O/T Where is a DOT cop when you need him

[Toms1650]

I just saw the worthless Toyota TV ad breaking a few laws.
Why would the govenment allow this to happen? If you can get a ticket from a camera,seems to me Toyota should get a ticket for exceeding tow weight restrictions.
Now if some idiot trys to pull a overloaded trailer can he claim the commercial for an excuse?
If you missed it a "stock Tundra" pulled 292,000 lbs on a city street.
Stock I dont think so,judging from the weight on the tires,they loaded the back with steel. How else could the little piece of junk pull anything?
I pass more Tundra junk broken down on the tollway than any other make. (seems to have a driveshaft problem)
 

[cd1]

If your talking about the space shuttle I think you should go research the subject before you make yourself look like an idiot. If I remember correctly they used the yota due to weight restrictions on the bridge they were crossing.
 

[730d se]

Nothing like the actual facts to settle a debate.
(Fact, any normal pickup with 4 wheel drive low and a working drive train could have towed it.)

3:20PM EDT October 14. 2012 - A Toyota Tundra pickup towed the retired space shuttle Endeavour across a freeway bridge in Inglewood, Calif., last night, a publicity coup that helped underscore Toyota's American connections.

The shuttle is winding its way from Los Angeles International Airport to a museum near downtown Los Angeles. Most of the way, it is being towed by a tractor atop of a high-tech rig. But for about 100 yards, the crews needed to lighten the load to get it across the Manchester Avenue overpass to cross the San Diego Freeway.

That's where the Toyota Tundra came in.

As we've told you, Toyota has been practicing for months for the move. We learned last night that execs actually gave the operation an internal code name, Blue Ox, and that training began several months ago -- all for a move of about 100 yards.

Indeed, the wait of few hours before the pull was mostly to get crews and equipment in place for the television commercial that Toyota is shooting. A director urged workers to pretend to inspect the rig carrying the shuttle at one point. "Give me a couple of guys in front of the tow hitch, please," he said.

The pickup that did the pull was silver with 2-foot-tall Tundra letters written across the side. On the front end was written "Born in America," making it clear that Toyota, a Japanese automaker, wants to use the shuttle pull to once again try to get Americans to think of it as an American maker. The Tundra is made in San Antonio.

Even though it practiced for months, pulling the 292,000-pound trailer turned out to be no big deal. The engine never even revved hard. When the truck started effortlessly pulling the shuttle -- in four-wheel-drive low, naturally -- the crowd of several hundred broke into a "USA, USA" chant.
 

[ericlb]

just physics, while im sure it did stress the toyota a rolling load like that, isnt all that hard to move, watching the add, i was figuring the toyots was going to break traction and spin a tire long before it gave up pulling, it didn't, i routinely pull our dozers around one of our bigger ones a d-8-r, when sitting on the lowboy with tractor attached all ready to go is 140,000 lbs plus, and i pull it regularly, in the mountains with no problem, but my personal best is pushing a loaded 18wheeler up an incline where it was slipping on wet dirt, -with my 1980 chevy 1 ton 4x4 dually, another truck tractor had tried to pull it, but as the 2nd truck had no trailer, he had no traction either, the chevy push bumper centered on the trucks trailer icc bumper, so i dropped in in 4x4 low range and eased into it, heck it went right out! the rig wasnt dug in or anything, he just couldnt get a bite in the wet ground
 

[ericlb]

as to a dot cop, i would imagine since we know who owns the shuttles, and the security that is usually around them any dot cop was making himself invisible as far as writing tickets, he might find himself perminatly doing brake inspections on loaded cattle trucks, were he to decide to do his stud-muffin act and whip out a ticket book, lol
 

[scotc]

Yeah, they forgot to mention where you got your info, that the dollies the shuttle was sitting on were also self-propelled.
 

[Toms1650]

Ok I was having a little fun Most of the questions on here are about a half ton pulling a car trailer with a tractor. This always causes heart problems about how unsafe it is.
I thought it was interesting that clearly the truck GVRW was exceeded.
As for physics the equipment being towed does not transfer any weight to the truck. So why would the back of the truck be lower before the pull, and the tire showing load?
I would like to see the truck weighed before.
Like any farmer if you can hook a truck to it,anything would be attempted including pulling a house.
I agree that a 4x4 in low can pull, in fact in the right conditions can easily outpull a 130hp farm tractor.
If you are going to make an exception to law, I would of liked to see a Chevy or Ford do it and not some junk from across the pond (I dont care where it is made, it says TOY on the grill)
Why could I now hook up a 20,000lb trailer to a s10 chevy to save weight?
 

[larryanderson]

Was going down highway[probably speeding]with a tractor on[ may or may not have legal ] and met a DOT car he turned around with lights flashing and picked up car in front of me that I had followed for several miles.Must of been bored so decided to be Highway Patrol man.It also is amazing how they can tell at speed if you have your seat belt on.I realize its their job but the court costs for some paper work are usually more than fine.They make it real easy as they even take credit cards.
 

[Bret4207]

Probably the likely reason DOT wouldn't be interested is that the shuttle, being owned by NASA, a US Gov't agency, is exempt from DOT rules and regs.

As far as Toyota goes, I put well over 300K on one and 290K on another before rust took them. I passed an awful lot of Fords, Chevys and Dodges over the years. And my Toy had a larger percentage of US made components than the big 3 at that time and was made in Ky or Tn IIRC.
 

[Josh in Pa]

That much not be much of a tractor. Any 130 hp tractor could easily drag a 4x4 dually or anything else around.
Josh
 

[David Snipes]

They may have gotten a special permit.
 

[mkirsch]