trailering mishap - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

t walgamuth · #1 11-03-2006, 05:50 PM

today my 280e euro fell off the trailer on the way out to my indie's shop.

my brother and i loaded it onto the trailer and he was taking it out there when it fell off the trailer! he said he saw it come off and was afraid to stop the truck and trailer because he thought the car would run into the back of it. but it was in gear and just stopped right in the lane without swerving at all!

he said the one i had tied down came loose. apparently the hook which i had hooked on lower a arm slipped creating slack and it just rolled off! the parking brake doesnt work either.

apparently the high ride height is good for something because he said the rear didnt appear to have hit and the front splash apron just grazed the end of the trailer as it came off!

it is out at the indie now getting the springs changed for h and r 1" lowering springs. they called and said that the konis on the back have lost their gas. so i called luke at tire rack. he said that koni might want to rebuild them. he also said he doesnt have them for the front. it currently has bilsteins for the front, so i guess i will keep them at least for now.

i took it around the block today. it accelerates fiercely! i cant wait to get it on the autocross track for a little fun!

i guess i will have to get some safety chains to chain the car to the trailer.

tom w

deanyel · #2 11-03-2006, 09:57 PM

What transmission does it have, or did it have?

t walgamuth · #3 11-03-2006, 10:35 PM

it is the five speed. and it seems to be uninjured. he wasn't going very fast and was able to drive it back on the trailer and off at the indie's.

it was in first, thank goodness. and one of the rear tires is kindof bald and very very old. i am pretty sure it is one of the ones that was on it when i sold the car ten years ago to the fellow i bought it back from. so i expect it probably slid some.

tom w

t walgamuth · #4 11-07-2006, 08:14 AM

so i went out yesterday and looked it over. the front valance is crumpled up around the bottom of the radiator so i think we will pull the rad and push the metal down there. also the pan is pushed up a bit so we will have to take that off and straighten it. i dont want any blockage to oil flow whilst i am thrashing about the autocross course!

the lowering springs have it hunkered down nicely. it will probably put me in with a bunch of modified mustangs and camaros though so it might not be the smartest move i ever made.

tom w

POS · #5 11-07-2006, 08:17 AM

Wow. Sounds like you got lucky!

riethoven · #6 11-07-2006, 08:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by POS

Wow. Sounds like you got lucky!

Oh yes! You were sooo lucky. Sounds like no real damage and the car could have been totaled.

I lost an entire load of moulding in the middle of a busy 6 lane road because I had not tied it off well enough. I never moved so fast in my life to get the moulding loaded back up. I think the PO felt sorry for me and didn't ticket me. I got the moulding to the jobsite and there were only a couple of pieces that were unuseable. I too was very lucky.

seo · #7 11-07-2006, 09:24 AM

I don't mean to sound like somebody's spinster aunt, but for God's sake! You were lucky somebody didn't get killed either by your car rolling off the road and into somebody's front yard, or by some other driver ramming it.
In my varied working life I've hauled everything from grain to baled hay, scrap iron, boats, logs, and lumber. The hauler has a specific legal duty (not to say moral obligation) to see that his load stays in place. Any accident caused by a spilled load is your fault.
Also, if your insurance company can show that the load was not properly secured they can get out from under coverage of damage to the load. They can't get out from under liability for secondary damage (load spills into daycare play yard, squashing half a dozen brats). But one accident like that may very well have you paying assigned-risk insurance rates for a very long time.
End of Sermon.
seo

t walgamuth · #8 11-07-2006, 02:27 PM

well....seo.... i agree totally.

and the reason i posted is to remind folks what can happen if they dont secure the load correctly.

btw, i decided the reason it came loose is that i didnt get enough overlap on my ratchet to keep it from slipping through the center slot on the little axle. so beware about that.

tom w

Pete Geither · #9 11-07-2006, 07:19 PM

Within the last 6 months we have had 4 people killed by trailers that came detached or unsecured loads. One incident was a wood chipper that came loose, crossed the highway and killed a father and 2 of his tripplets. Very bad scene. Another involved a loaded paint compressor that flew off a truck and hit a car and killed the driver. Both drivers are being prosecuted for homicide and God help the owner of a trailer or load that isn't secure in these parts.

seo · #10 11-08-2006, 07:34 AM

I think that a load can be secured well with chain&binder, strap ratchets, cable ratchets, and even with rope. The trick is that the person securing the load has to know what he's doing, and must pay attention. Another trick is that you have to have a safety tie that is there to prevent the load from doing anything disasterous AFTER the primary binder has let go. That's what the safety chains on a trailer are for, and a rolling load like a car on a trailer should have something similar. Hooks are quick, but screw-shackles don't come loose.
I'm sure that everyone knows this, but the center of weight on a trailer has to be far enough forward so that the tongue is weighted. How much? It depends on lots of factors, including how many axles are on the trailer. But the certain sign that the tongue is too light is the trailer weaving.

t walgamuth · #11 11-10-2006, 10:04 PM

i am going to pick up a length of heavy chain and a loop with the screw sleeve on it to use as the fail safe device on my trailer.

tom w

t walgamuth · #12 11-11-2006, 04:03 PM

i wouldnt have done that.

i would have put on my turn signals as soon as i saw it and began moving over so he could see it.

no matter if he was on the phone or not someone could have been hurt, including innocent bystanders.

i wouldnt want that on my conscience.

tom w

Jim B. · #13 11-11-2006, 04:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by buckwheat

.... Within 2 secs, my friend had run over the headers, with a gunshot sound and sparks were showering from under his truck like a fireworks factory had just blown. Maybe a fire under there, couldn't tell.

Last I saw was he was sliding it off the side, looked like the front left was actually not touching the ground. I kept watching, he appeared to be redialing another call, head down, then I lost sight.

Tailgating is hell aint it?

Hits the headers and is STILL on the phone? Good lord, what does it take with some people??

That's as bad as Hattersguy's wreck, he was stopped and some woman on the cellphone drove into the back of his car at 60 mph. And then kept talking on the phone.

And Nate's car got rear ended by a 190 Mercedes by a guy on a cell phone trying to operate a whole office on the front seat,,,,laptop, cup of coffee, everything. Those people who do that are getting more and more numerous, the Insurance companies are already noticing it, asking "Were you on the cell phone when you wrecked?"