I just set my motorhome up to tow double, I now flat tow a Jeep and a 13 foot inflatable boat/trailer that is hooked to my Jeep, my whole setup from front of motorhome bumper to back of boat is 64 foot and 4 inches, just under the 65 foot law for most states.Just wondering about others that do this with your motorhome, any issues with police/highway patrol.How about California double tow law, I have a hard time trying to figure out their new law on this, am I legal there or not.Maybe next time when I go to the lake I will take a pic of my setup and post it here.

My understanding of the law in California is that to double tow, the first trailer must be a fifth wheel. Which means you must be towing with a truck. Also, I was told that a few years ago the law was changed so now a Class 1 license is required to double tow.

Yeah, sounds kool but you will be illegal in many states. As stated first hitch has to be a fifth wheel. Be careful out there.

RognBon wrote:My understanding of the law in California is that to double tow, the first trailer must be a fifth wheel. Which means you must be towing with a truck. Also, I was told that a few years ago the law was changed so now a Class 1 license is required to double tow.Well if you look at their new revised law on double tow it does not mention 5th wheel at all, its says any two trailer combo, also out of state drivers are legal if my state allows on my license to double tow and they do, only thing is must be under 65 foot and have a truck drivers physically exam paper with me, that's how I read it, only Californians need the new class a license.

sch911 wrote:Yeah, sounds kool but you will be illegal in many states. As stated first hitch has to be a fifth wheel. Be careful out there.Actually only 4 states say the 1st trailer must be a 5th wheel, all others that allow double tow say any two trailer combo as long as its under the state length law, in Nevada its 70 foot max, in Utah its 65 foot max any two trailer combo no special license required..And what I don't get about the 1st hitch 5th wheel law is that 5th wheels are not really setup at factory to tow, you must make the 5th wheel to tow, my Jeep has the DOT cert to tow up to 2000lbs but the 4 states that say no is a old law that needs revised, its just plain stupid, I can see all the way back to my boat motor with onboard camera.

timmac wrote:sch911 wrote:Yeah, sounds kool but you will be illegal in many states. As stated first hitch has to be a fifth wheel. Be careful out there.Actually only 4 states say the 1st trailer must be a 5th wheel, all others that allow double tow say any two trailer combo as long as its under the state length law, in Nevada its 70 foot max, in Utah its 65 foot max any two trailer combo no special license required..Great I'll be sure to give you a couple of extra lanes of clearance if I see you out there. You may need it in the wind.Cheers

Who Double Tows With Your Motorhome | Good Sam Community

104 Replies

Jarlaxle
Explorer II
Apr 27, 2014
wny_pat wrote:
super_camper wrote:

Legal and safe are two different things.

This setup in conjunction with the 85MPH speed limit announcement should make for a really safe environment for everyone around you.

Yep, imo I do agree. I pulled commercial short flat bed doubles, hauling steel, in NYS, Ontario, Michigan and Indiana. Loaded or empty, we did not call that last trailer a wiggle wagon for nothing!!! It wiggled all over the road. All you had to do was a quick snap of the steering wheel and it was off and running. And as far as handling, it was very critical of how it was loaded, and when it was loaded perfect, it was still a wiggle wagon!!

You had THREE pivot points. Texan has only two.
cKarlGo
Explorer
Apr 27, 2014
timmac wrote:
Thanks AKsnowcampers, I will remove Alaska off my list of states to double tow.

Oregon and Washington is also a no double tow state.

Alaska laws aside, you'd have needed to consider the laws in Canada.
holstein13
Explorer
Apr 27, 2014
Double towing used to be common in Florida until they modified the law in some way. Now I only see it on limited access highways. I've noticed FedEx and UPS leave one of their trailers at a parking area near the entrance / exit and do not drive them on the minor roads.

So I think you are OK only on certain roads.
nevadanick
Explorer
Apr 27, 2014
I am reading a Ca handbbok online and it says you cannot tow two vehicles with a non commercial class a. Its the rv handbook dated 2011
msmith1199
Explorer II
Apr 27, 2014
timmac wrote:
msmith1199 :

Thanks with your help on the Cali double tow law, it does appear I won't be double towing into that state, However it appears Nevada might have a Non Commercial CDL class A type license and I might go take the test for this so I am more properly covered into other states if needed, however would this give me the green light in Cali than if I also had the health cert with it ??
I am under 65 foot..

I answered the question in the PM, but to repeat, the way I read the law you can't doable tow in California behind a motorhome regardless of the license. Double towing is only allowed behind trucks. It does look like the requirement that the first trailer be a 5th wheel was removed from the law, but for whatever reason they specifically wrote the law so motorhomes could not double tow.
bigwheelsturnin
Explorer
Apr 27, 2014
et2 wrote:
I'm not sure the reason for the question if you don't want anyone to respond. :?

;-)
timmac
Explorer
Apr 27, 2014
msmith1199 :

Thanks with your help on the Cali double tow law, it does appear I won't be double towing into that state, However it appears Nevada might have a Non Commercial CDL class A type license and I might go take the test for this so I am more properly covered into other states if needed, however would this give me the green light in Cali than if I also had the health cert with it ??
I am under 65 foot..
msmith1199
Explorer II
Apr 24, 2014
nevadanick wrote:
I was stopped in Ca in the late 90's towing a 2nd trailer behind my fifth wheel. I had been in Ca for a week and even passed a CHP at one point going 70 mph but was almost back to Nv when i was stopped. I showed the officer the endorsement on my dl and all he kept saying was i cant believe this is legal. He had just called his supervisor when someone pulled up and said there was a car on its top down the road so he took off. So Did I, so i never found out what the outcome would have been. I was well over 70 ft long back then.

I do know the California law from those days as those were my traffic enforcement days. The California law at that time allowed double towing, only behind a 5th wheel and only if the second trailer was a boat. I have no idea why it specified it had to be a boat, but it did. Then there were all the length restrictions and safety chains and all the usual stuff. I think back in that time Oregon also allowed it, because usually the only ones I saw towing that way had Oregon plates on the vehicles.
wny_pat1
Explorer
Apr 24, 2014
wny_pat wrote:

Source: State Laws Can Pull You in Many Directions if You Double Tow

But this map does not explain what you need to do this, only that certain states allow it under certain state required circumstances and conditions. And just because you have seen it on your state highways, does not mean it was legal. And state highways have different laws than interstate or designated federal highways in the very same state! What might be legal on a interstate highway, may not be legal on a state highway.
wny_pat1
Explorer
Apr 24, 2014
edit - see next post