Worst mistake I made while towing this summer

ryanprins

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I towed a trailer all across Canada and back last summer, did 30k and did it all pretty safely in my opinion considering I did all the driving and the size/weight of the trailer compared to the car. This was by far the most dangerous thing i did. It was an incredibly beautiful drive, there was no traffic, the road was flat and straight, i had been driving for a few hours and i was sightseeing while eating a cookie..... I have no idea how I missed all the rumble strips and signs, but I somehow did. It looks so stupid to watch, especially when you think your a safety concious person and are trying to be careful. This wasn't an overly sharp corner, if it hadnt been raining i probably could have taken it at 100kmh, the point is more that I missed all the signs. I dont believe I left my lane, but because of how much water was on the road i could not brake as hard or turn as sharp as I would have liked. I will post a photo of my car and trailer i was towing below, then the video where I missed the signs, then below that a scenery video. The scenery on this drive was absolutely amazing. Its on the drive from Terrace to Prince Rupert B.C, Canada.

bc27c8f647743e1c583943d97c1be1bb.jpg


Swerving video:

Scenery video:


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I guess from the rumble strips that quite a few other people make the same mistake!

They should put a few small wiggles in the road before the big one to get peoples attention.

Is the car actually rated to tow that weight of trailer, or do you not have towing weight regulations in your country?
 
It take a big man to drive a small car,,,, i always say if people start to comment on my little car.

For sure you will have to be careful how you load that trailer.
 
It take a big man to drive a small car,,,, i always say if people start to comment on my little car.

For sure you will have to be careful how you load that trailer.
I passed this a couple of days ago, I'd be most worried about misjudging the width of gaps it could fit through:

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I guess from the rumble strips that quite a few other people make the same mistake!

They should put a few small wiggles in the road before the big one to get peoples attention.

Is the car actually rated to tow that weight of trailer, or do you not have towing weight regulations in your country?

Thats a long story :) short version is we have towing weight regulations for each province that are a little confusing. They dont mention weight ratings of the vehicle itself for pleasure use. The authorities are very picky with anything commercial or any pickups for pleasure use. But i think they understand a little bit that an suv thats rated to tow 3500 pounds in the uk is rated for 1500 pounds here. My wifes car is rated to tow zero here but 1000 pounds unbraked and 1700 pounds braked in australia. My brothers car was rated to tow 700 pounds here, nothing in the usa and 1500 pounds in the uk... i think they give cars and suv's a little leeway, but maybe not.

So i spent about a year reserching and 2 winters modifying the car. I talked a lot with a guy who has been towing way more than i did with these cars nearly stock and i made mine safer and towed less than him. Bigger brakes off another vehicle, all new suspension and steering components, bigger axles off another car, heavier suspension, custom tow hitch that distributed the weight very well. Bought the best tires i could find, had them shipped here from another country, bought the best tires i could get for the trailer. I built the trailer specifically to be towed by this car- i made them to match. It was a 2000 pound trailer and i put a 3500 pound braked axle on it so larger brakes than needed, i made sure i built it to meet every trailer spec from every province and the states i was going to even when some of them seemed silly. I emailed the departments of transportation in different areas i was going to get clarification on some things before i finished building. I built the trailer to be very stable and it was. No sway at all.
I drove it like i would a semi weighing 140,000 pounds. Very carefully, not like you would to commute. Checked bearing temps every day, started out checking my trailer brake adjustment every 2-3 days, always know who is behind you and so on.
I fully expected to be pulled over on this trip and have to justify what i was doing but it never happened. Follow all the rules and drive carefully and i guess they leave you alone.
Reality was the tongue weight was only 200 pounds (like a fat guy sitting in the back seat) and the entire deal- car and trailer weighed less than a dodge charger that some of our police drive with 3 people in it. I could probably stop as fast as a 90's lincoln town car that weighed the same. I just couldnt speed up any faster than a loaded semi..... :/

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It take a big man to drive a small car,,,, i always say if people start to comment on my little car.

For sure you will have to be careful how you load that trailer.
For sure. I had a bathroom weigh scale and weighed the tongue after every time we moved anything in the trailer. 170 pounds was too light for emergency manouvers, 200 pounds was good, 240 was a little more than i wanted on the car- front end was more stable with under 240. You dont have to move much around to change the tonge weight! Especially when hauling a lot of water...

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My brothers car was rated to tow 700 pounds here, nothing in the usa and 1500 pounds in the uk...
Probably not the same car, UK suspension is often very different to USA suspension, tyre sizes are often different, Australia insists on larger door mirrors than the UK which add to fuel consumption so they always fit smaller ones here because we take note of fuel consumption etc.

I think you would probably be OK here too, but only because it is an older car, newer cars have much stricter towing rules than they used to have, but cars tend to also have worse/cheaper suspension than they used to have so maybe the stricter rules are necessary.
 
My mothers friend helped with his little trailer, so went to the yard got a butt-load of long 2 X 4" that was like 5-6 foot off the back of the little 5 foot trailer, driving home with all that weight back there his rear wheels was lifted partly off the ground and he got into a snake, resulting in him going off onto a field while all the wood was spread all over the road.
of course dealing with hills like you guys have weight are a issue for sure, over here in flat as pancake Denmark its more a question of how the load are placed, and some can be really stupid with that.
Which make me wonder, tomorrow i have to help my friend get a pellet furnace home, it is around 250 kilos, but i have no idea of its size and how we can place it on his also small trailer.
And we will be 4 people to load it, but getting it off, well thats pretty much up to me alone as my friend cant do squat with his shoulders, and it is over 30 years since i was able to deadlift 150 kilos.

I have seen on the local cop programs on TV people drive with mini diggers ASO absolutely not secured at all, things i only expected to see in Russian dashcam compilations.
 
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