SCAREY MOMENTS

[chris.hunt22]

Got 2nd towing job yesterday picking a BMW 535 up from Heysham Docks (came from Isle of Man), borrowed a car trailer (Brian James..? similar to Ifor Williams) to pick it up.  Winched it on and away we went, got to 50mph and it got like an exited dog and nearly spun us round!!  We stopped at the next garage and put the car as far foreward as we could get it, checked tyre pressures, got on M6 up to 50 and away it went again, had to drive at 45mph down to Preston, it was trying to weave everytime a truck came past, so if you saw me I was the driver with an iron grip on the wheel looking a bit worried!!  Towed a horse box over christmas with two huge nags in with no problem at all (Ifor Williams).  WWhat worried me the most was that my mate had put an Escort on the back of his trailer facing rearwards (he had a disco series 2), his trailer got excited and no matter what he did he couldn't stop it, it eventually span him round facing the wrong way on the motorway....luckily the following truck drivers had seen what was happening and created a rolling road block for him.  The Police had to come and do the same so he could turn round, now here is the strange thing....not a mark on car or trailer!!  Think I will borrow a better trailer next time!!

[V8MoneyPit]

.....What worried me the most was that my mate had put an Escort on the back of his trailer facing rearwards .....

Not sure that was a good idea. You need the bulk of the weight at the front of the trailer. I had brain fade once and drove a Fiat 500 onto my trailer! Had to stop only a few hundred yards down the road to unload it and get the engine at the front. It drove like a pendulum with the engine rearwards and it was only a Fiat 500  :shock:

I doubt it was a design fault in the trailer, Brian James have been in business for years and should know how to build trailers by now! My colleague has a Brian James Clubman trailer and it tows just fine.

Was the trailer of high enough capacity? The 535 is quite a heavy motor.

[Mudlark]

Not noice mind you I've had a similar experiance when I brought my Shogun back when I bought it and that was an Ifor Williams :shock:

[Eeyore]

I must say we've pulled Tomcats and the Racer about with no trouble (the racer uses a BJ trailer). The scene is full of folk who pull cars with all manner of trailers (vehicle and plant derived) without a problem.
It would sound like there is either a flaw with the trailer (servicing issue?) or the load isn't quite in the right spot.

Spin a trailer on the road and you could be liable to prosecution  :shock:
..... or serious injury.......

Cheers
 8)
Eeyore

[barnhill4x4]

Absolutly nothing wrong with Brian James trailers. I have in the past bought 2 brand new ones and never had a problem. I have towed all manner of cars on mine from minis to a mk2 Jag Race car and no problems in the 100k miles plus.
  I would think it was as stated above, either loaded wrong, overloaded or mechanical fault with the trailer.
 If I was to buy another trailer I would choose a Brian James first, Ifor williams second

[chris.hunt22]

After my mates experience I made sure it was facing foreward, it had a tyre rack on the trailer but I had the car well foreward as far as I could get it (the front wheels were about 3 inch from the front of the trailer).  The trailer is rated at 2 tonne which I thought was enough for a 535?  Anyway we survived but it will make me cautious in the future!!  Its not like I'm inexperience I used to tow stock cars about on the back of a 1.6 Sierra years ago and drive HGV's!

[Frankie-Boy]

Its fortunate that you are an HGV driver, a lesser mortal would probably have killed themselves or someone else.

From one HGV driver to another

[thermidorthelobster]

Could it be to do with your tyre/suspension setup?

[chris.hunt22]

Doubt it, car is standard apart from 235/75/15 colway AT's on steel rims, towed a horsebox at 60 loaded up no problem, think that the car may have been a bit heavy for the trailer, could have got it a bit furthur foreward but it had a tyre rack on the front which would have hit the bonnet of the BMW!!

[hairyasswelder]

Cant blame the brand of the trailer  :?  :?
I used a 4 wheel BJ trailer to collect a Merc 190e from Scotland (225 miles each way) with a 2" lifted RR Classic reaching 70+ mph on the A1/M18/M1 of which the last 40 miles was on 3 tyres as I clipped the kerb going into the services  :oops:  :oops: Yes I know, I slowed to between 40-50mph
You say you checked the tyres? They should be reinforced and run at around 50psi,  I know this cos the one I replaced was a £53 special  :oops:
Whose trailer was it?
Steve

[wheeler]

i hired a trailer a few months back and empty it started swaying at 55 -60
and that was ivor willams beaver tail
and i bought a similar one last week and it tows as straight as a dye and no wobbles up to 80 mph empth or loaded with bobtail
i think the problem is the wheels are slightly out of Alignment prob when some other users hit kerbs etc

[chris.hunt22]

mmm, could be, I borrowed it from a lad at work, his mate tows a subaru impreza around on it for rallying, I am not knocking the make of trailer for one minute just sharing the motoring pleasures of playing around with discoverys/landrovers/4x4s, will put it down to one of those things, if I need to shift something else though might borrow someone elses!! :lol:

[hairyasswelder]

if I need to shift something else though might borrow someone elses!! :lol:

I would  

Trailer was fully checked and was towing perfect with new tyres (spare was shot hence not changing it)  Used it to take said Merc 190 for inspection