Share Pics of People Hauling or Towing Something Wrong

[PhysAssist]

James May would be proud

View attachment 511807

I had forgotten about that episode- talk about people hauling/towing/or driving inappropriately- that was one of their mainstays...

I used to love Top Gear- not so much the US one though.

 

[PhysAssist]

I feel sorry for the horse...

Exactly!

Hopefully he/she is headed to a GOOD home- in contrast to wherever the person carting it had it.

 

[Redneck in training]

Well, guys, I have to confess stupidity. I bought 12 ea 4x8 gauge 11 sheets about 2000# total. Positioned them on the trailer to get proper tongue weight etc. When I was about half way on my way home suddenly the truck became very unstable and squirely. The sheets slid backwards eliminating the tongue weight. Scared sh!!t out of me. I tried hard braking to move them forward but it didn't work. Had to drive at max 30 mph last 20 miles. Normally I would drive out of the warehouse door stop at the parking and secure the load but due to some brain fart I just took off without securing the load.

 

[California]

... 1988 S-10
... I couldn't get it to go over 17 MPH all the way home

Was that the Isuzu/Chev pickup with the 125hp 2.5l Isuzu engine? My experience with an '88 Trooper with that engine was similar. It would run with traffic most of the time but if I got cut off on a long upgrade and had to slow down, it could never get back up to traffic speed.

The good side was I towed a tent trailer all over the Western states at 70 mph 20 mpg with it for years. Broke my heart when a neighbor's tree fell and destroyed it.

Photo - That's not hauling something wrong, it's just a tight turnaround at a deadend down by the creek.

 

[bcp]

I had an 84 Trooper, 4sp, no overdrive, about 4:11 ratio, IIRC. About 80HP when new. To go over 55, you had to turn up the radio to hide the engine roaring. Sold it at about 260,000 miles.

Bruce

 

[California]

'88 was a big improvement in the early flat-sided Troopers, first year for fuel injection so it ran like new until its last day. Also 5-speed, I don't know when they started that. The next year they put the little Chev V-6 in them. I think that was the best version of all.

I once met someone who bought the diesel version in Colorado. He said that was a mistake. Comically slow at his altitude, and he destroyed engines at 30k mile intervals winding its guts out on the long grades.

 

[Creamer]

Well, guys, I have to confess stupidity. I bought 12 ea 4x8 gauge 11 sheets about 2000# total. Positioned them on the trailer to get proper tongue weight etc. When I was about half way on my way home suddenly the truck became very unstable and squirely. The sheets slid backwards eliminating the tongue weight. Scared sh!!t out of me. I tried hard braking to move them forward but it didn't work. Had to drive at max 30 mph last 20 miles. Normally I would drive out of the warehouse door stop at the parking and secure the load but due to some brain fart I just took off without securing the load.

Did something similar about 20 years ago before I learned how to tie down flat sheets. I purchased a lot of sheetrock and put on my trailer The stack was high enough to stick above the rails on my trailer so I put a couple of straps across the top of the pile and started for home. Similar thing happened where the sheetrock shifted aft and I lost my tongue weight. Scared teh heck out of me as I was going about 45 when it happened. I pushed a lot of it back forward and drove slowly the rest of the way home slowly. I was talking about it and a guy explains how I should have put a 2x4 across the top of the stack to make sure I had down pressure on the middle of the stack as the rails may deflect in a little loosening the strap and the edges may not hold.

 

[Redneck in training]

Nope...no no no no no no no no no. Nope! - Meteorologist Damon Lane
How would you secure this load?

 

[PhysAssist]

Well, guys, I have to confess stupidity. I bought 12 ea 4x8 gauge 11 sheets about 2000# total. Positioned them on the trailer to get proper tongue weight etc. When I was about half way on my way home suddenly the truck became very unstable and squirely. The sheets slid backwards eliminating the tongue weight. Scared sh!!t out of me. I tried hard braking to move them forward but it didn't work. Had to drive at max 30 mph last 20 miles. Normally I would drive out of the warehouse door stop at the parking and secure the load but due to some brain fart I just took off without securing the load.

Glad you're OK, and FYI, despite having read every single post on this site:

Just 2 days ago, I went to out local TSC to buy an 8'x4' metal gate, and in loading it while in their outside fenced-in yard, I just laid it on the floor of my truck bed, and then backed out, fully intending to tie it down before driving away.

But, I got distracted by having to help my SWMBO adjust the passenger side mirror so I could see better backing up, and totally forgot that minor safety issue- UNTIL I was driving in traffic at 45 MPH and remembered it was loose back there.

Fortunately, we were only going about 1/2 mile along a 2 lane road to the local Loews to buy some drainage piping and lumber, so I just kept it low and slow, and was lucky enough to be able to avoid needing to perform any evasive maneuvers en route.

Once we got there, I immediately tied it down before going into the store, much to my better half's consternation and bewilderment.

Invocation: My name is Tom, and I have hauled something unsafely [again]:ashamed:.

Response: Hi Tom!

:confused3:......

 

[PhysAssist]

Was that the Isuzu/Chev pickup with the 125hp 2.5l Isuzu engine? /QUOTE]

No, I don't think so.

I'm almost certain that it was the 2.8L V6, which I remember because when I had to make the choice between that and the new 4.3L V6, my dad talked me into getting the 2.8L because he thought it would save me some gas.

But very shortly afterwards, I was unhappy about having chosen the 2.8L, because in reality, the 4.3L provided both better torque and essentially equal MPG, because of the gearing and rear-end changes available with it.

I traded it in for a 1991 Chevy Cavalier for my then fiance [now SWMBO] to drive while i was away in PA [for PA school ironically], and that was THE single worst vehicle transaction I have ever made.

I should have taken the time to teach her to drive standard/manual tranny instead and kept the truck instead.