Please don't be this guy(pics inside)

[Evil Dr. Porkchop]

Lazy and crazy fall hand in hand. If you spend time to make a device that is only useful for twenty minutes; falls in the category of crazy! I am all about steel soldiers and military vehicles; so not trying to prove a point. I am just telling you all what I have done (not bragging by any means) and I am not reckless at all. I pickup my tailers with a pickup and you can see if I am stopping or turning from my headache rack lights. I am always open to ways I can improve my recoveries! I wish I could figure out how to list all of my MV's so you can see its not my first day at the rodeo!

the headache rack lights are better than nothing, but after getting hit twice by other drivers, it might be a good idea to make sure your vehicle is all set.

 

[Fredo Corleone]

Safety first

 

[spicergear]

I was FINALLY happy to see a guy pulled over the other day by the PA State Police. I was driving past a large truck pull off as the cop was walking up to past the guys trailer shaking his head in disbelief. The guy was one of the no contract scrap haulers that will grab any bit of metal not welded into something with his Ford Ranger with tall wood sides loaded heavy and a trailer with several large crates, all tongue weighted so the bumper was about 6" off the ground. No chains that I could see. Rear truck tires bulging low from the weight. I'd seen him a couple other times and just can't believe they keep getting away with it.

Nice to see that! Go PASP for that one.

 

[F18hornetM]

Magnetic lights are cheap and easy to use. If somebody does rearend you and your towing a trailer with NO lights, it will be YOUR fault..So you not only get a wrecked trailer, but now you get to buy the other guy a new car. Really no excuse not to get them and use them. If you can afford an MV you can afford magnetic lights.

 

[tigger]

I said it before and ill say it again! YOU CANT FIX STUPID! AND STUPID WILL ARGUE WITH YOU TILL THE DAY HE CROKES THAT HE IS RIGHT.!!!!!!! The jail is full of them!

 

[tbearatkin]

Cheap insurance , I have had mine for 10+ years and have used them more often than I ever thought I would. I use them on my 101 when I tow it with a Civ vehicle.

12 Volt Magnetic Towing Light Kit

 

[greenjeepster]

I bought a 16 ft utility trailer off of a dealer in MO a few years ago... As part of the deal they were delivering it. They showed up with the trailer behind a La baron Convertible... No Kidding.

He said it was how they saved on fuel costs..

 

[deathrowdave]

Part of the test module for Crash Dummy's

 

[porkysplace]

its legal not over towing limit of vehicle so whats the deal .it maybe the only thing he had i have seen people on hear doing worse .so it ok when you do it but not him .

The majority of the members here do condone this and try to educate other members that just don't know any better , or just plain don't care about saftey. Just because someone else was stupid enough to try dosen't make it right or accepted by most members . We can't stop people from doing things that could hurt the image of the hobby but we can try to educate them on why not to do it.

 

[F18hornetM]

As a thought, DOT doesnt go by the unladen weight of trailer being towed...they go by the gross weight. Which in the case of the M105 would be around 6000lbs i think, If thats so, i doubt that car has a 6000 tow capacity. I really am surprised at the folks who would defend this picture. i know people do things that are not the safest, we all have. But that doesnt make it right..its still wrong and dangerous to others..period!!

 

[Evil Dr. Porkchop]

As a thought, DOT doesnt go by the unladen weight of trailer being towed...they go by the gross weight. Which in the case of the M105 would be around 6000lbs i think, If thats so, i doubt that car has a 6000 tow capacity. I really am surprised at the folks who would defend this picture. i know people do things that are not the safest, we all have. But that doesnt make it right..its still wrong and dangerous to others..period!!

the trailer in the first post is actually an m101

 

[minigunner64th]

I'll admit I used to have a "never mind the mule, just load the wagon" attitude. I've hauled and pulled some crazy loads in the past (without incident) but in today's political climate it's just not worth it. Everybody nowdays is looking to sue somebody and there's no reason to give them a good excuse.

Been there, done that.

 

[islandguydon]

Check this out.

Ive seen a 105 with a shelter behind a 1/4ton pickup

I was in Windsor, Canada a few weeks ago, crossed the Ambassador bridge and saw a S250 shelter on a 105 being pulled by an Isuzu mini pickup. I followed him into the "petrol" station and asked him what he was doing.

"Justin" said he was going salmon fishing. I gave him my card and a Steel Soldiers sticker. I wrote the web site on the back and asked him to look up the site to find a proper MV to haul the shelter/camper. I had to explain to him the trailer and shelter weight was more than his truck. He said no problem he has extra weight in the truck bed. He also had a drop down reese hitch turned upside down and at the top holes for the pintal hitch. And it still was not a level load.I had no camera and was more concerned for this guys safety than anything else. I had my tool pouch so i grabbed the tape measure and there was a difference of 22" bed height between the two trucks.

We unhooked his rig, put the landing gear down cranked it up and backed my 1028 up to it. I had to show him real time His M-105 was a perfectly even load for my truck which the trailer was made for. I showed him the Shelter carrier nomenclature plate on my door and the picture of his shelter in the back of my truck. Now he wants to buy a proper truck eh'

If anyone sees a new member named Justin from Canada say hello, nice guy just needs to find a M-1028 / 1008 or 1009 for him. He said he could go as hi as $4-5 Grand for a good truck. Just spreading the word....!

 

[USAFSS-ColdWarrior]

I was in Windsor, Canada a few weeks ago, crossed the Ambassador bridge and saw a S250 shelter on a 105 being pulled by an Isuzu mini pickup. I followed him into the "petrol" station and asked him what he was doing.

"Justin" said he was going salmon fishing. I gave him my card and a Steel Soldiers sticker. I wrote the web site on the back and asked him to look up the site to find a proper MV to haul the shelter/camper. I had to explain to him the trailer and shelter weight was more than his truck. He said no problem he has extra weight in the truck bed. He also had a drop down reese hitch turned upside down and at the top holes for the pintal hitch. And it still was not a level load.I had no camera and was more concerned for this guys safety than anything else. I had my tool pouch so i grabbed the tape measure and there was a difference of 22" bed height between the two trucks.

We unhooked his rig, put the landing gear down cranked it up and backed my 1028 up to it. I had to show him real time His M-105 was a perfectly even load for my truck which the trailer was made for. I showed him the Shelter carrier nomenclature plate on my door and the picture of his shelter in the back of my truck. Now he wants to buy a proper truck eh'

If anyone sees a new member named Justin from Canada say hello, nice guy just needs to find a M-1028 / 1008 or 1009 for him. He said he could go as hi as $4-5 Grand for a good truck. Just spreading the word....!

Don,
Thanks for sharing that.
You are a true AMBASSADOR for the hobby.

As for your "student" named Justin.... The difference I see between Justin and the original situation in this thread is that Justin seems to be TEACHABLE.

'Nuff said.


John

 

[islandguydon]

Chappy, I was thinking more in the line of commerce. Hey the guy needs a proper truck and he has money...Go figure.

I met someone new. Good people doing what they can with what they got to do it with.

 

[Mikey90744]

As a thought, DOT doesnt go by the unladen weight of trailer being towed...they go by the gross weight. Which in the case of the M105 would be around 6000lbs i think, If thats so, i doubt that car has a 6000 tow capacity. I really am surprised at the folks who would defend this picture. i know people do things that are not the safest, we all have. But that doesnt make it right..its still wrong and dangerous to others..period!!

That statement doesnt apply to every state. In CA they use gross and gross combined at the time. I could legaly tow a 15k lb gross empty boat trailer with a ford ranger because the trailer would be about 1500 lbs and when put on the scales wouldnt be over gross combined

 

[OPCOM]

use some tow lights then, or you can make an adapter... its not that difficult

I built such an adapter. It was crosswired to allow one to put 12V brake.turn lamps (the bulbs) in an M105 trailer. The 12V version of the bulb has the high and low pins reversed from the military 24V version.

It was in the end less costly to buy a set of towing lights.

 

[HORNETD]

So let me ask the straightforward question. What size vehicle would be the safe level for towing the lightest trailer that would safely carry an S250 size shelter. I have a half ton van that is nearing the end of it's service life. Since whatever I get will have to serve as my work and tow vehicle I want to start exploring now what will work for both.

Will a 101 carry an S250 safely?
What size truck or van would tow that load with out risking disaster or excessive wear on the tow vehicle? The S250 would be used as a low tech camper and radio station. I have towed a cargo trailer that was fitted out as a radio station with the half ton Chevy Express Van It gave me no trouble at highway speeds but I never checked it's equipped weight. Also the trip was rather short. To take it from it's storage area to the special event sight was probably only twenty miles or mixed highway and city driving. Since it had been quite some time since I had towed the canoe trailer for the church summer camps I was probably babying the van a bit.

--
Tom Horne, W3TDH

 

[tigger]

So let me ask the straightforward question. What size vehicle would be the safe level for towing the lightest trailer that would safely carry an S250 size shelter. I have a half ton van that is nearing the end of it's service life. Since whatever I get will have to serve as my work and tow vehicle I want to start exploring now what will work for both.

Will a 101 carry an S250 safely?
What size truck or van would tow that load with out risking disaster or excessive wear on the tow vehicle? The S250 would be used as a low tech camper and radio station. I have towed a cargo trailer that was fitted out as a radio station with the half ton Chevy Express Van It gave me no trouble at highway speeds but I never checked it's equipped weight. Also the trip was rather short. To take it from it's storage area to the special event sight was probably only twenty miles or mixed highway and city driving. Since it had been quite some time since I had towed the canoe trailer for the church summer camps I was probably babying the van a bit.

--
Tom Horne, W3TDH

I tow my s250 on my 14ft trailer with my 1/2 ton pickup with towing package/ and it is about at its max towing limit. I would get a 3/4 ton and you wil be fine!

 

[islandguydon]

I agree with TIGGER for what it's worth.

BTW since you asked, IMHO A 2wd pick up is a car, If your going to buy a truck get a 4x4.
I am sure it snows big time in MD there is not much difference between a 3/4 ton and a 1 ton. I prefer a Chevy/GMC truck, parts are readily available anywhere.