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After....and Before: Rolls Royce trailer drama

After....and Before: Rolls Royce trailer drama

After....and Before: Rolls Royce trailer drama

After....and Before: Rolls Royce trailer drama

  • After....and Before: Rolls Royce trailer drama
  • After....and Before: Rolls Royce trailer drama
  • After....and Before: Rolls Royce trailer drama

This and other pictures have been flooding the media since Friday afternoon after a sad mishap with the trailer transport of a 1936 Rolls Royce Phantom III Barker. A man from Switzerland had bought the car from Retrolegends in The Netherlands and picked up the car with a healthy Range Rover plus brandnew trailer. Only minutes after they left from the showroom Henny Kennis got a phonecall from the Swiss guys if he wanted to come for help as things had gone wrong. Terribly wrong as you can see. The only good news is that no serious injuries occurred.

But the fine Rolls is scrap. The trailer is scrap. The Range Rover is scrap.  It is of course very easy to judge from a distance so let's try to analyse and face some facts. According to Henny Kennis the incident is a miracle to him. The Phantom III (yes a heavy car) was tied down correctly. The trailer was brandnew. The towing car in very good condition, at least cosmetically. According to eyewitnesses the combination  got into trouble already at relatively low speed, not more than 55 km/h (35 mph). Henny Kennis presumes that one possible cause may be the air suspension (EAS) of the Range Rover.  Either the car was lowered actively when loading the Rolls and not put back to Drive-settings. Or the system may (we repeat 'may') have produced a failure resulting in instability of the car and combination.  There are many pages on the web about EAS failures.

No matter what the exact cause was, the results are dramatic (see Youtube). With a huge loss for the new owner of the Rolls Royce: the car was not insured! This is not the first nor the last trailer incident. What can we learn from this.

1. Analyse very well beforehand the risks of any trailer transport. Professional transport may be expensive, but on hindsight possible very cheap in comparison.

2. NEVER do a transport without a proper transport insurance if the car is of any interest to you. Don't leave home  before checking your insurance agent.

3. You are welcome to give us your thoughts. But please think twice. We will not publish any nonsense. Yet we will favour all positive critics and comments.

Please drive safely. Trail wisely. Have a great week.

 

Originally published: Sunday August 28th, 2016

 

Pubblicato:
domenica settembre 12th, 2021

Commenti

Joop Terpstra
15 Settembre 2021, 08:57
Many years ago I transported a 1927 Amilcar CGSs from Holland to the North of Italy. I put the car on a single axle trailer and pulled it with a ultra short but powerfull Peugeot 205 GTI 1.9 Liter with 130 hp. The trip through the night on a empty 'autobahn' went like a dream with illigal speeds up to 120 kmh. Next morning I arrived in Brescia fresh as a daisy :-) Nevertheless I'm very sorry for the Rolls owner....
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terry
06 Settembre 2020, 14:22
Would they have been better off loading the rolls on backwards to put most of the weight over the towing hitch?
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Mike Evans
05 Settembre 2020, 13:27
As others have suggested, a short wheelbase vehicle like a Range/Land Rover is not a good tow vehicle in these circumstances. My towing of 4-wheel car transporters has usually been done with a Rover P4. Another P4 on the trailer is quite an impressive sight though I keep the speed down to 55mph, though does struggle a bit over the Pennines. This is legal as the tow car does not have a plated towing capacity, have done many hundreds of miles.
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John
13 Settembre 2021, 10:06
The comment by Mike, about the Range Rover/Land Rover being a short wheel base and unsuitable for a tow vehicle is total rubbish, the total weight of the trailer and transported car would have been well within the MAM of the tow vehicle, then to suggest that a rover p4 is a sensible option because it hasn’t got a plated towing capacity?! I find it hard to believe a Range Rover has a shorter wheelbase than that of a Rover P4! I can only imagine luck seems to have prevailed over common sense when towing a vehicle and trailer with tow vehicle of unknown and very likely exceeded parameters!
Unfortunately, in the instance of the Rolls, I believe that if there was no visible signs of failure on any of the towing equipment, a lack of experience is likely to have caused this, especially at a low speed.
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william
02 Settembre 2020, 14:18
I been seeing this picture for long time on the internet, everybody is ok, sad accident and all that...but what happened to the car?
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Keith
05 Settembre 2016, 12:30
we have just come back from beaulieu just outside of caen was a low loader withe some MGs and the citroen h van pick that were in the automart jack knifed across the perifique we lost nearly an hour in getting home but i feel some people have lost a lot more

Keith bush
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Sconosciuto
01 Settembre 2016, 00:45
I tow our 1914 Sunbeam on a tandem (4-wheel) trailer with airbag suspension. The Sunbeam is not particularly heavy but it took me quite a while to find the "sweet spot" in terms of getting the whole rig correctly balanced and the trailer brakes properly set. Now I can happily tow at 110kph (absolute maximum in this part of Australia). But for delivering a car the size of the PIII - leave it to the professionals!
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Sconosciuto
31 Agosto 2016, 09:25
I towed a Speed 25 Alvis on a 4-wheel trailer behind a SII Landrover with no problems. It's all about preparation, using your loaf and being cautious. Low-tech equipment provides far less margin for effort. I feel for the guy in this story.
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roadster36
30 Agosto 2016, 21:05
Very sad for the owner of this Rolls.

It has nothing to do with this accident.
But towing my Mercedes 170v on a trailer this summer ,i lay down the gear in 1st position.
Moving the car from Holland to Italy.
At the destination the crown wheel in the differential was a total wracked.
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Sconosciuto
30 Agosto 2016, 16:18
This is a sad story.
We drove our (sadly sold!) 20/25 Rolls-Royce down from London to our (then) new home in Cahors, France. I think it was the longest journey that it had made in about 40 years!
Only took a couple of very pleasant days.
Our current Austin 20 was professionally transported down to us. This was quite (VERY!)expensive as, again, it took more than one day each way - 3 in all I think. Possibly the car could have been driven here, but I decided best be safe.
I agree with everything said about insurance and would always advise never trailing an expensive car oneself. Use the professionals who will be liable if anything at all happens, or drive it and have fun!
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Sconosciuto
30 Agosto 2016, 07:55
At risk of sounding pedantic, and bearing in mind grandmothers and eggs, it's very easy to be misled with four wheel trailers, you can have as much nose weight as you like, but if that is causing the C of G of the load to come too far forward over the front axle when the nose droops, it'll snake for sure!!

Single axle trailers are actually a far better balanced proposition as it's simply a matter of nose weight, the C of G of the load is self-regulating if the nose weight is right. None of that pushing and shoving you get with four wheel trailers either, but not much use over 1 Tonne load!!

Four-wheel trailers need careful matching to the tow vehicle and load, and the situation is further complicated if the tow vehicle has self-levelling suspension unless the matching of the hitch height is done with the engine running. However a single axle trailer is hardly likely to be suitable for such a vast weight!!!!
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Sconosciuto
30 Agosto 2016, 03:48
The use of "roller rocker" or load sharing trailer suspension is well worth the extra cost over simple slipper springs.
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Sconosciuto
29 Agosto 2016, 23:56
Obviously insufficient weight on drawbar. Weight was in excess of what Range Rovers can tow, they are very over rated, 3 tonne plus trailer weight must be close to published limit anyway. Personally have towed similar weight vehicle and massive trailer with far lighter car in total safety but had weight balance right and trailer brakes were working and spares were in back of car adding weight. Going down hills is the most dangerous as a heavy trailer takes over. Nobody should tow unless experienced and start with a light trailer first.
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Sconosciuto
29 Agosto 2016, 21:17
There are exeptions when it comes to short wheelbase cars that can be used to tow. I ones drove a fast Peugeot 205 GTI 1.9 with 130 hp and on my light two wheel trailer stood a 1927 Amilcar CGSS. I drove all the way from Holland to Brescia/ Italy with speeds up to 120 - 130 kmh so very illegal and it went through the night. This odd combination ran like on rails. No problems whatsoever :-) oh well maybe I was just lucky.
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Sconosciuto
29 Agosto 2016, 20:07
I seem to disagree with the consensus, years ago "towing" was ofttimes done just with a CHAIN(towed vehicle having driver, keeping chain taut). Yes, I am proof of survival.
Modern times have brought LESSENED "cushioned margins for error". Yes, this is a HEAVY vehicle to tow, but I doubt the tow limit of the trailer was exceeded, and it had "brakes", another added modern bonus(I like pintle hooks).
Fellas, remember BOATS, short wheelbase tow vehicles were the preference, the Jeep CJ5(optional V-8), and the 2-door short BLAZER, handy to own.
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Sconosciuto
29 Agosto 2016, 19:02
All the aforesaid about trailer nose weight accepted, it looks very much to me, looking at the 'bunch of bananas" of front tie downs, that the transporter, (who one assumes was the new owner), has committed the cardinal error of doubling, trebling, quadrupling the ratchet strap, either because it's too long and it seems a good way to use up the extra length and make it stronger, or in the belief that the load is obviously divided by two, three, four parts. However it's not a block and tackle, the friction at each change of direction means you can never get all the parts equally tight, so effectively it's no stronger than a single purchase, and it's certain to stretch as the vehicle surges back and forth. Couple that with securing the now-loose strap using the hook through a conveniently-placed eye on the trailer and the strap coming loose and detached is almost a certainty.

Always pass the strap round a cross-member or similar strong point and secure it back to itself so you have a continuous loop, then even if it does slacken off it cannot become detached.

Always stop five miles down the road and check the straps, if I were towing a big lollopy old lump like that, I'd strap the body down to the trailer too, try and stop it leaning all over the place. Check the wheel bearings for overheating with your hand at the same time, and every time you stop too!!

If you can lift the nose of the trailer, it's too light!! And make sure the trailer, if it's a four wheel one, isn't riding predominantly on the front axle, if necessary fit a drop plate to the towball or adjust the trailer drawbar if it's adjustable.

Short wheelbase isn't a big problem, artics only have short wheelbase tractor units after all, but if the trailer is properly loaded it shouldn't be a problem. Fancy suspension, on the other hand, is almost always trouble, it's not designed to cope with the loads of towing big trailers, more for passenger comfort.

A lot to be said for using professionals!

Incidentally the combination of 3T+ Rolls Royce, 3T of Range Rover plus trailer must be very close to the manufacturers GTW?? And well over 3.5T which in some countries means a change of licence group?
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Sconosciuto
29 Agosto 2016, 18:52
A terrible tragedy and so fortunate that no one was badly injured. The Dutch Police are to be congratulated for getting the road open and the traffic flowing. Had this accident occurred in the UK the Police would have closed the road for hours, and treated the accident as a crime scene; thus bringing a large part of the immediate area to a standstill.
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Sconosciuto
29 Agosto 2016, 17:33
I am very sorry to see this. I almost had a similar experience towing a light sports car with a light pickup truck. The problem was that the tow vehicle had a very short wheelbase (like the Rover), the trailer hitch was too short, and the truck was not heavier than the loaded trailer. The rig was unstable and once up to 50 mph going downhill it started to 'fishtail' with increasing amplitude. The whole rig spun out on a major freeway and stopped without hitting a guardrail or another car. The violent whipping broke every tie down except one! I lengthened the hitch on the trailer by 4 feet and bought a longer heavier tow vehicle and never had another problem.
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Sconosciuto
29 Agosto 2016, 17:12
Never tow anything with a Range Rover...Anything with a short wheelbase is unsuitable for towing anything...If you cant find a real truck... Ford, Dodge, Chevy, International preferably 3/4 ton at the least forget it and get the thing hauled.
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Sconosciuto
29 Agosto 2016, 16:01
I have been there and very nearly done that , relatively easy when the trailer and towed vehicle weigh a lot more than the tow car , once a vibration sets up it's very difficult sometimes to get out of it . Although the Range Rover is a write off the Rolls is definetely restorable, as is or possibly with another body . I know a man who can as they say ! The best part of this sad story is that no one was seriously injured or lost their life !
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Sconosciuto
29 Agosto 2016, 15:45
In the UK, there are limits on the weight that any fairly modern vehicle may tow, & I thought that this was an EEC ruling, actually. So,if this accident had happened in the UK. even if the vehicle (& the trailer) had been insured, there would probably have been no insurance payment made, & maybe other trouble as well.
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Sconosciuto
29 Agosto 2016, 15:14
We should keep in mind that these people are not amateurs, the seller is reputable, and the buyer of a RR from a reputable dealer would not economize(I would not have insured the vehicle if I were my own transporter).
This said, there are "marginal" problems with most four(4)WD vehicles, apparent only under "marginal" conditions(snow, off road, rough surfaces, or towing).
I snowplowed, and when "full time 4WD" became norm, I started tinkering with manual lockout conversion. I like to control when my vehicle switches performance modes, and why.
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Sconosciuto
29 Agosto 2016, 14:27
Does anybody think about this "if only you had..." thread is making the poor victim feel? I particularly think that post about a leisurely drive back to Switzerland, through the country, must have him in tears.
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Sconosciuto
29 Agosto 2016, 14:03
What a pity...
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Sconosciuto
29 Agosto 2016, 13:50
I really feel sad for this new owner of this once great car.
But this Rolls weighs 2700 kg at least, the Range Rover 2700 fully loaded with petrol etc. I can imagine that the trailer plus the Rolls, just lifted the Range and got out of control. The EAS on these cars will not allow you to drive faster as 30 MPH when lowered, then it will start the pump and level the car. The worst of all is that transport by a pro will cost you max 1000 euro, totally insured etc. and in summer it is just great to drive these wonderful machines back home. How sad
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Sconosciuto
29 Agosto 2016, 13:09
Always stop after 5 miles/8 kilometers, and retighten all your straps. Its amazing how a very tight strap can loosen by one notch once on the way.
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Sconosciuto
29 Agosto 2016, 13:01
Interestingly, at 0:53 in the video, an MG Midget rolls by the scene of the accident. From the damage to the Rolls, the trailer must have rolled as well as the Range Rover. What a pity!
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phil cordery
29 Agosto 2016, 12:45
One of several Phantoms that I know of that have had catastrophic endings, These Phantoms, 1-2 & 3 are incredibly heavy, usually between 2 & 1/2 & 3 tons, add to the trailor total 3-4 tons, being towed by a 2 ton Range Rover, unless the balance is carefully monitored, the result is as we see, pity about the P3 looked like a lovely restored example. pleased that no one was hurt.
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Sconosciuto
29 Agosto 2016, 11:10
One more important thing that came to my mind concerning transporting car on trailer. Always make first sure that balance of the trailer is ok and after that tie down the car to the trailer securely from all four corners either from the axles or the wheels/tyres. NEVER tie it from the body or bumpers.Doing this way the car can move on the trailer on it's own suspension. Othervise on road potholes the bumper or body can be damaged or even a very strong cargo strap can break off.
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Sconosciuto
29 Agosto 2016, 09:47
We almost had a similar experience towing a RR Silver Ghost behind a Cherokee Jeep. The combined weight of the Ghost and Trailer were considerably more than the Jeep, and to make matters worse, the tow hitch on the Jeep was too high. We unloaded the car from the trailer and drove it from the south of England back to the north of Scotland - far less stressful!
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Sconosciuto
29 Agosto 2016, 07:30
I have one positive thought.
Take a plane to Holland and drive such a nice RR back to Swiss, take the B-roads and just enjoy a few days along the river Moezel or Rijn the famous wine area with lovely views and hotels everywhere....Unfortunastely these days everybody is in a hurry and must be fast, why? There is no time to enjoy anymore: slow down people! And now the poor owner lost everything. Very very sad. I wish him all the best!

editor: Hear, hear !
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Sconosciuto
29 Agosto 2016, 06:38
Weight distribution is extremely important when towing a trailer. Make sure you have 70 - 100 kg on the hitch with that type of trailer and load.
Regards,
Christer
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Sconosciuto
29 Agosto 2016, 06:08
Hi there ,a scrapped RR is always a really sad sight.The only good thing here is that nobody got injured. I have thousands of kilometers experience of pulling my hobby cars (heavy ones like this RR) around with quite similar combination ie. Cadillac Escalade and a good car trailer.According to my experience the most important thing to remember is to have the gravity point of the trailer well in front of the trailer axles. With a long and heavy car the positioning can be a matter of few centimeters. It's better to have bit too much draw bar weight than none or even worse if the draw bar pulls the rear of the car up.If the combination is not correctly loaded even the most skill full driver cannot keep it on the road when it starts to wobble from side to side even on very low speeds.
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Sconosciuto
29 Agosto 2016, 05:31
The same happened with my RR Phantom II (Chassis# 10JS, ex 1931 UK-Motorshow car) 10 years ago. The car was bought by a man from the south of Germany. The accident happened at a highway 5 miles away from my home. In this case the Rolls was partly dismantled. The engine was out of the car. Therefore the weight balance of the trailer was not correct. The rear axle was too heavy. The driver tried to stabilize the car. He enhanced the speed of the Audi Allroad. This was his major failure. The best was to make a controlled full stop and to move the car 180° around at the trailer. The reason for plenty trailer accidents is a negative load at the tow-bar.

Regards and keep motoring

Clemens Heddier
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Sconosciuto
29 Agosto 2016, 05:11
My sincere condolences to the owner of the Rolls and all involved.

However, thanks for this reminder to be extremely careful when towing our classics. Have am just on my way home from towing my 1908 Mercedes on a round trip from the mechanics and back, close to 800 kms. So i can really feel for these guys, and timely for me to double check everything when towing.

I tow behind a Toyota Hilux, with electric brakes, always check tyre pressure and that there is good weight on the tow ball, and that all four corners of the car are securely tied down to the trailer so it can't move, if the trailer has a tyre blow out. It is also critical that the tow car is heavier that the total mass of the trailer and classic being towed.

So one unfortunate possibility is that the trailer and Phantom combined weight is actually heavier that the Range Rover. And may also be over the factory approved weight - in which case your insurance may nit be valid either.

Seems very basic, and I know of people borrowing trailers here in Aust and ending up with a similar disaster to the Rolls with an MG TA. In this case as the trailer was borrowed, there insurance was deemed to be invalid.

Perhaps, it is best to ensure that we tow our treasures with well know tow cars and trailers, by which i mean - well known by the owner, as being up to the job.

Again, my condolences to all involved. What a tragedy.

Harry.
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Sconosciuto
29 Agosto 2016, 04:29
I have trailered for more than forty years with almost 15000 km per year. Based on this experience I would persume that 99% of all trailer accidents are caused by an inbalanced load. Before you drive, make sure that the load on your trailer hook is 75-100 kg....no more no less. I persume that in this case the load was much higher.It leads to a front lift force of the towing vehicle. It requires only a bump on the street and you are helpless without steering. Obviously the Range Rover then hit a tree head on and crashed completely. Blame it on the inexperienced driver....not on the Rover.
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