Double towing in GA and FL (update)

[RomperStomper]

Alright everyone, for those of you who might have been wondering how my trip double towing the 5ver and a motorcycle (79 Shovel) to Daytona for bike week went, wonder no more. It was a great trip except for breaking down at the Flying J truck stop on exit 2 in GA. Long story short the truck blew the high pressure fuel line that runs off the pump to the back of the motor and dumped probably a 1/4 tank of fuel for about 20 miles before I stopped at my usual stop for gas. Man, it was all over everything! It took me about 5 hours to figure out the issue, tear the engine apart to get access, locate the line,(the 1 time the stealership came through, no one else had the line or could make one)unload my bike, ride the 40 miles round trip to get the line, get back and install, pack up, eat, and get back on the road. The trailers pulled great at a cruising speed of 70mph and as fast as 80mph passing. I had a cop in Florida follow behind me going through the Ocala National Forest with no issues. I left at 3am and arrived at the Cackleberry CG at 3pm. It was a long journey! The way back only took about 6 hours and was event free other than loosing a taillight and the tongue jack wheel to the motorcycle trailer. My buddy following me ate that. I also had about 3 other cops in GA tail behind me with no issue. About 750 miles round trip. Not bad for the 1st time. I will definitely double tow again. Funny thing is this trip I didn't see anyone double towing. Go figure! Also if anyone is wondering I mounted my GoPro on the back of the 5ver and it worked like a champ using the app with my phone mounted to the dash.

[laknox]

Wadcutter wrote:

Montara24d wrote:

bucky wrote:
Montara, what was overweight? And was he tagged in PA?

Yes tagged in Pa. Overweight for the gross combined weight rating of the truck which was a 2014, Ford, diesel DRW.
John

Oh please! At least make it a believeable story. Anyone who knows anything about weight laws can see its a crock full of stuff. Obviously if you believed it then it's clear you do not know anything about weight laws.
I taught truck weight laws for a lot of years. I was recognized by the courts as an expert witness in truck weights.
Point # 1.
Max gross weight will be 80,000 lbs. No way he's anywhere close to that with a 2014 Ford diesel pulling any make/model of 5er and a MC trailer. A DRW Ford will weigh about 8500-9000 lbs. A really heavy 5er will be 15000-17000 lbs. A full dresser bike goes in around 1000 lbs. Bike trailers are light, not even 1000 lbs.
Point # 2.
The gross weight rating by the manufacturer is not a legal weight limit. Anyone who knows anything about US weight laws knows that. Manufactures do not set weight limits. Weight limits are set by state statute. Pretty much nationwide weight limits are 20,000 for a single axle, 34,000 for a tandem axle, and 80,000 gross. There are some exceptions for roads that have reduced limits due to construction, size, or route.
The stickers on the vehicles are not enforceable limits because they are not law.
If you're going to tell a story then at least make it somewhat believeable. That one isn't believeable in any way, shape or form. Another campfire story, nothing more.

Could simply be overweight for his registered weight. I know my brother had this happen to him when he bought his F350 and went to register it. Found it was only "legal" for a max weight of about 9k GVW. When he registered it for the max for a 1 ton of his year, his tags tripled, or more. He was not happy about that, for sure.

Lyle

[laknox]

RAS43 wrote:
Cummins,
I double tow with a 5th wheel and a boat trailer so I can't answer directly but in Colorado and Nebraska I see many 2-ball double tows and they seem to get by okay as I never have seen any pulled over by LEO's or observed any accidents involving them. However, I wouldn't do it as the first coupling could be stressed a lot. JMO

Verboten, supposedly, here in AZ, though I've seen a lot of construction trucks towing a bumper pull trailer followed by a compressor or big generator, both ball hitches. According to AZ ARS, this is illegal.

Lyle

[fj12ryder]

Well, he obviously wasn't thinking ahead. Or he had done it before and thought he could be lucky again. Or maybe he really wasn't the sharpest crayon in the box. 🙂

[GrumpyandGrandm]

Cummins12V98 wrote:

fj12ryder wrote:

GrumpyandGrandma wrote:

fj12ryder wrote:
Well, the incident occurred in PA and the person stopped was licensed in PA, so what's your point?

No where does he say the the person stopped "lived" in PA only stopped in PA.

If I may correct your statement:

"My buddy was double towing on the PA. Tpk. towing a MC trailer behind a fiver. Got stopped by a state PD. who had him follow to the next truck stop, & put the rig on a scale. Gave a summons for double towing, & over weight. Then told him "you can move it when it's legal" Lucky not too far, I met him & towed the MC trailer home."

That was the first post. Here is the second when he was asked if he was tagged in PA:

"Yes tagged in Pa. Overweight for the gross combined weight rating of the truck which was a 2014, Ford, diesel DRW."

So the truck was tagged in PA, and stopped in PA.

That my friends is a slam dunk! 😉

I will admit I missed that statement. With that said his buddy was stuuuuuupid if he lived in PA and tried to double tow. They are the strictest and as I said earlier, have been for decades.

[Cummins12V98]

fj12ryder wrote:

GrumpyandGrandma wrote:

fj12ryder wrote:
Well, the incident occurred in PA and the person stopped was licensed in PA, so what's your point?

No where does he say the the person stopped "lived" in PA only stopped in PA.

If I may correct your statement:

"My buddy was double towing on the PA. Tpk. towing a MC trailer behind a fiver. Got stopped by a state PD. who had him follow to the next truck stop, & put the rig on a scale. Gave a summons for double towing, & over weight. Then told him "you can move it when it's legal" Lucky not too far, I met him & towed the MC trailer home."

That was the first post. Here is the second when he was asked if he was tagged in PA:

"Yes tagged in Pa. Overweight for the gross combined weight rating of the truck which was a 2014, Ford, diesel DRW."

So the truck was tagged in PA, and stopped in PA.

That my friends is a slam dunk! 😉

[fj12ryder]

GrumpyandGrandma wrote:

fj12ryder wrote:
Well, the incident occurred in PA and the person stopped was licensed in PA, so what's your point?

No where does he say the the person stopped "lived" in PA only stopped in PA.

If I may correct your statement:

"My buddy was double towing on the PA. Tpk. towing a MC trailer behind a fiver. Got stopped by a state PD. who had him follow to the next truck stop, & put the rig on a scale. Gave a summons for double towing, & over weight. Then told him "you can move it when it's legal" Lucky not too far, I met him & towed the MC trailer home."

That was the first post. Here is the second when he was asked if he was tagged in PA:

"Yes tagged in Pa. Overweight for the gross combined weight rating of the truck which was a 2014, Ford, diesel DRW."

So the truck was tagged in PA, and stopped in PA.

[GrumpyandGrandm]

fj12ryder wrote:

GrumpyandGrandma wrote:

fj12ryder wrote:
The same thing could happen in my state, Missouri. If I weigh 20,000 lbs. and am only licensed for 18,000 lbs. I can be ticketed for being overweight.

But only in your home state since that is what your license fees were based on. States don't share road tax fees.

Well, the incident occurred in PA and the person stopped was licensed in PA, so what's your point?

No where does he say the the person stopped "lived" in PA only stopped in PA.

[fj12ryder]

GrumpyandGrandma wrote:

fj12ryder wrote:
The same thing could happen in my state, Missouri. If I weigh 20,000 lbs. and am only licensed for 18,000 lbs. I can be ticketed for being overweight.

But only in your home state since that is what your license fees were based on. States don't share road tax fees.

Well, the incident occurred in PA and the person stopped was licensed in PA, so what's your point?

[GrumpyandGrandm]

fj12ryder wrote:
The same thing could happen in my state, Missouri. If I weigh 20,000 lbs. and am only licensed for 18,000 lbs. I can be ticketed for being overweight.

But only in your home state since that is what your license fees were based on. States don't share road tax fees.

[Cummins12V98]

Ozlander wrote:
X2

You'll never convince the weight police on here.

Yea I have been ripped a few times since I am over 15K on my 6 truck tires but at or under axle and combined load ratings. My 14K is just a number!

[fj12ryder]

Wadcutter wrote:

Montara24d wrote:

bucky wrote:
Montara, what was overweight? And was he tagged in PA?

Yes tagged in Pa. Overweight for the gross combined weight rating of the truck which was a 2014, Ford, diesel DRW.
John

Oh please! At least make it a believeable story. Anyone who knows anything about weight laws can see its a crock full of stuff. Obviously if you believed it then it's clear you do not know anything about weight laws.
I taught truck weight laws for a lot of years. I was recognized by the courts as an expert witness in truck weights.
Point # 1.
Max gross weight will be 80,000 lbs. No way he's anywhere close to that with a 2014 Ford diesel pulling any make/model of 5er and a MC trailer. A DRW Ford will weigh about 8500-9000 lbs. A really heavy 5er will be 15000-17000 lbs. A full dresser bike goes in around 1000 lbs. Bike trailers are light, not even 1000 lbs.
Point # 2.
The gross weight rating by the manufacturer is not a legal weight limit. Anyone who knows anything about US weight laws knows that. Manufactures do not set weight limits. Weight limits are set by state statute. Pretty much nationwide weight limits are 20,000 for a single axle, 34,000 for a tandem axle, and 80,000 gross. There are some exceptions for roads that have reduced limits due to construction, size, or route.
The stickers on the vehicles are not enforceable limits because they are not law.
If you're going to tell a story then at least make it somewhat believeable. That one isn't believeable in any way, shape or form. Another campfire story, nothing more.

Actually it is very believable and likely true. The only amendment is that the truck was probably fined for being over his registered weight. IOW he was hauling more weight than he was licensed for. The same thing could happen in my state, Missouri. If I weigh 20,000 lbs. and am only licensed for 18,000 lbs. I can be ticketed for being overweight.

Best check all your facts before calling BS. The poster was wrong in thinking it was the GCWR for the truck, it was the GCWR for the truck's license.

[DSteiner51]

My weight sticker on the door says the gvwr is certified by the manufacturer ON THE DATE OF MANUFACTURE with a certain tire at a given psi. Some vehicles come from the factory with a tire not on the sticker. It also says the color code, axle code etc. Last I checked it was still legal to drive it strait to a shop, add a lift kit, add stupid rims and tires,change axle ratio, and even get it painted a funky color so nothing fits the stated info on the tag and still be legal. I've added tag axles to change the legal weight limits and never was required to have the tag on the door replaced. All that tag says is on date of manufacture it met the info on the tag.

In Ohio there used to be a max bumper (don't know if still is) height and many, many pickup trucks exceeded that but they still insisted after all the changes their trucks were still legal. Had a couple who got ticked at me for refusing to add the lift kits to illegal height but condemned me for being several hundred lbs over the gvwr of the truck,which was still legal with my registration. One of several reasons I have absolutely to patience with the weight police here.

[Ozlander]

X2

You'll never convince the weight police on here.

[Cummins12V98]

"The gross weight rating by the manufacturer is not a legal weight limit."

AHMEN!!!