Share Pics of People Hauling or Towing Something Wrong

[duramaxsky]

All of the 2" rachet straps I buy are too long (30') so I cut 8' off of them. This is on the ratchet end so the driver did it for a reason. Whether the reason is he's keeping something on top from flying away or he's stupid is up for debate.

I don't cut them. I get velcro straps from Amazon and use that to hold the excess in place. It also keeps the straps neatly coiled in storage. There are times I need the length and am glad I didn't cut them. You can see the end of the strap coiled and secured in the photo.

 

[Grumpycat]

Sure LOOKS crazy dumb...but there might be more to know. MAYBE the strap is intended to be installed like that and there are more hold-downs, somewhere, holding the load to the trailer. If not, well, somebody needs a serious amount of remedial training!

Maybe it's heavy enough that gravity will hold it in place?

It may well be the strap is only intended to hold the cover on whatever (HVAC?) and the load is secured to the trailer elsewhere.

My new heat pump arrived in the back of a pickup truck with something similar covering the top. Thought it curious but realized the cover prevented the top fan from spinning on the road.

 

[Grumpycat]

I don't cut them. I get velcro straps from Amazon and use that to hold the excess in place. It also keeps the straps neatly coiled in storage. There are times I need the length and am glad I didn't cut them. You can see the end of the strap coiled and secured in the photo. View attachment 804952

May I suggest a half twist in the flat tie strap will keep it from flapping in the wind? Learned this with many thousands of miles carrying dirtbikes on trailers.

Looks like you have such a twist in the strap over the top on the right of the trailer (left in pic).

 

[ning]

Not sure if this has been shared already but WOW. Just wow. Clearly not even looking to the road ahead, let alone see the tow truck in the way.

Am I seeing this right or is that tow truck parked in the left lane with no warning markers behind it?
I see a dashed white lane separator indicating two lanes in that direction, truck's in one.
Obviously she should've noticed the truck and avoided it (nb - I don't see flashing lights and with the bed down there's no taillights visible, gray day - but there *should* be lights at the top of the rollback?)

 

[Midniteoyl]

Am I seeing this right or is that tow truck parked in the left lane with no warning markers behind it?
I see a dashed white lane separator indicating two lanes in that direction, truck's in one.
Obviously she should've noticed the truck and avoided it (nb - I don't see flashing lights and with the bed down there's no taillights visible, gray day - but there *should* be lights at the top of the rollback?)

View attachment 805018

Yep.. No lights, no cones, no warnings.

 

[ning]

Yep.. No lights, no cones, no warnings.

Given that the rollback is probably silver or gray from behind, and it's a bright gray overcast day and likely misty & raining, it wouldn't take much more than a moment's distraction (which of course nobody else reading this has ever experienced) to miss the fact that there's a TRUCK PARKED IN THE FAST LANE.

Lawsuit incoming.

 

[California]

Given that the rollback is probably silver or gray from behind, and it's a bright gray overcast day and likely misty & raining, it wouldn't take much more than a moment's distraction (which of course nobody else reading this has ever experienced) to miss the fact that there's a TRUCK PARKED IN THE FAST LANE.

Through a dirty windshield and to an unattentive driver, the deck of that rollback must look nearly identical to an open lane. What's missing, was flashing lights on the truck.

Similarly, a pickup painted in camo or a sedan repainted non reflective dull black makes those vehicles harder to see.

Tuesday I had one such experience - a dull gray Lincoln running with headlighs off in failing daylight - shadowed me behind or in my blind spot for miles in heavy freeway traffic. He was always there in the fast lane when I needed to pull out around slower traffic. Speeding up didn't shake him. He must have chosen me for his Adaptive Speed Control to mimic. I finally slowed and moved into a place where he couldn't pull in behind me so he went past.

Both the shadowing, often in my blind spot, and the invisible with no headlights aspects were completely unnecessary hazards that he must have been oblivious to. Some drivers shouldn't be on the road.

 

[Jstpssng]

He must have chosen me for his Adaptive Speed Control to mimic.

Is that why they do that? It drives me nuts. They come up so that their right front corner is by my left wheel and ride there for miles... until I overtake a slower vehicle. At that point they will s-l-o-w-l-y speed up just enough to block me from pulling out.

 

[bcp]

Most of the news reports online say the truck's emergency lights were on.

Here's one:

https://kfor.com/news/dont-miss/video-car-launches-over-tow-truck-in-georgia/

The tow truck, described as a roll-back wrecker, was parked in the left lane with its emergency lights activated, the accident report said.

Bruce

 

[ning]

Is that why they do that? It drives me nuts. They come up so that their right front corner is by my left wheel and ride there for miles... until I overtake a slower vehicle. At that point they will s-l-o-w-l-y speed up just enough to block me from pulling out.

I don't think this is adaptive speed control (ie radar cruise control) as that, at least on our Toyota that's my only familiarity (and thus a globally common experience no doubt haha) it ignores cars in the adjacent lane and will pass right by them.

No, this is the driver consciously or unconsciously matching your speed. I've noticed what I call a "rubber band" effect where if I try to pass someone at a small speed differential (like I'm going 65 and they're going 60), they'll speed up and pretty much match my speed, and when I slow down they slow down... I don't think it's conscious for the most part, it's a form of fixation.

If I speed up a bit, they match, I speed a bit more, they match, until they realize we're going 80 or 90 and the rubber band breaks and they drop off. Any more when I pass people I try to do it sufficiently quickly that they have to be thinking about it to match the speed; if I catch a rubber band, I'll reduce speed gradually and then suddenly race forward before they react.