Re: Tragic 69 Camaro Crash of the Year !!!!!!!
 

Andy, interesting explanation there. Hopefully Jim's friend's attorney is on top of this.

Well Jim, if they part the car out, tell your friend I'm in need of a RS headlight set up if he's able to sell it and it still works.

Re: Tragic 69 Camaro Crash of the Year !!!!!!!
 

Gald to hear the driver was OK. That is one sick image.
I would have thaought that towing with a Dually would be a safe bet, however if the only contact point on that long trailer was a 2 5/16 ball that tapers down to 1 inch at the shaft then that was not enough.

There are better hitch solutions out there. This is what I use:

http://i285.photobucket.com/albums/l...llsmall300.jpg

Hensley Arrow

Re: Tragic 69 Camaro Crash of the Year !!!!!!!
 

Wouldn't it be possible that the ball snapped as the truck rolled ? If so, can you prove that the broken ball caused the accident, or was it the accident/loss of control that caused the ball to break ? https://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/imag...lins/dunno.gif

Re: Tragic 69 Camaro Crash of the Year !!!!!!!
 

I see that the 'ball hitch' has become the focus of this thread. Please keep us updated on the cause of this crash. I've seen trailer balls in the store that are 'quickly-interchangeable' by sliding different size diameters over a straight shank. No thanks....not for me! In fact, I have an expensive Stainless Steel ball on the back of my Duallie and sometimes I look at it and hope that it's not that same soft stainless steel that hardware store bolts are made from. Those hardware store stainless bolts are extremely soft and twist off easily. I'd hate to have a trailer hitch ball of the sale material.

Re: Tragic 69 Camaro Crash of the Year !!!!!!!
 

[ QUOTE ]
Wouldn't it be possible that the ball snapped as the truck rolled ? If so, can you prove that the broken ball caused the accident, or was it the accident/loss of control that caused the ball to break ? https://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/imag...lins/dunno.gif

[/ QUOTE ]

This is a good point. Regardless of the performance of the ball, it is certainly possible that a similar event would have happened even if the ball didn't break. Perhaps the circumstances leading up to the ball's failure (the jack-knifing, etc) put the load on the metal above its rating..

Re: Tragic 69 Camaro Crash of the Year !!!!!!!
 

If Jim's friend found the nut and shank from that 2-5/16 ball at the scene of the accident, then it did not cause the accident. Most likely it sheared on impact with the guard rail or as it rolled in the ditch. Remember the cause of the accident was hard braking to avoid stopped vehicles, which resulted in jack knifing the truck and trailer. The whole rig hit the guard rail backwards while jack knifed. Anyone want to guess the stress factor on that 1 inch ball shank on inpact?

Re: Tragic 69 Camaro Crash of the Year !!!!!!!
 

The Broken nut with the threads attached were laying on the highway in the right lane. If it had snapped when it rolled it would have been down in the mess not just laying there.

Jim

Re: Tragic 69 Camaro Crash of the Year !!!!!!!
 

How far from the scene did he find it? I say it broke on impact or as it was sliding while jack knifed.

Re: Tragic 69 Camaro Crash of the Year !!!!!!!
 

That car is repairable, hopefully it gets saved. Glad he didn't get seriously hurt.



Andrew

Re: Tragic 69 Camaro Crash of the Year !!!!!!!
 

Jim....if you have more pics that you want posted, send them to me via email and I'll be happy to post them for you.

[email protected]

Really sorry about your friends truck and Camaro....if there's any silver linning in this story, at least no one was hurt!!

Re: Tragic 69 Camaro Crash of the Year !!!!!!!
 

Poor poor Camaro. What a shame. I really hope it get's fixed. This isn't the first trailer related accident I've seen lately and it definitley isn't the first accident regarding muscle cars going or coming from shows either.

Re: Tragic 69 Camaro Crash of the Year !!!!!!!
 

Jim,

I'm curious to know, was the car thrown from the trailer? Or did the straps hold it to the trailer and when the emergency crews got there they removed it?

-Dave

Re: Tragic 69 Camaro Crash of the Year !!!!!!!
 

The car was thrown from the trailer snapped the tie downs on the deck on rear. 1 tie down still attached to the trailer 1 still on the car bent the daylights out of the racthets.


To answer an earlier question the ball was rated at 25,000lbs pictures to follow

Re: Tragic 69 Camaro Crash of the Year !!!!!!!
 

I agree. It's fixable. I'd want to set it on a frame machine before anybody cut on it. JMHO

Re: Tragic 69 Camaro Crash of the Year !!!!!!!
 

Can some one take the very first picture that is an attachement in the beginning of this post and put here to show how it all ended up Please. Thanks Jim

Re: Tragic 69 Camaro Crash of the Year !!!!!!!
 

[ QUOTE ]
Can some one take the very first picture that is an attachement in the beginning of this post and put here to show how it all ended up Please. Thanks Jim

[/ QUOTE ] https://www.yenko.net/attachments/432...0%5B1%5D-1.jpg

Re: Tragic 69 Camaro Crash of the Year !!!!!!!
 

Jim... did the truck have a brake controller? it shouldn't have jacknifed if it did, and was adjusted correctly...

Re: Tragic 69 Camaro Crash of the Year !!!!!!!
 

Brand new and worked fine. I towed that trailer after it had flipped 700 miles home with NO problems Brakes worked great we both have the same controller. Again there was no damage to the A front frame of the trailer which would have been there from jacknifing together. My speculation from being there and tring to figure it out with people at the scene for hours was as jeff moved sharply to the left lane the ball broke seperating the trailer , the momentum pushed the nose of the trailer into the left rear bumper throwing everything into a backwards move rotating the truck to strike the guardrail with the drivers side doors as confirmed by Jeff. The saftey chains pulled everything around and as the brakes locked it went down the ravine tumbling until the chains gave up. remember the brakes have a 2 second delay and this happend in a split second. The truck looks like the car and the trailer went right over the roof and ejected the car as it rolled for the second time.

Jim

Re: Tragic 69 Camaro Crash of the Year !!!!!!!
 

that makes sense then.... you can adjust the delay to about 2 tenths of a second though the gain adjustment, a 2 second delay can be fatal, as you've traveled more than 4-5 times the total length of the tow rig, or about 300 ++' before the trailer brakes are energized to the adjusted strength. He was over the rail and headed down the hill before the brakes were energized.

Re: Tragic 69 Camaro Crash of the Year !!!!!!!
 

I cant tell you exactly what the delay was but its not instant I used that number as a reference. but there is always a momentary time delay before they engerize. He has towed for 20 plus years so it wasn't new to him.

Jim

Re: Tragic 69 Camaro Crash of the Year !!!!!!!
 

To the statement that the ball shouldn't have been at the scene. When it broke, it was still travelling the same speed as the truck and would have continued down the road as well. So it is possible.

Re: Tragic 69 Camaro Crash of the Year !!!!!!!
 

How did the trailer handle with the car loaded up backwards like that?

Sorry 'bout your friend, glad he's OK. https://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/imag...lins/frown.gif

Re: Tragic 69 Camaro Crash of the Year !!!!!!!
 

It was fine, it was centered over the axles to give just enough tounge weight. 700 miles back here hit rain entering Washington DC all the way here for the last 100 miles even that wasnt too bad just had to be really aware of the idiots everywhere cutting Us off.
I have some other picts that Jeff just sent me I hadn't seen just after it came to rest that I will be putting up.

Jim

Re: Tragic 69 Camaro Crash of the Year !!!!!!!
 

Sorry to hear this unfortunate result.
https://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/imag...lins/frown.gif

Re: Tragic 69 Camaro Crash of the Year !!!!!!!
 

I've hear of an extremely similar accident happening because the car was loaded in an enclosed trailer backwards.

Re: Tragic 69 Camaro Crash of the Year !!!!!!!
 

Sad to look at,glad everyone came out OK...

Re: Tragic 69 Camaro Crash of the Year !!!!!!!
 

Had to tow it backwards to keep from ripping the top all the way off of it. With the windshield frame smashed and the holddowns ripped off of it it was the safest way to transport it. You can tow like that if you center the weight so your not tail heavy with No tounge weight.

Jim

Re: Tragic 69 Camaro Crash of the Year !!!!!!!
 

How does insurance work on something like this? You buy a car, load it on a trailer to take it home, then what? Did he have an agreed value policy written for the car before the trip? If its somehow covered by the trucks and/or trailers insurance policy, certainly its not going to cover whatever the car is truely worth.

Re: Tragic 69 Camaro Crash of the Year !!!!!!!
 

take the ins $$ and buy the Divorce Sale one on the LA Craigslist

Re: Tragic 69 Camaro Crash of the Year !!!!!!!
 

did he have sway control or a weight distribution hitch...

Re: Tragic 69 Camaro Crash of the Year !!!!!!!
 

[ QUOTE ]
Had to tow it backwards to keep from ripping the top all the way off of it. With the windshield frame smashed and the holddowns ripped off of it it was the safest way to transport it. You can tow like that if you center the weight so your not tail heavy with No tounge weight.

Jim, so you towed it home from the accident backwards. What about when the accident happened? Was the car on the trailer backwards?

Re: Tragic 69 Camaro Crash of the Year !!!!!!!
 

It was loaded forward centered correctly. He tows almost as many miles a year as I do , here there and back again.
Jim

Re: Tragic 69 Camaro Crash of the Year !!!!!!!
 

Jim...Please call me I am tired of leaveing messages!!!

Dave

Re: Tragic 69 Camaro Crash of the Year !!!!!!!
 

Jim requested a few more pics of the accident be posted.

http://www.chevroletcamaros.com/imag...marocrash1.jpg

http://www.chevroletcamaros.com/imag...marocrash2.jpg

http://www.chevroletcamaros.com/imag...marocrash3.jpg

Re: Tragic 69 Camaro Crash of the Year !!!!!!!
 

It looks like he was towing with a one ton, four door dually. If that is the case, that car, on an open trailer, could be loaded on the tongue, on the back, anyhwere, and not be a problem. And even if the trailer brakes were not working, would still stop in a reasonable distance.

As per the ball, my guess it snapped when the trailer jacknifed, hitting the truck. Just think of the force that would create (leverage) when that occurred.

Re: Tragic 69 Camaro Crash of the Year !!!!!!!
 

where is the load leveler bars and friction sway control bar? where they on there??

I had that EXACT truckn and I can tell you 100% without those it WILL come around on you... that thing sits high on the chassis anyway, and has little tires, when the nose dives, the trailer nose rises up, and swings things around... I have an employee that just had this happen to and he flipped a tow rig on I95 just south of Melbourne Fla

Re: Tragic 69 Camaro Crash of the Year !!!!!!!
 

Did he tow with load leveling sway bars on the hitch? They look like these.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...DSCN0299-1.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...DSCN0300-1.jpg

Second, did the airbags deploy in the truck?

-Dave

Re: Tragic 69 Camaro Crash of the Year !!!!!!!
 

I don't think the rating of the truck has anything to do with it. The placement of the car is going to have a direct affect on the tongue weight, which will have an impact on weight on the rear suspension of the truck regardless of the truck's rating. When we got our enclosed a few years ago we were very careful with setting up the full load tongue weight. I could roll the car an inch forward or back and completely change the weight on the tongue scale. What it came down to was loading each car in and finding the perfect vehicle position over the axles, and then marking the position of each car. I know it was said that everything was done correct and by the books, but we are all human. Maybe the car actually wasn't correctly loaded over the axles prior to leaving.. There are so many variables to this, we'll probably never know the answer.

Re: Tragic 69 Camaro Crash of the Year !!!!!!!
 

Wow, very sad. No matter, this fellow is very, very lucky to be able to tell his story. Glad he is okay.

RMX

Re: Tragic 69 Camaro Crash of the Year !!!!!!!
 

I use VERY HEAVY CHAINS WITH SCREW CLOSE ATTACHMENTS RATED FOR MORE THAN TRAILER PLUS VEHICLE WEIGHT... had a set of S hooks straighten out on the boat once... ONCE!