2 Trailers, 1 Truck

[DarrellB]

Has anyone tried or done this? How hard is it to handle on the raod? How hard is it on the camper? Is it leagle or not?



I have a 24' Resort by Fleetwood and have 2 ATV's and would like to be able to combine it all into one trip and the only way I see of doing this is to pull my 16' tandam axle trailer behind my camper.



Any help or input will be really helpful I've herd of guys doing this but haven't ever seen any one going down the raod with a set up like it.



I know my truck can handle the wait but will smokey-bear harass me if I try it.



Big D

 

[Okie-Go]

I pulled a 24 ft. gooseneck with a jeep some 4x4 posts, concrete mix and two deer blinds on it. Behind the gooseneck I had a 5x10 with a 4wheeler in it. I pulled it close to 300 mile I guess with no trouble at all. I met dps officers on I-10 and had some pass me. They just looked and kept going. I made sure all the lights worked, I didn't speed and as always had the seatbelt on.

 

[DiTrani]

I think the laws are different state to state, but I think where it is legal the primary trailer has to be a 5'er (or maybe goose) and the total length of the rig is restricted. The length varies too, I think.

 

[MABurns]

Many states allow it. Those that do limit the combined total length and also many are limited to only boats / watercraft as the second trailer.

 

[B KIRK]

Here's a link that might be some help.



http://www.rvadvice.com/rvtowlaw.html



Brad

 

[Runaway]

Check your state laws...

and if allowed you shouldn't have any problem. I had a 24' Resort 5ver and pulled my boat behind it for two years before upgrading to the Jayco.

 

[DarrellB]

I might try it

Going to get a hold of DOT and find out what I can do.





The camper is only 5,100lbs dry and the tandem axle trailer shouldn't be but about 3,000lbs but I measured and both the trailes would be about 50' so that might not work as far as the law is conserned. I might have to look into one of those things that you put over the bed of the truck to haul two quads, but that kind of scare's me driving a quad up on top of the bed of my truck. (that's a long way down)



Thanks for the help guysOo. Oo.

Big D

 

[pwr2tow]

This is just my opinion, so take it as such.



I would never ever tow something behind a bumper hitch camper even with a load distribution hitch.



If the TT starts swaying from whatever (wind, semi, flat tire, ETC. ) the sway will be amplified and magnified many times over from the third trailer and when that thing starts swaying all hell could break loose. The more weight in on the last trailer the worse it could get. Going down steep grades could be real interesting with a bumper hitch TT and a third vehicle in tow. Not trying to flame anyone but just trying to keep me safe on the road.



Ron

 

[Shovelhead]

The Mighty Cummins can get it moving... ... ... ... . But how 'ya gonna stop it?

 

[DarrellB]

Not going to try it

Talked with a couple of people one being a DOT officer. The one guy tows a goose neck horse trailer (a 28' I think) and a 16' tandam axle trailer behind it for his jeep. He said he has had a total of $1,600 in fines since he started doing it and this spring he's buying his wife a truck to pull the jeep. The DOT guy told me that most officers in Indian most likely wouldn't worry about it but he did say most other states are really strict on the towing laws. I don't think it is important enough to try so I will just have to wait until I can aford my new toy-hauler camper and then I can take it all with me.



Thanks for the input guys

Big D

 

[dan_gilson]

What I think was missing from this page http://www.rvadvice.com/rvtowlaw.html is that you need a non-commercial class-A license in CA.

 

[Hostetter]

Darryl do you know anybody that hauls quads on top of the bed?



I have looked into this option have talked to the folks at

www.atvpickupcady ibeleive this is ther web site or you may need to do a search with these words if interesting. they are out

of colorado and have been making for years. they make them sound great even said that they are selling them thrugh calebos

catalogs. around 1,000 bucks if anybody has one or knows about them let us know



Hoss

 

[DarrellB]

Don't know anyone

I have only seen them in magazines but would live to know what they are like. They look like they would make the truck really top-heavy. I have two Polaris's and they wigh over 600lbs apeace that would be over 1000lbs up over the top of the bed of the truck and that sounds kind of scary to me.



If anyone out there has one of these things please give us some input on them.



Big D

 

[DarrellB]

Took a look

Hoss, I took a look at www.atvpickupcaddy.com and think it looks like a pretty good product. I'm going to send them an email and get a little more info on the carry cupassity of the unit but it sound like the stand by there product so I will give em a try. They have two different modles now one that loads from the side and one that loads from the back. They will even have it powder coated for a couple hundred bucks. I will let ya know what I find out.



Time to start saving my pennys.

Big D

 

[Hostetter]

Big D.

that has been my concern on being top heavy.

the lady i talked to says they live in colorado and

ride in the mountains and travel mountain roads

and say they have never heard of any problems.

she offered refferences but i said i would get back to her if i get serious. I was interested in the side load. she said the only that they have changed over the years is that they went to longer ramps to get quads up easier. if these were good i could save money cheaper then those exp. service utility trailers. hopefully someone out there in tdr land has one. Big D. where do you ride

just made plans to go down to ride at Hatfield/McCoys trail system in may for 10 days

Hoss

 

[JJW_ND]

Almost all stock and Horse Trailer pulled as doubles!

Pulled doubles many many miles. Always a gooseneck in front. Most times a gooseneck behind also. Total lengths to over 80 feet. Most pulles in the winter and back to ND. Lots of snow and ice driving. It is a very safe load as long as the front trailer is the heaviest. All doubles I pulled had all axles breaking. I used the trailer brakes and got 100K out of my trucks factory front pads.



As long as you are not overweight on the front trailer you will never know the second one is back their. In fact... good luck seeing it. Had a few loads like that. Had to do a little fish tail every one and a while to make sure the back one was still along for the ride.



Most weekend RVers up here run a pretty big walleye boat behind their WAY TO BIG a RV for their little 1/2T gasser.



Doubles are fine in most of the upper midwest except for MN. IA has a max length of 65 which was kinda short.



jjw

ND

 

[DarrellB]

Hoss, We have a couple of places about an hour drive away down here and a few more a little farther. I have about 8 miles of trails here at the house and as soon as I get the big Dodge paid off this winter I'm going to buy at least 60 acres to put some trails on and to have a little place to get away. I'm not sure because I haven't been riding yet this year but I think the one place we go was shut down. It is an old reclaimed stripmine and the government bought it and I herd last Friday that it go shut down. We still have one good place close yet that not a lot of people know about so it should be there for a long time.



Let me know how you like the Hatfirld/McCoy. I would like to go there sometime. Might try to go this fall if I can get a few people together to go.



Happy Trails

Big D

 

[TPCDrafting]

I don't have one, but have a friend that does. His holds two (8' bed) and side loads. That way he can un/load without unhooking trailer and doesn't have to man-handle them once up on truck. They don't make it top heavy once the trailer is hooked up. Not sure if they do when not hooked up. ?? He says he finds an embankment to pull up next to and then the ramps are more flat. Problem is it's time consuming to take the rack out of the truck, so he never does and runs around with that thing all the time on his truck and doesn't have a bed for hauling other things. By the way, his truck is a '00 d/c 2500. And his quads are two Honda Foremans, don't know how much they weigh but they've got to be one of the heavier ones out there.

 

[mblair]

two trailers?...

I was concerned about this very question...

I asked out fuel truck driver about the limits on this. We live in Utah but aren't familiar with out of state laws. He said he had a receiver hitch welded on the back of his 28" travel trailer and pulls his 18' inboard outboard boat behind that. When I asked him about the legality of it he said it's okay as long as it's not over 60'. He is a professional truck driver, and I hope he knows.

(Incidently, he pulls them with his '94 powerstroke so I know our Cummins will pull them. ) I hope his info is correct, but he has been doing it since '94. But come to think of it, I'm not sure if the trailer is a 5th wheel or not.

 

[dan_gilson]

Even if you are under the maximum length, you may still need to upgrade your drivers license to a Class A non-commercial. This is true fr California. Check with your DMV or Highway Patrol. They ought to know.