Yesterday when we were coming home from a Greater Virginia-Central Virginia joint meet, on a narrow, winding road I met a school bus (converted to a RV). Trailing the bus was a cloud of smoke. As we met, the cloud of smoke turned out to be a VW, being towed behind the bus. The tires were screaming and the smoke was from the tires. It passed by so quickly that I couldn't tell whether it was a "bug" or a newer Beetle. I couldn't turn around to catch him, but I watched the twin black streaks in the highway for about five miles before they got lighter and disappeared. I wonder how much further they got before the VW either disintegrated or burst into flames. Paul Johnson
I remember a trip to Boston about 20 years ago with my now ex-brother in law. He had purchased a mid-60's Fairlane 2-door body/rolling chassis and we were going to trailer it home. The trip out was uneventful but, upon arrival, U-Haul did not have the trailer that was reserved. The only thing we could find in the area was a tow bar.
To add insult to injury, when we got to back to the car we realized the tow bar was missing one of its mounting clamps! Poor Air-Dick... errrrr Eric, was ready to throw in the towel, forfeit the deal and head back home without the car as we had just driven 875 miles and had that many to go to get back home and we were both due at work in 18 hours.
Being the go-to-the-mat guy that I am and always wanting to accomplish the given task, I walked a few blocks to a hardware store, bought a hacksaw blade and a couple bolts and cut the chains to lenght and bolted that tow bar as rigidly as I could to the substructure of the car and we were off 2 hours later. We stopped once we got out of the (bad) neighborhood we picked the car up in and checked everything over and it looked good. We stopped again after we got out of the city and all was still good. We were both beat and took turns sleeping and driving as we headed across MA, checking it at every stop.
Feeling confident (a BAD thing) we stopped checking it as often and started stretching out the checks to once every few hours. As the sun came up, we stopped for fuel and did a final check and, feeling really confident (a REALLY BAD thing) I decided to take a nap and let him run a full tank of fuel before switching off again. At the next fuel stop, we got out and noticed that the right rear tire was GONE!!!!! We did not check the lug nuts and, apparently, they were not tight. We pulled the hubcaps on the other three wheels and found two lug nuts on each of the remaining three and they were loose as well! DAMN!!!! The tow bar was bolted on tightly enough and the car body was rigid enough the brake drum never hit the ground. We had stopped an an old 'service' station and they had a junker Ford (imagine that) and the owner was willing to sell us a tire/wheel combo and a handfull of lugnuts for $15. We replaced the missing wheel, added the missing lugnuts to the other wheels and, luckily, made the rest of the trip home without problem.
I still wonder just how the hell I have survived as long as I have!!!! You can never check too often.
These days, I don't drive or tow-bar ANYTHING home. If I cannot get it on the car trailer behind SuperDually, I hire it delivered. I just feel a lot better dragging it home with something I have maintained and trust.
Well, I sitll have dumb-ass attacks but I really try to limit them and the possible consequences. I have learned that I do not heal nearly as quickly or completely as I did just a few short years ago.
Eight foot long 2" thinish-wall pipe, flattened somewhat, with 1/2 inch holes drilled through. Shoulder eye-bolts replace one front bumper bolt on '40 President and matching rear bumper bolt on '66 Cruiser. Pipe put over both shoulder bolts, with other bolts going through one pipe sidewall, shoulder bolt, and out other pipe sidewall.
One driver at controls of '66 and other at wheel (and brakes) of President.
Not pretty - not safe - not legal. It worked. Me in rear and Ralph Holmes, Mass - RI RD - in front.
That brings back the most foolish car related thing I have ever done. I had purchased a 1951 Packard from a guy about 200 miles away. This was back in the 70's when I lacked the wisdom of age. Anyhow I enlisted the aid of a friend and we went to haul the thing home. Same story, got to the UHaul place and no trailer. So we rented a tow bar and decided to tow it the 200 miles. It looked pretty good so we just hooked it up did a brief check over and headed north. We did stop about every 25 miles to check the critter. After each stop we gained confidence and stupidity. About 100 miles down the road all of a sudden the towed car leaped into the air. I hit the shoulder of the road and brought the whole load to a screeching halt sparks now flying. Got out and found the right rear wheel was no longer on the car. We had checked the lug nuts but not the center nut on that tapered axle. It apparently had no cotter pin and off it had come. I don't recommend this as a removal method. We ended up and left the car in a farm yard with the farmer's permission. Went home and got a trailer and went back the next day and hauled it home. That made for one torn up fender and a backing plate with a flat bottom. Live and learn! At least we didn't kill anyone, which was a real possibilty if that wheel had come off when traffic was coming at us. Yes, you can't check too often and don't do stuff that will sound stupid in hindsight. Imagine the worse and be prepared for it.
"Lee" wrote in message news: snipped-for-privacy@news.in.comcast.giganews.com...
Reminds me of Ma Boggs (Ruth Gordon) in that Clint Eastwood movie 'Every Which Way You Can' where she was driving that tow truck hauling a VW behind her....sparks a flying..... Not much left when she got wherever it was she was going. Jeff
In '85, when I was 21 years younger & dumber than I now am, I bought a 61 Lark 8 in Brigdgeport Conn for $200.00, and drove it down to Selma, NC, where I picked up my tool box & tow bar at a freight terminal, and fastened a 55 Packard to the rear with the tow bar, & hauled it 1300 mi back to Texas. I did not set any speed records, but got home safely. Never again!
Barry'd in Studes
58 Packard Hawk
40 President
39 Coupe Exp.
59 DeLuxe 1/2 tn.
56 Packard "400"
About 20 years ago, a friend of mine bought an old International school bus with a blown engine. He needed it moved 20 some odd miles and I opted to help him. The plan was to tow the thing behind his 3/4 ton GMC pickup with a log chain down the interstate (young and dumb).
When we got to the bus, the engine was completely locked up, and the darn thing had air brakes. I surmised that since the engine was locked, we could use the clutch as a brake if need be (just put it in gear and release the clutch to slow her down). We hooked up the chain and headed out of the neighborhood with me at the wheel of the bus, pushing down on the clutch the entire time (my leg was shaking--that was one stiff clutch). Anyway, the plan worked--sort of.
We got on the interstate and my friend got us up to around 45 in the slow lane. The chain was tight, the road was flat and it was all good. Then, there was a hill....
We topped the hill. My friend is jamming on the radio, completely oblivious to the fact that I am now gaining speed on him and the chain is going slack. I watched in complete and utter fascination and horror as the tow chain disappeared out of view under the bus, and the GMC on his tailgate got bigger and bigger. I let out the clutch to much grinding sounds and smoking aromas. Once the bus made contact with the rear of my buddies truck, he was no longer jamming on the radio but in God save us all mode. Somehow, he managed to pull the slack out of the chain and we got to the bottom of the hill doing nearly 75. Scared the ever lovin' sh*t out of me. Still, we continued and actually made it home. Never again;)
Talk about confession being good for the soul! LOL I guess I am not the only fool in my younger years. Thanks, you guys have made my day - still laughing. Mike W.
Same here, Mike. I've done the same in my younger days too in the late '70's towing cars behind with two chains and an old tire in the middle; not to mention, the Stude being towed having brakes of dubious stopping quality. I have to admit I probably did save the '64 convertible from the crusher in this way. Nowadays, I can't see a policeman looking the other way when someone is towing a car like we used to, though I do remember we did put a battery in the convertible so the brake lights would function to minimize the chances of getting stopped.
Foolishness does not always depart with increasing years.
In my thirties I got pissed off when another driver jumped in front of me. I started tailgating him to show him a lesson. Then I realized how silly I was: he was in a BIG truck and I'm in a Fiat 500 Spyder!
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