I'm sure we've all seen someone towing a trailer that looks way too heavy or badly loaded for the towing vehicle, but in our news yesterday was one that pushed it further.....
As I've said before, you have to remember that outside the US people use "normal" passenger cars for towing far greater loads than you guys would with one, very few people drive trucks due to high gas prices and taxes. Passenger cars here have quite high towing limits, often higher than the vehicles curb weight and trailer hitches are quite complex items that tie into the vehicles structure in various places, all attachment points (and maximum towing/tongue weights) have to be stated by the vehicle manufacturer. Anyway, what was reported pushes towing limits way further......
The tow car in question is a 2003 VW Passat sedan, a turbo-diesel with manual transmission, these have a maximum towing limit of 1600kgs (3527 lbs) and a curb weight of 1450kgs (3196 lbs). Over here the maximum UN-BRAKED trailer weight you can tow is 750kgs (1653 lbs), anything over that must have brakes. You often see family sedans hauling travel trailers and the like, but one guy decided he'd use his for hauling scrap.......
(http://imagehosting.rodsnsods.co.uk/24255af8266c6594.jpg)
(http://imagehosting.rodsnsods.co.uk/24255af82671dff9.jpg)
Yep, he's using an unbraked towbar (A-frame) to haul a scrap family sedan (crammed full of scrap) that has the remains of a van strapped to the open trunk!
(http://imagehosting.rodsnsods.co.uk/24255af826752f49.jpg)
The only thing holding the van in place is a ratchet strap and as there's no articulation point between the van & the car it's strapped to, cornering must have been an accident waiting to happen.
Incredible.
And I thought "redneck" was a U.S. thing!! When I looked at the first pic, I thought he had made a fifth wheel setup using the old van as a trailer, and I thought , well that trailer doesn't look that heavy, what's Gary talking about...
Funny and sad at the same time...thanks for sharing.
WOW! He's got the whole tandem rig going on there! True Afro/Anglo engineering at it's best!
am guessing he got stopped and ticketed. those kind of guys have dumped loads right in front of me couple of times. no damage to them lots to my vehicles.
Zap- :unitedstates:
That guy should have been stopped and everything should have been towed away for the safety of the public.