Share Pics of People Hauling or Towing Something Wrong

[greggyy]

The ones that came with the trailer look a bit to weak to hold a 4000 lbs tractor. They are rated for 1100 lbs and are just a bit over 3/8" (10 mm) in diamater.

I might give those D-rings a try once I source them over here in Portugal.

If that tractor is 4000lbs

Then you have a slasher and the trailer weight, on a vehicle that here would legally only be allowed to carry half that weight....

Tail wagging the dog is a term we use, your a candidate, no matter how well you balance it it seems !

 

[greggyy]

I hear that. I'm a huge believer in personal liberty. But in Afghanistan & Kuwait I saw such a disregard for human safety, life or others property. It really made me respect government a lot more. Ya, we get a nanny state at times, but it does make for a much better quality of life for most people. Emissions systems suck to buy & maintain, but are so worth it for society as a whole if you've been somewhere that has a couple thousand feet or less of visibility due to smog.

There is a wide gap between...

A lawless free for all

A civilized society

A controlling govt and nanny states.

You should come down here if you want to see nanny state, started years ago by taking guns, then a never ending raft of road rules, and other laws, basically, you can't do much and everything is heavily regulated.

So, you guys are at least free with laws to keep things civil, but you do see moves to go down our path, which essentially makes you a law breaker often, our govt keeps us real safe :thumbdown:

 

[ptsg]

If that tractor is 4000lbs

Then you have a slasher and the trailer weight, on a vehicle that here would legally only be allowed to carry half that weight....

Tail wagging the dog is a term we use, your a candidate, no matter how well you balance it it seems !

You would be surprise on how stable this is...

The only reason, really, you see these trailers flopping all around in the back of a vehicle is because of bad loading and going way too fast than it should.

This truck call pull 6200 lbs. Tractor is around 4000 lbs, mower is 400 lbs and the trailer 1100 lbs. It's all legal.

The maximum towing capacity available here is 7700 lbs. Only available on longer wheelbase trucks.

We also get surge (inertia) brakes that works really nice and parking brake, which I'm always surprised you guys don't have in your trailers when OSHA is all about safety and such. Then we just see the trucks running away with the rear end in the air.

Surge brakes diagram:

 

[greggyy]

You mush have brakes when trailer and load are 750kg as a general guide here, there is multiple categories and braking systems.

My 2t Land Rover can tow 7700 lbs legally, but with brakes and breakaway braking systems, but that is the manufacturers limit, each vehicle is different.

I know you can do it, I had a 4wd truck that was rated for only 1500kg, but it would have towed 3.5t too, but we have to go by manufacturers rating.

The thing is, just because something is legal does not mean it is a good idea & I know how you guys drive there, your highways are much faster than ours Anyway, I prefer when the load does not exceed the tow vehicle weight with this kind of setup, as when something unexpected happens it can more easily push the tow vehicle around, you may do many thousands of miles with no drama, then this one time....

I nearly lost control of a very small trailer recently with near no weight in it, tyre blew out, it then rubbed on guard and somehow got caught up, it then ripped the axle and collapsed the supports, etc etc, it was a wild scary ride and thankfully it did not come apart and head across the traffic, nor enough to make the tow vehicle lose grip, it was prob 400 or so lbs, imagine the mess if it was 4000.

Don't underestimate what can happen and how quick it can happen, some combos are more stable than others, some are on the brink and just need certain event/s to uncover how close to the edge they actually always were.

 

[ptsg]

I'm still going by manufacturers ratings. That's what makes it legal also. I'm not over-weighting nothing. The truck can pull 6200 lbs by the manufacturers rating.

I never underestimate anything. Specially a loaded trailer. I'm very conscious about these things.

How do we drive here then? Our highway limit is 120 km/h. A trailer is limited to 100 km/h. So anything over that, you are likely to have a bad day. I really won't go anything over 90 km/h with a loaded trailer.

I need to move my tractor about 100 miles at least a couple times a year. I need this setup and that's what I use. It doesn't worth buy a 5 ton or more truck and deal with CDL and way more expenses just to use it a couple times a year.

 

[greggyy]

I understand what your saying, but that does not change the risks, it is to do with trailer design and tow vehicle design and setup, wheel placement etc. This type of setup, if I tow like this (as I do) or you, is not ideal to have trailer with more mass than the tow vehicle.

I have a trailer that is about 4000lbs, but rear wheels are a fair way back, this is better, but still has lot of potential.

A trailer that has a catastrophic event is usually a real handful, even at 80ks in a straight line, there is a lot of energy, lets put it this way, I have seen heavy vehicles turned over by light weight trailers, would have been some bad luck, but the larger the mass, the more potential to push the tow vehicle around, it is something we can't change, so just pointing that out.

 

[ultrarunner]

I don't know if to think, how uncivilized a society, or to be jealous for the lack of government control.

I saw a picture of young kids in Mexico having a great time going down the highway in the back of a pickup truck. No Nanny state there. Again, I find myself at odds.

One of the best memories of childhood was everyone piling into the back of coaches pickup after the game... it was all local but brought the group together...

Now a dozen or more cars where only a pickup was needed before.

 

[Doofy]

I enjoyed laying up on the rear window shelf on trips. No one even thought it might be dangerous in those days.

 

[ultrarunner]

I enjoyed laying up on the rear window shelf on trips. No one even thought it might be dangerous in those days.

Yep... folks hauled around a lot of kids and sometimes more in tow...

Mom had a Plymouth Barracuda and it had a pass through from the trunk to the inside... we would ride around in the trunk... just kids being kids.

 

[Tractorable]