How is this possible?

[EddieWalker]

I just saw this on FB and got to wondering how it could happen? I'm guessing that the tongue weight of the trailer along with whatever is in the back of the camper must have been so heavy that it leveraged the frame of the truck. But I just can't believe that frame would bend like this before something else would fail.

 

[Gary Fowler]

The frame may not have bent at all. The bolts holding on the bed may have broke, stripped out (whatever) to allow the bed to come off the frame. I doubt the frame would be broken and the rear wheels still be on the ground as in the picture.

 

[jwstewar]

The frame may not have bent at all. The bolts holding on the bed may have broke, stripped out (whatever) to allow the bed to come off the frame. I doubt the frame would be broken and the rear wheels still be on the ground as in the picture.

If that were the case, why is the cab all jacked up in the rear? If it were just the bed, the cab would still be level and you could see the frame under the bed.

But to Eddie's point, I saw that and was scratching my head. I would have thought the extender used on the hitch would have given way long before the frame of the truck. We have friends that have a similar set-up, except a SRW 350. They have the truck camper that sticks out, use a 4' hitch extension, and tow a small stock trailer with Nigerian Dwarf goats. Not all that heavy and it scares me because of the extension.

 

[k0ua]

No, the frame is bent. The frame is just on the line under the door sill. Draw that line backward and it would be over the rear dual's. So the frame would have to be bent. I dunno how that exactly happened.

 

[oosik]

Scary!!! There are lots of big, heavy Okanogan campers on pickups in my area. I would hope that Gary's answer is correct. Whatever - this fellow is about to have a BAD day.

 

[k0ua]

I reckon this photo needs to go in the people towing/hauling something wrong thread..

 

[k0ua]

Scary!!! There are lots of big, heavy Okanogan campers on pickups in my area. I would hope that Gary's answer is correct. Whatever - this fellow is about to have a BAD day.

That bad boy is bent pretty good. Gonna take some real money to fix that.

 

[LittleBill21]

i have seen that a couple times, the frame is bent truck is totaled. the ford raptor guys buy an aftermarket frame strengthening kit to prevent theirs from doing it, pretty common

 

[SSdoxie]

The frame may not have bent at all. The bolts holding on the bed may have broke, stripped out (whatever) to allow the bed to come off the frame. I doubt the frame would be broken and the rear wheels still be on the ground as in the picture.

If it was the box mount bolts failed the cab should still be setting parallel to the road. Must have used a gosh awful heavy duty receiver extension out to the trailer ball, that should have been the weakest link.

 

[CobyRupert]

...... Whatever - this fellow is about to have a BAD day.

...and yet the guy is sitting in the cab looking like he's waiting for the light to change? :confused3:


p.s. What is the bar resting on the ground behind rear tire?

 

[Gunny]

I'd bet he's sitting there wondering how in the heck he's going to pay for all of what's coming

 

[SSdoxie]

Looking at the photo a little closer I see the frame failure is where the horizontal bar is mounted to hold front of the camper down. However that bar is mounted probably weaken integrity of the frame.

 

[k0ua]

He is sitting there because he pooped his pants when it happened, and he is too embarrassed to get out.

 

[4570Man]

I’ve loaded my ton heavy enough that I had to take some logs off so it would steer. I’ve seen other trucks loaded so the front is completely off the ground. And that’s a F-450. I’ve never looked at a new 450 but if it’s anything like my 90s 3500HD the frame is way heavier than a ton truck frame. I’m guessing significant rust is the only way.

 

[Fuddy1952]

There's another white trailer right behind this. Could it be that was bolted to back of camper? If so, no wonder it broke.

 

[CobyRupert]

I致e loaded my ton heavy enough that I had to take some logs off so it would steer. I致e seen other trucks loaded so the front is completely off the ground. And that痴 a F-450. I致e never looked at a new 450 but if it痴 anything like my 90s 3500HD the frame is way heavier than a ton truck frame. I知 guessing significant rust is the only way.

I was wondering about this too.
At first I thought, as others mentioned, that if he had a significant trailer hitch extender to get the ball past the camper, it's this additional leverage that did him in.
But like you say, the maximum load the frame can experiences in front of the rear axle, before the front wheels lift, is the same no matter the leverage distance of the trailer tongue weight behind the rear wheels. It just takes less rear weight at this distance to lift the front wheels.

 

[wagne223]

My thoughts, in no particular order......

Excessive weight behind the truck axle. Very easy to do with that much camper hanging off the back. Then add trailer tongue weight.

The camper is securely mounted to the truck frame so the camper itself is acting as a lever.

Frame weakening possibly from corrosion , the camper bracket install, or previous damage, or a combination of these.

Aftermarket power adder for pulling hills.
Heavy throttle pivots the rear like a seesaw leaving cab hanging.

 

[Snobdds]

He probably stopped too quickly and all that trailer weight and camper weight lifted the back end then came crashing back down...just like a fulcrum.

 

[rangerfredbob]

there's sparks off of the rear camper tiedowns, it's actually driving in that picture...

That trailer has to be loaded very tongue heavy, that camper looks to be about a 10' which isn't that bad, towing with a 12' camper is much worse... Some people don't know what they are doing and have more power than they should... Sure I do stupid things in my old '97 F350 but the limited horsepower keeps me in line and I'm conscious of the tongue weight...

I haven't looked under any of the new trucks to see how they're made, I wouldn't think they would be that weak but you never know these days...

 

[jaxs]

The odds of being staged is high,people do it all the time.