Double Tow

[Mr_D]

Out here on the west coast they are usually illegal to be on the road, but each state is different so you have to know the various laws.

[gcsprayjr]

We are going to purchase a Northern Lite 10.6 truck camper, and call it a done deal. My wife Betty wants a new camper. I will add a Supertruss hitch with tiedowns and an extension set for towing. Supersprings will be added to maintain a level ride hight and prevent excessive bouncing on the truck. We will install the frame type tiedowns for the front on the camper. The tongue weights on the two trailers that we will be towing (one at a time) plus the weight of the camper will not excede the weight that is allowed for the truck to haul and tow. Everything should work well. Mostly we will be towing the boat, as we usually camp and boat. Usually when we tow the race car trailer we stay in hotels, so we will not need the camper, however it will be nice to be able to tow it together if we want to.

[M zoll]

for my 2cents, I have a 1999 f350 dually crewcab 1/4 of fuel, with me & tool box
the truck weight is 7,400 on the KY DOT scale's

[papachaz57]

i'm curious about something you've written. i live in ga, and we see people tow doubles a LOT. last year when i went to renew my DL, i specifically asked the officer there if i needed a 'doubles' license to do this, explaining that i'd seen one guy in particular do it all the time when we camp at Sweetwater Campground on Lake Allatoona.
he told me no special license was required, and it was legal up to a specific total length that at the moment i can't remember. where did you get your GA info? wondering why the officer told me that in May 2011, and your post in Dec 2011 indicates he was wrong???? just curious...

[gcsprayjr]

In Georgia it is still currently legal to tow double, however the state is seriously considering making it illegal in the very near future. One can tow double if the first trailer is a 5th wheel and neither trailer can excede 29 feet in length. The law actually exists due to a loophole in the law that allows simi trucks to haul doubles. From my experience few police officers are familiar with the law. Everyone you ask will give you a different answer. One highway patrol officer who is a friend of mine says that they look for vehicles that look unsafe more than the configuration of the vehicle. He says that if the towed vehicle has no lights, safety chains, or the tires look worn it is getting stopped. Having an inadaquate tow vehicle will get one stopped real fast, than once they start looking they will find something in violation of some law. About 12 years ago we towed a 36 foot Holiday Imperial 5th wheel with a 88 Chevy crewcab dually 4x4. I was running a 502 EFI with an SM -465 4 speed manual trans, and a US Gear two speed spliter. The truck would pass anything but a gas pump. Behind the 5th wheel we towed a 17.6 pro bass boat. Everything had electric brakes, including the boat trailer. All chains in place and I installed a break-away switch on the boat trailer. We never had a problem. I even learned to back the unit in a straight line for about 75 feet. The rig was slow to climb a mountain, but stopped nice and straight, and would roll with traffic on flat land. We were clearly breaking the law with a 36 foot camper, but no one seemed to notice. Once I was stopped by a DOT officer who gave me h***, however he had no jurisdiction as DOT only regulates commercial vehicles, not private vehicles. He could have been a real a** and called the state highway patrol, but he didn't. I was very polite, and thanked him for the warning and his concern. The next one might not have been willing to let it go. In Alabama it is illegal to tow doubles. Alabama has not been enforcing the law, however several people who I know that are in the RV business seem to think that the time is near that the state will enforce the law. I figure why spend the money and effort to set up a rig, only to have states decide that they are either going to make the practice illegal, or enforce the laws that already exist.

[M zoll]

I under stand that if you can do it in the state you live in you can travel around and back home pulling double's 5th wheel. To bumper.

[RustyJC]

Quote:

Originally Posted by M zoll I under stand that if you can do it in the state you live in you can travel around and back home pulling double's 5th wheel. To bumper.

Reciprocity does not apply to equipment configuration - only licensing and registration. The laws of the state through which one is traveling govern as far as "towing double" is concerned.

Rusty

[GWinger]

I double tow and travel in some states that 'technically' don't allow it. So far I haven't had a problem.
I've been warned though that if I were to travel in Washington state or Oregon, I'd be in trouble. Guess if those states don't like it, I don't have to spend my money there.
GWinger