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Old 02-14-2019, 07:10 PM   #21
MerlinB
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There is also the "Freedom Hauler."

https://freedomhauler.com/
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Old 02-14-2019, 07:45 PM   #22
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Originally Posted by MerlinB View Post
There is also the "Freedom Hauler."

https://freedomhauler.com/
A 6' hauler is $14,450 according to their "products" page..... Quite a bit more proud of that than I'd be.... YMMV
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Old 02-17-2019, 10:29 AM   #23
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I'm at a loss as to why people call this "triple tow." UPS, FedEx and every other LTL company out there pulls double trailers all over the western US. California law states if one trailer in the combination is over 28'6", your total length cannot exceed 65'. If both trailers are less than 28'6", maximum length can be up to 75', as long as the driver has a commercial driver's license with doubles endorsement.

I personally pull a 37.5' Keystone Raptor with a F350 crew cab shortbed SRW and tow my UTV on a 10' Hillsboro trailer. I'm an illegal 69' long and have never been looked at by law enforcement in 13 years of towing in CA, NV, OR and AZ.
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Old 02-26-2019, 08:26 PM   #24
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I have yet to see a toy hauler that I like that is why I have not considered them even if they would help with the problem plus if I did it would need at least a 12' garage. Thanks for the tip on towing in NM wrgreen45 that's one less to worry about. That leaves CA & UT I took this info from a CA reg book (Your vehicle combination cannot exceed 65 feet. You may only tow one vehicle with your noncommercial Class A, B, or C driver license.) so that leaves me to believe that only class A CDL holders can triple tow in CA and only up to 65'. So that just leave me with UT which is a big one for me as would pass through this state down the east side through the San Rafel Swell going south in the winter and then back north and they do say anything over 65' require a special permit. Has anyone towed in UT over that length ?
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Old 02-27-2019, 04:15 AM   #25
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I have yet to see a toy hauler that I like that is why I have not considered them even if they would help with the problem plus if I did it would need at least a 12' garage. Thanks for the tip on towing in NM wrgreen45 that's one less to worry about. That leaves CA & UT I took this info from a CA reg book (Your vehicle combination cannot exceed 65 feet. You may only tow one vehicle with your noncommercial Class A, B, or C driver license.) so that leaves me to believe that only class A CDL holders can triple tow in CA and only up to 65'. So that just leave me with UT which is a big one for me as would pass through this state down the east side through the San Rafel Swell going south in the winter and then back north and they do say anything over 65' require a special permit. Has anyone towed in UT over that length ?
You're forgetting about "inter-state reciprocity".... If you're legally licensed in YOUR state, then that license is valid in all 50 states. You only fall under California's CDL requirements if you move there and apply for a CA license. As long as your residence is Montana, then you can legally tow or double/triple tow (which ever you choose to call it) in any state, as long as you meet their size, weight and speed conditions.

As tylerj1966 said, he's been towing for a number of years in California without problems.
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Old 02-27-2019, 07:03 AM   #26
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Back to the original issue....you have a Jeep, you want a UTV/ATV to roam around with. Not sure about anywhere else, but where I live you're not going roaming around on public roads on a UTV. I guess if you're in the desert you can unload and roam the desert. Unloading the UTV and going to get a pizza, maybe not.
Some ATV trails in National Forests are limited to 50 inch width. Too narrow for UTV except maybe the Honda Pioneer 500.
A MH towing a Jeep worked for us back in the 1980"s. Sometimes think I should be doing it again.
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Old 02-27-2019, 07:15 AM   #27
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Personally I don't have any desire to double/triple tow, whatever it's called, but I'd bet money that if there's an accident while doing so the 1st registered letter sent by lawyers will be to the one towing that way.
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Old 02-27-2019, 12:55 PM   #28
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^^I did it a couple times on a small scale. I had a 1991 black Chevy Sport Truck (SS454 look alike), a black CJ5 Jeep, a black 4x8 utility trailer with yes, a BLACK Kawasaki ATV in the trailer.
I double towed a couple times from Houston to the Fredericksburg area hunting lease. One time I had to stop about halfway to get gas. Dang I'm burning a lot of gas. Quite a bit of fun maneuvering around a crowded gas station. Got to hunting camp and started unhooking. Brakes on the jeep were hot. Yeah I left the parking brake on.
Kinda left me a bad taste about double towing.
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Old 02-27-2019, 03:04 PM   #29
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Triple towing just might not be the thing for the faint of heart. When you live eight months of the year in your fiver and still want plenty of living space AND bring your motorcycle or golf cart then this is how it is done. It just isn't a big deal.
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Old 02-27-2019, 04:05 PM   #30
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When we were in Memphis in November last year, there were two "big" fifth wheels towing 5x10 single axle covered trailers. Both of them had seasonal clothing, Christmas decorations, spare RV parts, etc. One of them had built closets in his trailer to keep things organized. People who full time have lots of ways to manage their "extra stuff"... Some take most of it with them, some have a "home base storage shed" and top by the shed to change out seasonal items while some just buy cheap stuff and throw it away when they leave.....

As for double/triple towing, for us it's just the way things roll. We've been towing a boat behind the fifth wheel since we bought our first fifth wheel, so when we bought the Slingshot, it was just a natural progression to tow a motorcycle when we weren't towing the boat. This coming summer we plan to visit Niagara Falls for our 50th anniversary. We'll double/triple tow to the Ohio border, park the trailer there and take the Slingshot the 175 miles to the falls, then return, load it up on the trailer and double/triple tow to our next destination.

Honestly, after doing it for so long, I don't see anything out of the ordinary or OMG about it. Granted, backing a triple unit rig is near impossible, but if you don't get "stoopid" and drive someplace you shouldn't, then backing up isn't a necessary part of the plan.... Get "stoopid" and too lazy to get out and look before pulling around that corner of the gas station... Well, don't blame the gas station, blame yourself for not looking first.... In aviation, it's called keeping your eyes out of the cockpit and flying from one potential landing spot to the next... "mortals" call it "planning and experience"......
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Old 02-27-2019, 04:51 PM   #31
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I want to take a UTV because even with the trailer it is about half the weight of my jeep which will help out with towing at all times. As far as the length goes it doesn't bother me as I am a truck driver and have pulled every combination of trailers allowed in the west including 2 48' trailers so I am well aware of making sure you can get in and out of a place before you pull in or pay the consequences, I have never had to yet in 27 years. As to were we can and cannot use the UTV it will be for USFS/BLM roads not trails and we will plan were we go before we go there. As for reciprocity yes I am covered license wise it's just knowing what I can get away with and where and I would like to upgrade from our 30' trailer to a 32 or 33.5' and will probably end up with a 4 door pick up instead of our 2 and half doors I want to get the allowable lengths nailed down so I can start thinking ahead about what we can get.
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Old 03-01-2019, 04:25 PM   #32
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Ok so I decided to go to the horses mouth so to speak, I contacted New Mexico and here is their response to towing over 65 feet.

This is a great question and the answer can be found directly within NM Statutes; Specifically NM Statutes 66-7-402 for width of vehicles and 66-7-404 for height and length of vehicles. These statutes apply not only to commercial motor vehicles but to ALL vehicles driving upon the roads within the State of New Mexico.
For width the limit is "eight feet six inches".
For height the limit is "fourteen feet".
For length there are several limits; one for busses, one for motor homes, one for a single vehicle, and another for when vehicles are in "combination". In combinations means with trailer(s). There are also restrictions regarding braking capacity. These are all explained in detail within NM Statute 66-7-404, but to put it in basic terms for nearly all normal vehicles; (like pickup trucks with a trailer(s)), the maximum length is "forty feet" for the first vehicle and when in combination a total length of; "sixty-five feet".
There is a limit on how many trailers you can have attached to your 1st vehicle. NM Statute 66-7-404(C). Normally it is only 1 trailer: (two units; the first unit being the truck and the second unit being the trailer). HOWEVER, there is an exception that allows up to two trailers; (66-7-404(C)(2)): "a vehicle shall be permitted to pull two units, provided that the middle unit is equipped with brakes and has a weight equal to or greater than the last unit and the total combined gross weight of the towed units does not exceed the manufacturer's stated gross weight of the towing units".
Here are links to a web site where you can read and view the exact language of the New Mexico Statutes:
NM Statutes 66-7-402 (Width of Vehicles):
https://law.justia.com/codes/new-mex...tion-66-7-402/

NM Statute 66-7-404 (Height and Length of Vehicles):
https://law.justia.com/codes/new-mex...tion-66-7-404/
Robert, I would ask you to recheck the manufacture's weight rating of the vehicle. This can be typically found on the driver's side door, in the door jam area there should be a sticker with a lot of vehicle information on it. On that sticker there is a "GVWR" notation with a listing in pounds and kilograms. This is the vehicle's "Gross Vehicle Weight Rating". If the weights of both trailers, when added together, are greater than the GVWR of the first vehicle, then you have violated the statute 66-7-404(C)(2)/ exceeded the weight rating of the vehicle that's towing the other two.
If by chance you are ever exceeding the height, weight, length, or width limits, you can request an exception by purchasing an Over-Size, Over-Weight Permit at:
https://mtdpermits.dps.state.nm.us/

Officer Dusty Francisco
New Mexico State Police
Public Information Officer
Public Relations Outreach – Unit
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Old 03-01-2019, 04:30 PM   #33
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I really did not expect the GVWR issue as my 1999 Dodge 2500HD with a cummins is only rated at 8800 lbs, my fifth wheel alone is more than that. I need to get something from Dodge listing my pickups tow rating and see what they say about it.
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Old 03-01-2019, 04:33 PM   #34
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Here is Utah's response to the 65' question.

Thank you for your correspondence to the Utah Highway Patrol. We appreciate when the public contacts us with their questions and comments.


You are allowed to have a total length of 65 feet from the front bumper of the vehicle towing to the rear bumper of the last trailer or trailer combination. You can have a maximum of two trailers being towed, but the total length front the front bumper of the pickup to the rear bumper of the rearmost trailer must be at or below 65 feet. There is no requirement the first trailer be a 5th wheel trailer.



Lieutenant Jacob Cox

Utah Highway Patrol Headquarters
PO Box 141100
Salt Lake City, UT 84114-1100
801-965-4359 - office
[email protected]
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Old 03-04-2019, 08:04 PM   #35
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More from the New Mexico State Police.

NM Statute 66-7-404(C)(2) that has the legal language; "the total combined gross weight of the towed units does not exceed the manufacturer's stated gross weight of the towing units" - This only applies to when there are 2 trailers or in other words, 3 vehicles connected up together.

SO, when there is just a truck and trailer, (2 vehicles), the rules are slightly different (as far as weight). Triple combinations have to abide by the above AND ALL vehicle combinations have to follow the rules outlined in NM Statutes 66-7-409 and 66-7-410. These statutes are very extensive about load weights, axel weights, weight displacement (distances between axels), distributed surface area weights of the tires to the roadway, and tire weight ratings. In other words, there are a number of ways a vehicle can be "Over Weight". Every vehicle has at least two 'weight ratings'. There is the axel weight rating and the tire weight rating, in addition to the GVWR. Our roadways have a weight rating as well which brings the weight displacement rules to have very heavy vehicles or loaded down vehicles displace their weight over a distance between axels.

For me, the easiest or most obvious violation I have seen for simple pickup trucks and 5th wheel combinations is exceeding the tire weight ratings of the tires on the rear axel of the pickup. I have stopped several vehicles for this violation. Every tire has written on it a Maximum weight. For most pickup tires, the tire weight rating is around 2,500 pounds. There are several out there that go much higher, but for this example and for the ones that I have written violations for, it was like this. So, the rear tires (when combined (2 tires)), is 5,000 pounds. When we weigh a vehicle, we weigh each axel separately. For example, a pickup's front axel having a dry weight of 4,000 pounds, its rear axel having a weight of 7,000 pounds (with a 5th wheel connected), and the 5th wheel's trailer's axels having a combined weight of 12,000 pounds. If this were a Ford F250 with a GVWR of 8,800 pounds, it would be exceeding its GVWR, (11,000 pounds) AND exceeding the weight rating of the tires on the rear axel (5,000 pounds). In the same scenario with a Ford F350 with a 12,000 pound GVWR, but same type of tires, it would be ok on total weight, but still be Over Weight because of the tire weight rating. When I see a 5th wheel with any significant weight to the front of its trailer or directly over the 5th wheel attachment (rear axel of the pickup), or if the 5th wheel isn't level where its putting more weight onto the 5th wheel connection, I send it to be weighed, here at the Port of Entry or to one of our portal scales locations.



New Mexico Statutes 66-2-12(A)(3) is statute that gives police the authority to stop any vehicle for reasonable suspicion of a violation of any provision of the motor vehicle code, AND to inspect and test the equipment of that vehicle.
New Mexico Statute 66-7-411 is the statute that gives police the authority to stop and weigh or order to be weighed any vehicle the officer has reasonable suspicion is in violation of vehicle weight laws.

A vehicle's towing rating or capability is not really relevant to the actual load weight laws. Weight laws are about where the weight is distributed to the road surface and manufacturer's maximums; whether those be the tire's manufacturer, or the axel manufacturer, or the vehicle's manufacturer (and all three of those are normally different). And especially with long trailers and 5th wheels, people at times, do tend to put too much weight/ load to the front of the trailer and thereby possibly violate weight limit laws.



Sergeant Aaron Hammond
New Mexico State Police
CVE - District 6, Gallup Port of Entry
I-40 milepost 12
PO Box 460
Gallup, NM 87305
(505) 905-3265 x111 - Office
(505) 905-8044 - Fax
(505) 905-2539 - Fax
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