Today's funny

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I know a very similar feeling. Driving a dump truck one time in a sudden wet snow squall drifted around a long sweeping curve but was able to keep it on the blacktop.

OR, seeing a trailer wheel/tire pass you, then notice it's from YOUR trailer. Happened to dad once when he was taking cattle to the sale barn..

that's when you wish you would have chained up your trailer too. Or take your 34 hour break. Bill

RIDING WITH MY DAD WHEN I WAS LITTLE SAW WHEEL GO BY STATION WAGON ON TURN ASKED HIM WHAT WAS THAT THEN CAR DROPPED DOWN WAS RT FT WHEEL MADE IT THROUGH HAY FIELD RIGHT TO LAKE!

When the alternative is getting flipped over or crashing into a bridge rail at 60 mph cause the chains held; I would have preferred that my trailer pass me up! The trailer ball shank sheared off on a empty stock trailer I was hauling one time.and yes I know it could take someone else out but the chains can cause the trailer AND truck to hit someone else too.

I think we all have had those O S-IT moments

Of your camper!

I had a semi trailer start to slide in the right side ditch one time when I was going down a hill in wet sticky snow that was falling down bad.we already had 4 inchs or so an I had to leave the shop to replace a drive that a car slide in to him on the road an the state guy wanted the driver to go get tested. So as I'm on this other road mad because I called the boss an told him that nobody should be out here driving he told me that the place needed the stuff in the morning and I'll be fine. As I was coming down a steep hill the 48 foot trailer deside to go in the ditch. Lucky for me there was nothing coming down the other side hill so I move over into the other lane an I kept the truck there keeping the trailer out of the ditch some as I wentered up the hill it pulled back behind me. I wasn't driving that fast but after that I was going even slower. Made it to the place then I chain up with single on the back axle on a set of single on the last axle on the trailer witch sure made things stick to the road then. The only thing good about this haul was I was still on the clock and on a good day it only takes a hour one way and this took me 5 to do.

Jon F., First time riding with my brother he was driving an old single axle Brockway with a single axle trailer. He hit a patch of black ice he says to me were gonna crash! Somehow he straightened her out I think he grabbed the trolly brake. That was 40 years ago ,good times!

I-40 about sunrise I was headed out on a sales run when a 3/4 ton truck and trailer loaded with temporary job site chain link panels stacked about 10ft. tall passed me doing about 85mph(legal is 75). Truck comes back into right lane trailer stayed in left lane. When it crashed it shut down 1-40. No one hurt so I went on my way.

(quoted from post at 08:29:13 12/19/20) When the alternative is getting flipped over or crashing into a bridge rail at 60 mph cause the chains held; I would have preferred that my trailer pass me up!

Click to expand...

Hoofer was referring to tire chains, not safety chains.

A neighbor lent his truck and bumper hitch trailer to a guy, the trailer came loose from the ball, but was chained to truck. It flipped the truck and totaled it. Chaining the trailer does not mean a safe ending.

Good morning all: My comment is on a small trailer incident, but teaches a lesson. I had a lawn tractor on my 5 x 8 utility trailer, and at about 40 mph, the ball- hitch came out of the receiver. (Lynch pin came out of large pin that holds hitch in receiver) The trailer stayed with my pickup ok, thanks to the safety chains. Moral of this story is: pay attention to which way you put in the lynch pin, the round spring clip that keeps the lynch pin in place can let the lynch pin fall out if lynch pin is facing the wrong way.

Dennis M. in W. Tenn.

With doubles you can get both mirrors full of your load. BTDT, gm

I always said when I was pulling three trailers, that one of the worst things was to read the trailer numbers through the windshield.

terrifying moments in some of your stories, gents.
But they pale next to mine.

Once I had to drive 175 miles, in the snow, with 3 colic'y 3 year olds, and a wife with PMS....
Sorry guys, but THAT was scary.
Everybody lived.

Fr. Bob

It is not all it’s cracked up to be

Many years ago I was pulling a one-way disk plow behind my tractor on the highway in road rear.
I happened to look back and saw the plow had come up along side of me and was very close to the rear wheel.
It scared the he!! out of me. I knew if I stepped on the brake the plow would ride the wheel up to me.
I slowly eased up on the throttle and the plow settled back behind me. I was lucky to have enough roadway to accomplish this.

I was training a new truck driver for a company and we were going through Columbia SC. It was raining like a cow pissing on a flat rock. The rookie was driving and we came over a hill and there was a wrecked car in our lane sideways. He slammed on the brakes without thinking and had a death grip on the wheel I looked in the mirror and told him he could move over to the next lane because the trailer was already there. LOL

I was pulling a 6X16 tandem on the
interstate and lost the lynch pin. Trailer
whipped a couple of times them broke the
safety chains. Luckily the trailer headed
for the right shoulder. It sheared off a
light pole and came to rest about a
hundred yards down the way.
Zero damage to the trailer other than the
chains. The receiver came lose when it hit
the pole and landed just ahead of my
truck. I shudder to think what would have
happened if it had hit a car.

Was taking a load to Portland, Or one winter, coming off the Elks Mt before getting to Rawlins, Wy there are gaps in the hills, at each one of those gaps a 25-30 mph cross wind was blowing snow across the road. So one minute your behind a hill and the next your in the open on a snow covered road with that cross wind slamming into the side of a 48' dry van blowing it sideways, as soon as you went behind the next hill the road was dry and the trailer would snap back straight behind you again until the next open gap.
It was a interesting few miles.

On I 80 going east as fast as a Rider truck will go ~71mph, the pavement crew didn't mark a 3 inch drop where they stopped the new asphalt. I was in a 24 footer, with a vw microbus filled with tools on a Rider 2 wheel tow dolly. The whole truck shuddered hard, and I stayed into the pedal. Looking back, I could see the dolly fender. However instead of the slice of it I could see normally, there was more of it, then less of it, then more. I put the truck (gear tranny) into neutral and coasted. Emergency blinkers on, zero brakes. at 20 MPH I pulled onto the shoulder (very nice packed earth, no ridge or drop off). as I rolled to a stop, the dolly and VW followed well enough. I rolled to a stop made sure I was stopped, and set the brakes. Completely off the road.
Inspection revealed the 4 inch square hitch beam had snapped the fillet weld at the 4 inch square axle. Zero metal attached. The only thing holding it together was the 1" diagonal pipe braces with flattened ends and 1/2 inch bolts (4 total) holding together. Woof.
We drove the Car (wife was convinced we were going to be stranded) back to the town we just passed Wamsutter, WY. There on the only road into town was a sign that said Rider Truck Welding Station (seriously) We pulled into the two stall shell station with great hope. The young man working said well the welding man was fishing for 3 days. O said well I am a welder, I see the welder, and I will weld it, OK? He said no. i said I will call the Station Owner and convince him to let me do it. He said sure, he lives in Rawlins.
I did. He took a bit of convincing, but when I discussed E7018 rods on the shelf, and DCRP, he said I think you might know how to weld better than Jake. So I ground the T joint with their 6 inch side winder, clamped (they had bar clamps!!) measured, and welded for 20 minutes. I checked the angle braces and all had stress cracks at the flattened bend. Ground and welded those as well. There was zero black paint, so it stayed in the silver. The station called Rider the next day, and explained what happened. When I turned in the dolly, the station owner took a look at the wels and got out the black paint. He gave us a meal at the diner and said wow what an adventure. The difficult part was taking the VW off the dolly so we could pull it back 1 mile to Wamsutter. Jim