Solid rock has specific gravity of 2.7 - 3.2 density and some sands (such as as Zircon sand) 4.6!
Your weight estimate may be a lot low.
If your ABS is coming on in the dry then the total load or its distribution may be out of limit, however that is what it is there for and although it may indicate that you are pushing it and may not stop in time, you are unlikely to hurt the brakes.
Not so the engine and transmission, which are not going to like dragging a truck load of sand about for very far.
Well, I don't know about "serious risk", driving 55 mph in the right lane is as safe as it gets. Besides, on a twin axle trailer the tongue weight is pretty low, anyway. Of course, towing a trailer twice the approved weight of the hitch still isn't the best idea, so you do have a point.
The oil change I did today fixed it. I parked in the same spot idling for several minutes without any issues. The oil must have been lower than I first thought, or maybe it was too thin...
I don't know. The max load for the trailer was just under one ton, so I find it very unlikely that the weight of the sand was much more than twice that. With a density of 3 tons/m^3 we're talking five tons, and that's a lot.
Come on, it's a BMW. It's designed to driven 155 mph all day long on the Autobahn... :-)
Nope. Wrong! It makes no difference if the trailer is a single or double axle, the tongue weight must *intentionally* be made to be approximately 10% of the load or you are setting yourself up for some serious fishtailing, which is a safety concern for you and those driving around you.
There are two weight ratings on hitches, tongue weight and towing weight. Neither should be exceeded for safety reasons, regardless of the tow vehicle.
Serious risk comes when the bonehead -- that's a relative term, it is difficult to find more of a bonehead than the guy with a trailer load of building materials behind a BMW -- in front of you slams on the brakes for some reason.
Tandem axle or single, the tongue weight is a function of where the scoop of building material is placed, if the material is on the back, then the tongue weight is low, if on the front then the tongue weight is high. Looking at the pic you posted, your weight is high. My guess is the trailer weight exceeds the hitch capacity, and the tongue weight is too high as well.
Frankly, if I was a cop and saw you coming, I'd be dropping in line behind you and hitting the lights, especially on the freeway. I might give a blind eye to a surface street infraction if the speed was below the posted limit and an extremely large following distance to the car in front of you, but on the freeway there would be know way you could haul that Sanford & Son load to a halt in an emergency. That load has no brakes. That is, the class of trailer hitch that would be reasonably installed on a BMW would not take a trailer brake controller, and therefore even if the trailer had brakes, the BMW isn't going to operate them.
Gentleman, let compare the load of a car or a boat put on a trailer pulled by a 5 series with regard to the sand load he is trailing. Is there a serious difference as far as the trailer is suited for ?
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You assume that the guy is driving like a mad. You make assumptions about the way he is driving on. Why shouldn't a BMW be used for transporting something else than diamonds or pearls ? Everything in your reply is subjective.
Sorry, but I find your reply as disrespectful and abusive towards the guy at the origin of the post. Are you a sherrif or a judge ? Have you special rights ? Are you superior because driving a BMW ?
I was in the right lane 2 sec. behind a semi both times I drove from the sand pit. I would have had ample time to take evasive action in case something unexpected were to happen.
You're probably right. Looking at the other pictures it looks like I got a much better distributed load the first time, despite a probably higher gross weight.
If you look at the picture again you'll see that the trailer has surge brakes so I don't need any brake controller. Also, if you think it's more dangerous driving on the freeway than on a surface street where there are kids, crosswalks, speed humps, intersections, traffic lights, bicyclists, etc., then you obviously don't know what you're talking about. I don't get what's so terrible towing a trailer with building materials either. You say recreational equipment is okay, so I assume you'd approve of me towing my motorcycle, but how about my lawn mower? Yes, no, or maybe only at night?
Sorry if I am repeat, but I dont have the time to read this entire thread.
The M30 engine is almost indestructable, however, like everything there is an Achilles heel. Lets start with the most infamous culprit- the oil spray bar banjo bolt. If it comes lose the oil pressure will drop and spin the bearings or worse. Another is the plastic check valves located inside of the oil filter housing. Symptom of an ill check valve (check the banjo bolt first) - oil pressure light takes several seconds to extinguish. The check valve allows the oil to bleed back into the oil pan and it takes several seconds for the pump to re-prime and fill the oil galleys again.
The M30 is a truly wonderful engine yet it will still require your affection.
I checked the banjo bolt when I adjusted the valves and it seemed tight.
I think I might have this problem. When I did the oil change and removed the old filter the filter housing was dry, except for a little oil at the bottom. I thought it was strange because I read that oil would splash out when removing the cover, but if the valve is broken that might explain it. The oil light does take a couple of seconds to extinguish, and sometimes flicker, after startup, but I figured that was normal on such an old car.
That's a good point. It doesn't really matter what one is pulling IF the load does not exceed the towing capacity of the vehicle. 5,000 pounds of sand is the same to the car as 5,000 pounds of boat.
I don't know the towing capacity of the 5 Series, but a casual observation is that it isn't 5,000 pounds.
Obviously you made it home alive. The problem is, you can't always be in control of your environment, and if a sudden change in the environment causes you to loose control of your machinery, then death or serious injury is certainly within realm of the possibilities that can result.
All right, the surge brakes improves things somewhat.
I think that 35 is safer than 55, but 35 on the freeway is a disaster waiting to happen. The trouble isn't WHAT is on the trailer, the trouble is HOW MUCH is on the trailer. Your car has a Max Towing Capacity, and the trailer you are using probably exceeds the capacity of the car even when the trailer is empty. A very light weight trailer, say 300 pounds, that has two jet skis of say 300 pounds each makes a total trailer weight of 900 pounds, this is a far cry different than what you are towing. Frankly, 600 pounds of sand isn't very useful and you need a bigger trailer than can haul jet skis or motorcycles, but this demands you need a bigger vehicle to pull the trailer.
And, in the interest of full disclosure, I do lots of stupid things with my cars and trucks. I am not dinging on you because, if I was faced with the same dilemma of how to get stuff home from Lowes or the gravel yard, I've been known to overload my vehicle. Once was a near disaster when a severely overloaded trailer took control of my Jeep and demanded more of the roadway than was considered to be available to me.
Back to your original question, if the oil level was low, then the oil pressure could suffer if the vehicle was on an incline. The oil is pumped to the top of the motor, then it drips down to the oil pan and starts over again. When on a hill, the oil can only drain down a few of the available holes that it would normally drain through, so more oil would accumulate at the top of the motor. If the oil level was on the low side, and excessive amounts of oil was accumulating at the top of the motor, then the oil pump would begin to suck air and the oil pressure would drop. Your oil pump is in the front of the motor, and on a hill, the oil will flow to the back, and more of the oil will get stuck at the top since there are fewer drain holes available. As the oil gets pumped to the top, and flows to the back of the engine, and the oil level is low to begin with, then you will suffer low oil pressure.
My guess is that you are down about 2.5 quarts, give or take. Your car takes
7 quarts to fill it up, but lots of oil change places might only put in 5 quarts because that is what most cars take. If your oil change guy only put in 5, then you might be thinking that the oil is filled because it was just changed "last week" or whenever, and the reality is that it isn't full at all. You need to pull the dip stick and see for yourself ...
Towing my race car (3200 pound Camaro) to the track last year with a rented 1 ton Uhaul and trailer... we came across bad traffic... caused by a CHEVETTE towing a trailer that had jackknifed into the ditch coming down an overpass.
Did I mention the Chevette had what looked like a class III or IV hitch on it? The trailer was an old truck box loaded with stuff... must have been 6000 pounds in it...
While I agree with the tenor of your post Jeff, the trailer brake thing is not quite true. Many trailers have self actuated hydraulic brake systems. There is a sliding hydraulic actuator assembly integral to the tongue of the trailer. In these systems it is the weight of the trailer pushing against the hitch that actuates the drum or disk brakes. Pretty ingenious actually...
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It is a common set-up on boat trailers (I have it with drum brakes on mine), though I can't tell from the picture if Ulf has these on his utility trailer.
Is this a troll? 2 seconds space is OK for an unladen car in perfect weather conditions. The space should be doubled when towing. Yes, I know it ios difficult, but you should also be driving slower anyway...
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