trailers and axle weights?

[rob10858]

i saw it out west all of the time, pickups pulling flatbed trailers with 10 thousand lb axles, two axles, eight wheels. when i look at the heaviest fifth wheel tt's all i've seen are 2 or 3 axles,[6000 or 7000 lbs]. how do the flatbeds get by with a 20k gw trailer , behind a pickup, and why wouldn't any rv'er want the assurance of more rubber on the ground, and less chance of being dead in the water in case of tire or wheel failure? without getting into the "de-weighting" issue, registration wise, the rv manufactuers obviously know more than the flatbed manufactuers. to put it simply, the axle weights determine the trailers gross weight don't they? two 7000lb axles give me a gw of 14000 lbs, trailer and load. two 10000lb axles give me 20000 lbs, way too much for any one ton, legally. gross of the truck, gross of the trailer, give you the gcvwr, period. 10500 plus 20000 equal 30500 lbs... . huh. buy the way i've pulled a dual tandem trailer for years, 26ft, and this has only come up , well it's never come up, in 13 states, but sooner or later.

 

[jnelson]

In Texas - I have my 36 fter registered for all 8 combined tire weight ratings. Thats 2778 x 8 = 22,240 lbs + 10,500 on the truck gives me 32,724 lbs.



Do I need that much? Only on occasion. Most of the time I run around in the low to mid 20k's.

 

[rob10858]

from what i understand, in most states you'd need a cdl for that kind of weight. the exemptions only apply to farmers,150 miles from the farm or less or rv's. when you cross state lines, the farm exemption disappears, unless the neighboring state has a reciprocal agreement with your state. as far as your gross combined weight, the legal folks would tell you that you are way over the legal tow limits of your truck. but again, i see it all of the time, and wonder how some get away with it and some dont, and why is an rv safer than a flatbed , legally?

 

[jnelson]

Some people have beat this dead horse way to much.



I previously had my truck apportioned tagged and tokens on my trailer. I had a combined gross of 36,000 lbs.



Pulled over the Louisiana scales at over 33,000 lbs (offshore wireline equipment). I was going to get a ticket until he seen my Registration for my plates. He sent me off with a smile.



I actually got rid of my apportioned plates so I couldn't get suckered into hauling that way to heavy stuff.



I will say that that much weight is unsafe, and I have done it several times. But not again.

 

[BillGotthelf]

Some of the heavier premium fifth wheels now sport dual wheel axles and use two instead of three single wheel axles. These fifth wheels are approaching 20,000 lbs and the manufacturers recommend the big custom haulers to tow them. My new fifth wheel has two axles with single wheels but the manufacturer put G-rated tires on them to reach 14,000+GVW.