Omega Owners Forum
Chat Area => General Car Chat => Topic started by: Varche on 19 July 2019, 23:31:59
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We used to regularly see overloaded vehicles on our local Spanish motorway. Not so many nowadays.
A few months ago we followed at a distance a saloon car with a double bed mattress on the roof. First corner after leaving the motorway it fell off onto the wet road. No problem just got out and put it back on. Only gravity holding it on. We could only guess what the recipient said when it arrived all dirty!
Today we followed and passed a Peugeot 206 on the motorway with a very large box on the roof. Held on by three loops of string through the windows. You could see it was loose as it kept lifting up in the wind . The passenger was trying to hold it down with his arm/hand. The box? It was a very large new flat screen TV way too large to go inside his car or any average car.
Like in Britain , we rarely see any police anymore on normal patrol.
Anybody else see stuff like this?
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If you think roof racks are poorly loaded, then you really don't want to see how the general public 'secure' loads to trailers and trucks.
When I asked one man what was holding the car onto his trailer, he looked at me as if I was mad and said the hand brake!
This was in a motorway service station, so perhaps I worry too much.
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A few times at B&Q, Wickes etc, I've been a nosey interfering pr*** and told people that that 8x 4 sheet of plasterboard,ply is not safe with straps/bungees round the middle :D
I tell them because I've been hit with a sheet of ply before that came off the back of transport
I followed a tractor loaded with round bales on a tractor , a few cars in front over took it , I'd seen how the load was shifting and held back from over-taking it ,a couple of people over-took me and the tractor , one bend later about 8 round bales where in the road ,blocking both directions ::)
I've also held back from overtaking cars and lorries that swerve from curb to lines badly
there are some rubbish drivers about :-X
I've not had a roof rack on the omega yet , I have 4 ladder racks (2 sets, heavy duty) which I used on my Carlton and used to secure to the front towing eye and rear towbar when carrying 5M ladders . it was secure ;D
IIRC there is a recommended limit of 25 50 KG :-\ on roof racks
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When I asked one man what was holding the car onto his trailer, he looked at me as if I was mad and said the hand brake!
This was in a motorway service station, so perhaps I worry too much.
I used to help my mate out with local'ish recoveries using his Brian James car trailer. If I had a few miles to travel I would strap all four wheels to the trailer cleats to make sure it couldn't move from side to side or forwards and backwards but, if I only had to travel a couple of miles I thought I'd get away with leaving the winch cable hooked up. You soon learn how much a car will dance about from side rail to side rail when not properly secured. ::)
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When I was a boy,, Straw bales were never roped, just loaded correctly, 20 ton loads of bagged spuds 1/2 cwt bags, no ropes, produce was normally only covered with a sheet if it was raining, then eventually law changes and faster trucks loads were roped, now days the authorities are going overboard with so called insecure loads in curtiansiders, lack of common sense.
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When I asked one man what was holding the car onto his trailer, he looked at me as if I was mad and said the hand brake!
This was in a motorway service station, so perhaps I worry too much.
I used to help my mate out with local'ish recoveries using his Brian James car trailer. If I had a few miles to travel I would strap all four wheels to the trailer cleats to make sure it couldn't move from side to side or forwards and backwards but, if I only had to travel a couple of miles I thought I'd get away with leaving the winch cable hooked up. You soon learn how much a car will dance about from side rail to side rail when not properly secured. ::)
I've never just relied on the winch, but often used two straps for short trips until I actually thought about it. When you've seen the vehicle bounce around the bed and have to unload it somehow, two straps is not a shortcut.
And if you do lose a load, you don't have a leg to stand on when you admit to only strapping two wheels rather than all four. Your boss is unlikely to stand behind you either.
So, there are some simple easy rules:
Handbrake on and front wheels straight, just like normal parking. But put it in gear as well.
Strap all four wheels with correctly rated and maintained straps.
The straps should not cross each other, but you do want them to be as long as possible.
Don't use the same cleat for the centre of both straps! This is depressingly common, and is stupid for obvious reasons
Once it's strapped down, slacken the winch cable.
When you've gone a couple of miles, stop and check that everything is how you left it. Do it right, and you'll rarely have to do anything extra.
The only exception to four straps is you're in a dangerous location, when the rule is get it loaded and get out of there as quickly as is safely possible. We were taught that if the location is really dangerous not to stop, but carry further on and arrange extra equipment and personnel. Once you've arrived on site, you're in charge of, and responsible for, the customer.
Securing a motorbike is interesting, but you have to be careful not to damage it. A strap over the top to pull it against the side stand is a BAD idea.
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I strapped a BINI bonnet to the roof of a Honda Accord with rachet straps through the doors and carpet to protect the paint work. Then drove 150 mile at motorway speeds.
I strapped 6 off 6 x 6 fence panels on top of an AX with a washing line, through the doors. I drove 1/2 mile at 20 mph.
nobody died.
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I strapped a BINI bonnet to the roof of a Honda Accord with rachet straps through the doors and carpet to protect the paint work. Then drove 150 mile at motorway speeds.
I strapped 6 off 6 x 6 fence panels on top of an AX with a washing line, through the doors. I drove 1/2 mile at 20 mph.
nobody died.
And the fluffy bunnies were safe,,, But the way they are clamping down on 'load security' I wouldn't do that again,, and you want to see some of the loads they have been saying are insecure. :o
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I strapped a BINI bonnet to the roof of a Honda Accord with rachet straps through the doors and carpet to protect the paint work. Then drove 150 mile at motorway speeds.
I strapped 6 off 6 x 6 fence panels on top of an AX with a washing line, through the doors. I drove 1/2 mile at 20 mph.
nobody died.
And the fluffy bunnies were safe,,, But the way they are clamping down on 'load security' I wouldn't do that again,, and you want to see some of the loads they have been saying are insecure. :o
If only we had someone to catch these people with insecure loads. Any suggestions?
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I strapped a BINI bonnet to the roof of a Honda Accord with rachet straps through the doors and carpet to protect the paint work. Then drove 150 mile at motorway speeds.
I strapped 6 off 6 x 6 fence panels on top of an AX with a washing line, through the doors. I drove 1/2 mile at 20 mph.
nobody died.
And the fluffy bunnies were safe,,, But the way they are clamping down on 'load security' I wouldn't do that again,, and you want to see some of the loads they have been saying are insecure. :o
If only we had someone to catch these people with insecure loads. Any suggestions?
Look on twitter, they are having a bit of a money making opportunity sorry purge, dvsa,police.
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I strapped a BINI bonnet to the roof of a Honda Accord with rachet straps through the doors and carpet to protect the paint work. Then drove 150 mile at motorway speeds.
I strapped 6 off 6 x 6 fence panels on top of an AX with a washing line, through the doors. I drove 1/2 mile at 20 mph.
nobody died.
And the fluffy bunnies were safe,,, But the way they are clamping down on 'load security' I wouldn't do that again,, and you want to see some of the loads they have been saying are insecure. :o
If only we had someone to catch these people with insecure loads. Any suggestions?
Look on twitter, they are having a bit of a money making opportunity sorry purge, dvsa,police.
Yeah, for a few days. Even then they give you warning that they're gonna do it.
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on a honda fifty many years ago in apapa village Lagos Nigeria a family of five ( it looked like ,dad, mum, & 3 toddlers ) riding along with a few mattresses on their heads .not tied on mattress flopping up & down.