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Gotta love those safety chains...

Horigan
Horigan Member Posts: 862
edited March 2021 in Trailer & Towing
https://www.bellinghamherald.com/news/business/national-business/article249967019.html?ac_cid=DM406852&ac_bid=-243794180
Rich
2019 T@b 400
2025 Toyota Highlander 2.4L Turbo
Bellingham WA
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Comments

  • Tampakayaker
    Tampakayaker Member Posts: 558
    WOW!  But I think the weight of the truck would've pulled a T@B over the edge with it.
    2006 RAM 1500 4 door, 2016 T@B 320 MAX S 
    Tampa FL
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  • rh5555
    rh5555 Member Posts: 536
    Truck doesn't appear to have a rear axle, and maybe no front wheels either.  I'm guessing it was jacked way up so that when it hit the side of the bridge, the wheels stayed behind and the body slid over the edge.
    Roger and Sue Hill | 2020 T@B400 Boondock (Cryst@bel) | 2022 Land Rover Defender 110 - P400 | San Juan Island, WA
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  • N7SHG_Ham
    N7SHG_Ham Member Posts: 1,261
    Sounds like was out of control first, guessing due to sway of trailer?
    2019 T@B 400 Boondock Lite
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  • pthomas745
    pthomas745 Administrator, Moderator Posts: 4,526
    Apparently, this was a bridge crossing at Malad Gorge on I-84.  It is pretty dramatic looking.  Not very windy out there yesterday, but I can see how a quick gust through the Gorge could ruin your day.

    2017 Outback
    Towed by 2014 Touareg TDi
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  • N7SHG_Ham
    N7SHG_Ham Member Posts: 1,261
    Been over that bridge many times. No idea of winds yesterday, but obviously something must of caused an out of control situation. May have nothing to do with winds or the bridge, just a bad spot to go off road.
    2019 T@B 400 Boondock Lite
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  • rh5555
    rh5555 Member Posts: 536
    A different view:
    So axles still attached, but 5th wheel trailer is on its side.
    Roger and Sue Hill | 2020 T@B400 Boondock (Cryst@bel) | 2022 Land Rover Defender 110 - P400 | San Juan Island, WA
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  • bergger
    bergger Moderator Posts: 1,077
    Here's a quote from the paper.  Sounds like a sway issue to me.  Sway is never good anywhere but to have it happen here is really bad! Lucky people.

    "Witnesses said the truck appeared to lose control before the crash, first swerving to hit the right shoulder barrier before sliding over the left-side guardrail. The truck then tipped over the bridge, with the camper blocking both lanes of the bridge."
    2021 T@b 400 BD  "Vixen Gail" 
    2018 Nissan Titan Pro 4X "Big Bird"
    Leadville Colorado
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  • 4ncar
    4ncar Member Posts: 1,072
    Speaks volumes for 1 ton DUALLY and a 5th wheel trailer. Not saying the single wheel axel was the cause, but this is why duallys tow better, they are a more stable platform.

    either way, pucker factor: extreme, and glad no one was severely hurt...
    TV- '16 Chevy Colorado LT Crew Cab-DuraMax
    2018 320S Outback
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  • ChanW
    ChanW Member Posts: 3,165
    edited March 2021
    Looks like they'll need a new drive shaft...   =)
    Chan  -  near Buffalo NY
    2014 S Maxx
    2011 Tacoma 4cyl ... edit: 2022 Tacoma 6cyl - oh yeah! 

     A_Little_T@b'll_Do_Ya
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  • N7SHG_Ham
    N7SHG_Ham Member Posts: 1,261
    This is a bumper pull trailer, not a 5th wheel, so sway could very well be a contributing factor. Definitely of a size of camper that should use sway control and probably a WDH. 5th wheels usually are pretty stable.
    2019 T@B 400 Boondock Lite
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  • rh5555
    rh5555 Member Posts: 536
    Got to wonder if they suffered from the Death Wobble
    Roger and Sue Hill | 2020 T@B400 Boondock (Cryst@bel) | 2022 Land Rover Defender 110 - P400 | San Juan Island, WA
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  • Dutch061
    Dutch061 Member Posts: 765
    edited March 2021
    Looks like a F-150, so Death Wobble not very likely. Several other thoughts that may have been a factor:

    1. Speed
    2. Wind - weather
    3. Tongue weight - trust me when I say if you ever pull a trailer with insufficient tongue weight you will never do it again
    4. Sway control or lack there of
    5. Weight distributing hitch (lack of)
    6. Turbulence caused by a passing vehicle
    7. Experience
    8. Overloaded 
    9. The obvious that I didn't list, it certainly could have been a mechanical failure 

    Pretty safe to say there was a need for fresh clothes at the end of the ride Thankfully to the good Lord that they will be able to tell their story to others. It is a story that I would be interested in hearing....

    Brad
    2020 400 BDL aka "Boonie"
    2022 Black Series HQ19 aka "Cricket"
    2021 F-250 Tremor with PSD aka "Big Blue"
    Concord, NC 
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  • dragonsdofly
    dragonsdofly Member Posts: 1,927
    To all interested in this thread, the truck is listed (in news reports) as a Ford F350. It is not a dually. Yes, it was a bumper pull trailer, not a 5th wheel. Safety chains would not likely have been involved with the hook up of a 5th wheel (although not impossible). The tow behind trailer had to be a beast as only safety chains of 10,000 lbs rating or above would have had a chance of supporting that truck.
    That assumption is based on the weight of my current tv, a 2015 chevy silverado 2500HD. My truck has a dry weight of over 8,000 lbs with a reinforced frame, including a gooseneck bed hitch rated at 30,000 lbs. We tow a 30' travel trailer with a gvwr of 10,000 lbs. Only something that large or larger with adequately rated safety chains would have stopped the truck and its momentum. 
    Fair weather and good roads wished to everyone who participates in this forum and contributes to its body of knowledge and wealth of experience. 
    2017 t@b sofitel(Dr@gonsFly)TV 2015 Silverado 2500hd(Behemoth). Wyandotte, Michigan.
    Draco dormiens numquam titilandus.
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  • 4ncar
    4ncar Member Posts: 1,072
    N7SHG_Ham said:
    This is a bumper pull trailer, not a 5th wheel, so sway could very well be a contributing factor. Definitely of a size of camper that should use sway control and probably a WDH. 5th wheels usually are pretty stable.
    Ya... I saw other pics after my original post that showed clearly that it was a tag hitch...dually still a better platform for larger trailers...
    TV- '16 Chevy Colorado LT Crew Cab-DuraMax
    2018 320S Outback
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  • Denny16
    Denny16 Member Posts: 5,431
    And the 30-foot trailer was on its side when the truck went over, or the truck going over flipped it over, and jamed against the guar rail.  Had the trai,ER remained on its wheels, the entire rig could have gone over the side, falling down into the 100-foot gouge.  :o
    cheers
    2018 TaB400 Custom Boondock,  Jeep Gladiator truck, Northern California Coast.
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  • N7SHG_Ham
    N7SHG_Ham Member Posts: 1,261
    There were some pictures showing a lot of stuff on back bumper of trailer in a carrier, looked poked up, fire wood, maybe generator, etc. I am guessing improper loading, no WDH, speed and then maybe a wind gust and out of control in a bad spot.

    While this TV and trailer are bigger than a Tab and usual tow vehicles, still good lessons about trailing can be learned.

    No one knows for sure what happened yet, but pictures tell a lot just by the weight on back bumper. High speeds (I have driven that road and very few go under 80, trailer or not), etc. Lead to bad things.
    2019 T@B 400 Boondock Lite
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  • Denny16
    Denny16 Member Posts: 5,431
    edited March 2021
    You should never tow a bumper/receiver type trailer more than 60mph, let alone 80 mph!  The larger the trailer, the greater the risk.  Driving too fast for the rig size/weight is an accident waiting to happen with any heavy/large trailer rig, where the trailer has greater mass than the TV — the trailer wins, TV looses.  :o
    cheers
    2018 TaB400 Custom Boondock,  Jeep Gladiator truck, Northern California Coast.
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  • Tampakayaker
    Tampakayaker Member Posts: 558
    Denny16 said:
    You should never tow a bumper/receiver type trailer more than 60mph, let alone 80 mph!  The larger the trailer, the greater the risk.  Driving too fast for the rig size/weight is an accident waiting to happen with any heavy/large trailer rig, where the trailer has greater mass than the TV — the trailer wins, TV looses.  :o
    cheers
    I guess you don't travel much on I-4 in FL.  Typical speed on that interstate for anything (except me) is easily 75 to 80.  Guess everyone is in a hurry to get to the Mouse House!
    2006 RAM 1500 4 door, 2016 T@B 320 MAX S 
    Tampa FL
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  • dragonsdofly
    dragonsdofly Member Posts: 1,927
    @Denny16, couldn't agree more. We have a 2017 t@b (320 S equivalent) and a 2006 Keystone Laredo 30' tow behind. Either way our top speed is 62 mph. One is respect and love of our t@b because our chevy silverado 2500 HD plays crack the whip with it and the other is we don't ever want the tail to wag the dog while towing the Laredo, which has a gvwr of 10,000 lbs. Truck loaded and big trailer loaded weigh virtually the same, giving the trailer a mark in the win column if a significant sway or unmanageable emergency ever develops. We choose to err on the safe side by not traveling at speeds exceeding the lesser vehicle's capacity. With the t@b in tow we are more nimble and have excessive power to apply to emergency situations, and with the bigger rig we have size and mass to overcome hazards. @Tampakayaker, I don't care about those speeding idiots. They are not going to make me drive any faster than my limit. They will just have to go 'round.
    2017 t@b sofitel(Dr@gonsFly)TV 2015 Silverado 2500hd(Behemoth). Wyandotte, Michigan.
    Draco dormiens numquam titilandus.
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  • Denny16
    Denny16 Member Posts: 5,431
    It’s your choice, safety first or ?
    Cheers
    2018 TaB400 Custom Boondock,  Jeep Gladiator truck, Northern California Coast.
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