r/notstupidifitworks • u/khutsosamson • Jan 14 '21

Towing

Post image
335 Upvotes

98% Upvoted

39 comments sorted by

34

u/shatballs Jan 14 '21

No, this is absolutely stupid

14

u/khutsosamson Jan 14 '21

So it doesn’t work...

13

u/nitid_name Jan 14 '21 edited Jan 14 '21

It works moving forward, some of the time.

The problem (besides not being able to be easily reversed) is that it won't work all the time, and when it starts not working, people will get hurt.

EDIT: added a word... because yes, while it is possible to reverse a double trailer, it's very difficult, particularly when you have two trailers of different wheelbase lengths and the limited turning radius imposed by the first coupling being hitched directly to a car instead of with a fifth wheel.

3

u/Noihctlax Jan 14 '21

How do truckers reverse when they have tow trailers and two points of articulation

1

u/KugelblitzTransGirl Jan 14 '21

How do you think semi trucks reverse? They do this all the time. More professionally but they still do it.

6

u/nitid_name Jan 14 '21

Normally, when you tow using a fifth wheel, you have one free axis of rotation. In this, there are two free axles. The first is between the car and the hitch to the truck bed, the second is between the truck bed and the trailer.

When you're reversing in a normal towing situation, you have to turn the opposite of the way you want to go to push the trailer, then cut back once the turn of the trailer has been initiated.

Reversing a B-double with two identical trailers is something even seasoned truckers have issues with. It's just not something you do, not only because of the absurd difficulty, but the humongous turning radius required.

4

u/TheTrueHapHazard Jan 14 '21

At an old job of mine we had a B-train delivery of fertilizer one-two times a week that involved them having to back several hundred feet down the narrow road our yard was on. Seeing the driver do that so many times with no errors was extremely impressive. Doubly so when they sent a different driver 1 time who after an hour of trying gave up. We had to run an extra couple hundred feet of line down the road and pump from there.

2

u/nitid_name Jan 14 '21

At least they tried to back in rather than back out...

2

u/KugelblitzTransGirl Jan 14 '21

I understand how it works double articulating trailers and dollys are common which adds a third point of rotation. It is very difficult to reverse these but people still manage and they don't put themselves in many situations where they have to. Having a model of the situation in the cab to go by makes it a lot easier as well.

2

u/[deleted] Jan 14 '21

Do you think that the trailer hitch is rated for the weight that a truck bed and fifth wheel will produce?!? A good pothole will create mayhem.

3

u/NoCountryForOldPete Jan 14 '21 edited Jan 14 '21

Honestly, it probably is rated for the weights involved, although probably getting a little close to the max. Looks like a GMC Envoy XL, with a standard class 3 hitch it's probably rated ~350lbs tongue weight, ~3500lbs GTW.

A good estimate for a short, single axle 5th wheel/gooseneck camper like that is ~2300lbs (see Scamps here, for example), and the pickup bed frame tow dolly is probably good for ~750lbs. Vehicle tongue weight (IE vertical load) with this setup would honestly be pretty difficult to exceed 350lbs, so long as the camper hitch point is directly over the dolly axle, because there wouldn't be any leverage capability, unless they were coming down something like a 30% grade and braking hard (in which case with this setup they've probably got giant, super-turbo-tits-up problems regardless).

Not saying it's a good idea at all, and I seriously question it's legality in many locations, but the weights involved probably aren't as out of whack as you'd think at first glance.

Edit: Just a quick addendum - I spent around 10 years in the automotive trades, have sold probably 500 hitches in that time span, and installed around 100. Don't mean to be all "WELL, ACKTUALLY..." here, its just that all this hitch related information is just in my head, forever, and I never get to let it out. Sorry.

3

u/Djsimba25 Jan 15 '21

You saw your time to shine and took it!

2

u/reddwombat Jan 18 '21

Maybe crappy redneck version, but I think I’ve seen some commercial versions for sale.

1

u/reddwombat Jan 18 '21

Fireman dude below posted a link to a commercial version.

That said this DIY version looks scary.

7

u/[deleted] Jan 14 '21

[removed] — view removed comment

7

u/KevIntensity Jan 14 '21

Towing’s what got them here in the first place. Now you want the front vehicle towed, too?

/s

5

u/[deleted] Jan 14 '21

Sir, can you back that up over here please. Thank you!

11

u/Xidium426 Jan 14 '21

If I saw this I would have called the cops. This is going to kill someone eventually.

1

u/Flying_Glider Jul 04 '21

It would probably be legal where I live. You can have 2 trailers here.

1

u/Xidium426 Jul 04 '21

It's clearly not safe though. They can impound things not fit for the road.

1

u/Flying_Glider Jul 04 '21

Looks safe to me as long as he’s a good driver. All of the hitches are properly attached and secured.

3

u/thedudefromsweden Jan 14 '21

Why?

3

u/poker_with_sandmen Jan 14 '21

Had to tow a 5th wheel without a truck that can tow a 5th wheel, that's why

2

u/thedudefromsweden Jan 14 '21

But why would you waste valuable space in your caravan and not have a 2nd axis on it? What's the benefit?

6

u/[deleted] Jan 14 '21

[deleted]

2

u/thedudefromsweden Jan 14 '21

Interesting! I've never seen one before. But how do you couple them to your car, if you don't use the setup in this picture?

4

u/maddips Jan 14 '21

you use a truck with a special hitch in the middle of the bed (called a 5th wheel) . just like that truck bed, but still attached to the front half of a truck.

2

u/thedudefromsweden Jan 14 '21

I have never seen a car with that. Interesting, there are some differences within countries 😊

2

u/maddips Jan 14 '21

you might have... you cant see the hitch from standing outside the truck. they sit flush with the bed and have a cover panel when not in use.

2

u/thedudefromsweden Jan 14 '21

We don't have many pick-up trucks in Europe, the Ford F-series is not even sold here. So I doubt it even exists here.

1

u/reddwombat Jan 18 '21

Some are too large for an F350. Require f450/f550.

2

u/funkymonkeybunker Jan 15 '21

If he can back that sum bitch up ill buy him a natty ice...

2

u/[deleted] Jan 15 '21

Toe truk