Trailer Accident

[Nac]

Here is a 20 ton tag being pulled by a single axle it had a Genie boom lift on went around the bend and rolled the trailer the machine stayed chain on but the trailer got lose from the truck. I was on my way to pick up a box and saw this while I was makeing the bend that why the pic was not so good. Later on that day I was getting a pin made and a guy walks in looking for a new pintel hitch for his truck it was the same guy that rolled the tailer. It seem that the latch bent and thats why he lost the trailer.

 

[celticcrusader]

a good example of why a 20t trailer shouldn't be on a single axle. better yet I have seen contractors pulling 12t trailers with thier p/u's and it would scare you if you saw what they had on the trailers. what happened to common sense or fear ?

 

[Nac]

When i saw the guy buying a new pintel hitch they where going to put a 45 ton pintel hitch on the single axle. That what i have on my triaxle the problem is not the hitch it is the driver in my view.

 

[NateV]

Why shouldnt 20 ton trailers be pulled with a single axle? Thats how we pull ours. We are leagl to put 12 ton on the deck. Like NAC said its more the driver than anything. You cant drive the truck like a sports car.

 

[digger242j]

Are those Genies, or those lifts in general, top heavy?

 

[Nac]

yes top heavy and long putting all the wieght on the tongue of the trailer

 

[celticcrusader]

there's nothing wrong as long as you don't over load the truck and balancing the load on the trailer is also important. Just like flying weight&balance!!!!

 

[AtlasRob]

Ooops!

It seem that the latch bent and thats why he lost the trailer.

O, It would have been a manufacturing fault then. I hope he's going to sue the butt off somebody I was thinking maybe he was going to fast

 

[nedly05]

a good example of why a 20t trailer shouldn't be on a single axle. better yet I have seen contractors pulling 12t trailers with thier p/u's and it would scare you if you saw what they had on the trailers. what happened to common sense or fear ?

I move everything we own with a 20 ton trailer and a single axel. We never load it to 20 tons, 14 is the most, and thats not very often. I mostly move our 8 ton excavator, and it's fine, been through DOT and everything. I wouldnt dream of loading a 160 on and going, thats too much for a single axle, a little common sense is all you need.

 

[celticcrusader]

I'm sure the latch bent after the trl. rolled or he had negitive tounge weight to start with and the eye lifting up bent it

 

[thejdman04]

driver was prym mostly to blame

 

[danielm]

I bet that left a mark.

 

[ASPHALT04]

Looking at the way the tongue on the trailer is broken, it looks like their might have been some fatigue or a previous crack on the right side of the tongue. You wouldn't think that just the trailer coming loose would cause only one side of the tongue to sever like that??

Kinda confusing to me!!

 

[digger242j]

I don't see anywhere the tongue is broken.

 

[Construct'O]

I don't see anywhere the tongue is broken.

Hard to tell if that is a break or a shadow in the picture.Lower part of the tongue at the triangle?????:beatsme:usa

 

[RollOver Pete]

Problem?
Whats the problem :beatsme

 

[cat320]

don't see anything wrong looks like most U-Hauls going down the road lol.

 

[euclid]

so being complacent is the object to the lesson here? I mean it can't happen to me! Until an accident does happen do we figure out something is wrong :Banghead

 

[digger242j]

Hard to tell if that is a break or a shadow in the picture.Lower part of the tongue at the triangle?????

I think that's the shadow of the jack. It seems to me the metal floor between the tongue members would have obvious signs of bending if the tongue had failed, but it looks nice and smooth.

so being complacent is the object to the lesson here? I mean it can't happen to me! Until an accident does happen do we figure out something is wrong

A friend of mine ended up in exactly the same situation. Hauling a 65 foot Genie lift, on a 20 ton tag trailer, except that he was driving a tandem. It happened going around a corner, after having been stopped for a red light, in (I think) only 2nd or 3rd gear (out of 10). That's why I asked above whether they're top heavy. A lot of people pointed fingers at him, but seeing this very similar accident makes me wonder if tag trailers are just not suited for hauling those lifts. Could it be that a fifth wheel trailer is more stable, while a pintle gives room for the trailer to lean too much?

I guess the moral of the story is to be extra cautious if you're the next guy asked to haul one with similar equipment.

 

[Tacodriver]

I have come very close to doing that exact thing with a Genie lift on tag trailer. Looked in the mirror and could clearly see the springs completely unloaded and I was crawling around the corner.
I am a lot more comfortable pulling stuff with our semi truck and lowbed.