Video- Terry Haddock's car breaks during transport (2 Viewers)

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Air ride semi trailers are pretty much standard today, they aren't just exclusive to "the big boys". For you to say "A 3000 mile trip in a trailer without an air bag would far surpass a season of runs on the chassis", is your opinion, you make it seem like that is a fact.
I would gladly load up a funny car or top fueler in one of our moving vans and haul it across the country and unload it in the EXACT same condition as when it left, without using an air bag inside the trailer.

Why don't you call up Murf McKinney or Hadman or any of the chassis builders and see what they say. I've had crew chiefs tell me that as FACT, not myself making it up. You know, you people get pissed when someone posts on here "when I was on the race team". I was on a pro team for 6 years and still am active with a top fuel car, are you? Why is that hard for you to understand? Riding in a trailer is still forces acting on the chassis. Have you driven truck cross country with 80,000 lbs in the trailer? I have. And next you are going to tell me that these trailers don't weight 80K. If you have driven, you would know how chitty the freeways are in certain areas of the country. The air ride trailers do ride nice, but when you are on roads so rough they throw you outta the sleeper and crap ends up on the floor in the trailer, not so much. Flame away. Argue FACTS!!!
 
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Why don't you call up Murf McKinney or Hadman or any of the chassis builders and see what they say. I've had crew chiefs tell me that as FACT, not myself making it up. You know, you people get pissed when someone posts on here "when I was on the race team". I was on a pro team for 6 years and still am active with a top fuel car, are you? Why is that hard for you to understand? Riding in a trailer is still forces acting on the chassis. Have you driven truck cross country with 80,000 lbs in the trailer? I have. And next you are going to tell me that these trailers don't weight 80K. If you have driven, you would know how chitty the freeways are in certain areas of the country. The air ride trailers do ride nice, but when you are on roads so rough they throw you outta the sleeper and crap ends up on the floor in the trailer, not so much. Flame away. Argue FACTS!!!

I am not going to sit here and argue with you, that doesn't get anywhere. So I will give you a few facts and that will be my last response on this subject.

Yes, I have driven trucks cross country, I OWN A TRUCKING COMPANY! So I should have some credibility in that area! And NO, you cannot put 80,000 lbs. in the trailer, that would make you overweight. Those trailers do not weigh 80,000 lbs., not even close, I would guess the empty weight of a 53ft. transport trailer is around 25 to 30,000 lbs. the gross weight cannot exceed 80,000, that includes the tractor. I had to laugh when you said some roads throw you outta the sleeper, if I were you, I would stay off those roads, because I have never come across a road like that, unless you are riding through corn fields on your way to the track. I am 36 and have had 1 job in my life and that has been in my family's trucking business, so please don't spout off I know nothing about trucks, when you didn't have a clue what I did for a living! Ignorance is bliss!
 
I am not going to sit here and argue with you, that doesn't get anywhere. So I will give you a few facts and that will be my last response on this subject.

Yes, I have driven trucks cross country, I OWN A TRUCKING COMPANY! So I should have some credibility in that area! And NO, you cannot put 80,000 lbs. in the trailer, that would make you overweight. Those trailers do not weigh 80,000 lbs., not even close, I would guess the empty weight of a 53ft. transport trailer is around 25 to 30,000 lbs. the gross weight cannot exceed 80,000, that includes the tractor. I had to laugh when you said some roads throw you outta the sleeper, if I were you, I would stay off those roads, because I have never come across a road like that, unless you are riding through corn fields on your way to the track. I am 36 and have had 1 job in my life and that has been in my family's trucking business, so please don't spout off I know nothing about trucks, when you didn't have a clue what I did for a living! Ignorance is bliss!

So you have driven on the FREEWAY across all the states and followed the circuit? Why don't you ask some of the crewmembers who drive the trucks what they think. I don't give a flying rats butt about who you are or what you do. The truck I drove for JFR, Eric Medlens transport, weighed right at 80,000 lbs and alot of times it was over as we had to take weight out when we got caught. And any idiot knows I am talking gross weight, not total trailer weight. You own a trucking company. Yippie. So ASSUMING what these trailers weigh is the smart way to look at this. You were the reason we ran without the CB on when driving because you most likely were talking smack about how we couldn't drive because you wanted our jobs. And yes, there are alot of FREEWAYS that are rougher than a corn cob and I spent alot of miles in the left lane. Which works right up until you get pulled over for driving in the left lane in a truck. But you go, supertrucker!
 
You know, it cracks me up when people who actually do know something about what they are talking about post on here and get blasted by people who THINK they know what they are talking about. And I let it get to me, my fault. You guys can believe whatever you want, I don't care. I know the truth. Doesn't matter to me if you are too ignorant to care.
 
Here is another opinion from a person that has loaded a few race cars and driven transporters all over the USA. Race cars can/do get worn out and damaged in the transporter if they are not blocked up and secured in a proper manner. It is so common that all teams inspect their chassis for cracks/breakage when they first unload the cars at any track.

It is difficult to avoid the rough roads when you need to get to a particular destination in a rather short time period. Team transporters are usually maxed out on weight, and the teams are very deliberate in how they distribute the loads on each axle. Once a team determines the best way to carry their cars, the cars are loaded in the same manner and position each time, blocked up and tied down exactly the same.

You will notice inside a transporter everything has a place and is secured in that place because sooner or later it will end up on the floor if it isn't. That is not to say that will always happen, but just once will cure you of the habit of leaving things randomly unsecured in the trailer. Sometimes it is caused by the panic braking when another vehicle cuts you off or stops suddenly, sometimes by rough roads, pot holes or any of the many other things that makes the transporter move in a different direction suddenly. And even with air rides, there are a lot of harmonics going on in the rig as it is moving down the road.
 
Here is another opinion from a person that has loaded a few race cars and driven transporters all over the USA. Race cars can/do get worn out and damaged in the transporter if they are not blocked up and secured in a proper manner. It is so common that all teams inspect their chassis for cracks/breakage when they first unload the cars at any track.

It is difficult to avoid the rough roads when you need to get to a particular destination in a rather short time period. Team transporters are usually maxed out on weight, and the teams are very deliberate in how they distribute the loads on each axle. Once a team determines the best way to carry their cars, the cars are loaded in the same manner and position each time, blocked up and tied down exactly the same.

You will notice inside a transporter everything has a place and is secured in that place because sooner or later it will end up on the floor if it isn't. That is not to say that will always happen, but just once will cure you of the habit of leaving things randomly unsecured in the trailer. Sometimes it is caused by the panic braking when another vehicle cuts you off or stops suddenly, sometimes by rough roads, pot holes or any of the many other things that makes the transporter move in a different direction suddenly. And even with air rides, there are a lot of harmonics going on in the rig as it is moving down the road.
Thanks for posting Virgil. But hey, what do you know? LOL.
 
As I said before, I won't get into an argument with a mechanic who thinks he is a walking talking dictionary about trucks & trailers. I guess we better just agree to disagree on this one.
Supertrucker out!
 
As I said before, I won't get into an argument with a mechanic who thinks he is a walking talking dictionary about trucks & trailers. I guess we better just agree to disagree on this one.
Supertrucker out!

Yup; and Virgil don't know nutin' neither. You probably don't even know who he is...
 
Yes I do know who Virgil is, I never said he "don't know nutin' neither".
I was just trying to give you some info about trucks and trailers since I have been around them since I was a kid.
 
But apparently not around race cars as long. :)

Every chassis builder will tell you the trip is more wear than all the track time. It's not the harshness of the ride, it's the bouncing cycles.
 
It's not the harshness of the ride, it's the bouncing cycles.
^^^^^^ This. Cycles to failure is the issue. Some loads such as furniture or salsa would not be the least bit bothered by road vibrations. Race car chassis are very refined, lightweight yet strong structures designed to withstand specific loads for a short period of time. They are therefor susceptible to damage from vibration differently than most normal loads a trailer would see. Even though the ride is "smooth" as perceived by a human, the chassis could still be vibrating at a tremendous rate. Like Virgil said, all kinds of harmonics go on inside a trailer, most of which aren't felt inside the truck.

I have opened the trailer door when stopping for fuel to find my cup of water still sitting on the counter. I have also opened it to find a broken race car when a support shifted, even though the road was smooth....it happens....bummer for Terry Haddock.
 
So to try and put this thread back on track, I take it unfortunately he could not get Densham's car put together in time?
 
I think he still has a shot at making Q4.

EDIT: I take that back, it appears rain has ended qualifying. Tough break for Terry & friends.
 
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I know times are different, and I know the cars are much more complex now, but such a miracle has happend before, and the car made the track.

Shelly Anderson had a blow over in Brainerd Friday night. I watched them take out their 3 piece chassis (back when 3 piece cars were the thing to have) and all 3 sections were in what appeared to be their shipping crates. After a long night, and a trip to the minneapolis airport (6 hour round trip) to get a few things that were overnighted, it was on the track on Sat.
 
Coulda been those pesky 8620 termites?

-90% Jimmy

amplitude? frequency? Resonance? Tacoma Narrows bridge collapse? Single Bullet theory?

Anyway, it's a shame Terry couldn't make the field.
 
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