towing 20,000???????

[JNeiman]

Is there any ways you can legally put 20,000ish behind a truck legally? I know you would need a 5th wheel, but I have a Mitsubishi Fuso site dump truck and a Bobcat 763 that I would like to be able to move on one trailer... Could I get away with this on the highways going through other states? I'm guessing I would need a 30'+ trailer to fit both. Any thought?

 

[RustyJC]

Since this is site construction equipment, it's gonna look kinda "commercial" to the DOT. Therefore, if you're not prepared to undergo DOT inspections, weight checks, etc. the same as a commercial driver and rig, I'd suggest having it shipped on a proper carrier.



JM2CW



Rusty

 

[JNeiman]

log books are not a problem, but would I be way over weight? And 5th wheel or gooseneck setup?

 

[RustyJC]

Would you be over the manufacturer's ratings? Most definitely! With the 3. 54 rear axle, your 3500 is rated for 20,000 GCWR tops! Would you be legal insofar as weight is concerned? It depends...



Here in Texas, there are a lot of 3/4 and 1 ton trucks running around as "hotshot rigs" with Texas apportioned plates pulling 40' goosenecks. Before he moved up to a 1 ton truck, my cousin had an F-250 Powerstroke with apportioned plates good up to 40,000 lbs. The only thing they checked when they weighed him insofar as weights were concerned were axle weights (which they compared to tire ratings) and total weight (which they compared to the maximum combined rating he had paid for). This is not a safety issue (other than checking that tire ratings are not being exceeded), it's a road tax issue. Therefore, it would just depend how your truck and trailer were licensed in your home state and how the states you would be traveling through deal with the permit and reciprocity issues. Maybe a hotshot driver from your area will be along with specifics for your situation.



Insofar as a hitch and trailer arrangement is concerned, you'll almost certainly wind up with a gooseneck arrangement.



Rusty

 

[Todd G]

Why not use the Fuso for towing? It wouldn't be the most comfortable or fastest, but it would probably be legal with the Dodge and the Bobcat on a trailer.

 

[robertyoke]

Here in colorado the dot and state patrol go by gvwr of your truck & trailer and that is your gcwr. for example I tow a goose neck trailer rated at 22,500# and I pull it with my 98 3500 qc it's gvw is 11000# I am legal at 33,500# provided I dont over load any of my gawr. If you look in the drivers door you will find your axel weight rating & wehicle weight rating. I do have a cdl which is recquired when over 26,001#. I traveled through a few states around me and they are all the same . I hope this helps you but I would check with your dot or your state patrol.

 

[JNeiman]

Todd G...



I'm glad you said that. We have been towing with the Fuso, and believe me its not ment for that abuse. It is a new truck (2000) but its only got 135hp turbo inline 4, and a wimpy 235lbs/trq. It has enough trouble moving its own weight. The current trailer grosses about 10,000lbs with the Bobcat and tools and the truck is down to 45mph on the highway with a little hill. Not to mention it is bouncing off the redline around 67 in 5th gear (top gear). We have done this, and its not the way to go about it. It would just be cool to haul all our equiptment out there, unload, and have everything we need right off the trailer. Input please

 

[QRTRHRS]

You need to step up to at least a single axle dump with air brakes and a tandem axle dually trailer again with air brakes. I don't know your home state but you can maybe learn more about your rules and regulations from the links here as well as the DOT laws.

http://www.fmcsa. dot.gov/links.htm

Going interstate and being a business, you open a can of worms. You might want to email packman. He is in a somewhat similar situation.



In PA, commercial or not, 10k on the trailer is it. Above that, you go combination and register your max gross.