Fatal Towing Accident

[data farm 26]

wow his kids were there in the truck, that is just as horrible as it gets.

 

[TreeCo]

At the moment that the towing system pulls tight it would be a good time for the towee to lean over in the front seat for a second or two. Also the driver of the tow vehicle is at the end of a stretched rope and at moment of pull tight hiding as much as possible behind the B and C pillars would be a good move. Or laying over on the seat keeping your head down.

Such a gruesome accident. So sorry for all involved.

 

[flushcut]

Couple months ago I had a line pulled to 2000 lb (with load cell on it) as an experiment in cutting lines under load. I draped about 100 ft chunk of half inch stable braid across it to deflect the spring back forces. Well that rope when I cut it, ripped out of there just like the old tablecloth under the dishes trick. Weight on the line didn't appear to help one bit. More testing is necessary obviously, but that's not the result I was imagining......

Try a heavy canvas tarp next time please, placed midline of the line under tension.

 

[Daniel]

Couple months ago I had a line pulled to 2000 lb (with load cell on it) as an experiment in cutting lines under load. I draped about 100 ft chunk of half inch stable braid across it to deflect the spring back forces. Well that rope when I cut it, ripped out of there just like the old tablecloth under the dishes trick. Weight on the line didn't appear to help one bit. More testing is necessary obviously, but that's not the result I was imagining......

good info.. where on the line did you put it? by the cut, in the middle or by the anchor/force?

 

[Daniel]

The full article is here.

@Reach You were right. They took a "running start" to try and yank the truck out of the mud.

there was no way a running start was going to get that thing out of the mud... dumbasses.. I can't help it when it comes to my reaction to the cost of such stupidity.

 

[Daniel]

At the moment that the towing system pulls tight it would be a good time for the towee to lean over in the front seat for a second or two. Also the driver of the tow vehicle is at the end of a stretched rope and at moment of pull tight hiding as much as possible behind the B and C pillars would be a good move. Or laying over on the seat keeping your head down.

Such a gruesome accident. So sorry for all involved.

how about leaving your kids in the back seat.... WTF

 

[flushcut]

there was no way a running start was going to get that thing out of the mud... dumbasses.. I can't help it when it comes to my reaction to the cost of such stupidity.

Have you done much muddin? Because a running start with a kinetic recovery strap is exactly how to unstick a truck stuck like that. I’ve seen it done hundreds, if not thousands, of times with trucks lifted taller and sunk deeper.
I drove a 73’ cj5 running a 360 on 35’s. We called the full sized trucks “depth finders”.
The “dumbasses” part is using a tow ball as the attachment point.

 

[Mick Dempsey]

Did not know that, thanks.
What attachement point should be used?

 

[flushcut]

You should use a solid attachment point like a large shackle with a solid draw bar in the hitch receiver. That eliminates any possible leverage on the draw bar. And just like tree work dynamic force on a hitch can exceed the breaking strength of it. Look at it this way how strong would your rigging system need to be to catch a 6000 pound chunk of wood negative rigged that was allowed to drop ten feet first?. At a guess well above the the 10,000 pound rating on a hollow draw bar hitch.

 

[Treetopflyer]

My grandfather taught us to wrap chains or static strap around a tire before a heavy pull

 

[Mick Dempsey]

You should use a solid attachment point like a large shackle with a solid draw bar in the hitch receiver. That eliminates any possible leverage on the draw bar. And just like tree work dynamic force on a hitch can exceed the breaking strength of it. Look at it this way how strong would your rigging system need to be to catch a 6000 pound chunk of wood negative rigged that was allowed to drop ten feet first?. At a guess well above the the 10,000 pound rating on a hollow draw bar hitch.

Yes, I see the leverage aspect on a tow hitch now you point it out.

 

[JCB]

there was no way a running start was going to get that thing out of the mud... dumbasses.. I can't help it when it comes to my reaction to the cost of such stupidity.

I hear you but many people lack the insight, wisdom, and experience to foresee the dangerous mechanics in such situations--especially if they grew up in a city apartment rather than in the suburbs or on a farm. At 16 years old, I recall towing our broken-down cars across the city with little more than quadrupled clothesline rope. And when I finally moved to the countryside, I yanked many objects in much the same way. When I look at these instances, I shudder to think how many times we could have been injured/killed.

The first time I saw someone place a heavy moving blanket on top of a pull chain (that subsequently snapped) I began to see the light. And you should have seen the questions in my brother's (an engineer) eyes when, years later, I proactively weighted the rope attached to his truck's hitch--as he sat looking at me from the driver's seat!

Then, when I married a farmer's daughter, I learned another lesson: Always place heavy objects in the front of the pickup-truck's bed, so they don't launch and kill you. If not for my father-in-law, I may never have foreseen the danger therein. Ask my buddy whose wheelbarrow's handle smashed in alongside his head!

We live, we learn. As for the kids in the truck, I used to fly my new 4-wheel drive truck through the air with nieces and nephews for a laugh. For the most part, people find excitement (and solutions to problems) wherever they can, and they tend to use the equipment and expertise that is available. Looking back, we're all lucky to be intact and alive--and thankful that somewhere along the line we got smarter.

 

[B-RAD]

When I pull using the back of the truck I remove the ball hitch from the receiver and pin the strap eye inside of the receiver with the hitch pin works great for me if it fails it should only be the textile flying through the air instead of a large metal missile.

 

[Mike Islander]

Looks like several bad decisions. Never tow with ball hitch. Never tow with static rope. Use systems made for task.

Also "looks" like they were stuck and getting snatched, but I can't really tell.

Bring soft shackles for the receiver or hard shackles for tow points.

I know it's easy to say. Sorry for their loss.

 

[evo]

The “dumbasses” part is using a tow ball as the attachment point.

I thought I read it was a static rope too?

 

[evo]

My grandfather taught us to wrap chains or static strap around a tire before a heavy pull

Having a hard time visualizing this can you elaborate?

 

[Reach]

Having a hard time visualizing this can you elaborate?

Use two chains/straps, connect one end of a chain/strap to each vehicle, the other end of each is connected to the tire, so the tire is in the middle and can stretch, so to absorb the shocks when you’re pulling.

 

[evo]

Use two chains/straps, connect one end of a chain/strap to each vehicle, the other end of each is connected to the tire, so the tire is in the middle and can stretch, so to absorb the shocks when you’re pulling.

Oh so a shock dampener in the middle.
Get it.

 

[Mick Dempsey]

Would that not just increase the whiplash effect?

 

[Reach]

Would that not just increase the whiplash effect?

I’m not certain, but I don’t think so. I don’t believe a tire is springy enough, I think it will largely dampen the forces similar to how a dynamic strap would work.