD chain in trunk, got used several times, broken trans, rear gears, axels, etc, no big issues getting home, just keep chain tight, got pretty good at it. Towing race cars around 20+ years all over Midwest, several stories, my trailer maintenance was poor/non-existent, if anybody tells you the trailer passes you up when it disconnects, breaks chains, IT'S TRUE, saw it myself up close, real close, trailer went off road/ rode shoulder, slowed and stopped, hooked it back up and got to race track. Sprint car trailer had hydraulic brakes, nobody told me you should bleed the brakes, cruising along, noticed tow vehicle slowing, look in mirror, brakes, Smokin ! pull over, so hot the wheel cylinder rubbers poped off, fluid hit drums, started a fire, blew a tire out, pretty exciting for a moment. Blew a trailer tire, middle of night, middle of Nebraska, next exit a truck stop, worker called owner who was a race fan, came down and got me going again quickly. Another time w/ Midget trailer pulled in at sign in shack and feel trailer thump, get out, look, wheel bearing/hub froze and ate the alum wheel center out, buddy pulls up and said he was watching it for several miles and was afraid to pass me to tell me, couldn't believe I didn't feel it. Towing my enclosed trailer w/ Roadster inside, blew a tire and took a fender off and tore up the alum sheeting. Never had a trailer spare until I started buyer enclosed trailers. Towed snowmobiles many miles, hit black ice w/ 4 machine trailer w/ my 4x4 suburban spun us around 360 deg + in an instant, in ditch, junked trailer, blew sleds off trailer, some damaged, another time same deal 2 place trailer, Buddy was driving my Suburban, had cruise on, hit ice, I was sleeping, quite the wakeup call, same results, junked trailer, damaged sleds. Have stated this before for many reasons, I'M A VERY LUCKY MAN ! And being pretty careful now, concerned I might have used my quota of Good Luck. One more poped in while proof reading, 07 traded my Roadster for an unfinished 32 3 widow, him, SC me Wi. Met at Louisville late January, note to self, do not trade cars in winter. Used my Ford Expidition, Borrowed a 28' enclosed, had loaned my 18' out, we get there uneventful, make deal, load up head back, weather turns, we slow, and bang, ICE every where, a friend and retired UPS truck driver was driving, I thought for sure we were going off road and Jim (driver) kept saying, I got, I got it and he did save it, we were so out of shape, tail wagging the dog big time. We slowed, rode shoulder, found a motel and came home next day. In conversation, I asked him, how did you save it, did you lock up trailer brakes ? He said No, All that does is put you in ditch for sure, I was always told when in trouble, lock trailer up, good thing he was driving !

 

Mine's a short story, in the early 60's I was 16 and tried to tow a buddy's Model A sedan with a couple of garden hoses, didn't work worth a shit!!

 

I had a couple of friends back in 1980 or so, that decided to build a home made wrecker out of a '59 International, to haul cars in for scrap. Their first one was a full size mid '60's Buick. They had pulled it a few miles when they noticed oncoming cars were pulling over and staring as they went past. They got out and found one of the rear wheel

 

One of the rear wheels had fallen off and the ol Buick had drug far enough that a nice fire had started. Put it out? Oh no! Jumped back in the truck and went 4 more miles to the junkyard.

 

Most, if not all of these stories just go to prove I'm not the only one out there with more lives than a cat.

 

1965...Central Oregon:;My buddy, Rick bought a $25, 38 chevy sedan from some farmer. It was stashed in the tree line next to a hay field and looked complete. Rick asked me to tow it to his parent's house about 10 miles away with my trusty 56 Olds convertible.
We got up early one summer day and hooked it up with a chain...the 38 seemed to have a good brake pedal so rick was going to stop me. I pulled him around in a big circle and out onto the hiway...hell, we're doing great! I looked in the mirror to see Rick frantically waving his arms through the windshield and about then the 38's left front wheel/tire passes me.
Turns out the farmer that sold him the car needed the outer wheel bearing and never told Rick. We went to town and got a new bearing and lived happily ever after.
The end

 

s55mercury, ME TOO.LOL.Bruce.

 

I worked for a towing company for a while... tons of stories, off and on from 1978 to 1981. I was with the owner one day to go get a car to take to a transmission shop. He liked to sip a beer or so during the work day, in fact it was quite okay to drink on the job. I never took it past a couple of beers.

This day, we picked up an Olds wagon, hooked it from the rear, secured the steering wheel and off we went down the LI Expressway in rush hour traffic that was moving for once. Suddenly we feel a big BUMP and the car is moving around on the hook. The first thought was that someone hit the Olds wagon.

We pull over and look. One of the front wheel bearings seemed to have failed and the brake shoes are on the road surface, only to be hit by other cars and tossed up into the air and hit again, like a game of ping pong. So we grabbed the car from the other end and headed for the shop. The next day we had to replace the spindle, drum and all brake parts before we could take it to the transmission shop. It could have been a whole lot worse.

 

Yeah, I hear ya. I ran a tow company for ten years, I could write a book on tows gone bad, probably anyone in the business could! No wonder I don't have any hair left and tow company's insurance premiums are so high!

 

I had to tow a farm tractor on a car hauler down a mountain road after a day that had exhausted me. I was extremely tired but it had to be done. I used my 1939 Ford 1/2 ton that I drove every day for 17 years. It had a 1 7/8" ball and the trailer was 2". No problem, right? All that weight on the tongue and how much difference could the ball size/trailer size matter anyway? Thats right, kind of. The trip went well but when I rolled the tractor off the back of the trailer, the front of the trailer came right off of the tow ball.