Towing boat behind travel trailer

[Kirklandfam]

Thanks to everyone for the info...looks like we will figure something else out if we want to take the boat camping. Safe travels to all.

[DouglasReid]

Originally Posted by Oaklevel

Sounds like a lawsuit waiting to happen.

That is true every time you get in your vehicle and drive anywhere with our without anything behind it; or getting on your riding lawn mower for that matter.

If it is legal I dont' see the problem.

If you are going any great distance you just have to insure it is legal in every state you intend to pass through.

[rlh1957]

Originally Posted by Thurman

I did extensive research on the State of Georgia's O.C.G.A. ( Official Code of Georgia laws Annotated) under both the Motor Vehicle and Commercial Vehicle Laws about this "double towing/double balling" situation. In the State of Georgia there is no specific law that covers this--period. The closest law that could be used for this situation would be under Commercial Vehicle Laws staring that the max length of the combined rig cannot exceed sixty-give (65) feet. I talked to various law enforcement officials including one of Georgia's Georgia State Patrol's Commercial Enforcement Officers and they all confirmed that is no specific law in regards to towing a third vehicle/camper/boat/trailer except the Commercial over all length law. And yes GSPCE can stop a non-commercial vehicle for inspection.

Thanks for clarifying the Georgia law.

Now everyone who thinks they want to double tow, needs to do as good of research on every other state they intend to tow through to stay legal. Everyone should contact your manufacturer to see if they recommend towing and what tongue and weight limits are approved. Ask where you can get that in writing!
Just because your rig has a receiver doesn't mean it is for towing.

[PenJoe]

Originally Posted by DouglasReid

All that would depend on the weight of the boat and trailer and insuring the capacity of the hitch and its mount will support the weight behind them.

I do this all the time, but my camper came from the factory with a hitch receiver and my boat is a 14' flat aluminum with a 25 HP Evinrude. Entire thing does not weigh 1000 lbs.

So a blanket statement that it not a good idea or unsafe is not accurate.

The point is that a hitch was welded to a weak chassis. It is possible that a heavier trailer may have caused the failure. But it was a class III 2" receiver hitch and the trailer was well within those limits. It was not the hitch that failed it was the chassis of the TV.

Putting a 1K lb boat and trailer hitched to a weak framed light camper to double tow is not my first choice. When that tail starts to wag the dog, the stress on that hitch will be well over a thousand pounds.

The OP asked and I related my experiences. The OP can make the decision as to how he wants to proceed based on his own beliefs and what advice we all have given.

[PenJoe]

Originally Posted by DouglasReid

That is true every time you get in your vehicle and drive anywhere with our without anything behind it; or getting on your riding lawn mower for that matter.

If it is legal I dont' see the problem.

If you are going any great distance you just have to insure it is legal in every state you intend to pass through.

"Culpable negligence" would cover it. Legal by law, negligent in performance.

[67L48]

Originally Posted by DouglasReid

Here is a link to a State by State towing laws.

What you will find is that about 1/2 the states allow two trailers and about 1/2 of those only if the TT is behind a 5er. In the others two TTs, is perfectly legal.

State Towing Laws

Seems like an odd link. I tried two:

1) Illinois. Your link says, "No." AAA says, "Yes." Actual answer in Illinois laws is a "Yes" with a 5er.

2) Kansas. Your link says, "No." AAA says, "Yes." Actual answer is that Kansas Highway Patrol says, "Yes."

And, I quit. It's a good chart, but I found it untrustworthy. Perhaps it's out of date. I'll stick with AAA instead of the unknown-to-me hitchmeup.com site.

[rockfordroo]

Originally Posted by 67L48

Seems like an odd link. I tried two:

1) Illinois. Your link says, "No." AAA says, "Yes." Actual answer in Illinois laws is a "Yes" with a 5er.

2) Kansas. Your link says, "No." AAA says, "Yes." Actual answer is that Kansas Highway Patrol says, "Yes."

And, I quit. It's a good chart, but I found it untrustworthy. Perhaps it's out of date. I'll stick with AAA instead of the unknown-to-me hitchmeup.com site.

I was a bit skeptical, too, but....

The best thing is to look up the actual state regulation for any state you intend to pass through. These internet lists aren't always accurate to begin with, and they seem to be updated only rarely.

[USMC0369]

Originally Posted by rockfordroo

I was a bit skeptical, too, but....

The best thing is to look up the actual state regulation for any state you intend to pass through. These internet lists aren't always accurate to begin with, and they seem to be updated only rarely.

Went from Texas to Colorado, Nevada, Az, New Mexico back to Texas. Arizona cop told me that it should be a 5th wheel towing that way in Az but all others were fine. I did not get a ticket or pulled over, just mentioned it at the gas station. FYI it tows just fine.

[gunslingertom]

Not a boat, but... thousands and thousands of miles.

[doc73]

Originally Posted by DouglasReid

Here is a link to a State by State towing laws.



What you will find is that about 1/2 the states allow two trailers and about 1/2 of those only if the TT is behind a 5er. In the others two TTs, is perfectly legal.



State Towing Laws

This comes up quite a bit. PA is misleading as it is published. Yes you can double tow in PA,but only a commercial motor vehicle can do this, not in a recreational setting

[Lighting546]

Adding a receiver hitch to the rear bumper automatically voids your warranty. What you want to do might be legal where you live but, federal law requires a Class A CDL with doubles and triples endorsement on your license in order to do so.

[BandJCarm]

Lawzy mercy.

[gunslingertom]

Originally Posted by Lighting546

federal law requires a Class A CDL with doubles and triples endorsement on your license in order to do so.

Definitely false.

I've been driving Class A with T, P, X endorsements my whole life. That's not actually true. I received my CDL when my state required it back in the early 90's. Before that, It was chauffeur's license. Either way, my whole life driving a commercial rig. I have the T endorsement, but have never actually pulled triples, but double/triples are on the same endorsement. The federal requirement specifies that, when a vehicle has a GVWR of 26,000 pounds or less, the operator does not need a CDL. ... When a trailer has a GVWR of 10,001 pounds or more and the combined GCWR of the truck and trailer is 26,001 pounds or more, a CDL is required of the operator. I copied and pasted this for speed, just to honest.
Your claim would also dictate that one would need a class A CDL when pulling any trailer.

[Rockwooder]

2018 microlite 25BDS has 6" I beam frame full length. Extends beyond body in rear. Welded 4" square tubing with 1/4" wall in place of factory bumper. Welded receiver to new bumper. Pulled 1000s of miles. Be smart. Stupid hurts and sometime kills.

[Mountndream]

Originally Posted by doc73

This comes up quite a bit. PA is misleading as it is published. Yes you can double tow in PA,but only a commercial motor vehicle can do this, not in a recreational setting

Thats interesting, so even if you drive a personal semi and have a CDL, you cant double tow?

[67L48]

I recommend corroborating every statement here with actual legal statements from the respective state laws. Such things aren't too difficult to find online these days.

People's intentions are great; their reading comprehension and interpretation of laws aren't always on par ... myself included. There are lots of opinions and interpretations in this thread and relatively few citations/links to actual law. Proceed with caution.

[doc73]

Originally Posted by Lighting546

Adding a receiver hitch to the rear bumper automatically voids your warranty. What you want to do might be legal where you live but, federal law requires a Class A CDL with doubles and triples endorsement on your license in order to do so.

Yes, might void warranty but needing a CDL is false.

[doc73]

Originally Posted by Mountndream

Thats interesting, so even if you drive a personal semi and have a CDL, you cant double tow?

Yes correct. Only allowed in PA to double tow commercially. 99% will be cdl trucks and that would need the double triple endorsement. You would not be able to double tow with your personal semi in a personal use capacity.. Now that being said I'm not quite sure what I'd do with you if you had your cdl and proper endorments to double tow.. LOL.

Now the 1%... There is a way to double tow commercially w/o a cdl, a follow up to aboves remarks, under FEDERAL RULES your state may vary. You can tow two small utility / horse trailers with a truck as long as the combined weights do not exceed 26k lbs (so no cdl and if no cdl required, no endorsements required). But the trailers cannot have any property in them (empty).

[Hersbird]

Wrong, CDL is commercial. The only reason the federal government can apply laws to individual states is if they are under the commerce clause (or some other provision in the Constitution). As a RV guy you are not engaged in commerce so a CDL is never required by the federal government to do something. Some states may adopt the idea they would like a CDL for certain circumstances, but federal laws on CDL only apply to the first word, commercial.

[doc73]

Originally Posted by Hersbird

Wrong, CDL is commercial. The only reason the federal government can apply laws to individual states is if they are under the commerce clause (or some other provision in the Constitution). As a RV guy you are not engaged in commerce so a CDL is never required by the federal government to do something. Some states may adopt the idea they would like a CDL for certain circumstances, but federal laws on CDL only apply to the first word, commercial.

PA has a non commercial class a & b license for this purpose of the big rvs / big trailers not engaged in commercial operations. Same standards and usage as their cdl counter parts. Just no medical cards required and a real pia to get.