Date: Fri, 13 Sep 2002 12:01:42 -0400
Reply-To: David Brodbeck <gull@CYBERSPACE.ORG>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: David Brodbeck <gull@CYBERSPACE.ORG>
Subject: Re: long-distance towing
In-Reply-To: <001f01c25b36$2431cbc0$11692341@cfl.rr.com>
Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII
On Fri, 13 Sep 2002, Matthew Libby wrote:
> Most vehicle manufacturers do accomodate this with t-hook holes in the frame
> rails, you cant secure to a tie rod, trailing arm, half axle, or cv shaft.
> they will bend and break.
Yes, but the frame rails are not unsprung, which would make them illegal
to use under NC law according to the post below...
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "G. Matthew Bulley" <gmbulley@BULLEY-HEWLETT.COM>
> To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
> Sent: Friday, September 13, 2002 10:31 AM
> Subject: Re: long-distance towing
>
>
> > NC law forbids flat-bed tow trucks from securing the vehicle by any
> > "sprung" portion of the body. All cable/chain anchorages MUST be
> > un-sprung, (or darned close to it) which means A-arms, trailing arms,
> > tie rods, half-axles, etc. are fair game.
> >
> > The thinking (of the NCDOT) is that the body of the car must be free to
> > bounce up and down as the flatbed rumbles over railroad tracks and speed
> > bumps at 70 mph. It is possible that if a tow truck driver latched onto
> > a typical body anchorage while the vehicle was static, once the load
> > became dynamic (3,000 lb van bouncing DOWN, then UP over a railroad
> > track) that the typical body anchorage could break under the inertial
> > load of 20-50k lbs. It makes sense.
> >
> > It would be nice if vehicle manufactures accommodated this with
> > un-sprung anchorage points.
> >
> >
> > Developing business and guiding change since 1996,
> >
> > G. Matthew Bulley
> > Bulley-Hewlett
> > Marketing & Communications
> > Business: www.bulley-hewlett.com
> > AIM = IExplain4u
> > Phone: +1.919.658.1278
> >
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM] On Behalf
> > Of SStones
> > Sent: Friday, September 13, 2002 8:24 AM
> > To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
> > Subject: Re: long-distance towing
> >
> > At 05:34 PM 9/12/02 -0500, you wrote:
> > >I saw a really beautiful baby blue Jaguar XKE convertible absolutely
> > ruined by
> > >two idiots.....one that did the towing, and the other that permitted
> > it. That
> > >XKE flexed sufficiently to cause the doors not to close properly.
> >
> > I'm not denying that many "Professional Tow Truck Drivers" are
> > incompetent,
> > but what the heck did they do to it to permanently warp the frame? All
> > modern tow trucks lift cars by the wheels, be they front or back, a lot
> > like the stresses put on a car by having it sitting on the ground. What
> > did
> > these guys do to it?
> > Poor car.
> >
> >
> >
> > >I turned down an authorized AAA tow and sent back and got a flatbed.
> > Only
> > >way to
> > >go. Why should I tow, when all the real towing competitors have the
> > flat-bed
> > >service?
> > >
> > >Go for full service!!
> >
> > That's still going to be supporting the car/van by the wheels on the
> > back
> > of the truck... I'm not trying to be argumentative (Heck, it took me
> > three
> > tries just to spell it) but a flat-bed operator could screw it up just
> > as
> > good by hooking on to the wrong thing. I've seen a car lowered off of a
> > flat bed into a dealership service lot with the cable hooked over a
> > tie-rod.
> > So long as it's a 2 wheel drive van it oughtta be okay towed by any tow
> > truck, so long as the owner is there to make sure the operator isn't
> > doing
> > anything idiotic.
>
_ _
__ _ _ _| | | | David M. Brodbeck (N8SRE) Ypsilanti, MI
/ _` | | | | | | +-----------------------------------------------------
| (_| | |_| | | | @ cyberspace.org
\__, |\__,_|_|_| "The VW camper is a brilliant invention -- it's like a
|___/ Swiss army knife for the road... It's the stealth RV."
-- Wayne Curtis
|