How NOT to trailer your car

[SFM6S087]

https://www.foxnews.com/auto/video-unoccupied-classic-muscle-car-wrecks

Ouch!

[Shelby_r_b]

Geez!!!   

[mark p]

"but officer, it was in 'park'

[2112]

I see the State Trooper doesn't recognize the difference between a '67 Malibu and a '70's Chevelle. (his tweet was released earlier)

Probably looking forward to self-driving pods.

[Bigfoot]

Gunna buff out.

[NC TRACKRAT]

Similar thing happened to a fellow instructor headed down to Roebling Road towing his BMW late at night, he suddenly realized that the car wasn't on the trailer anymore.  Went back a couple of exits and re-traced his route...still no car.  Went back again...finally saw some tire tracks going off the road into a flat field, overgrown weeds.  The car had come to rest with only minor scrapes!  Drove it out of the field, put it back on the trailer and cinched it down tight!  True story.

[Side-Oilers]

Similar thing happened to a fellow instructor headed down to Roebling Road towing his BMW late at night, he suddenly realized that the car wasn't on the trailer anymore.  Went back a couple of exits and re-traced his route...still no car.  Went back again...finally saw some tire tracks going off the road into a flat, overgrown weeds.  The car had come to rest with only minor scrapes!  Drove it out of the field, put it back on the trailer and cinched it down tight!  True story.

That's the definition of a lucky day!

[Chris Thauberger]

This is why you are suppose to use chains boys and girls.

But then anyone can tow a trailer you don't need any special training  ... you just have to be smarter than the trailer... 

[Chris Thauberger]

https://driving-tests.org/beginner-drivers/how-to-drive-with-a-trailer/

https://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/sites/fmcsa.dot.gov/files/docs/Drivers_Handbook_Cargo_Securement.pdf

[deathsled]

Treacherous...

[rhjanes]

Man.....  I walk around and check all the tie downs twice.  Then shut the trailer (if enclosed).  Shoot, I pull out of my driveway, put the truck in park, jump out and check the hitch is down and locked and the safety chains are well attached and not dragging.  Then walk around the trail and look under it......

And almost daily, I see someone with a poorly secured load, dragging a chain or a tie down.....

[Side-Oilers]

rhjanes:  Yep, I do like you and quadruple-check everything, and then do it again at each gas/food/pee stop along the way.

Agreed with seeing someone almost daily with a poorly secured load.  Ever rented a U-Haul trailer?  The amount of hands-on teaching they give you is a slam-bam-get-on-your-way  two-minute tutorial.  Never anything about how to properly tie down a load.  It's probably written on their site, or on the back of the rental form in micro-type, but no one ever reads that stuff. 

I'm amazed I don't see more of those things flipped over or with loads flying.

[Bill]

Is it me, or do we not see any tie downs, or remnants of tie downs, or axle straps on the car, or the trailer shown in the video (upper right hand side of the screen)?

Park a car on the trailer, heck, we are only going one exit down, we don't need to tie it down 

[Side-Oilers]

Ok, just got home from a drive. Saw a pickup hauling a gardener's type of open trailer. One of his very long safety chains had come loose somewhere along the way and was wedged under the front tandem-axle tire on the right side of the trailer. That wheel was locked up, with the wedged chain.

I got next to him and waved, honked, yelled, but no response. He finally turned left into another street and a guy followed him, honking his horn.

The tire was making such a metal and rubber screeching sound on the pavement (plus tire smoke) that you'd THINK he'd notice. But no.