Got a new one for ya

LoneCowboy · Jan 8, 2007

Now, I used to be into boating, and boating has some stupid SOB's with trailering, but I may have topped it.

A JD 4110 (which given is a pretty small tractor) on a tandem trailer being towed by a ......

wait for it
.....

Subaru wagon

There is no flipping way that's even close to being safe.
The trailer alone probably weighs more than the tow rating of that Subaru.

Bird · Jan 8, 2007

boating has some stupid SOB's with trailering

Are you talking about watching me with my Dad's 16' Texas Maid Fiesta boat behind my '62 Austin Healey Sprite?

Thomas · Jan 9, 2007

Than theres the ones you haven't seen or heard about yet...yup one gotta shake there head and wonder at times.

LoneCowboy · Jan 9, 2007

Bird said:
Are you talking about watching me with my Dad's 16' Texas Maid Fiesta boat behind my '62 Austin Healey Sprite?

man, that wouldn't even make the top 10

Renze · Jan 14, 2007

Then how would you rate my brothers old 1983 Mercedes 300 diesel with a 3,5 ton tandem livestock trailer, which weighed more than 5900 kg on the scales ??

LoneCowboy · Jan 14, 2007

at least it's a diesel
Actually (he's way over, no argument) but many europeon cars have tow ratings that are pretty amazing for their size. (3000+ lbs)

Let's see, #1 on the list of tow vehicles was the old guy and lady with a big 3 person sit down jet-ski. It's early in the morning (gotta get up early here to get glass on the water) and we're unloading. They are too, next to us (big ramp). The lady is on the jet-ski, guy driving the Tahoe (like always) and the guy pushes her off the trailer and she starts it and he says "just back it on out and meet me by the dock" and he jumps in the car and pulls out.
So she gives it throttle.

jet-ski's don't have reverse

right back onto the ramp.
he sees this in the mirror, jumps out, they start screaming at each other (its like 6am on a saturday) and we're like "****, might as well load it up, the day isn't going to get any better"

But it was pretty **** funny.

#2 on teh list is the guy pulling out his 25' dual outboard engine cabin cuddy. Gets it on the trailer, hooks up the front and jumps in teh truck and drives off.

Conviently forgetting to raise the motors.
Motors catch on the ramp, pull the boat right off the trailer. Great big 25' boat right in the middle of the ramp. I have no idea how you fix that.

#3 Car pulling a boat (much too big) puts the boat into the lake and keeps going. car ends up at the bottom of the lake, trailer still attached. (really fouled up the ramp that day)

#4. late 1980's Honda Accord (which has maybe a 500lb tow rating) pulling an 18' Bayliner down the freeway (why is it always a Bayliner?)

#5. We're pulling our boat over Wolf Creek Pass (12000 foot high pass) (2500 Dodge Ram, gas, 20' Wellcraft, dual axles), just jamming up the hill in 3rd gear (stick) at about 45mph. near the top catch this guy pulling a single axle boat trailer with a Nissian truck (probably fine), pass him, we get to the top and start going down the west side (which is much steeper and has a couple sharp turns in it) so I gear down to 2nd, maybe 20-25mph. This guy flies by me at about 40 to 50mph. I see his brakes on hard as he comes to the first corner he gets around and off he goes. WE putter down, I touch teh brakes maybe twice.
At the bottom of the hill, there's his truck on the side of the road, smoke roiling out of the wheelwells.

Stupid hurts.

Farmwithjunk · Jan 14, 2007

LoneCowboy said:
Now, I used to be into boating, and boating has some stupid SOB's with trailering, but I may have topped it.

A JD 4110 (which given is a pretty small tractor) on a tandem trailer being towed by a ......

wait for it
.....

Subaru wagon

There is no flipping way that's even close to being safe.
The trailer alone probably weighs more than the tow rating of that Subaru.

A few years back, I saw a HONDA GOLDWING pulling a bass boat, with a second 'Wing right behind it, pulling a Coleman pop-up camper, both travelling at 65mph down the interstate.

I'd a gave a buck to see them back the boat in the water

Bird · Jan 14, 2007

Brian, #1 for me was the guy at Port Aransas, TX, who unfastened his fishing boat from the trailer, then backed it into the water. The boat started to float away, so he jumped out of the truck, ran into the water, and started swimming after his boat. Of course the pickup rolled on back into the water. That particular ramp has a 3' to 4' vertical drop off at the end of the ramp, so even the first wrecker couldn't pull it out because they had to get a boom truck that could lift the front end of the pickup to get it back up.

#2 was at Lake Whitney in Texas. Two old gentlemen with a bass boat being pulled by a Ford Escort station wagon. One got into the boat, the other backed the rig into the water. The first guy started the boat motor and backed the boat off the trailer. The second guy then tried to pull the trailer out of the water. It was a manual transmission, he'd gun the engine, kill the engine, roll back aways while restarting it, then repeat the procedure, never moving it forward, only back farther into the water. By the time my brothers and I got to him to help, he was far enough out that the water inside the car was right up to the front edge of the driver's seat. The back end was full of water. We discovered the problem was that he had it in 5th gear instead of 1st.

And then the first guy gets their boat tied up at the dock and joins us, after we had gotten everything out of the water and all the doors on the little station wagon open, letting the water run out, and he told me, "That's MY car, but I thought he knew how to drive it since he has one just like it."

LoneCowboy · Jan 14, 2007

Farmwithjunk said:
A few years back, I saw a HONDA GOLDWING pulling a bass boat, with a second 'Wing right behind it, pulling a Coleman pop-up camper, both travelling at 65mph down the interstate.

I'd a gave a buck to see them back the boat in the water

We have a winner!!!!!!!!!!
wow
The newer Goldwings do have a reverse.

Bird · Jan 14, 2007

I think pulling a boat, or any other trailer for that matter, with a Goldwing presents the same challenge that many other trailers and tow vehicles present, and that is how to stop it. My '85 Aspencade (deluxe Goldwing) had plenty of power to pull a bass boat, but I think you'd want to give yourself lots of stopping room.

Of course the trailer I pulled was a plastic or fiberglass box 38" x 48" with the lid hinged at the front and a bracket for a 48 quart Igloo ice chest on the tongue. With the ice chest full of snacks, drinks, and ice, and the "box" containing my computer, printer, some fishing and tennis gear, plus my clothes and toiletries, going to Quantico, I could tell that I needed to allow just a tiny bit more stopping distance.