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Check your hitches,

KarlVP

Love that TOYOTA
Joined
Apr 2, 2006
Messages
15,214
Location
Crustys Brewery
Bitches.

Stolen From Naxja NW Chapter.

That's my hitch less than one mile from home.

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I couldn't have been any luckier from where it broke off. I'm not religious, but somebody somewhere was looking down on me and others today.

It broke at an easy 35 mph on a straightaway with no prior warning. I locked up the brakes - taking a shot in the back of the tow rig. The trailer took off to the right careening in to those huge concrete blocks. Those experienced will ask where my safety brake was. The answer: with the safety chains attached to the hitch that broke right the hell off.
 
At somepoint in the 5 years I've owned the rig, I probably saw it was hillbilly built. In recent memory, it has never crossed my mind. With it all detached now, I can't say I've ever seen a worse weld. I'll bet better pics of the truck side tomorrow.

Jeremy you spoke too soon brother. I've been saving the best (or worst) pics for last. This is where my story ends.

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NS. I want to know what kind of truck it was. And it appears that he had the rig tied down by the "suspension" and not to the axles.

Same way Dirtball parked his rig in the back of his truck.
 
My rig i have to tie the front down to the frame no room on the axle, but the rear i tie off to the axle, still scary though wish my tiny axle had more room for straps lol
 
Thats a home made booty fab hitch. Of course it was going to break even with those awsome penetrating booger welds.

I tie my rig down by the bumpers. Otherwise my jeep dances all over the trailer with the wind.
 
Thats a home made booty fab hitch. Of course it was going to break even with those awsome penetrating booger welds.

I tie my rig down by the bumpers. Otherwise my jeep dances all over the trailer with the wind.

So when your suspension compresses, so do your straps, allowing them to snap that inch or so?

I'm a big fan of attaching to the axles. No play. Time for a new poll.
 
Same thing dirtball said.

100% horseshit.

If you don't believe me, I will tow your rig up or down a dirt road, and you can follow behind, it may change your mind.

Listen do whatever you want. I know what works for me. I've done the axle thing and personally it scared the **** out of me.

Here's something to think about when going around the axle. How tight are you sinching it down, are you sure your not bending your axle??
 
Listen do whatever you want. I know what works for me. I've done the axle thing and personally it scared the **** out of me.

Here's something to think about when going around the axle. How tight are you sinching it down, are you sure your not bending your axle??


Bend an axle with a ratchet strap you've got to be kidding me right:eeek: :haha:
 
i got an idea, why not do it both ways...

tieing around the axles is only going to add protection and sucking the suspension down is going to let you tow alot better...
 
i got an idea, why not do it both ways...

tieing around the axles is only going to add protection and sucking the suspension down is going to let you tow alot better...

or do it like me and go half and half, strap one axle down and one end of the frame down, seems to work really well acctually:awesomework:
 
Suck's about your XJ man...

looks like it was or could still be a trail worthy rig!...


Damn..

attention span on here is shorter then a 5yr olds..:fawkdancesmiley:

50/50 is the safest I have seen btw
 
Some people like to bust my balls for being overly conservative and even a bit anal retentive about prioritizing proper equipment in good working order over go fast goodies.

I was driving this truck down 512 into Puyallup when the FACTORY hitch failed, causing the trailer to sway out of control and jackknife the truck at 60mph:

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WADOT investigation pictures of the truck being recovered:

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The Waggy hulk that was being towed home (the 401, T18, and Dana 20 all lived):

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No pictures of the trailer, just imagine a tandem axle trailer with a tweaked frame, bent hitch, and mangled fender.

This was not my truck. I had asked a friend to borrow his trailer to tow with the Suburban I owned at the time and he insisted/talked me into taking his truck as well.

As I was descending 512 into Puyallup, the trailer began to sway. My first action was to get on the trailer brakes and straighten it out, but the swaying just kept getting worse. As a last resort I then stomped on the gas to try and pull out of it, but that didn't work, either. The truck and trailer quickly jackknifed at what I figure to be about 60mph, pushing me into the guard rail, at which point the truck did an immediate 180 degree spin, flipped upside down on top of the gaurd rail, slid for a bit, then barrel rolled down the hill. The trailer seperated from the truck, flipped upside down, the tie down chains broke, and the Waggy and trailer skidded down the shoulder upside down. After they X-rayed me about a million different ways at Good Samaritan hospital in Puyallup, I left with 3 stitches in one of my fingers, scratches on my left arm and shoulder, and a lot of pain. I consider myself lucky to just be alive.

Some jacks, tools, wood blocks, a pair of cylinder heads, etc that were in the bed of truck were ejected into the path of traffic that was following me down the hill. Unfortunately, it was a group of motorcyclists, 5 of whom crashed and 4 of which suffered injuries. 2 had abrasions and soreness, 1 broke his arm and 1 broke his ankle.

A subsequent investigation focused on why the hitch receiver had seperated from the vehicle. It was revealed that the factory hitch was missing a couple of bolts from when it was originally installed and several others had loosened up in the time since. The investigator said that there was basically nothing anybody could have done once it began to shift around and push the back of the truck around. The fact that a 2 foot long draw bar had been used to compensate for an extended length camper probably did not help matters, either.

Between personal injuries, medical costs, the vehicle losses, gaurdrail, and a settlement paid to me by my friend's insurance to not sue him or them for the faulty equipment, the total damages were probably near the $200,000 range.

You're Goddamn right I'll be overly conservative and even anal retentive about towing from now on and I don't give 2 sh!ts what anyone else thinks about it.
 
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