My Pet Trailering Peeve.....

[EddiePetty]

I have to tow our V-20 between 55 and 75 miles to reach the ?Big Water?. Locally, when boating the inland rivers I encounter few problems, but, let me get on the interstates and look out!!!! If it?s not the fool that changes lanes right in front of us (despite the less-than six car gap to the vehicle in from of us) it?s the ?hanger-on? that pulls right beside the towing rig and just hangs there. I customarily drive the interstates between two and five miles an hour BELOW the speed limit in order to allow ?In-a-hurry-Harry? ample time to clear the truck ?n trailer and go about his way, yet folks will overtake us at moderate speeds but slow down when they are exactly between the truck and trailer. Frequently, I will either speed up or slow down to get them clear....yet they still hang with me!!! Several times the only way I can get clear of these fools is to ?wag? the trailer tires onto the lane lines to get my message across. What?s so interesting to see on a thirty year old cubby cab??? And it?s not just he boat trailer, they do the same thing when I?m hauling the flatbed or race car!!
Any of y?all encounter this?

 

[nlain]

Re: My Pet Trailering Peeve.....

I do not have to tow long distance often but when I do yes I encounter these people and the ones that are ahead of you for 10 miles running same speed, so no problem, then they slow down, you overtake them and slow up thinking they will speed up but no, you pull out to pass and then they speed up so you cannot get past them.

 

[TJS]

Re: My Pet Trailering Peeve.....

I happens to me all the time when I tow my Hot Rod Jet Boat (blown BBC with EFI). They hang back to look at the boat and the engine. It is very annoying.
T.J.

 

[EddiePetty]

Re: My Pet Trailering Peeve.....

I happens to me all the time when I tow my Hot Rod Jet Boat (blown BBC with EFI). They hang back to look at the boat and the engine. It is very annoying.
T.J.

....and I'd probably pause a moment to check your rig out, too!!! But pause is the key word.....not just hang there.

"Annoying".....but dangerous, too. Do these fools in their little rice-burners even consider the bulk and weight that they are flirting with? Do they appreciate reduced stopping distances, decreased responce times nor concentration required to maintain the rig within the chosen lane? I think not. Perhaps everyone should be required to tow a trailer before being granting a driver's license (except those that get theirs on clearance at Wally-World).

 

[jkust]

Re: My Pet Trailering Peeve.....

I hate when the Minnesota nice goes overboard. We don't have a left lane law but when I am towing in the right lane on a four lane divided highway people will pass me and jump in front of me to quickly get out of the left lane only to be a car length ahead and go my same speed or a tick slower. I will then have to go around them. It is amazing how few people apparently have been in our position of towing a heavy load. This happens in the middle of nowhere and regardless if there is left lane traffic or not.

 

[ditchen]

Re: My Pet Trailering Peeve.....

^^^^^^^
A classic case of how most humans do not like to follow a trailer being towed, box truck, semi, etc. They have to speed up to get around in front of you, then they slow back down.

I guess the better term is no common sense

 

[broark01]

Re: My Pet Trailering Peeve.....

Yes, I have encountered the languishers... My REAL peeve is, on 2 way roads where the speeds are around 55MPH, the guy who pulls out right in front of you into your lane, so they do not have to drive behind you. They then slowly accelerate so you have to jam the brakes and slow your 16k lbs of mass down so they are not inconvenienced.

Generally when this happens and there is no oncoming traffic, I floor the accelerator spool the turbos and swerve around them, honking at the same time. Requires a little coordination but I am beginning to master the maneuver.

 

[Chaparralboater]

Re: My Pet Trailering Peeve.....

pulling my boat with a 6 inch lift, 6 cylinder and I gain speed slow so down hill I gain speed to get up the hill and the cars infront of me slow down going down and speed up slow going up..thats annoying to me.

 

[jkust]

Re: My Pet Trailering Peeve.....

Yes, I have encountered the languishers... My REAL peeve is, on 2 way roads where the speeds are around 55MPH, the guy who pulls out right in front of you into your lane, so they do not have to drive behind you. They then slowly accelerate so you have to jam the brakes and slow your 16k lbs of mass down so they are not inconvenienced.

Generally when this happens and there is no oncoming traffic, I floor the accelerator spool the turbos and swerve around them, honking at the same time. Requires a little coordination but I am beginning to master the maneuver.

A really bad version of this happened to us our first trip with our upgraded tow vehicle last year. An SUV made for towing vs our former minivan tow vehicle. It was at that moment that I was glad I upgraded as the evasive maneuvers I had to take towing our 4000lb boat wouldn't have worked with the minivan. It was a local in a hay truck who couldn't have cared less how close to death we all came. I really am starting to get sick of towing my boat. We need a lake cabin.

 

[j_martin]

Re: My Pet Trailering Peeve.....

Brings back memories, back in the 80's, when everything was underpowered because of stupid attempts to limit NOx, driving a small bus -> engineering van, pulling about 10K of tools in a trailer. Up and down hill on a 2 lane road, 55 MPH, and a K car going exactly 53 in front of me. Hit the brakes on every down hill, downshift on every uphill.

Going downhill, gaining on the K car, I keyed the CB.

"Breaker one nine, how 'bout that Westboun' K car. cmon."

"You got him."

"Hey buddy, do you know the difference between a K car, and a J car?"

"No, what's the difference?"

About this time all he could see in the rear view mirror was grill.

"Well, a J car is about 2 feet shorter than a K car, and the J stands for junk. STEP ON IT."

He stepped on it.

I'm outa here.

 

[jkust]

Re: My Pet Trailering Peeve.....

Going downhill, gaining on the K car, I keyed the CB.

"

Ahhh, the days of the K car. My folks must have went through 4 of them in the 80's and early 90's, all wagons some with wood. They went through snow like mad though. Almost disposable.

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: My Pet Trailering Peeve.....

i recall how the K car looked like it was drifting; the front tires didn't line up with the rear.

The road I often trailer is heavily travelled 55 mph 4 lane--with stop lights. Judging whether you can stop for the yellow, with the boat and car loaded with a week's worth stuff, can be tough. I haven't gone through red lights but some may have been a little pink!

 

[tmcalavy]

Re: My Pet Trailering Peeve.....

You're too nice. Weave from lane to lane randomly and spit a lot out of your windows.

 

[SangerTom]

Re: My Pet Trailering Peeve.....

My two peeves. When I'm heading up north (in california from so cal) I need to go up the Cuesta Grade - 7% grade for 3 miles. I have a F350 diesel and am pulling a 21 foot Sanger. I can pull it at 60 to 65 up the grade. It never fails, some bozo needs pull out from the far right lane right in front of me at 40 or 45 mph to pass a slow truck. Once you hit the brakes - its a b#$%* to gain momentum again (btw - going down the grade at night gives me nightmares).

When going to the Colorado river (Lake Mohave) its a 2 lane highway (I40). People are generally very courteous and observant. What blows me away are the guys towing their 3 axle trailer (translate monster size boat) and pass everyone at 85 to 90 mph. One hiccup and they are road pizza. Every year you see one pizza'd all over the road and then we all sit in the 120 degree heat and wait.

 

[EddiePetty]

Re: My Pet Trailering Peeve.....

........ spit a lot out of your windows.

Funny you should mention that!! I luvs my Morgans Chewin' tow-back-ie and I do make real good use of the juice if I get a tailgater!!!

BTW: Know how to tell if a couple from Courtland, Va. are married??? Tow-back-ie stains on both sides of the truck.

 

[dlngr]

Re: My Pet Trailering Peeve.....

Driving an 18 wheeler for a living,I put up with all of the above for 10 to 11 hours a day!! What gets me is how long they can 'sit' along side my filthy old dump trailer at 65 mph. Are they waiting for me to blow a tire,or waiting for a big rock or some thing to hit them in the face?

 

[a70eliminator]

Re: My Pet Trailering Peeve.....

I've never been bothered much by traffic towing my boat, now riding my bike is another story but that's off topic, I hate it when someone beeps their horn and points to my boat, stop and check everything over and find no problem, get back on the road and see another boater pulled over checking his stuff lol .... drn kids!....

 

[Bifflefan]

Re: My Pet Trailering Peeve.....

If it?s not the fool that changes lanes right in front of us (despite the less-than six car gap to the vehicle in from of us) it?s the ?hanger-on? that pulls right beside the towing rig and just hangs there

.

Those of us with a class A CDL have had to live with this since we started driving big trucks. Thats 18 years for me. They dont understand that 80,000 lbs will kill them so dead they will have to be buried twice.

Also, a thought on driving 5 below the speed limit. I know it theory it sounds like a good idea, but in reality you should go the speed limit or with traffic, just keep the extra following distance you need, plus some more for the retards. Most states are raising the truck speed to the same as the cars as they are finding it causes less traffic accidents.

 

[This_lil_fishy]

Re: My Pet Trailering Peeve.....

I live near a very large city (Toronto) and drive the work truck all day which needs to be switched to tow/haul to get anywhere (read: overloaded). It gets to pull an 18' covered trailer to boot on occassion. So no matter what, there is typically always someone on either side of me, cutting me off, tailing me...etc. It's so common I don't even notice much anymore. I suppose familiarity breeds complacency too. I guess you just learn to compensate. My tow vehicle for the boat isn't even bothered by the weight of the boat and I feel far more secure with that then the work truck without a trailer. Traffic is traffic, not much you can do about it really.

Ian

 

[itsaboattime]

Re: My Pet Trailering Peeve.....

When I make the trip to the Mississippi or to the Illinois river towing my boat I have to go through a couple of towns. It is guarenteed that I will have at least two idiots per town pull out in front of me and go two blocks and turn!

That usually gets them the horn and the one fingered salute.

A few years ago I was working for a contractor rebuilding a bridge in Starved Rock State park. We had highway 71 closed to all traffic.
A daily occurance was idiots pulling their cars, and at least twice, trucks with boats, up to the edge of the enormous hole in the road that used to be a bridge wanting to know why they couldn't get across.