Towing car behind 5er

[Smooth Sailn]

I have a 2004 Dodge 2500 5.9 Cummins Quad cab with long bed and 30 foot 5er. (about 10,000 lbs loaded) Can I pull a subcompact car on a dolly behind it? What is legal overall length?

Thanks,

Smooth

[RustyJC]

It all depends. Let's ignore for a moment the monumental issue of whether or not the 5th wheel's frame is capable of towing around 3,000 lbs. The legality of towing "double", what the 2nd towed load can be, the overall permissible length and special licensing requirements are going to vary by state. Except for the driver licensing requirements (which would be governed by your home state), you would have to research the laws of each state through which you wish to travel to know whether your rig would be legal or not in that particular state.

Rusty

[Smooth Sailn]

Thanks Rusty. All good points that support my initial gut reaction to the idea. "I got a real bad feel'n about this one."

[Francesca]

Here's a link to a "Towing Laws" page- it gives State-by-State rules. "Triple Tow yes/no" is at about mid-page.

http://www.towingworld.com/articles/TowingLaws.htm


Good luck!

Francesca

[jackrobinryan]

Wouldn't even consider it for lots of reasons. Weight, braking, length, triple tow laws, hitch considerations, cost of tow rig/aux brake system, insurance, safety, etc.

$2-3,000 invested buys lots of gas to have co-driver move a fuel efficient subcompact place to place.

[Franka548]

Smooth Sailn,
Usually it is a good idea to follow that gut feeling, if the initial feweling is to not do it, that is a good enough reason not to do it. At least until you do a lot more research on the subject. JMHO

Frank

[two2go]

We were camped in Tucson for a few days about 6 years ago. A single lady pulls into the site next to us. She is driving a mid-late 90's Ford diesel pulling a 40' triple axle 5th wheel. Behind the trailer is a towed Toyota Tacoma pickup. The 5th wheel has several storage boxes on the roof filled with stuff. The Toyota has a shell and it appears to be crammed with stuff, and there is stuff on the roof of the pickup shell. I guess this represents everything she owned, plus a couple of big dogs. She was quite friendly, but couldn't talk much because she proceeded to pull out a tool box, take off one of the trailer wheels, and work on the brake.
Can you tow behind a tow? Sure. Should you? Make your decision and take your chances. Please don't cause an accident that involves me. Gotta admit, I kind of admired the spunk of that lady, and she sure did provide some entertainment and a good story to share. Wish I would have taken pictures.

[Mr_D]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Francesca Here's a link to a "Towing Laws" page- it gives State-by-State rules. "Triple Tow yes/no" is at about mid-page. http://www.towingworld.com/articles/TowingLaws.htm Good luck! Francesca

Any information on that chart is suspect as I know for a fact that some info for two states is wrong.

[ParTheCourse]

I don’t believe a 2500 is rated to tow the combined weight of three such vehicles, a bigger (much bigger) truck would probably be needed. I have also wondered what insurance companies think about the subject.

[Matusky]

I routinely pull my 18' jet boat behind my triple axle Raptor fifth wheel,.... Did it with my old 2007 F350 to Ohio and back,..... Now I'm doing the same with my 2011 F350,..... If you know what you're doing it can be done without issue,..... It's not legal but it would take a true DOT cop to actually give you a ticket,..... In my area I know several police officers personally and not one, even my local chief of police could answer right away whether it was legal or not,.....

In Australia there's 'road train' trucks that are over 150' long ..... But they're designed to do so.

I figure if I get ticketed tomorrow for $1500,..... It'll suck,..... But I've already saved way more than that in fuel, so who cares.

[hurly23]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Matusky I routinely pull my 18' jet boat behind my triple axle Raptor fifth wheel,.... Did it with my old 2007 F350 to Ohio and back,..... Now I'm doing the same with my 2011 F350,..... If you know what you're doing it can be done without issue,..... It's not legal but it would take a true DOT cop to actually give you a ticket,..... In my area I know several police officers personally and not one, even my local chief of police could answer right away whether it was legal or not,..... In Australia there's 'road train' trucks that are over 150' long ..... But they're designed to do so. I figure if I get ticketed tomorrow for $1500,..... It'll suck,..... But I've already saved way more than that in fuel, so who cares.

Ur boat I'm guessing has brakes along with ur trailer. He's talking about towing a car behind his which won't have brakes. It can be done with that truck but will be pushing the tow limit of the vehicle. Its right on the edge but can be done

[Francesca]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Matusky I routinely pull my 18' jet boat behind my triple axle Raptor fifth wheel,.... Did it with my old 2007 F350 to Ohio and back,..... Now I'm doing the same with my 2011 F350,..... If you know what you're doing it can be done without issue,..... It's not legal

If you know it's not legal in your state and do it anyway, won't you be uninsured in case of an accident?
My policies all state that any event arising from an illegal act is disqualified for coverage.

Francesca

[MickBrennan]

This couple had a For Sale sign on this rig. It was a beautiful thing but

H U G E!

[okgc]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Francesca If you know it's not legal in your state and do it anyway, won't you be uninsured in case of an accident? My policies all state that any event arising from an illegal act is disqualified for coverage. Francesca

If you "accidentally" run a red light (illegal act) resulting in a crash, are you covered by your insurance?