Question about double towing

[batavia02]

Question after upgrading house instead of buying the 5 th wheel we are now starting to think about a fifth wheel again apologizes if this has been asked before but what are the rules so to speak about towing a Jeep Wrangler behind the 5 th wheel ? I know it varies from state to state but would like some advice thanks

[way2roll]

If you have a truck capable of towing a FW, curious what you would need the jeep for. Unless you are doing some serious off-roading/desert/rock climbing in which case a jeep set up for that probably isn't going to behave well being flat towed.

[Cummins12V98]

Most receiver hitches on a 5er are rated 3,000# and 300# hitch weight so a Wrangler would need something more substantial.

Not sure how well something like that would flat tow??? May need a tow dolly???

I do know my combo is a dream to tow with no downside other then being sure wherever I go I can turn around as backing any distance is No Bueno.

The Map shown, YES WA and OR are no Double Tow but CA with an endorsement is fine and they do recognize SD licensed rigs.

I have double towed NW WA to Socal and back since April 2017 with no issue. It saves me $500 each way on transport fees.

[Samsonsworld]

Pulled a few trains in my time. I was never comfortable and I stopped after seeing the boat in the lane next to me. Horrible idea imo.

[OleSalty]

Just to put this into perspective:
Who do you actually see, commercially, towing doubles? FedEx.. UPS sometimes. But even then, it's rare.

There's a reason for that.

It's CRAZY DANGEROUS if you have any sort of issue. Even moreso if you have 2 different sized tows, ie 30' 5ver and 12' Jeep. Just the dynamics alone in any type of critical stopping or maneuvering situation gives me the heebie jeebies!

Now.. there's a very simple, and much safer way to get around this situation.. 2 infact:
If it's in your budget, a custom HDT. Park the jeep behind the cab, hook up the RV to the back of the HDT, and your down the road.

If it's not in your budget, you have someone else drive the jeep while you tow the 5ver.

There are several YouTube channels that can show you either way. Frankly, if it was in my budget, I'd be into the HDT, just for the pure safety factor.

[MFL]

CapnCampn wrote:
Take this all with a shaker of salt, and do your research but...

If the 2nd tow is a vehicle, could it be driven by another person (wife?) and then connected for towing once you're out of state?

I seem to remember something about someone getting dinged for even having a receiver on a trailer when in a prohibited state, though maybe I'm thinking of a shop unwilling to install a hitch on a trailer.

Good luck & be safe!
CC

Yes, double towing a drive able vehicle would work for you, if you have another driver to get you out of Florida.

[laknox]

batavia02 wrote:
Question after upgrading house instead of buying the 5 th wheel we are now starting to think about a fifth wheel again apologizes if this has been asked before but what are the rules so to speak about towing a Jeep Wrangler behind the 5 th wheel ? I know it varies from state to state but would like some advice thanks

As one of the others said, good luck getting out of FL unscathed. If you hit AZ, it is legal to double-tow. Max length is 65' from front bumper to center of rearmost axle of the tow. You =are= allowed up to 10' of "overhang" from center of rearmost axle to furthest aft point, to a max nose-to-tail of 75'. The overhang is mostly for boats with an outboard or stern drive, though some utility trailers can be pretty long. In AZ, the first hitch MUST be a FW. GN to ball is not legal, though the chances of being checked are minimal.

Lyle

[CapnCampn]

Take this all with a shaker of salt, and do your research but...

If the 2nd tow is a vehicle, could it be driven by another person (wife?) and then connected for towing once you're out of state?

I seem to remember something about someone getting dinged for even having a receiver on a trailer when in a prohibited state, though maybe I'm thinking of a shop unwilling to install a hitch on a trailer.

Good luck & be safe!
CC

[CA_Traveler]

Total length can also be a restriction because it's not reciprocal.

[StirCrazy]

ssthrd wrote:
and here for Canada

thats a little outdated now they don't mention that you can double tow in alberta and you cant in BC and the recipocation bit makes it sound like thats for anything where it isn't. mind you its 10 years old but a lot of the brake requirments are still accurate.

I look them upby each provence if I need to check somthing
here is one I just looked up for BC has some info I didnt realize, like there is a maximum weight you can tow behind your motor home. I have seen a lot of people that way exceed that but never get stopped.

BC towing regs

[JIMNLIN]

I would love to pull my boat behind a FW. I have specifically asked 3 DOT officers about this. All have said the same thing; it's illegal. I asked about commercial doubles since I already have a CDL. They said that if my truck, FW, and boat trailer were all registered as commercial vehicles

Yeah ...A CDL gains noting for towing non commercial doubles.
I went from a chauffeurs to a commercial chauffeurs then grand fathered to a CDL when they became available.
I dropped my CDL years ago simply because showing it to a LEO brought other questions about my non commercial/not for hire truck/trailer and my personnel equipment.

[valhalla360]

Also, how heavy is the jeep w/trailer and is the 5er hitch suitable. I know we had a hitch that came on a prior 5er and it was only rated for 3,000lb.

[KD4UPL]

I live in VA. It's not legal here. This is not one of those things where "If you're good in your home state you're good everywhere." Double towing is not reciprocal. It can be fine in your home state but if you go to a state where it's not legal you can be stopped. In VA they will make you leave one trailer on the side of the road or call someone to come get it. You can not continue on with both of them.
My family owned a trailer dealership: horse, stock, flatbed, dump, etc. trailers. They would often have guys delivering new ones from out of state. They would often pull 2 at a time. Sometimes they would make it all the way to the lot. Sometimes they would get stopped and they would call and ask them to bring the shop truck to pick up the other trailer.
I would love to pull my boat behind a FW. I have specifically asked 3 DOT officers about this. All have said the same thing; it's illegal. I asked about commercial doubles since I already have a CDL. They said that if my truck, FW, and boat trailer were all registered as commercial vehicles and I have a double trailer endorsement on my CDL then I could but only on the routes available for commercial doubles. Even the commercial haulers like FedEx, UPS, etc can only pull doubles on designated routes; mostly interstates and major highways. So, even then the winding back roads to the lake and campgrounds would still be illegal.

[toedtoes]

BB_TX wrote:
Definitely state to state regulations and limitations. And getting info in a consolidated and accurate report is difficult, if not impossible. You can find different charts and tables and they will not necessarily agree with each other. And even individual state web sites can be difficult to find the needed info. And not just double towing yes or no. Total legal lengths vary state to state.

Also whether a commercial license is required or not. Just because it's "legal to double tow" doesn't mean just anyone can double tow.

[ssthrd]

and here for Canada