Posted by Keith in Washington on Tuesday, May 25, 2004 at 2:50PM :
With the rally season coming up and all the traveling people will be doing, make sure you have a good trailer (rated at 10,000 or 12,000 lbs at a minimum) and big enough truck for towing. Also make sure that your trailer brakes and controler are in top notch condition. Those PWs are not a light load. Yesterday my wife and I saw what happens when you are not set up correctly.
Coming home from Hollister (CA Rally) we were leaving Roseberg OR up a slight incline in the freeway. Coming down the incline in the opposing lane was a full size Ford with a large boxy metal cage trailer that was loaded. He was slowing down for the DOT truck and guy on the side of the road. Next thing I saw was the truck and trailer jacknife. The trailer then rolled on it's side. Shortly after that the truck, which was sliding sideways down the road, rolled onto it's roof and we could see the guy hanging in his belt. My wife and I had a front row seat as he may have been 50 yards up the road when it started. I glanced back after we went by and saw people running to help and then lots of white smoke started to come from the front of the truck. Hope they got him out through the window quickly.
Sorry for being a broken record again but when you see someone biff it right in front of you I need to speak out. This is the 2nd time in 2 years that someone lost a trailer or more right in front of me and my wife. After yesterday's events I commented to my wife that I was glad I spent a little extra money to make sure I had a capable trailer, she simply said "Yes so am I and you did not hear me complain as I knew you were spending money to do it right and keep us safer."
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