bmoeller

Don't think the guy had a WD hitch.

Fueling around

Or used a weight distribution hitch to overcompensate for a bad situation.

01350banshee

I see it all the time up here in WA state. 1/2 tons with the steer axles jetting towards the sky. Even saw a home made 5th wheel last summer. The guy took an old Lance camper and fabricated what looked to be a goose neck hitch assembly under what used to be the cab overhang then attached it to some sort of steel assembly under the bottom of the camper and slapped a pair of old pickup axles and leaf springs under it. All the signs of backwoods fabricating at it's best, definately can't see how it could be street legal. Every summer I look for something to top the previous years shock and awe. I've also found many of those people try to beat the law by traveling at night to avoid excessive attention. Heck, so far in the past 2yrs I've seen twice folks trying to pull old mobil homes with pickups. We can all guess what the out come came too.

SafeHarbor

I used to pull a '75 28-foot Airstream with a '93 Dakota LWB 318 4.10 auto tow-package. I ordered that truck to pull that trailer, and it did okay.

March 2005, I went to Grand Rapids, MI, and picked up a 31-foot Airstream, and it was marginally too much for the Dakota, even though running the trailer EMPTY was well within its tow ratings. Most unpleasant was climbing the hills in 3rd at 3,300 RPM.

This was towing a 5500 lb. trailer with a 4300 lb. truck.

Being passed by big trucks was UNPLEASANT, even though I had a properly set up Reese dual-cam W.D. hitch and 850 lb. lift bars.

The tail would wag the dog.

I found out that I had to watch for overtaking vehicles. It was scary, but the best way to compensate for a big truck passing was to go all way to the right of the lane and then move slightly TOWARD the oncoming truck. If done exactly right, the truck's bow wave would hit the back of the trailer and swing it right just as I was correcting, thus canceling the action and leaving me going straight.

Getting the trailer down the road with the Dakota was WORK. I soon learned to avoid interstates.

Last October, I went to an Airstream get-together at Ft. Desoto park in Pinellas Co., Florida. This involved dragging Betsy down US 1, across FL on the 303, and a jaunt on I-75. I had the headlight switch short out, and ended up spending the night at a Flying J (listening to shower announcements). The next day I got to the campground, and one of the other fellows there asked me very causually, "Do you pull this in overdrive?"

He then told me his own bad tale of having a transmission failure in a Dakota equipped very much like mine pulling a much smaller Airstream.

A week later, I traded it for the '03 CTD.

Getting back to the topic, I've seen some travel trailers sitting on their sides on I-95. It's not always been obvious that the tow vehicle was inadequate or that the drivers did not know what they were doing. What has been obvious to me is that these accidents tend to happen to travel trailers that are not aerodynamic.

I've read all I can find about these types of accident, and the description is the same over and over again. The trailer was passed by a truck, the driver of the tow vehicle lost control, and the trailer/truck jack knifed.

You hear about this happening with Airstreams, too, but not as often.

When the tail is wagging the dog, it takes extreme vigilance to handle a long, heavy trailer. I expect that the cause of this accident was a BAD case of the tail wagging the dog.

My conclusion is that when you get into this class of trailer, you need a long, heavy tow vehicle to be safe. 3/4-ton Suburbans and Chevy trucks seem to be the choice of many Airstreamers. I choose the CTD because it's heavy, long, looks good, pulls like crazy, and has huge brakes.

I suspect the Titan was no more of a match for that trailer than my Dakota was for mine. Because a thing CAN be done, does not mean it SHOULD be done. (Towing Betsy with the Dakota was not recreational - it was WORK.)

Mopardan

A couple of years ago we were headed to Texas to visit relatives. Up ahead of us on I 30, traffic was backing up behind a TT. They would 1 at a time floor it and go by. TT was swaying badly. We caught up and it became our turn, so I punched it and went on by only to see about a 25' TT being towed by a Explorer . The front tires were barely touching the ground. That my friends is .

Bonshawman

I have read all the posts about this topic. There is enough responsibility to spread around:

1) Manufacturers of trucks that don't provide clear, understandable information about axle ratings, tire ratings, GVW, maximum towing capacities - many of which conflict with each other.
2) Manufacturers of trailers - similar complaint
3) Sales people of both
4) State DMV's who allow people to drive huge RV's or haul trailers without any additional required training and testing. State DOT's that interpret the Federal statutes differently, and States that have differing laws regarding all of this stuff.
5) Individuals who don't do their homework and gather available information about what they want to do, and what they need to do it - by using sites such as this one, and all sorts of other available sources. Owners who won't admit that they don't have the training or experience to operate what their wallet can buy for them ! Hell, just because you can BUY a plane doesn't mean you can FLY it !

We are on here asking questions (and there are no stupid ones - we all learn from each other - we are smart in at least ASKING !), gaining knowledge, posting feedback for how things "worked out" so that we all can share the knowledge base. If we can do it, so can and interested citizen who wants to know how they "should" go about things.

Unfortunately, we share the road with a lot of weekend warriors who don't have the reflexes, the training, the experience to handle what confronts them. Add to THAT the 18whlrs out there, flying down the road, too often too fast and with sub-standard equipment (and I KNOW they have to make a living, but at what cost ?), and then much more traffic in general, and see what happens !

The ultimate responsibility lies with the operator - it is their responsibility to make sure their equipment is up to the task, and that their ability to operate it in often adverse conditions (such as weather, blow out, cross winds, brake failure, etc) is also up to the task ! The States don't do it, the salespersons and manufacturers who are looking for the $$$ don't do it - so who does that leave ?

SSminnow

Plain and simple, it starts with the driver. If the "driver" is smart, he knows what truck will handle what trailer, and what truck won't handle the trailer. If he knows which is which, then it becomes driver error going down the road. If he thinks his 1/2 ton truck will handle a 30'TT, then more then likely he has no clue how to drive, or worse yet, he THINKS he know's how to drive If he knows that a 1/2 ton truck will not handle that 30'TT, and needs more truck, odds are he knows what he is doing. Not ALWAYS the case, but mroe often then not.


Buy the right tool for the job (right truck for the trailer)
Learn how to operate the right tool (learn how to drive your rig)


After hauling cars cross country (44 states and counting) i have seen it ALL. Ford Taures's hauling 25+'TT, 1/2 ton trucks hauling goosneck triple axles 40+' enclosed trailers, you name it, I have seen it.

I am making a run this weekend to deliver some cars, look forward to what I will see....

rammtuff

I betcha we could get alot of these rv nightmares off the road if these trucks/trailers had to go through the scales, run logbooks, and be accountable. Blaming the salesman is stupid. Blaming the tow vehicle manufacturer is stupid. These drivers must take control of their own situations and act in a responsible manor.

SSminnow

Exactly what I was saying. ESPCIALLY about the saleperson. He is out to make a $$$$$$$, plain and siple, and if he can make $$$$$ selling a bigger TT, regardless of what is pulling it, the BUYER/DRIVER should know which is which, and if he doesn't, once again, he does not need to be behind the wheel.

Is the salesperson evil for trying to sell the bigger unit?? Yep, but still not at fault, because the BUYER/DRIVER should have know better.


You think I went out and bought a 51' stepdeck 3/4 car hauler before I knew what I was capable of, as a DRIVER?????? Or reading up/learning what my rig was capable of???? I had hauled single car trailer's. My Uncle has been driving for Yellow Freight for 25+ years and I have rode in his rig MANY times (even before that he worked for the now defunct Burnham, that truck had a sleeper, and as a kid that was the coolest thing ever ) and he would teach me all kinds of things about what his truck can do, looking out for the OTHER guy, etc.... Then I moved up to a 2 car bumper pull, then the 2/3 car gooseneck, and now a 44' enclosed hauler.

Now, I have also hauled with a 51' 3/4 car hauler (the one mentioned above) and the trailer weighs about 8K LBS. Loaded up (my biggest load ever) with a Lexus LS430 @ 4500-5K, a 3/4 ton gasser extra cab 4x4, @ 5500-6k and a Mercedes S500 @ 4500-5K. Take teh max and you are looking at 16K for the cars 8K trailer and my CC LB DRW 7.3 PSD was @8K, you are looking at @ 32K lbs for a 1 ton truck. Was that too much....that is another debate for another thread....but I think that I was at my limit with that truck, and maybe a tad much. Power was fine (modded 7.3, 320HP/639TQ @ tires) brakes were fine (triple axles all had brakes) suspension on the weak side, even with bags in the back, felt the truck at 65-70MPH was a little soft. I hauled that load from Houston to New Jersey. Am I a bad guy for what some may consider being over loaded? Once again, for another thread. Why I am bringing this up? I don't know, maybe to start another debate??? I do know that I have not been that heavy since, close (28-29K is where I usually end up) and some may think I am to heavy at that weight? I do know that the truck handles 28-29K like it does 20K, but I could tell a difference when I was at 32K. But as a safe driver, I can tell. Can other's? I don't think so if you are pulling a TT with a car, or triple axle goosneck's with 1/2 ton trucks. My .02. Enjoy.

treedweller

Uh, I didn't post that, but . . . rv.net?

offroadjosh1

holy ****!