close to the same thing happened to me a few years ago. I unhooked the trailer thinking my friend was going to leave his quad on it, but he pulled it off at about the same time. the trailer shop up in the air and into the back of my blazer. Nobody was injured, but my wallet was pretty hurt.

I feel your pain...glad nobody was hurt there.

__________________
My Primary Driver - '85 300CD - 4-speed conversion, 2.47 rear, lowered, euro headlights, rebuilding (not restoring so much)

Wife's - '08 Saab Sportcombi Aero

Riding a '03 Yamaha Warrior

Ever heard of "Galloping Gerdy" a.k.a. the first Tacoma Narrows Bridge? Here is a link to some video of it.
http://www.history.com/media.do?id=mm_ed_bridges_broadband&action=clip

They talk mostly about the role that aerodynamics played in destroying it, but the aerodynamic forces of the wind were just the energy input that amplified the resonant frequency oscillations until it failed. It was the oscillations that caused it to break apart - that really shows the destructive force of resonance...

__________________
1984 300 Coupe TurboDiesel
Silver blue paint over navy blue interior
2nd owner & 2nd engine in an otherwise
99% original unmolested car
~210k miles on the clock

1986 Ford F250 4x4 Supercab
Charcoal & blue two tone paint over burgundy interior
Banks turbo, DRW, ZF-5 & SMF conversion
152k on the clock - actual mileage unknown

Bustedbenz, I didn't want to run the engine because of the problem I was going repair. The torque converter flex plate is cracked and it makes baaaad noises when running. I didn't want it to get worse or break all the way. Sweet rifes there by the way Cphilip! Paul

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http://img212.imageshack.us/img212/5...andbenzqj3.jpg1979 W123 300D Silver with Blue interior

Made it a Sticky.
This is important data that may prevent another accident.

Above all, glad you made it out unharmed.

Future reference for anyone planning to use a tow dolly:

1. If in doubt, call a professional tow truck. It may seem expensive at first, but amazingly cheap compared to possible medical/legal/repair bills for a simple "oops". Then there is always the "death" bill. Tow trucks are CHEAP. Murphy's law doesn't make appointments or work on schedules.

2. If you refuse to heed rule #1 and must continue to tow a vehicle on your own, DON'T use a tow dolly. Put the vehicle to be towed onto a trailer that is rated to carry the weight of the towed vehicle. In park, parking brake applied, strapped/chained down, and facing forward, it becomes a stable load on the trailer. Ensure your towing vehicle and hitch is rated for the load. Pulling a trailer changes the driving characteristics of any vehicle. Keep that in mind.

3. O.k., you are going to use the tow dolly anyways. You decided that "what if", well, won't.

a. Vehicle to be towed should have the steering wheels on the dolly. Steering geometry is designed to go forward. No vehicle to my knowledge has ever been designed to be stable at highway speeds in reverse.

b. The tow dolly uses the suspension of the vehicle being towed to keep it's wheels in contact with the road's surface. If you can avoid it, don't bind down the chassis to the dolly, use tire straps/chains. Let the towed vehicle's suspension do it's job.

c. If you have to disconnect the drive shaft, do so. A few minutes under the vehicle is cheap insurance. Disconnect the shaft from the rear end yoke and secure to the chassis, or remove completely. Don't forget to remove universal joint (or in this case, flex disc) and simply run some tape around the universal joint to keep the caps and bearings in place.

Some folks sing the praises of tow dollys, how safe and easy and fool proof they are, and how they have towed ten ton dump trucks from coast to coast on them using a 1500lb VW as the tow vehicle, whatever floats your boat. I've done some miraculously idiotic things myself and been lucky enough to tell the tale. But the fact is sometimes common sense isn't enough. Remember Murphy's law? It will bite you.

I have spent many years behind the wheel as a professional tow operator. Even with the proper professional equipment, towing a car backwards can be disasterous. I've lost one before, and seen many others lost by fellow operators, one resulting in fatality to oncoming traffic.

Folks, don't tow things backwards. Always refer to rule #1.

-=voice of gloom and doom, signing off=-

I had about 20 pieces of 4x8 sheet of 3/4" plywood evenly stacked on a snowmobile trailer...zero tongue weight and pulled that from Oshkosh back to Appleton with a Jeep Wrangler in '85.

Almost didn't live to see '86.

At about 55 mph on Hwy 41, going over the Butte des Morts bridge, the Jeep, with 6 people (including me) in it, started oscillating...crap was starting to head for orifices that were tightening up like they'd never been tightened...first thing I did was take the foot off the gas and grab the wheel hard and hold the thing as straight as I could...when the oscillating quit...not one person said a word ... and once we got off the bridge (doing about 35 mph w/flashers going) we decided that the highway was WAY TOO FAST for where we were headed...we decided that the extra time needed to drive the lake road was time well spent...

Seeing the guard-rail up close and almost personal (the water/lake was also in the near vacinity) was enough to TEACH me to load trailers with more attention than I had given before that lesson.

That said, the lessons on camber, caster and toe-in/out is additional levels of knowledge that I would prefer not to personally test - but I do understand the physics of said items enough to know they make sense quite well. And not loading trailers properly just adds up to STUPID if any/all of the above items are not taken seriously...

Keep in mind...safety chains, ball-hasp locks and proper lighting are considered by some as window-dressing, but I won't touch a tow-job, trailer or vehicle if this stuff isn't 100% functional and safe...lighting alone, if not working, will run you over 150USD with the additional, obligitory, 3-points on your driving record in Wisconsin. Let's not even discuss what happens if the safety chains aren't attached properly or the ball-hasp is properly engaged.

That's for another post...pictures will be included...

__________________

M. G. Burg
'10 - Dakota SXT - Daily Ride / ≈ 172.5K
.'76 - 450SLC - 107.024.12 / < .89.20 K
..'77 - 280E - 123.033.12 / > 128.20 K
...'67 - El Camino - 283ci / > 207.00 K
....'75 - Yamaha - 650XS / < 21.00 K
.....'87 - G20 Sportvan / > 206.00 K
......'85 - 4WINNS 160 I.O. / 140hp
.......'74 - Honda CT70 / Real 125
.
“I didn’t really say everything I said.”
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ~ Yogi Berra ~

Paul,
Glad everything made it without major damage.
I cannot understand yet what happened.
I towed a 190D from Missouri to Michigan in a snow storm backwards on a tow dolly-1100 miles
I towed a car from West Point NY to Michigan on a tow dolly backwards-700 miles
I towed a 180D from Vacaville CA to Michigan in the winter backwards on a tow dolly-2100 miles
I towed my 240 60 miles backwards on my tow dolly.

Some rules I follow:
1. Always tow with a van, not a truck when towing backwards
2. Never exceed 60 mph. A mile a minute is good enough.
3. Make certain steering is locked and wheels on the ground do not dog track
4. Ensure that the towed vehicle is properly secured at the ball and receiver to the towing vehicle
5. Periodically stop and check tightness of all connections AT LEAST every 500 miles, but 250 is better. Walk around when you get out for fuel or a pit stop.
6. Make sure your tires are good+ properly inflated, your tranny and engine fluids have been changed within intervals and your cooling system is ok.

__________________
Strelnik
Invest in America: Buy a Congressman!

1950 170SD
1951 Citroen 11BN
1953 Citroen 11BNF limo
1953 220a project
1959 180D
1960 190D
1960 Borgward Isabella TS 2dr
1983 240D daily driver
1983 380SL
1990 350SDL daily driver alt
3 x Citroen DS21M, down from 5
3 x Citroen 2CV, down from 6

when i was planning to tow my 300sd from new mexico to pa, i asked the uhaul guy about loading it 'backwards' to avoid the driveshaft removal, and he gave me a unequivocal, big, fat "NO!"....his comments were confined to the steering issue and not being able to secure the steering enough to make it stable; even went as far as to speculate about the steering lock breaking from the load......a buddy flipped his old blazer by improperly loading a small uhaul trailer.

__________________
0o==o0

James 4:8

"...let us put aside the blindness of mind of those who can conceive of nothing higher than what is known through the senses"
-Saint Gregory Palamas, ---Discourse on the Holy Transfiguration of Our Lord God and Savior Jesus Christ


Centrally located in North East Central Pa.

i've towed plenty of MBs and other things for many miles upwards of 80MPH at times and some went along like they were'nt even there but others nearly put me in the ditch. one got a strap loose from the dolly and swung the whole rig, --Van, dolly and 67 250 SE across my lanes and into the median. All stayed upright and in a straight line. Must have been that 10% of the lucky ones. Tried to put the rear onto the dolly once and I didn't get out of the parking lot before I had to take the drive shaft off and put the front on. I attribute it to a poor front end geometry for going backwards and the inetivable bit of looseness in the steering mechanism.

If one has ever driven backwards very fast, we are soon to realize that it is not as directionally stable as going forward. That is because of the designed toe-in for forward travel that "centers" the vehicle in the direction of travel--being forwards. When going backwards, the effect is having the steering wheels towed out in the direction of travel and has a tendency to wander all over the road. Of course, when towing, there is no input at the steering wheel to correct that wander and it very soon becomes out of control.

Mention was made of the heavier weight being at the rear and making it go wild. The MBs are more equally distributed regarding vehicle weight from front to back and one would imagine, at first, that the front is much heavier but it isn't. so, backwards or frontwards is not that much of a consideration. Nevertheless, half of the vehicle weight at the end of that long tail is something to be contended with when it ever gets swinging. The biggest issue is that when we use a dolly, the towed car "steers" the dolly and unless the tow car is very heavy with great traction on the roadbed, The "tail will wag the dog". In those circumstances, making the appropriate correction up front is not usually an option since we have four axles to think of---all going in different directions. The boss is in the back. If you are doing 75 on the interstate, like I have many times, you may as well kiss your a--"goodby". Period.

The best scenario is to create the conditions to avoid ANY swinging to begin with. everything secured snugly with no slop in the train. Tires up to road pressure and even a couple of pounds more. tow vehicle heavy enough and well roadworthy, steering very well maintained and adjusted. Insurance policy up to date????

I have had enough of these "white knuckle" experiences and will be finding a flatbed if I have to do much more long distance hauling. I could have been dead many times and I havn't been that good that I should have been saved---except to pass this on.

Sparky

Whether towing with a dolly, towing with a trailer, or even towing a trailer where the weight is is indeed key.
I've towed for years with everything from a Caprice SW to an F350 sd LWB and can tell you without a doubt where the weight sits is key.
I have seen a school bus being rocked by a camper/travel trailer improperly loaded with the team's sports gear, experienced the death wobble while towing my race car because I had to put it on the trailer backwards and with the weight very far back due to race damage, and even had a W126 sip n pass car rock my F250 because I loaded it backwards and tried getting over 70km/h among others. Slowing GENTLY controls it and speed is a factor.
If you MUST tow with the weight at the back just take it easy.
If you are towing and you get the death shake try moving weight forward of the trailer axles or moving weight to the tow rig. If you cannot simply go slow.

I won't comment on the capacities and weights of this situation but it had absolutely nothing to do with the steering or how the vehicle was secured to the dolly.

I am mostly happy it ended well for the individuals involved.

__________________
I don't know the same things that you don't know.

Shayne

85 W126 SD OM617.951
87 409D 650S OM617.913
93 E34 Touring M50B25TU
02 E46 Sport M54B30TU

Yes, you can tow a vehicle backwards on a dolly behind a motorhome because it weighs 20 times more than the towed vehicle and is not affected by the swaying motion of the dolly. Still not advisable.

__________________
Cars:
1993 400E
1993 300TE Wagon
1985 300D Turbodiesel w/ 688,000 Miles On Original Eng/Trans
1979 300SD
1977 Euro 6.9
1967 230S IMA Universal Wagon
100 Or So Parts Cars

You Cannot Change your Future Without Disturbing Your Present

It Looks A Whole Lot More Like It Did Today Than It Did Yesterday?

until the towed vehicle whips it self so hard it breaks off of the dolly and causes a massive pile up.

Yup. Seen that.

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1991 560 SEL / 185k miles
1992 750il / 17k miles - project car

Hi guys, I'm about to tow a volkswagen bus with a '98 dodge ram 2500. the motor of the bus is in the back as most people know. so the weight is as well..

My first thoughts were, back it up onto the tow dolly. but now I'm confused. I'm sure the front end of this 1963 bus isn't all that tight. should I just tow it normally, with the front on the dolly??

it's a manual anyway, no need to unhook driveshaft.

thanks

hdp

Put the bus on a trailer.

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'93 190E/D 2.5 Turbodiesel 5-speed (daily driver)
'87 190D 2.5 Turbo rustbucket - parts car
'84 Dodge Rampage diesel - Land Speed Record Holder
'13 Ram 2500 Diesel
'05 Toyota 4Runner