look familiar?

[70rs/ss]

This is a test, and I will collect it at the end of your session?! This is my new Burb, have you seen it before, and if so where? It will go well with my 68 theme, as in my 68 K5, 68 4X4 Burb, and my soon to be 68 4X4 short fleet. It only took me trading my 67 short fleet 454/350, oh and he threw me a lot of cash (come on, you didn't think I'd trade the 67 in my sig straight across for this did you?!)

[qksilver]

Now that's what I should have traded the 67 for!
LOL..............

[Frizzle Fry]

Glad to see it went to someone on this board. Now it has a chance of being done up right!

[70rs/ss]

For what he was asking, this was a steal!! He gave me a list of all the new/repop parts on this thing as well as the before and after picts. It runs and drives nice, that is if you like 305 junk. I am chucking the 305/4-speed/rockwell for what else?? A 454/nv4500/208 (or qksilver has my true desire!) I have a 67 4X4 truck with no drive train, so the 305/4-speed/rockwell will go in there to help me sell it (I was asking $1500 for a roller, with no rust?) No luck so, I hope when it is running and driving it'll go faster!! I plan to drive this while I finish the 68 K5, then this will get my attention.

[70rs/ss]

Is that a PTO hanging off the rockwell? I saw it and was not sure what it was. I think I will put it into the 67 4X4 I have in order to sell it as a runner vs a roller. If anyone has info on what if anything that shaft is and or could have been used for?

[Joe67]

Wow - very nice 4x4

[HeavyD]

Must be nice to play with something that doesn't have a million holes in the body.

[special-K]

That guy had two Suburbans,didn`t he?That is a nice factory vehicle.

[70rs/ss]

Yeah, I had two about the time I signed on, qksilver bought em both. Now, for the tragically bad news, I was coming home from the DMV with it on that trailer and it started to sway. Long story short, the trailer hitch popped off the ball (at about 70 MPH) and the trailer and Burb rolled multiple times, totalling the burb and the trailer as well as creasing the side of my 05 Yukon XL. My wife and kids and I are OK and that is all that's ALL that is important, the Burb and the trailer can be replaced (insurance). I'll post picts of the carnage when I get them developed (no digital with me). I had big plans for it, damn it, and I never even got to drive it (well, if you count 30 feet to the trailer). Oh well, we are alive!! Oh yeah, anybody have a nice 4X4 Suburban they want to donate to my unlucky (lucky to be alive, but unlucky in every other way) azz! I might even pay for one "NOT A WANT TO BUY THREAD" I am just wallowing in my misery!!

[cheyenne10]

Woah, sad story. Glad everyone is ok. I always wondered about hitches popping loose. Did it yank saftey chains free too? This one will always be in my mind now if I tow or if I see another headed down the road. I often see some wagging of the camp trailers on the highways and byways but yet to see one get loose.

Again, glad to hear everyone is fine and keep up the good living and prayers.

[70rs/ss]

Those F***ing chains snapped like they were bailing wire! Again that is good, the trailer and 68 flew, LITTERALLY flew off the back in the air, had the hitch not popped and the chains broken, we (my wife and three kids 4, 5, and 13) woul be dead or al least very F'ed up, cause it would have caused the Yukon to flip with it and the 68 might have landed on us. The embankment dropped like 30 feet down so it would not have been pretty. I'll get the picts developed this weekend and scan them in.

[grebus1]

Yikes, that is a scary story. Any idea what caused the accident? Was the Burb too much for the trailer or was there a lot of wind at the time? I guess I don't have enough experience with towing to understand why this happened--was the swaying alone enough to cause the accident?

[70rs/ss]

swaying at 70 mph with a 6,000lb vehicle on a 2500lb trailer will cause the tow vehicle to lose control real quick. Ultimately the trailer swayed so far right that it popped the hitch off of the ball and allowed the trailer and burb to roll over multiple times. New tow vehicle, new tires on trailer (2 days ago) a pair of 5klb axles under the trailer, not an equipment failure, just F***ing bad luck!!

[Joesjunk]

OMG!! You are lucky!! Sorry about the burb though

[crews]

Sorry about your misfortune-I am glad to hear that your wife and family are safe. Hopefully the incident did not cause any harm to anyone else either. Trailers coming loose are never better than them staying on the tow vehicle.

I would like to offer some thoughts on your incident.

You never said- but is your Yukon XL a 1/2 ton or a 3/4 ton? If it is a 1/2 ton, you were dangerously close to being overloaded. Did you weigh after you were loaded? I will bet you that the 68 weighs considerable more than you think it does.

According to my GM trailering guide a 1/2 ton range is as little as 7600lbs to as much as 8800lbs. Of course it also stipulates that "weight carrying hitch limit is 5000lb trailer with a 600lb tongue weight. A weight distibuting hitch and sway control required over 5000lb trailer weight. The vehicle owner is responsible for obtaining the proper hitch size, type and capacity".

You may have some problems with your Insurance Co. if they are towing savy at all.

Now before this turns into something it's not intended, I am NOT slamming you. I am trying to help. I have towed all over this country and I have hauled everything from cars/ trucks/ and the occassional farm tractor to make a few extra bucks. I have NEVER had a trailer sway on me. EVER. This is due in no part to "good luck". It is based on using the correct equipment and the very careful tie down of the vehicle being towed.

Trailers wag for a couple of reasons: Incorrect tongue weight; Overloadeing the tow vehicle and/ or it's tires; loss of tire pressure SLOWLY ( not a blow out) and lastly poor trailer axle placement ( this one is out of your control unless you specify your own trailer specs)

I have a 3/4 4wd Burb with a tow rating of 9K+ and I would never try to tow that much with it because that is and the upper end of it's cappability. Suburbans make great tow vehicles for "light" vehicles, but not anything like the 68.

From the pictures your provided, the 68 was too far back on the trailer. The Subs carry alot of weight in the reardue to the glass and roof. The front bumper should have been at least even with the front header of the trailer. You want the trailer to carry the largest part of the load, but you have to make sure that the larger percentage is not BEHIND the trailer axles. It can't even be even.

I also noted that you had TWO tie downs for this load. I hope this was done while you were getting the other two tie downs. You should NEVER EVER tie down a vehicle with anything less than FOUR tie downs. They should be at the four corners and they should not cage the energy of the suspension. If you try to do that, you will have a very rough ride and a very high possibility of tie down failure.


I hope that the intent of this response is taken in the flavor it was intended. I am not beating you up- I have no reason to. I am merely trying to help educate you ( and others on the board) as to some very common trailering mistakes. I tow ALOT. I use my Dually and an 18' open car trailer for almost everything I haul. I do have a very HD 18' solid deck that I use for some of the heavy loads.

Now I am sure I will get blasted for kicking you in your time of tradgedy but I would feel worse if I didn't say anything and you had another incident with a worse outcome.


If it makes you feel any better- I pi$$ my Dad off all of the time when I correct how he ties stuff down- but he always caves because of my track record...

[grebus1]

Crews--I hope no one will get on you for that response. I think it was very appropriate and informative. That is the main reason I posted before--I was trying to figure out why this would have happened (it seemed like more than just bad luck). Thanks for the good information...

[70rs/ss]

Not slamming, but I want you to know I have hauled cars across the country (I delivered a Burb to qksilver in NC from AZ last summer) and then brought back a 67 swb from NC to AZ. I also delivered that same 67 swb truck to Sante Fe, NM and brought back the 68 Burb from there (a 700 mile round trip) and had taken the Burb 100 miles south of my house. This is why I said bad luck. In 400 miles no sway and the burb was located in the same place on the trailer. My tow Burb is 3/4 ton, not over loaded. I wouldn't say bad luck for the simple fact that the burb and trailer rolled down over a hill hurting nothing besides themselves. It could have gone to my left and over the left lane on my side of the freeway and possibly across the median and into oncoming traffic. So I am very lucky in my bad luck. I thank you for your words of wisdom, they didn't apply to me in this instance, but maybe someone else can learn from my misfortune and your advice.

[crews]

Glad to hear you have a 3/4 ton. They definately make better tow vehicles. From the sounds of things though, you may want to invest in a weight distributing hitch. I know these make a huge difference on my Sub in particular.

You may want to look into wether or not you lost air pressure in one of the trailer tires. I don't know how or if you could prove that, but since you just had work done to them- that would be suspect.

Sorry I don't believe in luck (good or bad). I plan for the worst and hope for the best.

I've put 45K on my dually in the last 6 mos, probably 25K of it with a trailer and a load on it. Not trying to be a know it all- I just spend alot of time towing. And thats just in the last 6 months. I have probably logged close to 500K towing miles. I need to find a new hobby....

[butzkeg]

Sorry to hear of your misfortune. Anybody believe in guardian angels?

Ok, my main reason for the post is, what is this 68 K5 you are talking about? I thought 69 was the 1st model year, but I'm new to this. Thanks.

[70rs/ss]

72 K5 w/68 clip! A home brewed build (I like the 67-8 clip way better). Well, crews you may not believe in luck, but I believe in God, so I think there is a reason why I am sitting here tying and not smeared all over I-40, call it what you want. I am pretty sure I was as good as I could have been, would I do things different, sure, but that is why hindsight is 20/20, just glad my family and I are here to have a second chance.

[shifty]

wanna make a couple bucks selling me the brows off that thing if they're still in good shape? i want to help you capitalize on your misfortune

dang, just realized the pass. side is missing

sorry to hear about your luck. i think what happened to you is every single one of our worst fears - and you and your family made it out alive. sure, it's a pity that a burb is wasted, but ... buy it from them at salvage cost and use it for what it's got in it - it's clean. bound to be something to part out - let that thing breathe life into some other trucks.

[yote1234]

what a drag! are you in flag?

[qksilver]

S&*@ happens...........Mike(70rs/ss) and a few others on the board know how much i towed last year.
I HATE TOWING trailers........give me a flat bed everytime

[special-K]

Dayum!!Bad luck!!I`m glad you all are ok.

[Swbman]

Man, hate to hear about your misfortune,trucks and cars no matter how rare or expensive can always be found or replaced again. but your little ones and your soul mate are something we dont even wont to think about being hurt or lost.Great to hear no one was hurt or killed..........Mike