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Dinghy Brake System

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Edward Buker:
Gil,

Good find on the trailer defenition. It clearly includes a car in tow. I have been using the safety chain mounts on the tow receiver but I will look at an alternative to that based on this forum discussion. My Honda weighs 3120lbs so that would be illegal in Florida. The Mini that I am going to use is 2750lbs so I would still be legal there. I believe in a light tow if you can live with that. What I tow is near the 50% capacity rating of the weakest component. I was surprised that most states do not have any significant restrictions until you get to the 40% of the towing vehicle weight from the table in the reference. Basing the rules on the ratio of tow weight to trailer weight made sense to me but 40% seemed high to me in todays environment of RVs and heavy vehicles.

Living just across a bridge from Pensacola Florida I can understand the need for the law when I see some of the Yahoos in pick up trucks towing a total wreck of a trailer with bald tires, no lights, no brakes, no safety chains, clearly overloaded with a huge pile of rusty scrap metal, some of which hangs out into the adjacent lane, heading to the scrap metal dealer. Usually there is a cracked windshield involved also. Clearly there needs to be some law regarding things in tow. I just have never seen a sheriff pull one of these guys over. If you or I were in the truck towing that stuff we would probably be pulled over in a minute :-)  I lived most of my life in VT and they are pretty strict up there with enforcement. It was a real eye-opener for us with the move to the south.

Thanks for the insight...

Later Ed

Karl Welhart:
I have been motorhoming for 35 years.  Lost several trailers with cars on them, lost two toads because of broken tow bars and in all cases safety cables/chains held them from breaking away.  In the case of one trailer (had electric brakes) with break-away, the seperate battery was dead and would not have done any good.  The first 20 years of towing a car (4 wheels down), I did not use any braking systems in the toad.  I do not think there were any marketed during that time (1980-2000).  When I bought my first brake system, it was horrible....  The first unit did not work out of the box.  The second unit compressor just kept running.   The third unit locked up the toad brakes several times, then I stopped using any type of supplemental braking system.  I have never heard about anyone being ticketed or cited for not having supplemental brakes on a toad, either during normal operations or in the case of an accident.  In Florida, we have routine check points all the time with both FHP and DOT inspectors.  This issue has never been addressed or inspected for in my experiences.  

Edward Buker:
Ken,

I don't play with matches (anymore) and I'm a firm believer in fire extinguishers....  

Now this guy that we met last summer looked like he was in his own wagon train when he pulled in next to us. He lived in his RV and the closed up Vanagon was loaded so full of all his belongings that you could not see the floor anywhere in the vehicle. What caught my attention was the large cyclinder full of propane between the front seats. No room for any toad brakes here. He had been traveling by "wagon train" for the last 10 years and loved it. I'm not sure he had a fire extuingusher but even if he did he could never find it.....And yes he also did smoke. The wire that goes up over the Vanagon windshield heads for the final trailer in his wagon train.

I'm guessing at some point in the future he will be a Darwin Award recipient and very proud of it... what a country.

Actually I'm feeling pretty safe with my big Beaver Coach and little Toad set up for now....

Later Ed

Karl Welhart:
Wow... Great picture to share with us.  I also have seen this double tow situation.  Generally, it has been a 5th wheel and boat behind.  I will confess that I did this for many years.  My 1977 31' Wanderlodge, pulling a jeep CJ with golf cart in trailer behind.... No brakes on anything but the motorhome.  Bad me!!!!!!  BTW, many of us witnessed at an Eastern Homecoming in Orlanda a 40' Safari Class A pulling a Safari 28' Class C pulling a small car.  I know of a person in Georgia that was pulled over and ticketed for the double tow situation.

Joel Ashley:
A full propane cylinder isn't that much of a hazard.  It's the ones that aren't full that firemen want to know about, for good reason.

Tow trucks don't need auxilliary braking because they aren't towing 4 down.

Triple towing is allowed in the following 28 states:
Alaska
Arizona
Arkansas
California
Colorado
Idaho
Illinois
Indiana
Iowa
Kansas
Kentucky
Louisiana
Maryland
Michigan
Minnesota
Mississippi
Missouri
Montana
Nebraska
Nevada
New Mexico
North Dakota
Ohio
Oklahoma
South Dakota
Tennessee
Texas
Utah

Of course, nothing is ever straightforward and simple though.
Many of these states have a variety of restrictions which could still hamper your ability to tow two trailers.
For example, some states limit total length of all 3 units to 65 feet. In some instances, the limit is 70 feet or 75 feet total length.
In some states, triple towing is restricted to adding the second trailer only behind a 5th wheel trailer.
Many states limit the second trailer to recreational equipment, such as a boat, snowmobile, or ATV 4-wheelers.
In California you even need a special endorsement on your drivers license to tow any trailer over 10,000 lbs or to drive a motorhome that is over 40 feet in length.

Rules For Commercial Trucks vs Recreational Vehicles:

As far as state DMVs go, the world of recreational vehicles and the world of commercial trucking are 2 separate entities.
Some states allow "double bottom," "triple," or however you wish to label a situation where you have 2 trailers hooked behind one tow vehicle in the commercial truck classifications. But, you must realize that that these rules may not cross over to the recreational vehicle world.
Commercial triples are set up such that the air brake system continues on through all 3 pieces. The second trailer rides on a 5th wheel dolly, not a 2-inch chrome ball purchased at the local hardware store. Therefore, when commercial trucks apply the brakes, all wheels will apply at the same time with equal pressure.
On the other hand, recreational vehicles may have air brakes on the motorhome, electric brakes on the first trailer, and in many cases no brakes at all on the third item being towed.
To that end, the federal D.O.T. doesn’t want any part of regulating non-commercial situations. So, they leave it completely up to each state to set their own limitations. Just remember, seeing a semi truck pulling 2 trailers on or near an interstate highway does NOT mean you’re good to go with more than one trailer.

Information pertaining to trailer towing rules and regulations for all states: Woodall’s Rules of the Road *  http://www.woodalls.com/articledetails.aspx?articleID=1195129

*taken from an article in The Fun Times Guide .com

-Joel

PS- interesting note that the Canadian mountain provinces of BC and Alberta will allow brakeless toads under circumstances that fit most of our configurations.

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