On Walkabout again.

Just had a thought. The standard ball hitch allows about 45 deg in any direction. All ball hitches also have rotation about 90 deg so the trailer is on its way to inverted before the hitch reaches its limit.

I think a fully rotating hitch (as most pintle hook arrangements have either full time or a drop out lock) is going to have SFA different effect on a vehicle roll over if the van has freely gone to 135 deg anyway. If you have a look at Youtube episodes of caravans and boat trailers causing a car to flip they have nothing to do with twisting action but the vehicle getting sideways and the trailer pushing at right angles.

Here is a typical roll over. The car is sideways on its way to a roll over while the van passes it dragging it further into the roll.
www.facebook.com/share/v/1BqGD8FBge/
 

and if a van is on it's side it will lift rear of tow vehicle off the ground, so what's the point.

I know Caravans are a fairly hated lot by many truckies n understand why. Some of the things they do is beyond belief with not allowing traffic pass them in dual lanes, often not having mirrors wide enough to see behind n not keeping to the left of the road to allow following traffic a clearer view ahead for overtaking.

Hi,

 I have been on two trips where the small car towing trailers with the full pivot hitch have had their trailers land wrong side up. One was travelling too quick on a sandy track past Cameron's Corner and about 20 years later the second trailer flipped due to a broken spring digging into the track north of silverton. In both cases the prevailing 'forensics' on the scene suggested a stock 50mm ball would have stop things going too far. However that is not to say the cars wouldn't have sustained other damage so the trailer sort of sacrificed its self.

Terry

When EXBO was on in Brisbane in the 80's, I was running home to Melbourne, to Brisbane back home, it was Caravan smash up derby for about 6 weeks, there was hardly a bit of road that didn't have bits of clothes and bits of caravan spread on it and now they overtake you and they are going 20 ks faster. The last one I seen recently I was on my motor bike sitting on 105 ks ot west, It overtook me was out of site for a while then it was over near the fence highly modified.

What is the rush?

Nothing like getting wherever ten minutes earlier . . .   . . . and then sit there wondering where you can rush to next?

Senseless! 

About three years ago, I was driving out of a small village that had a 60k limit. Still in the 60k zone, a Tradesman-type Ute roared past me and I thought he must be running late for work. Ten minutes later I passed the Ute stopped outside a coffee shop at the next village.

Morris.

One counter argument could be: It is no more stress driving a modern car at 110kmh than 90kmh. So if you leave and arrive at the same time on a trip from Sydney to Melbourne to see dear old mum you have spent 10 hours driving while he has spent only 9 hours with three refreshing coffee breaks. 

Pulling a van at unsafe speeds is a different argument.

 

Lang wrote:

One counter argument could be: It is no more stress driving a modern car at 110kmh than 90kmh. So if you leave and arrive at the same time on a trip from Sydney to Melbourne to see dear old mum you have spent 10 hours driving while he has spent only 9 hours with three refreshing coffee breaks. 

Pulling a van at unsafe speeds is a different argument.


 

110kph or 120 is fine, but it's the Cow, the kangaroo or the Farmer pulling out of his drive without looking, when XBO was on a bloke and his lady in a nice Holden passed me on the big hill coming out of Melbourne one morning, about 20 over and did the same half a dozen times up the Newell during the day, then about 9 at night again in the middle of the Pillage and just as he was level with the cab, a large Kangaroo went in through the windscreen, the next two hours were hell for quite a few people including him. 

Nice old pic of unloading cars from a paddle wheelers. Mannum Maritime Museum was a great visit.