Towing disaster!!! The un-thinkable happened to me today!

haha, what a great story flatheadgary

 

I tow a lot with both a dolly and a trailer. I just completed a 3,000 haul with my GTO and towd 3 different cars.
Always have extra tires, an extra axle shaft, tire gauge, 12volt air compressor, extra lugs, lug wrench.
Use extra straps straps to tie down.

Stop every hour and check your hubs for heat, lugs to tightness, lights, straps etc.

be careful.
Steve
<DIR>Hosting- 7th annual Nostalgic Show and Go! and swap. Drags, cool car show, parade, special exhibitions, gassers, rails, stockers, customs and much more. coming Sunday April 5, 2009 to Speedworld. Phoenix, Az -This is Arizonas longest continuest running nostalgic event, our 7th year! www.nostalgicshowandgo.org
Also Hosting- Hosting 11th annual Pontiac Heaven, show, swap, drags, party and all around good time. Saturday April 4, 2009 at Speedworld near Phoenix, Az more info- www.pontiacheaven.org
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I was in a home and garden store standing next to this BIG window...30 seconds later we are out back to look at pond fish. Two of the guys at the true value next door start runnning and scream holy Shit! We take off running to see what they see. We had heard a noise but did not know what it was.

It was a 70s nova that broke away from a tow truck going through an intersection. He must have been flying because the nova verred left, shot over a curb, over a grass island, across a parking lot and through the big window we were standing behind 30 or so seconds earlier.

No one was hurt though.

Also, at my work we have workers that use lots of straps and if straps are not used correctly they can snap with next to no weight on them, the clasps can break if used wrong, they can very easily unhook if used wrong. We had a guy showing us all the ways to break these really heavy duty straps just by using them the wrong way. Also, if they are weathered/frayed at all they should be cut and tossed out.

 

Trailers, heavier than you need chains, and RACHETING chain binders people. And dont go cheap on the...anything! You are all very blessed people. I had a trailer at work break at the hitch, with the battery in the break-away locks dead and poor safety chains twisted to fit the truck. Oh yeah, at 70mph. That day I saw a trailer with a posi-trac skid steer pass me and flip into the ditch on my passenger side. After I scooped out my pants, had a short conversation with the local authorities, and cussed out the shop manager, I realized it was my fault for not checking all of the safety equipment Can never be too careful...

 

Make sure the W.L.L. (working load limit) is greater than what you have tied down. On a rollback D.O.T. requires a 4 point tie down not including the winch line. My rollback is rated for 10,000 lbs so i have 4 grade 70 3/8 chains (W.L.L. 6600lbs) and binders. i also have straps rated the same.

Here are some places to buy properly rated tie down chains and straps.

http://www.awdirect.com/
http://www.truckntow.com/

 

And store those straps indoors when not in use, don't even leave them out if it's sunny!

 

same thing happened to me, towing my buddies jeep, with my othe buds truck and my dad's tow dolly! Damn safety chains saved my life! Could've been a horrible outcome for everyone involved.

 

That's like hating ladders after falling off the top step of a broken one
there's no blaming the equipment for a user malfunction

 

YEEEAAAARRRRRRS ago I drove my friends 61 buick from Tucson to Phoenix to meet up with some hambers to head out to FTB Just outside of town it developed an overheating issue so we left the car and I hitched a ride with Jerry to the show when we got back I headed out of town only to blow a head gasket on the ten FWY. I stayed the night with Hamber MIKE and the next day he borrowed a trailer from another Hamber who shall remain nameless to protect the innocent he gave me and the car a ride all the way to Tucson (90+ miles) on the freeway. we were two blocks from my house when we heard an incredible thud only to look back and see NO CAR on the trailer.. somehow it rolled off and miracalously parked it self in the same spot that it was sitting on the trailer only now on the street. pushed it the other 2 blocks home..........

 

Then there's the time I had to be flat towed in my 48 GMC and the rope got caught around the brakeline and busted it and the rope and I sailed through a red light...and if you have a jeep don't tow a 63 t-bird with it. it'll get home fine but your clutch won't appreciate it.

 

2x i love triple A pays for its self on the first use!!!!

 

Was in a vehicle being towed one day & we'd stopped at a light, A pedestrian steps off the curb between the vehicles to cross the street. He's looking at me & hasn't noticed the tow strap. I try to point it out to him by waving & pointing downwards.....

He assumes I just waving at him so he waves back as he trips over the strap & faceplants to road surface....

I tried SO hard not to laugh....... & failed miserably.. LOL!

 

I kept my tow dolly at a guys house. He went to tow a pick up but the straps would not fit the wheels. So he decided to tow it without straps lost it and blamed the tow dolly. Not the brightest bulb.

 

River1,your maintenence manager is a frigging DUMBASS ,doing a thorouh pretrip is the most important part of a driving job,As Pir F Darryl stated the equipment was faulty but he made a bad decision to use it anyway,his bad,but lesson learned and some stained jeans.When you drive for a company you and your license are responcible for everything.And by the description of this maintenence manager if anything happened on the road he would throw your ass under the bus in a heartbeat.Its just good to know you still do a good pretrip.sorry about the rant but some shit just pisses me off and this guy is on top of the list!

 

I was pulling an empty car trailer once, on I-70 in West Virginia. It came off and went ACROSS the other 2 lanes of traffic!

Luckily, no one hit it, it hit no one. 2 nameless good samaritans helped me hitch it back up, went to the local U-Haul place, and got the RIGHT hitch ball!!

 

Ah ah, out of body near death experience!, know what you mean!

Glad luck was on your side mate, it could have been baaaaaaaad....

 

Oh, man...

~Jason

 

They were talking about that on art bell one night and the guest was recalling this hiking incident where he found himself sitting in a tree watching as the Bear chased his body around the tree just before he got mauled.

 

Crazy story! Safety chains is a must. Tow dollys are so handy to have and saves you time and money.

 

Yikes!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

my Dad and I flat towed a 65 cutlass 2 miles one time.The brakes went out and the ebrake was stuck.Wound up passing my Dad and running it dead on into a telephone poll.I was sitting on a milk crate and the door flew open and I was hanging out.I got back in in time for the impact.I had black and blue ribs for a month or more.No more chain towing for me.

 

It might have been said already, but don't leave the straps in the sun and weather, UV and rain will kill the straps over time.

 

thanks brad chevy but the maintenance manager is a pretty cool guy, he has actually jump in front of the bus for a number of guys. this is in a manufacturing plant not on the road and the weights we lift with the straps are actually pretty light, just in awkward positions and sometimes up to three stories high. there are procedures in place to keep us out of the way if somethings breaks. i just like to bust his balls about stuff and he hates leaving himself in that position.

later jim

 

through experience ive grown to really hate tie down straps for hauling cars. in the beginning i thought they were great but ive had some close calls with my car trailer. a buddy turned me onto these different style straps with chains attached as well as a sleeve that can slide over questionable metal objects or you can position it so the chain is over the metal.

also, whenever i tow i make damn sure everything is tight and secure and looks good. then i take off slowly watching to see if the load shifts or anything moves. then i stab the brakes a few times to make sure nothing is gonna move or shift. if i have to i will not hesitate to pull over and recheck. safety isnt "nit picking" its necessity

or you can just go old school and drag out the big chains and binders but you gota be careful of brake lines, etc

something like these...

 

get a truck you redneck!!!

just kidding, cool to see some goats towing stuff!!