Towing Stupidity

[scotta]

I mean - Where to start!

towstupid.jpeg (96.32 KiB) Viewed 925 times

[ZedLeg]

Lotus towing, they're just adding lightness.

[Sundayjumper]

I'm actually impressed that they got a low-slung car onto a high trailer ! *

But yeah, every other aspect is bloody stupid.

* based on the other stupids, I wouldn't be surprised if they used a forklift.

[speedingfine]

[mik]

Jeez.

Post it on Twitter - look at the hammering this got yesterday…

[Sundayjumper]

It says Trinity Engineering on the trailer. They appear to know what they're doing generally.


http://www.trinityaston.co.uk/

[mik]

It says Trinity Engineering on the trailer. They appear to know what they're doing generally.


http://www.trinityaston.co.uk/

Someone highlighted that the last 3 plate characters are the same on tow car and classic - so possibly owned by same person.

To be fair, I think lashing onto the spinners is probably absolutely fine - they are obviously strong. I’d be more concerned that if one of those straps fails or loosens - the car will be off that trailer pretty quickly. (Normally each wheel is held both fore and aft by the straps - not in one direction only)

[Mito Man]

Not quite the same but last time I took the quad bike to be serviced with a trailer it was a faff as the industrial estate was so packed so on the return trip later that day I asked my dad to help collect it whilst I kept moving the car and trailer so as to not block anyone in.
He loaded the quad bike up surprisingly quickly but I didn’t question it. Get home and see he hasn’t strapped it in at all (it’s a high sided trailer so I can’t see in from the car). Have a moan at him and just gets mad at me and says “well it didn’t move did it”

I should know by now as he did the same with the micro digger last year - 700 kg slammed into the front of the trailer as I had to brake quite hard for something…

[mik]

I hired a flat bed trailer yeeeears ago when I was still at Uni - to pick up a knackered SuperStrada for parts.

Twin axle - solid thing - with two pressed steel U-section ramps - about 2.5m long - that slid off the back and clipped into place. Ramps were pretty chunky - I'd guess 20-25kg each.

When slid into their "towing" locations, the ramps were held in place by sliding the front into a short "channel" on the trailer, with a quick-release pin (like a competition bonnet pin) that went through holes in the rear of the ramp, and also through a suitably placed hole in the trailer. Or at least one of the ramps did - the other quick-release pin had clearly been lost and was replaced with a nut & bolt.

The latter was only finger tight when I removed it, so I only put it on finger-tight when I put it back on. No probs collecting the car and bringing it home, but when I was taking the trailer back to the rental place..... doing about 60mph on the M8 in morning traffic..... it came free

The nut clearly worked its way off the bolt, the bolt dropped out, and the ramp started to slide backwards.

Of course I was blissfully unaware of this, until the ramp slid far enough back that the nose dropped out of the channel that held it up. It dropped down onto the road surface - which created some considerable sparks. OK - I am now aware something is wrong, but don't know what. At this point the nose of the ramp "caught" the road surface and flipped underneath the trailer, ripping out the trailer brake cables at that side as it kicked the trailer up into the air, and disappeared out of my field vision, spinning.

It took me about 100m to get onto the hard-shoulder and stop.

I ran back along the hard shoulder and couldn't initially see it. I didn't know WTF I was going to find as I left my car - it's not often you fire big, heavy chunks of metal at other road users. Then I spotted it - bent like a banana - resting on the central reservation. How it had managed to cross 3 lanes and come to a stop without hitting anything, or someone running over it, I have absolutely no idea. Unbelievably lucky. It wasn't rush-hour, but there was still a fair amount of traffic. It could have caused absolute carnage.....

As I was wondering how TF I would recover it, a traffic cop turned up He didn't know what was going on - he'd just spotted some div standing on the hard shoulder. When I highlighted the ramp and its location - he told me to stay where I was - and he picked an appropriate time to run across all three lanes to get it, and then return with it. The only warning to Joe Public that this was going on was his flashing lights on the hard shoulder. But he was clearly concerned enough that the ramp might come back into the road that he was prepared to take the risk. Totally nuts really. We put it onto the back seat of his car - leaving the nearside rear door open so the end of the ramp could hang out - and he drove it up to my car.

I explained it was a hired trailer - he just shook his head - and sent me on my way. No details taken. No warning.

The hire place weren't particularly impressed when I took the trailer back, but went quiet when I highlighted that their makeshift nut & bolt setup had failed, and I'd just parted company with a traffic cop.

I went on my way. Still get the heebies whenever I recount this.

[duncs500]

@mik Scary stuff! Could have been so much worse.

I've never towed a trailer in my life. Does this make me a NCG?

[Jobbo]

Towing with a Micra. What are they rated to?

I posted the Aston photo Mik shared above in the randomness thread then noticed this thread. Still, Aston guy didn't actually use the spokes of the wheels to tie his straps to. Nor put the ends in the door.

[scotta]

Towing with a Micra. What are they rated to?

I posted the Aston photo Mik shared above in the randomness thread then noticed this thread. Still, Aston guy didn't actually use the spokes of the wheels to tie his straps to. Nor put the ends in the door.

600-800kg dependant on model.

[Sundayjumper]

I've never towed a trailer in my life. Does this make me a NCG?

Although it's obviously car-related, I don't necessarily think of it as a CG thing, it's definitely a Dad thing though, especially if it's a caravan.

[Sundayjumper]

Nor put the ends in the door.

I have absolutely no issue with that bit, I've done it myself loads of time, and not just wheel straps, when lashing things to the roof rack too.

[mik]

I've never towed a trailer in my life. Does this make me a NCG?

Although it's obviously car-related, I don't necessarily think of it as a CG thing, it's definitely a Dad thing though, especially if it's a caravan.

I am aligned with this.

And it’s something you should definitely try to do - for the experience.

[JonMad]

I've never towed a trailer in my life. Does this make me a NCG?

Although it's obviously car-related, I don't necessarily think of it as a CG thing, it's definitely a Dad thing though, especially if it's a caravan.

I am aligned with this.

And it’s something you should definitely try to do - for the experience.

Yep, I am also a towing convert

[Jobbo]

Nor put the ends in the door.

I have absolutely no issue with that bit, I've done it myself loads of time, and not just wheel straps, when lashing things to the roof rack too.

Feels like it's going to damage the rubber seals and fret against the paintwork - I used to tuck the ends of the straps holding my windsurfer on the roof rack in like that and could always feel them vibrating on the motorway. Wouldn't now.

[V8Granite]

Considering how cheap proper wheel straps are I’m surprised they didn’t use them.

Dave!

[Sundayjumper]

To be fair, I think lashing onto the spinners is probably absolutely fine - they are obviously strong. I’d be more concerned that if one of those straps fails or loosens - the car will be off that trailer pretty quickly. (Normally each wheel is held both fore and aft by the straps - not in one direction only)

(my emphasis above)

Assuming (!) there's some straps on the wheels on the other side of the car, you'd need both fronts or both rears to come loose for that to really be a problem. Losing a diagonally opposite pair would let it bounce around a bit but would probably keep the car on the trailer.

My mechanical sympathy is upset here because the straps are in effect trying to stretch the car. Pulling the front suspension forwards isn't a load it was designed for. I'm sure it'll be fine in reality but proper wheel straps pull down on the wheel and don't apply any force at all to the chassis. On something sensitive, on a long drive, the pulling and the vibration could possibly affect the tracking. A major bummer if you've paid lots of money to get it done in the first place.

[nuttinnew]

Towing with a Micra. What are they rated to?

I posted the Aston photo Mik shared above in the randomness thread then noticed this thread. Still, Aston guy didn't actually use the spokes of the wheels to tie his straps to. Nor put the ends in the door.

600-800kg dependant on model.

It might just be ok with the trailer unladen, if the brakes are ok - look at the state of the front wheels (we'll ignore the blue & yellow for now).