wa5vhu
College Park, MD
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I feel sorry for the driver of the tractor-trailer that happened to be driving along when the elder Smith's poor choices caught up with them. He/she will have to live with the Smith's collection of decisions that let to their suicide-by-trucker deaths.
Charles
* This post was
edited 07/02/08 02:02pm by wa5vhu *
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chuckster11
Idaho
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Is there anyone other than myself out here that suspects that inattentive driving by the father may be the true cause of this situation? Seems to me that we are quick to blame the dealers and the Durango without knowing (again that "knowing" thing) how long this family owned the set up--after all, they had come quite a long way with this tow vehicle and TT--apparently safely.
We all also understand that it is a tragedy, that we are sad, that we wish people were more careful but do we understand that accidents simply happen sometimes?
I still believe we dwell too much on these things--but, I guess it serves a need to mourn in public. Perhaps it would serve the surviving children better to put our money where our mouths are in the form of a donation to their future welfare.
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fla-gypsy
North Florida
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I will gladly wear the badge of weight police with any scorn associated with it, if it will prevent 1 more person from doing something like this. This is to sad. Safety should always be our first priority, this incident was preventable.
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thebudman
Reno, NV
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fla-gypsy wrote:I will gladly wear the badge of weight police with any scorn associated with it, if it will prevent 1 more person from doing something like this. This is to sad. Safety should always be our first priority, this incident was preventable.
I agree 100%. At the risk of being insensative, does anyone else see the folly of pulling a 35 ft trailer with a dry weight of 8000 lbs with a Durango? How much more did he have in gear/fuel and passengers? I'll bet it was well over the vehicle's 8900 tow-limit. Add speeding down a 4% incline into the mix and it's a wonder/miracle he didn't kill anyone else.
Didn't any of this guys friends step up and tell him he had a very very unsafe setup?
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donn0128
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This is tragic, and there is no one to blame for this except the operator of the vehicle. I am not trying to be crass, but this is a prime example of people who should know better ignoring common sense. This is also another prime example of why people here on this and other forums should Never suggest or advise people to tow in excess of a vehicles lowest possible limits.
Donn
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rcchallenger
La Mirada, California
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chuckster11 wrote:Perhaps it would serve the surviving children better to put our money where our mouths are in the form of a donation to their future welfare.
Well said.
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campingrandma
South Carolina
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donn0128 wrote:This is tragic, and there is no one to blame for this except the operator of the vehicle. I am not trying to be crass, but this is a prime example of people who should know better ignoring common sense. This is also another prime example of why people here on this and other forums should Never suggest or advise people to tow in excess of a vehicles lowest possible limits.
AMEN! When I see what some folks here and other places tow with their mini-vans and small SUVs and then insist it is safe, I shudder. I get espeically annoyed and even angry when I see some people telling others, go ahead and tow it, the manufacturers put low tow ratings on there just to make you think you need a bigger vehicle or to go by the dry weight, you won't really be loading enough stuff to come up the equal the GVWR!
Maybe this will make some folks stop and think about the advice they are giving and that someone's (or a lot of someone's) lives may be at stake. I wonder if this family might have gotten advice from an internet message board on what they could tow instead of using common sense and going by the manufacturer's rating in the owner's manual as they should have done.
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Bucky Badger
Madison, WI
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chuckster11 wrote:Is there anyone other than myself out here that suspects that inattentive driving by the father may be the true cause of this situation? Seems to me that we are quick to blame the dealers and the Durango without knowing (again that "knowing" thing) how long this family owned the set up--after all, they had come quite a long way with this tow vehicle and TT--apparently safely.
elfare.
It is VERY safe to say the set up was way off. It doesn't matter how long they had this setup, it was not correct. All it took was the perfect storm and goodbye!!!!!!
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85Eagle
Louisville, KY
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I have seen this often with people pulling boats and TT with Ford Rangers, Explorers, and Chevy 10's and so forth. Seen a post the other day on one of these boards where a lady new to rving is going to pull a 34ft TT with a Ranger. When this happens they are asking for trouble. Sure they can tow that much weight BUT can they control it with a cross wind and etc. I don't think so. We need to use some common sense and advise our friends if they are doing this.
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Roadpilot
Lakes Region of New Hampshire
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I noticed on the Dodge site they say that the Durango can tow anywhere from 3000 to 8950 pounds. I tried configuring quite a few combinations (4x2, 4x4 etc) and the most I got was 5900 to 6000 lbs. Which configuration of the Durango provides 8950 lbs of towing ability? I'm sure there is at least one, but it didn't leap out.
My condolences to all affected by this accident.
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