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Re: [oletrucks] Trailer safety

To: "Schorn, Tim" <SchornT@ci.fort-worth.tx.us>, <MarkNoakes@aol.com>,
Subject: Re: [oletrucks] Trailer safety
From: "Kevin Lake" <lakek@oit.edu>
Date: Tue, 4 May 1999 12:19:50 -0700
You win!  That is definitely the best trailering story I have ever heard. 
What type of car was it?  I want one if it is that tough.

Kevin Lake
56 GMC Suburban/napco

----------
> From: Schorn, Tim <SchornT@ci.fort-worth.tx.us>
> To: MarkNoakes@aol.com; oletrucks@autox.team.net; 'Kevin Lake'
<lakek@oit.edu>
> Subject: RE: [oletrucks] Trailer safety
> Date: Tuesday, May 04, 1999 9:29 AM
> 
> My favorite "hauling" memory is of a guy I used to work with a Bell
> Helicopter who used his car to move a house . Yes, the 3-bedroom 2-bath
> type!! He jacked the house up and lined up some beams under it for
support
> and drove under it, lowered the jacks and drove about 3 miles to a lot he
> had purchased across town. Got there safely!!
> > ----------
> > From:       Kevin Lake[SMTP:lakek@oit.edu]
> > Reply To:   Kevin Lake
> > Sent:       Tuesday, May 04, 1999 1:20 AM
> > To:         MarkNoakes@aol.com; oletrucks@autox.team.net
> > Subject:    Re: [oletrucks] Trailer safety
> > 
> > My favorite trailer stories are the ones that involve people towing
> > trailers that are WAY to BIG for the tow vehicle.
> > 
> > I ended up towing a 12,000# (rated load) triple-axle low-boy with a
F*&d
> > Bronco that my boss owned.  I did try to tell him that I thought it was
> > too
> > much trailer, but he said "just take it slow".  I luckily never ended
up
> > in
> > the ditch, but it was by pure luck that I didn't.  The trailer was way
too
> > heavy and way too long to be pulling with that Bronco.  There was more
> > than
> > one or two very tense moments on that trip.
> > 
> > I was headed up through Northern Arizona about three years ago where we
> > spent three hours in a traffic jam.  A guy in a Geo Tracker (or
whatever
> > they call the 4-door version) had been attempting to tow a 20+ foot
long
> > camper trailer.  The trailer easily outweighed the tow vehicle
(probably
> > by
> > at least a ton).  To make a long story short,  on the way down a mildly
> > steep canyon road, the trailer decided not to follow the tow vehicle
and
> > proceeded to push the tow vehicle into the oncoming lane of traffic
where
> > it met an oncoming semi-truck which drove it back into the trailer it
was
> > towing and pushed the whole mess over a 90 foot embankment into the
stream
> > below.  Not much left.  You could only tell it was a Tracker because
the
> > trailer had partially disintegrated on the trip down the hill.
> >  
> > Kevin Lake
> > 56 GMC Suburban/napco
> > 
> > ----------
> > > From: MarkNoakes@aol.com
> > > To: oletrucks@autox.team.net
> > > Subject: [oletrucks] Trailer safety
> > > Date: Monday, May 03, 1999 6:25 PM
> > > 
> > > I was talking to someone from the list about hauling trucks on
trailers
> > and 
> > > thought that this story from years ago might help calibrate you guys
to
> > be as 
> > > careful as possilbe.
> > > 
> > > Brian and my youngest brother Scott were moving a trailer load of
junk
> > for 
> > > their employer, who I consider to be a real nut, as well as rather
> > careless.  
> > > Brian and Scott were young and wouldn't oppose their boss even though
> > they 
> > > knew they were overloaded.  The trailer was loaded with a big old car
> > stuffed 
> > > with a bunch of other junk and being pulled behind a van that was
also
> > loaded 
> > > down.  They were driving through the hills in Alabama on their way
from
> > GA to 
> > > MS.  To make a long story shorter, on the way down the road the
trailer
> > axle 
> > > broke, the wheel flew off, the stub dug in, and the van and loaded
> > trailer 
> > > got jerked off the road and did a barrel roll off of a cliff (if a 45
> > degree 
> > > bank counts as a cliff).  It was about 60-ft down to water, but after
> > the
> > 
> > > first complete roll and about 30-ft down, they hung on the only tree
on
> > the 
> > > whole bank just between the van and the loaded trailer (the car
stayed
> > on
> > the 
> > > trailer for the whole ride; it was strapped down tight); the trailer
> > hitch 
> > > snapped but the chains held and they came to a stop with minor
injuries
> > from 
> > > junk flying around inside.  It took them quite a while to climb out
to
> > the 
> > > top.  Brian got to a phone and called my parents and in a typical 
> > > understatement said something about running off the road and having a
> > little 
> > > accident and would they please come get them.  My mom literally got
sick
> > when 
> > > she saw the "little accident" and what would have happened if the
tree
> > hadn't 
> > > been there and if it hadn't caught on the trailer chains.
> > > 
> > > Definitely don't overload your car trailer!  Our old trucks are heavy
> > and
> > car 
> > > trailers these days are pretty light duty; please be careful out
there.
> > > 
> > > Mark Noakes
> > > 58/56 Suburban
> > > Knoxville, TN
> > > oletrucks is devoted to Chevy and GM trucks built between 1941 and
1959
> > oletrucks is devoted to Chevy and GM trucks built between 1941 and 1959
> > 
> oletrucks is devoted to Chevy and GM trucks built between 1941 and 1959

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