Today I’d just run down the M11 and swung onto the NCR as I haded toward the waterworks junction there was a 7.5t scaffold wagon (loaded) doing about 30mph with his hazards on. I kept my eye as I thought he was trying to limp it along and was half expecting him to try and get up the sliproad.
As I started to gain on him he didn’t appear to want to across into the slip in front of me so I pushed on and noticed he was tailgating a car. A second glance revelead that he was being towed on rope by a Merc estate.
I’m not often surprised these days but I did raise an eyebrow at that.
Although nearly 20 years ago I saw Essex Police using a Ford Explorer to drag an artic with a 40’ container on along the A12 to clear it from the live traffic lane.
especially as you arent meant to tow along a motorway just off it to next exit…
you will laugh about the explorer my grandad once towed a slightly over weight artic(when you ran at 38 ton) up a slight hill with a daihatsui F50 (which is a little 4x4 or tonka truck as he called it)
The scaffolders’ lorry might be plated at 7.5t, but I’ll bet it was well overloaded; My neighbour’s a scaff who occasionally brings a lorry home and was caught one morning about 4t overweight. The copper that works with vosa/trading standards lives just down the road and saw it parked up the night before, and knowing what time the lorry moves lay in wait and took him to our quarry (public 'bridge).
Toby once started a thread about scaff wagons, and someone was offended about them being “skips on wheels”…
Used to tow a Bedford MK and a glider winch (Circa 15 ton) with a SWB Landrover when the MK had bust! Only from the end of the airfield to the hangar. Landrover handled it pretty well!
a J reg land rover discovery towed my 18t fully loaded truck backwards by looping a ratchet strap around his tow bar, his vehicle even took the strain when i lifted clutch up to try and start the engine, we had to do it twice mind as we were in an underground carpark and ran out of space!!
There was a case few years ago about the guy who was towing fully loaded Polonez Truck
with his Daewoo Matiz and then he posted pics on the internet forum and was praising how good Daewoo Matiz is…
Then to his surprise he received a letter from Daewoo that his warranty is revoked, as he is using the car wrongly.
Which reminds me a joke.
There is a roadside restaurant on the top of the big hill.
It’s winter, full of snow everywhere. Restaurant is quiet.
Then a heavy truck pulls over, you can see some damage on it’s side. The driver enters, and says “bartender! 200 grams of Vodka, bloody Matiz!”. Then he drinks it, and says “That bloody Matiz, I just cannot handle it, Bartender, another one!” Then he orders another one, still moaning about Matiz, so the bartender asks what is it all about.
"see, I skidded on the ice on the bottom of that hill and landed into the ditch. The old grandpa in Daewoo Matiz stopped, opened the boot and attached my frong bumper to his car using his towing rope. I asked him what he is going to do, and he said that he is going to pull me off that ditch and right to the top of the hill… I told him “Grandpa, if you pull me off that ditch with that toy car of yours, I will make you a ■■■■■■■ you never had in your life” He said “Ok” then he jumped into his car and started the engine…
One of our road trains broke down on a roundabout once and I managed to tow it about 1/4 mile away to a lay-by with my old Mercedes car, once it got going it was easy, but it is a bit unnerving having a truck that close to your rear window
about a year ago i saw one of jj mcdaids eight wheel scania tippers being towed by a mercedes ml jeep up the A40 at northolt!! i bet he was going all the way to their yard in greenford!! think he was empty though lol.
