Fasten your load to your trailer!

[Mike058]

The person who bears, IMO, 90 percent of the responsibility for the accident only got 33 percent of the blame.

And the topper, the one party who should have borne NO responsibility for the accident has the deepest pockets and therefore gets stuck with most of the blame. Uhaul rented the trailer to the guy. They didn't load it.

It gets better. If two parties share the blame and one can't pay, the other gets the whole bill. Meaning, as it stands now, if the driver can't pony up the x Million he owes, U-Haul pays for the whole party.

Don't follow too close. Don't drink and drive. And if you see a U-Haul trailer full of c***, stay the heck away from it.

 

[bjcsc]

if you see a U-Haul trailer full of c***, stay the heck away from it.

Unless you could use a few extra million dollars...

 

[Robert_in_NY]

I think if U-haul didn't have tie downs in this trailer then they should be to blame. I have seen some of U-hauls equipment and it shouldn't be on the road. The problem is they have franchises and it is up to the individual franchise to maintain their equipment. If there is no tie down and you have a person who may have never hauled something in an open bed before rent it what is he suppose to think? Not everyone thinks about these things, just look at some of the loads leaving the Home Depot parking lot

I have no idea how far behind this girl was following but I do know things can fly quite a ways out of a back of a truck or trailer and depending on speed it doesn't take very much time to close in.

Accidents happen, this could have been prevented had the guy hauling had some knowledge of proper hauling. If he didn't know better then the trailer should have had stickers showing tie down locations and instructions for proper tie down techniques. If the company doesn't want to put this information on their trailers then they shouldn't rent trailers. I do not feel sorry for U-haul on this situation and the girl was hurt because of an improperly secured load. Regardless of distance or any other thing, if the load was secured she wouldn't have been hurt.

 

[Danno1]

.

HD, ya. I've seen sheets of plywood tied to the roofs of cars (no roof rack either), with string!!! Same thing people coming fr the mattress store.

.

 

[N80]

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Same thing people coming fr the mattress store.

Been there, done that. In my defense, I was a teenager helping a friend move. Queen size box spring in the bed of my little Nissan pickup, one end sticking up over the cab. I very carefully strapped it down with a couple of bungee cords. What could go wrong?

I remember seeing it lift off in the rear view mirror and take off like a rocket. Did about three flips in the air like a playing card and then landed safely in the median. The hooks on the bungee cords where straight as pins. Loaded it up and drove to his new place......very slowly.

And while we're sharing 'stupid stories' I remember...also as a youth... going with my buddies to pick up one of those portable pig cooker trailers. We were planning our yearly game BBQ. When we got to where the cooker was, its hitch was bigger than the ball on my friends pick up. Well, that is no obstacle for a bunch of 19 year old half wits. I simply stood on the trailer tongue, holding onto the tailgate of the truck as my buddy drove us slowly back to his place.

How did we survive? My son is 16 now and man that gives me heartburn!

 

[RobertN]

Maybe this is a good place and time to ask, "How many chains and binders do you use to secure your rig?"

I use 3/8 grade 70 chain, and four binders. I bind independently on each corner. If a binder or connection fails, there are three other connections that will hold.

I used to do the setup, hook the chain to right front corner of the traler, feed it through the front tractor frame, and over to the left side of the trailer. Back the tractor up so the chain is tight, set the brake and shut it down in gear. Then set a chain on the right rear corner of the tractor, run it through the draw bar, and over to the left rear trailer corner and bind it there. Problem is, if the binder came loose, or the chain failed on one corner connection, the whole tractor was loose then.

When I started using a binder on each corner, I did have to get all four binders, and sufficient chain. But, it was less than $200. Small price for extra security, seeing as I have a $15k tractor, $1.7k trailer, and $30k truck. Not to mention liability if it ever did come loose...

I also emailed with California Highway Patrol. they indicated, at least in California, that I should have it chained and bound at all four corners(which I was already doing at the time).

Do a search of this site; there have been some pretty intense discussion of properly securing a tractor. Laws vary from state to state too.

 

[RobertN]

I think the role of state police is not the same as here in Washington for the most part. I was just talking about this with a buddy of mine who is a Trooper here about this. Here the big joke is that the troopers are just AAA with a gun, and though he wouldn't like that statement, it isn't far from the truth. Besides the drama and trauma you could cause, it wouldn't be a good idea to run around with an improperly secured load around here (at least on state roads). You'll eventually get caught here and be fined, even if it all works out from A to B. Our troopers ticket!

We had a gal a few years ago that was severly difigured from something that flew out of a pick up. I want to say it was your average Wally special entertainment center in the back of a Ranger/S-10/ somethingorother small pickup who's load flew out at speed. Anyway, lots of legislation about it and lots of hefty fines to be handed out.

One of my pet peeves, is on most trucks available for a number of years, is lack of tie downs from the factory. If you go out right now, and buy a $40k 3/4 ton diesel 4x4 super heavy duty pickup, they a couple wimpy little tie down at the lower inner corner of the beds. Sure there are lots of aftermarket stuff available. But, for $30,40, 50k, there should be something better...

I have seen some loads, in trucks, on trailers, where I let them get way ahead of me, or I passed them, because I did not want whatever they were hauling to fall off in front of me.

 

[Robert_in_NY]

One of my pet peeves, is on most trucks available for a number of years, is lack of tie downs from the factory. If you go out right now, and buy a $40k 3/4 ton diesel 4x4 super heavy duty pickup, they a couple wimpy little tie down at the lower inner corner of the beds. Sure there are lots of aftermarket stuff available. But, for $30,40, 50k, there should be something better...

I have seen some loads, in trucks, on trailers, where I let them get way ahead of me, or I passed them, because I did not want whatever they were hauling to fall off in front of me.

The worse part of the tie downs in these trucks is if you put a tool box in the truck then you can't get to the front tie downs unless you hook chains to it. Then you have chains laying around getting in the way if you are loading things in the truck. If the chains get pushed up under the tool box you are fighting the tool box to get to them. They need tie downs about every two feet in the box.

And Fords bedliner they put in the trucks won't let you access the rear tie downs very well because they give you a small hole you have to put your hook thru and try and hook the tie down

 

[rtdiggr]

Some classic tie-downs.. No these pics are not of me thanks for asking. Shane

 

[Robert_in_NY]

Some classic tie-downs.. No these pics are not of me thanks for asking. Shane


View attachment 90602

View attachment 90603

I don't see anything wrong with those pictures

 

[blueriver]

Now those two pictures are better than the one I opened this discussion with!

I agree that the truck beds should have better tie down arrangements. I have taken a closer look at loading since this discusion and I always felt that I was comfortable with what I was doing.

Imagine it only takes one accident and chances are everything can be gone! Just how much liability insurance is enough?

 

[Rara Avis]

Trailer?...We don't need no stinkin' trailer?

(Apologies to The Treasure of Sierra Madres...
Gold Hat: Badges? We ain't got no badges. We don't need no badges. I don't have to show you any stinking badges.)

You might be an idiot, if haul like this?...(see picture)

 

[hosejockey2002]

One of my pet peeves, is on most trucks available for a number of years, is lack of tie downs from the factory. If you go out right now, and buy a $40k 3/4 ton diesel 4x4 super heavy duty pickup, they a couple wimpy little tie down at the lower inner corner of the beds. Sure there are lots of aftermarket stuff available. But, for $30,40, 50k, there should be something better...

Very true. I suppose that's because 90% of truck users never actually haul anything in their truck that requires tying down.

As a sidebar, way back when my dad had a 1969 Datsun pickup. It was not the prettiest thing in the world, but it had three or four stout tiedown hooks built into the outside edge of the bed rail. Back then people bought pickups to haul things, and that's what they were built to do. Today most people buy then either to tow big trailers or they just want a big flashy rig (maybe to compensate for something ) and they rarely haul anything in the bed

 

[RobertN]

they just want a big flashy rig (maybe to compensate for something ) and they rarely haul anything in the bed

See, that's why I want a mid-late 1950's American Lafrance

 

[N80]

As a sidebar, way back when my dad had a 1969 Datsun pickup. It was not the prettiest thing in the world, but it had three or four stout tiedown hooks built into the outside edge of the bed rail.

My '84 Nissan/Datsun had the same thing. Three big tie downs on each side, each one held on with 2 sturdy bolts. I did not like them on the outside but you could mount them on the inside just as easily and I did. They were great.

My '03 F-150, which is a fine truck, has one flimsy little tie down low in each corner of the bed. Almost worthless. What a joke.

The Nissan Titans have a very robust looking system of tracks and tie downs that looks fantastic, but I have no experience with the system so I don't know if it is all its cracked up to be. At least Nissan made the effort and acknowledge that sometimes people actual put stuff in the bed of the truck.

 

[WTA]

I had a big round bale fall off a truck in front of me once. I was driving a big ford tractor with a bulldozer on the beavertail behind me and going down a mountain so braking wasn't much of an option. I was maybe 200 feet behind that guy when it came off and pucker factor was very high believe me. I swerved into the breakdown lane and just barely clipped the side of it with my trailer.

Another time in the Army, I had a crazy female driver in training in a truck in front of me going through city traffic with a tanker truck. It was an old army 818 and a half full fuel tanker with no baffles. Those old trucks had air over hydraulic brakes and would lock up real hard when you stepped on it. She braked for a yellow instead of hitting the gas and thank god I had water in her tank. That water sloshed forward and broke the king pin right out of her fifth wheel and slammed her tractor right through the intersection.

Teaching her to drive that thing down mountains a couple months later was even more interesting.

I'm so glad I don't drive big trucks anymore.

 

[Rara Avis]

See, that's why I want a mid-late 1950's American Lafrance

Too bad you are so far away, I'd sell you my 1947 Open Cab American-LaFrance...

 

[Redbug]

I was on I-77 today going through Columbia, and had an F250 up ahead of me towing one of those mini-trackhoes on a 20 foot or so trailer. 70 mph or so. As I got a little closer admiring the hoe, I noticed it was not chained or even strapped to the trailer! NOTHING was holding it on the trailer but it's parking brake! Boy, what a scare I got! I sped up and got ahead of the rig. I had never seen anything like that before! That took the cake! Boy, what a lawsuit that would make after a few innocent lives got squashed from someone else's stupidity.

I did not have my camera. I got off the interstate just a few miles ahead. If I were on for longer I would have called 911 and reported him.

Just thinking about it some more...I should have called it in anyway! All part of the learning curve...

 

[rtdiggr]

A couple of more pics for your Tuesday night entertainment Shane

 

[horse7]

One of my pet peeves, is on most trucks available for a number of years, is lack of tie downs from the factory. If you go out right now, and buy a $40k 3/4 ton diesel 4x4 super heavy duty pickup, they a couple wimpy little tie down at the lower inner corner of the beds. Sure there are lots of aftermarket stuff available. But, for $30,40, 50k, there should be something better...

I have seen some loads, in trucks, on trailers, where I let them get way ahead of me, or I passed them, because I did not want whatever they were hauling to fall off in front of me.

The OE tiedowns, while not particularly strong, have been suitable for what I wanted them for-- mainly to avoid load shifting of fairly light objects (something top heavy, fairly massive, and large would be a problem, but then I would use something else for transport or hire someone). They can't be too strong, the beds on modern pickups aren't all that strong-- put in a super strong looking tie points and some wanker would use grade 70 ratchet chains and complain about how the bed bent up. Well, make the bed stronger and heavier, but that costs more, and hardly anyone is willing to pay for it, not to speak of missing CAFE by a wider margin. You want good tiedown points, put on a nice flat bed, at which point you'll need good strong tie downs since there isn't a box to retain things.

I had a friend once, had a story-- he was driving in heavy traffic on I95 (or NJP, as the case may be) near NYC, the cap on a PU in front of him did a Wizard of Oz-- cap flew up and he saw it sailing towards him like a giant ersatz Frisbee but the traffic was too heavy to dodge the bullet. Bent up his hood and broke the windshield but he wasn't injured. PU kept on going, probably hoping no one got his plates (pretty hard to miss a cap blowing off, suddenly the rear view mirror works!).

The other 2 guys I might have known, did not survive the equivalent experience so I never met them.