I'm fanatical about securing cars on trailers. I use a big chain and rated shackes on the back, tensioned up with straps on the front end to avoid too much shock load in the event of an accident. if the trailer had a winch, that would be even better for tensioning the rear chain. I also use a backup 'safety' chain on the front in case the straps fail. And always check the shackle pins every time I stop to stetch the legs or fill up.

maybe we should do that next time we tow it somewhere!!!!

My boss at the time had put and RX4 wreck on the trailer backwards!! Coming down Lonsdale hwy at about 80kms the trailer develops the sways (due to car being on backwards)...... wait for it.....

The tow car complete with trailer and RX4 does a 180 degree turn at speed! the Rx4 comes off, braking all the tie downs and preceeds to role the correct direction down the high way with no one driving it!

Everyone was ok and the tow car and trailer survived without a scratch. passers by, cops, myself and the boss had quite a chuckle... a few years later!!

HAHAHAHAHAHAHA, that's a top one gx!

Copy on the exuberance of youth!

gx - I couldn't top that one even if I tried to mke one up. I did work for a tow company once and got a call to pick up a Rolls. I dont remember the model but it was one of the older big front grille, rounded front fender numbers. Anyway, it was dark and I had never towed a Rolls of this style before. As I was winching the car up on the roll-back I was very happy that I had installed a safety chain and was keeping it tightened up because the J-hooks slipped and if I hadn't I would have dropped the car on the ground with the owner standing there.

This didn't happen to me, it happened to a friend back in the '80's.

My friend was road racing a 1600 Datsun roadster in one of the production classes. He was using a tow bar on the roadster and pulling it with a 1200 coupe. I always thought he was nuts for flat towing the roadster with the 1200. He would load the heavy stuff in the 1200 and the lighter stuff in the roadster but the roadster still outweighed the 1200 by a good margin.

On Sunday evening on our way back from a trip to eastern Oregon we saw the 1200 and roadster combo pointing east on the outside eastbound shoulder of I_84 just east of Portland. This was bugging me cause I knew he had raced in Spokane that weekend. If he had a break down on the way home he should have been west bound side.

I gave him a call and found out that he had got cut off in traffic and had to get on the breaks hard. He lost control and did a 180 degree spin while sliding across the grassy median and across both lanes of on coming traffic coming to a stop on the shoulder of the east bound lanes. There was no damage to either car and fortunately no contact with the cars in the east bound lanes. This happened at ~60mph/~100kph.

my mates were towing a Hk holden(big car) with a Vs commodore ute down the towoomba range(steep hill), nearing the bottom they started to sway side to side.

They spun around and the hk came off the trailer and landed on the back of the ute at 45 deg angle. it flatened out the 1/4 panels on the ute and scraped down the side of the hk cutting open the doors.

The photos were funny but scary, they were both safe and the car where repaired.

I've heard of one really bad tow job, no first hand experience with a bad tow.

He did'nt tighten an oil line on his turbo, so he pulls over and its dark and he obioulsly cant fix it whith the tools in his car so he calls a tow truck and gets a ride home with a buddy. Now his car go towed by the front two tires (its a 240sx) and it fell off, jumped the curb and drilled a mail box. It was a heavily modded car and I belive his total for everything that got damaged was a little over 10K CAN. but the towing company did pay for the parts.Quote:

I was with my Dad towing his car trailer full of junk up the country.

A wheel from the trailer overtakes us at 80kph crosses the centre line and hits an oncoming car flying over their roof into the scrub.

So we pull over as does the other car.

We head over to the car to make sure they are allright, when we get there the driver says "did you see that black dog?"

Local (NZ) motoring identity Bob McMurray who has worked extensivley at McLaren F1 fairly high up the chain told a story at a local car club night. When he started at McLaren they used to put 2 F1 cars on a trailer & tow them to the track. He told of pulling up at a very busy inner London traffic lights on a busy Friday morning en route to Brands Hatch. The driver took off in a bit of a rush & BOTH F1 cars slipped off. They ouldn't turn around and went around the block. Both cars were sitting at the lights with a massive queue behind them. They had to start them up & drive them back on the trailer. Imagine what the Ronster would say about the nowdays! Classic!