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Terrible Towing pics thread

CaptainMike said:
I got the pics of the helicopter tow job from my buddy who owns the tire store where they stopped to get a trailer tire fixed/replaced. It looks like an Agusta, though I'm not certain, but definitely heavier than what I initially thought was a JetRanger. Apparently, this guy buys and sells copters and copter parts and this rig had a blown engine and tranny (something that happened on or near the ground, it would seem). He had already driven it from Riverside, CA and the pic was taken in Mount Shasta, CA, basically the length of the state! The tire guys fixed him up and sent him on his way, next stop Seattle (maybe). The wooden crate on the trailer contained the rotor blades. There's no "N" number on the tail boom so who knows what the real story is.

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How did the California state police not stop this guy?

Everything about this seems sketchy and dangerous.
 
CaptainMike said:
They guys looked up the towing capacity of the Avalanche and it's rated at 3K lbs or so. I bet the trailer weighed that much.
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Looks like a Cadillac Escalade ESV to me I’ll guess 2008ish model year which is closer to 7700-8000 lb towing capacity from the factory.

A jet ranger helicopter has a GVWR of 3200lb.
 
McHenry2500 said:
How did the California state police not stop this guy?

Everything about this seems sketchy and dangerous.
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ROFL!, The paperwork alone dissuades them from even trying. Then the local prosecutor has to sign off on anything major. assuming any of them are on the roads anymore. Local CHP stopped and Lamborghini Aventador doing 152 MPH in a 55 and they didn't impound the car due to staffing issues and no towing company wanted the liability of picking up the car. It made the news.
www.thedrive.com

Lamborghini Aventador Driver Clocked Going 152 MPH in 55 Zone

A Lamborghini Huracan SVJ driver was stopped doing 152 mph in a 55 mph zone in California ahead of Thanksgiving.
www.thedrive.com www.thedrive.com

​

 
Rockcrawlerdude said:
Looks like a Cadillac Escalade ESV to me I’ll guess 2008ish model year which is closer to 7700-8000 lb towing capacity from the factory.

A jet ranger helicopter has a GVWR of 3200lb.
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That's what the guys told me, but you're right about the tow capacity of this Caddy/Avalanche. However, this is not a JetRanger (I thought it was with a passing glance last week) and is larger than any JetRanger I've been around. It might be an Agusta, but I'm not certain. Regardless, this setup ridiculously inappropriate and unsafe. I really am surprised he wasn't stopped and evaluated, but the cops would have to see it to deal with it.
 
Final note, I asked 2 CHP buddies what they would do if they saw that setup driving down the road and both said they wouldn't hesitate to pull it over then start digging. They both thought there was more to this picture than some clown towing a helicopter down the road.
 
Rockcrawlerdude said:
A jet ranger helicopter has a GVWR of 3200lb.
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Absolutely not a Jet Ranger, or any other Bell Product.

Blythkd1 said:
I'm guessing the chopper is an AW109.
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That does appear correct.

Blythkd1 said:
Regardless, the driver obviously has a helluva tongue weight issue. He's running several times over the tongue weight rating of that "truck".
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The aircraft is probably under 3K lbs in that configuration, so it’s likely not loaded well. It appears very tongue heavy.
 
Where's his Wide Load banner? Oh wait, he's probably not a hauler so he doesn't need one!

Seriously, one would have to assume his slide wouldn't go back in and he's headed to a shop for repair. At least he's taking 2 lanes! LOL
 
AH64ID said:
The aircraft is probably under 3K lbs in that configuration, so it’s likely not loaded well. It appears very tongue heavy.
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It does look tongue heavy, but I see 3 point loads on the trailer and they all appear to be close to the axles...I am sure the 2 rear tires are seeing the majority of the load, but if the Copter only weighs 3K pounds, I would guess the Escalade has no rear suspension! LOL
 
Blythkd1 said:
Where's his Wide Load banner? Oh wait, he's probably not a hauler so he doesn't need one!

Seriously, one would have to assume his slide wouldn't go back in and he's headed to a shop for repair. At least he's taking 2 lanes! LOL
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Makes sense but my brain (never having never stepped in a TT) thinks that surely there would be a manual crank for if a motor died?
 
Blythkd1 said:
Yup, most camper folks are probably just button pushers. I, on the other hand, had to hand crank my 5er landing gear down a couple years ago. I now have a whole new appreciation for the button!
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Same. First trip out years ago I lost a landing gear motor. Several hours away from home, off to Home Depot I bought a 11/16” deep socket and a nice 4 1/2” dewalt angle grinder (I really needed a new one anyways) and slotted the socket to fit the manual drive gear. that socket now resides in the storage part of the camper and since I have it I will never need it again.:p
 
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