Tundra Towing Endeavour

[YotaFun]

This should be interesting.

http://i829.photobucket.com/albums/zz219/Yota-Boy/Random%20Off-Road%20Photos/TundraEndeavour.pnghttp://www.toyota.com/tundraendeavour/#landing

Thoughts?

[troyboy162]

I dont know how this is going to work. Is it towing it down hill? Is there a pulley system for mechanical advantage? I have no idea what limits towing capacity but I have a hard time seeing the tundra get that much mass to start moving.

[Good Times]

very very very slowly ;)

I don't plan to be anywhere around the route but it'll be interesting to see how this will be accomplished. Anyone one else planning to check this out in person?

[4x4mike]

I'm sure it will be very interesting. I'm wondering if the truck has been modified for the pull? This came up on Pirate a few weeks ago.


http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/general-chit-chat/1093764-toyota-tundra-will-pull-space-shuttle-last-1-4-mile.html

[Obi..]

*Chuck Norris could tow it, but the shuttle knows better than to mess with Chuck Norris. :D

[04 Rocko Taco]

Its a specially designed tow rig that the shuttle will sit on. Here is an excerpt from the article from AutoBlog.


Endeavour will be towed 12 miles from Los Angeles International Airport to the museum on October 13, and the Tundra will hitch up to the shuttle for the last quarter mile of the trip. The towing rig was made specifically for this event, allowing the full-size Tundra to pull almost 30 times its regular towing capacity. Toyota says that the truck used to tow Endeavour will be a stock V8 Tundra with no enhancements or modifications.

by the way if anyone is going to check it out in person, I would love to get some good pictures(besides press release photos) of the Tundra pulling the shuttle. So post up!

[Robinhood4x4]

Ever see those guys who move jumbo jets using only their two legs? Same thing. The truck only has to survive for 1/4 mile, so who cares about tow ratings.

[YotaFun]

My thought process is with Troy on this one,

How the heck are they going to get it rolling, slowly,
maybe if it was down hill,
but the amount of torque needed to get the thing rolling is,
quadruple what the Tundra can put out in 2lo,
let alone the stress to the frame of that truck.

The other thing about the rig the Tundra is pulling, it doesn't look to much different to setups that trucks use to haul oversize loads such as the propeller for a wind turbine or a large generator, or section of a tunnel.

With that weight on those rubber tires its just insane!
Unless the axles on that truck are riding on a system that is similar to a trail cars axles I really see the Tundra having a tough time getting off the line.

I like how on pirate the debate went instantly to what is more american, honestly I could give to farts what company did it, when most of our products are made in mexico or china, I just go, "As long as it works its good"

I would love to be there to see this actually done, it would be a very interesting site to see.

[YotaFun]

Ever see those guys who move jumbo jets using only their two legs? Same thing. The truck only has to survive for 1/4 mile, so who cares about tow ratings.


That makes another question come up, why are they using this special tow rig to move the shuttle?
Why not use its own rolling stock and tow it like any other plan is towed on a tarmac?

[Crinale]

That makes another question come up, why are they using this special tow rig to move the shuttle?
Why not use its own rolling stock and tow it like any other plan is towed on a tarmac?



The special towing rig can move in many different directions including side to side so that the shuttle can dodge buildings and power poles etc, since this will be towed on urban city streets through Inglewood and Los Angeles.

[Seanz0rz]

^^^

plus, the numerous wheels of the tow rig distribute weight better (over more area, less pressure/force) on the pavement and underlying infrastructure.

[Robinhood4x4]

The truck itself isn't going to carry that much weight, just the weight of the tow bar that's hooking up to the ball. They might even add weight to the bed of the truck so it has better traction.

Remember that the weight of everything may be 300,000 lbs, but that's not the force it has to pull. All it has to do is overcome the rolling resistance of the tires and bearings to get it started.

If this guy can move 416,000 lbs with his own two hands and two feet, I would think it's easy for a truck to pull 300,000 lbs.
http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/dedication/heaviest-aircraft-pulled-by-a-man

Here's another:
World's Strongest Man - In History - Heaviest Plane Pull - 1/3 Million lbs. Boeing 767 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tls-Jli6eQE#)

[Seanz0rz]

I'm still very meh about the Tundra. I'm bored with everything Toyota these days.

[Robinhood4x4]

Well sure, it's a publicity stunt that has already been rehearsed many many times to make sure it works. I'm not too excited about any vehicle these days.

[04 Rocko Taco]

well if either of you hum drums who are unexcited about the Tundra happen across one for free anywhere just go ahead and snag it up for one very excited Rocko.

[Ric]

now matter what, its going to be cool.

[YotaFun]

Agreed, I wouldn't mind being the driver to look in the mirrors and see a giant space shuttle behind me!

[Ric]

Agreed, I wouldn't mind being the driver to look in the mirrors and see a giant space shuttle behind me!


hell yea

[Obi..]

I'm bored with everything Toyota these days.



Two days ago I'd have agreed with you, having been somewhat looking at a crossover instead of another (bigger) truck. Today I don't, especially after driving these as well as the 3.5l equipped standard one's at a certain company's facility here near Menlo Park. Fleet of RAV's, 2wd and 4wd versions. There was even one "stanced" as-in like one of Gary's Forester's over @ MANN Engineering. Both the EV and 3.5 easily outpaced the Forester I had demo'd earlier on the same sections of highway.

I like the Tundra's, much more overall to them versus my usual GM route and more refined than a Ford. Now if they'd get a diesel in one, then I'll be impressed. :clap:

[YotaFun]

To the Off Topic of what Toyotas putting out, they are coming around slowly, and I see a bright future.

As for this stunt still can't wait!

[CJM]

Id like to see a more refined, somewhat less boxy fullsize tundra with a diesel.

Fords the only one that hasnt gone gigantic with the body styling.

[troyboy162]

looking at the pictures...it looks like the trailer for it is actually its own tow vehicle. I think it moves under its own power and the tundra is just for show

[YotaFun]

Troy there are two, on tow vehicle does move on its own, its the purple-ish color one, that will navigate most of it, then the last quarter the shuttle gets set up onto a different trailer pulled by the tundra which is white, and that doesn't appear to have its own power since it looks like a set of flat bed trailers connected to tow dollies tied together to one pull point with some contraption on it to hold the shuttle

[Crinale]

Troy there are two, on tow vehicle does move on its own, its the purple-ish color one, that will navigate most of it, then the last quarter the shuttle gets set up onto a different trailer pulled by the tundra which is white, and that doesn't appear to have its own power since it looks like a set of flat bed trailers connected to tow dollies tied together to one pull point with some contraption on it to hold the shuttle


^^This. I thought the same as you Troy, but then I did more research and the powered dolly is going to release the shuttle onto the unpowered white dolly to be pulled by the Tundra 400 yards.

[Good Times]

was heading home today on the 405N and saw the massive chaos on the Manchester overpass earlier today. looks like the shuttle was on the west side of the 405 on Manchester. Didn't see or rather didn't want to try and look while driving like a mad man trying to get home. lol

anyone gonna try and take a glimpse of this?

[Obi..]

Here's a poor quality fan based video to tie you all down until he official one's uploaded.

Toyota Tundra tows the NASA space shuttle Endeavour (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nvm23M8Cepw#)

[Obi..]

Another one from a different angle.
http://www.youtube.com/user/jshaw6600

Also CLUB4AG's video.

http://www.youtube.com/user/Club4AGMoto

[YotaFun]

Welp it did it.
Pretty cool.

[YotaFun]

I still want to know what it would have been like to be in that drivers seat and look in the rear view mirror

[CJM]

http://i.imgur.com/pPrPc.jpg

[YotaFun]

Yeah I have seen those everywhere too.
Not gonna lie I kinda want one...

[CJM]

Really snubbing the domestics lol.

[Crinale]

haha we knew that would happen though. Love the commercial touting it too.

[YotaFun]

I know it is, but I still like my domestics

[YotaFun]

Like this, This makes me want a ford!
http://i829.photobucket.com/albums/zz219/Yota-Boy/IMG_27621.jpg

[Seanz0rz]

wrong end avy. I want the duce and a half!

[YotaFun]

Yeah I would want that too Sean, but you got to admit, its cool to see the truck do taht lol