Towing safety

[Daren Todd]

Come across this today. Person bought a drop hitch with out checking the towing capacity. Put a 2 5/16 ball on it, and headed down the road towing 8500lbs. The drop hitch was only rated for 6000lbs.

The end result was having the hitch snap where the ball mounted to it. Ended up with some damage to the trailer and the tow vehicle.

So make sure and read the label and make sure it's rated for what your gonna tow. Proper ball with the proper hitch


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[D2Cat]

I imagine after that 8500# of iron slammed him around he had a new perspective of safety. Driver better be real glad it was only his problem, because if the situation caused damage to others his hinney would be on the line!!

 

[Tooljunkie]

Former place of work had everything on pintles. Dont let that fool you though. There are light duty pintle hitches too.

Now,i have been in situations where safety chains are too short, and looped them over the ball. So now i wont be doing that.

Have seen tourists dragging the boat trailer around by the chains,banging and crashing-thinking nothing is wrong.

That hitch must have seen some real stress to break.usually the 6500 lb rating is safe working load, could be 50%higher before it fails. Or double.
Probably never crossed customer's mind.

 

[Daren Todd]

Here's the hitch he hauled it in on after the other one broke. Put about 75 miles with the heavier load. He was using this one for a two inch ball hauling smaller stuff. I watched it flex when he was coming through the parking lot.

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[skeets]

Some times you just have to stand back shake your head and think to your self WTF was he thinkin

 

[Daren Todd]

Simple truth was he probably wasn't. Truth is, most people don't think about it. Just grab one off the shelf paying more attention to the price instead of the rating. Why get the $60 one when you can get one for $30!!

I see more folks that go down the road around here with out the load strapped down. Chains unhooked and dragging, or still wrapped around the tongue. No safety pin on the trailer hitch. Seen a guy flip a light tower doing a u-turn. That one belonged to a competitor Had several people return something using a 2" ball in a 2 5/16 hitch. Shocked the hell out of me that they made it back with out losing the equipment, considering Arkansas uses pot holes as a strategy to keep people from speeding

 

[OldeEnglish]

Wow Does anyone cross the saftey chains to act as a cradle? My grandfather showed me that a long time ago and recall someone laughing at me for it a while back.... I've never had a towing malfunction where the chains came into play so I really don't know how well it works, but it seems it would work like my gramps said.

 

[Tooljunkie]

Can you say "improper tongue weight"?
That ball was loose.
I would cut that hitch and ball rendering them useless.
Im suspicious the trailer brakes arent working either.
Have seen hitches bored out for a bigger shanked ball, also weakens hitch.

Then there the supervisor pulling a tractor and trailer on a class 3 hitch-"its not bent, it was always like that"

 

[Daren Todd]

Wow Does anyone cross the saftey chains to act as a cradle? My grandfather showed me that a long time ago and recall someone laughing at me for it a while back.... I've never had a towing malfunction where the chains came into play so I really don't know how well it works, but it seems it would work like my gramps said.

I picked up a new trailer from a dealer. Had surge brakes, with axles that were directional. Dealer had a new guy install the axles and put them on backwards. I didn't notice it while going through town. Hit a pothole on the interstate in rush hour traffic doing 55 mph. Had the brakes lock up. I did a 180, and stopped facing taffic in the hammer lane I was in the slow lane. scared the living crap out of me and a few other people, but luckily no one was injured and no damage. Had to kick the truck in 4 low to drag the trailer out of the road. Then back up and slam on the brakes to get them to release. Then I babied it through town back to the dealers to raise holy hell with them

Yes, I always cross the chains

 

[North Idaho Wolfman]

I have towed a ton of trailers all over the place and I would never consider running a receiver or ball that looks like anything close to those!

I just towed a tractor and Implements (3010 lbs.) up and down the mountains around here and then back with a bobcat (5300 lbs.), excellent hitch, receiver, tires, and electric brakes, are a must!

Same 20 foot trailer has seen 2 round trips (3000 Miles) from AZ to here loaded with over 8,000lbs of stuff, a trip 500Miles to Canada to pick up my L3450, I inspect and repair anything that's even slightly out of wack with it!

 

[Tooljunkie]

I Cross chains, if they are short the chains tighten when turning.when crossed the chains do not tighten. I have cables on my car hauler,they are coiled like pigtails. Not my favorite setup as they are quite long.

 

[bearskinner]

Most people don't realize that you can buy larger shank tow balls, solid shank hitches, or if you use a stabilizer bar system, you will almost double your towing capacity, plus it is so much safer for you and everyone else on the road. I wouldn't tow a trailer without a stabilizer system installed. its just good insurance, and I tow a heavy wheeler on a trailer almost daily, months out of the year...... and purchase good tires, not Chinese load range B cheepies

 

[Daren Todd]

Bearskinner, can you post a picture of the stabilizers and how they hook to the truck

 

[OldeEnglish]

I've never used stabilizer bars, but I don't tow anything big. My grandfather used to use them on an old 1964 camper pulled by an old Buick, back when those cars were built heavier than today's trucks . Do they have to be disconnected in order to make a tight turn or while backing the trailer up?

 

[CaveCreekRay]

Bearskinner,

From someone who shares the highway with you -thanks for being so diligent about safety.

Ray

 

[koja]

Bearskinner,

From someone who shares the highway with you -thanks for being so diligent about safety.

Ray

X2 , I drive almost 100 miles a day round trip to work . Pretty scary some of the crap I see being pulled down the road .

 

[Tooljunkie]

Stabilizer setups make a world of difference-transfers weight to front wheels of tow vehicle.

 

[Stubbyie]

Couple points regarding these posts:

1. Stabilizers have been mentioned. Around here they're called load equalizers and they look--and work--somewhat like a wheelbarrow when hooked up properly. Most equalizer rigs also have sway bars, which is what I think the stabilzers discussed here actually are. And when properly lashed together as a system are truly beneficial. Not cheap for a namebrand set, but also not something I'd use from HF.

2. Safety chains should always be crossed beneath the tongue, so I was taught, in order to catch and cradle the dropped tongue. Somewhere in the past I ran across a set of instructions (came with an equalizer hitch rig as I recall) that said the hooks on safety chains should always be inserted into their holes from beneath the bumper and have the open side of the hook facing the trailer.

I have had a hook jump out of a hole so if going more than just around the area I always use a ty-rap to hold the hook in the bumper hole. Doesn't apply if you've got shackles on the tow vehicle and safety clasps on the chain hooks.

Too long safety chains aren't going to work correctly when needed. I'd shorten the chain by cutting off the hook end and reattaching a clevis-type hook. But don't get it too short to bind on turns.

Comments invited. Please post your own experiences and knowledge so we may all learn.

 

[bearskinner]

Bearskinner, can you post a picture of the stabilizers and how they hook to the truck

The hitch itself has a wide "head" on it that accepts the spring loaded stabilizer bars. The chain attachment "stabilizes" the trailer to the frame of the tow vehicle. You need to "load the bars" before you put weight on the trailer to help it work properly. This is a 30 year old trailer, so it only has a 2" ball. I only use a 1 1/4" shank ball on the head of the stabilizer. it has a 2" solid shank square male end, and will fit in any standard hitch. My other set up uses a 2 5/16" ball, also with a 1 1/4" shank

 

[bearskinner]

every piece of towing equipment has a weight rating. you can purchase a 10-12K ball for a couple bucks more than a crappy Harbor Freight small shank cheapy. get a solid shank hitch. The whole Reese set up I have on this trailer NEW would be maybe $300., I see them all the time on Craigslist for $100. If you get in an accident, due to YOUR own negligence towing overloaded or just using crap, you are just asking to get sued, and theres probably a line of lawyer scum waiting for you to give them the opportunity.

Always remember, " OVERKILL IS UNDER RATED"