two trailers at same time

[muddinredneck513]

is it legel to pull two trailers behind one truck? like say my car trailer with the quads on it and a boat behind that? someone told me as long as im under 53' behind the truck i am:confused: does anyone know?

[fabricator]

http://www.towingworld.com/articles/TowingLaws.htm

[eighty3bronco]

Yes as long as your combined vehicle length including truck + trailer + traler is below 65' in length. I believe from the website above you can tow tripples as long as you are within that 65' length rule.

[muddinredneck513]

thanks yall!!!

[carwash]

just be careful man... doubles can get to swinging back and forth pretty good and are hard to correct. make sure you have enough tongue weight. But keep in mind, adding tongue weight to your second trailer reduces the tongue weight on your first trailer... etc.

[eighty3bronco]

That's a good point carwash. I forgot about that.

[94Dodge Truggy]

I can see it now! I-75 south bound shut down! Truck with camper and boat wrapped around itself. :o

[carwash]

I can see it now! I-75 south bound shut down! Truck with camper and boat wrapped around itself. :o
i've heard of it happening more than once...

[sarge]

I did it once and will never , never, never, do it again . Motorhome+boat+waverunners

Don't even think about backing up ...... don't ask:D :D :D

[eighty3bronco]

I could see backing up a problem. When I was a drive a switch truck for fedex ground, I saw a couple of drivers trying to back up with tandums. it was quite funny.

[wilson1010]

I'm not sure I understand this, but here is the Ohio law on length. As to a combination of trailers I'd be skeptical as to whether you can actually do that. I'll look at this some more later.

§ 5577.05. Maximum width, height, and length


(A) No vehicle shall be operated upon the public highways, streets, bridges, and culverts within the state, whose dimensions exceed those specified in this section.

(B) No such vehicle shall have a width in excess of:

(1) One hundred four inches for passenger bus type vehicles operated exclusively within municipal corporations;

(2) One hundred two inches, excluding such safety devices as are required by law, for passenger bus type vehicles operated over freeways, and such other state roads with minimum pavement widths of twenty-two feet, except those roads or portions thereof over which operation of one hundred two-inch buses is prohibited by order of the director of transportation;

(3) One hundred thirty-two inches for traction engines;

(4) One hundred two inches for recreational vehicles, excluding safety devices and retracted awnings and other appurtenances of six inches or less in width and except that the director may prohibit the operation of one hundred two inch recreational vehicles on designated state highways or portions of highways;

(5) One hundred two inches, including load, for all other vehicles, except that the director may prohibit the operation of one hundred two-inch vehicles on such state highways or portions thereof as the director designates.

(C) No such vehicle shall have a length in excess of:

(1) Sixty-six feet for passenger bus type vehicles and articulated passenger bus type vehicles operated by a regional transit authority pursuant to sections 306.30 to 306.54 of the Revised Code;

(2) Forty-five feet for all other passenger bus type vehicles;

(3) Fifty-three feet for any semitrailer when operated in a commercial tractor-semitrailer combination, with or without load, except that the director may prohibit the operation of any such commercial tractor-semitrailer combination on such state highways or portions thereof as the director designates.

(4) Twenty-eight and one-half feet for any semitrailer or trailer when operated in a commercial tractor-semitrailer-trailer or commercial tractor-semitrailer-semitrailer combination, except that the director may prohibit the operation of any such commercial tractor-semitrailer-trailer or commercial tractor-semitrailer-semitrailer combination on such state highways or portions thereof as the director designates;

(5) (a) Ninety-seven feet for drive-away saddlemount vehicle transporter combinations and drive-away saddlemount with fullmount vehicle transporter combinations when operated on any interstate, United States route, or state route, including reasonable access travel on all other roadways for a distance not to exceed one road mile from any interstate, United States route, or state route, not to exceed three saddlemounted vehicles, but which may include one fullmount;

(b) Seventy-five feet for drive-away saddlemount vehicle transporter combinations and drive-away saddlemount with fullmount vehicle transporter combinations, when operated on any roadway not designated as an interstate, United States route, or state route, not to exceed three saddlemounted vehicles, but which may include one fullmount;

(6) Sixty-five feet for any other combination of vehicles coupled together, with or without load, except as provided in divisions (C)(3) and (4), and in division (E) of this section;

(7) Forty-five feet for recreational vehicles;

(8) Forty feet for all other vehicles except trailers and semitrailers, with or without load.

(D) No such vehicle shall have a height in excess of thirteen feet six inches, with or without load.

(E) An automobile transporter or boat transporter shall be allowed a length of sixty-five feet and a stinger-steered automobile transporter or stinger-steered boat transporter shall be allowed a length of seventy-five feet, except that the load thereon may extend no more than four feet beyond the rear of such vehicles and may extend no more than three feet beyond the front of such vehicles, and except further that the director may prohibit the operation of a stinger-steered automobile transporter, stinger-steered boat transporter, or a B-train assembly on any state highway or portion thereof that the director designates.

(F) The widths prescribed in division (B) of this section shall not include side mirrors, turn signal lamps, marker lamps, handholds for cab entry and egress, flexible fender extensions, mud flaps, splash and spray suppressant devices, and load-induced tire bulge.

The width prescribed in division (B)(5) of this section shall not include automatic covering devices, tarp and tarp hardware, and tiedown assemblies, provided these safety devices do not extend more than three inches from each side of the vehicle.

The lengths prescribed in divisions (C)(2) to (8) of this section shall not include safety devices, bumpers attached to the front or rear of such bus or combination, B-train assembly used between the first and second semitrailer of a commercial tractor-semitrailer-semitrailer combination, energy conservation devices as provided in any regulations adopted by the secretary of the United States department of transportation, or any noncargo-carrying refrigeration equipment attached to the front of trailers and semitrailers. In special cases, vehicles whose dimensions exceed those prescribed by this section may operate in accordance with rules adopted by the director.

(G) This section does not apply to fire engines, fire trucks, or other vehicles or apparatus belonging to any municipal corporation or to the volunteer fire department of any municipal corporation or used by such department in the discharge of its functions. This section does not apply to vehicles and pole trailers used in the transportation of wooden and metal poles, nor to the transportation of pipes or well-drilling equipment, nor to farm machinery and equipment. The owner or operator of any vehicle, machinery, or equipment not specifically enumerated in this section but the dimensions of which exceed the dimensions provided by this section, when operating the same on the highways and streets of this state, shall comply with the rules of the director governing such movement, which the director may adopt. Sections 119.01 to 119.13 of the Revised Code apply to any rules the director adopts under this section, or the amendment or rescission thereof, and any person adversely affected shall have the same right of appeal as provided in those sections.

This section does not require the state, a municipal corporation, county, township, or any railroad or other private corporation to provide sufficient vertical clearance to permit the operation of such vehicle, or to make any changes in or about existing structures now crossing streets, roads, and other public thoroughfares in this state.

(H) As used in this section, "recreational vehicle" has the same meaning as in section 4501.01 of the Revised Code.

[carwash]

well, if you had no idea before what the laws were, now you REALLY have no idea... man, that's a lot of reading.

[DinkDavis]

lol

[pete]

I have always been told you can do doubles but the first trailer has to be a fifth wheel. will check later with the chief.thanks pete

[muddinredneck513]

well that sucks, why does it have to be a fifth wheel/gooseneck? my car hauler with my quads on it can handel the wight i would think

[wilson1010]

This is interesting:

§ 4513.32. Towing requirements


(A) When one vehicle is towing another vehicle, the drawbar or other connection shall be of sufficient strength to pull all the weight towed thereby, and the drawbar or other connection shall not exceed fifteen feet from one vehicle to the other, except the connection between any two vehicles transporting poles, pipe, machinery, or other objects of structural nature which cannot readily be dismembered.

When one vehicle is towing another and the connection consists only of a chain, rope, or cable, there shall be displayed upon such connection a white flag or cloth not less than twelve inches square.

In addition to such drawbar or other connection, each trailer and each semitrailer which is not connected to a commercial tractor by means of a fifth wheel shall be coupled with stay chains or cables to the vehicle by which it is being drawn. The chains or cables shall be of sufficient size and strength to prevent the towed vehicle's parting from the drawing vehicle in case the drawbar or other connection should break or become disengaged. In case of a loaded pole trailer, the connecting pole to the drawing vehicle shall be coupled to the drawing vehicle with stay chains or cables of sufficient size and strength to prevent the towed vehicle's parting from the drawing vehicle.

Every trailer or semitrailer, except pole and cable trailers and pole and cable dollies operated by a public utility as defined in section 5727.01 of the Revised Code, shall be equipped with a coupling device, which shall be so designed and constructed that the trailer will follow substantially in the path of the vehicle drawing it, without whipping or swerving from side to side. Vehicles used to transport agricultural produce or agricultural production materials between a local place of storage and supply and the farm, when drawn or towed on a street or highway at a speed of twenty-five miles per hour or less, and vehicles designed and used exclusively to transport a boat between a place of storage and a marina, or in and around a marina, when drawn or towed on a street or highway for a distance of no more than ten miles and at a speed of twenty-five miles per hour or less, shall have a drawbar or other connection, including the hitch mounted on the towing vehicle, which shall be of sufficient strength to pull all the weight towed thereby. Only one such vehicle used to transport agricultural produce or agricultural production materials as provided in this section may be towed or drawn at one time, except as follows:

(1) An agricultural tractor may tow or draw more than one such vehicle;

(2) A pickup truck or straight truck designed by the manufacturer to carry a load of not less than one-half ton and not more than two tons may tow or draw not more than two such vehicles that are being used to transport agricultural produce from the farm to a local place of storage. No vehicle being so towed by such a pickup truck or straight truck shall be considered to be a motor vehicle.

(B) Whoever violates this section shall be punished as provided in section 4513.99 of the Revised Code.

This section has limits on how many produce carts you can tow. Why it doesn't say how many regular trailers ou can tow, I can't say. Hmmmmmmm

[wilson1010]

Sorry for all this BS, but there are a few nuggets of interest in here. In this one, note the limitation (in paragraph F) of twelve feet between the vehicle axles. How could a boat trailer meet this??????

§ 5577.04. Maximum axle load, wheel load, gross weights, for pneumatic tired vehicles


(A) The maximum wheel load of any one wheel of any vehicle, trackless trolley, load, object, or structure operated or moved upon improved public highways, streets, bridges, or culverts shall not exceed six hundred fifty pounds per inch width of pneumatic tire, measured as prescribed by section 5577.03 of the Revised Code.

(B) The weight of vehicle and load imposed upon a road surface that is part of the interstate system by vehicles with pneumatic tires shall not exceed any of the following weight limitations:

(1) On any one axle, twenty thousand pounds;

(2) On any tandem axle, thirty-four thousand pounds;

(3) On any two or more consecutive axles, the maximum weight as determined by application of the formula provided in division (C) of this section.

(C) For purposes of division (B)(3) of this section, the maximum gross weight on any two or more consecutive axles shall be determined by application of the following formula:

W = 500((LN/N-1) + 12N + 36).

In this formula, W equals the overall gross weight on any group of two or more consecutive axles to the nearest five hundred pounds, L equals the distance in rounded whole feet between the extreme of any group of two or more consecutive axles, and N equals the number of axles in the group under consideration. However, two consecutive sets of tandem axles may carry a gross load of thirty-four thousand pounds each, provided the overall distance between the first and last axles of such consecutive sets of tandem axles is thirty-six feet or more.

(D) Except as provided in division (I) of this section, the weight of vehicle and load imposed upon a road surface that is not part of the interstate system by vehicles with pneumatic tires shall not exceed any of the following weight limitations:

(1) On any one axle, twenty thousand pounds;

(2) On any two successive axles:

(a) Spaced four feet or less apart, and weighed simultaneously, twenty-four thousand pounds;

(b) Spaced more than four feet apart, and weighed simultaneously, thirty-four thousand pounds, plus one thousand pounds per foot or fraction thereof, over four feet, not to exceed forty thousand pounds.

(3) On any three successive load-bearing axles designed to equalize the load between such axles and spaced so that each such axle of the three-axle group is more than four feet from the next axle in the three-axle group and so that the spacing between the first axle and the third axle of the three-axle group is no more than nine feet, and with such load-bearing three-axle group weighed simultaneously as a unit:

(a) Forty-eight thousand pounds, with the total weight of vehicle and load not exceeding thirty-eight thousand pounds plus an additional nine hundred pounds for each foot of spacing between the front axle and the rearmost axle of the vehicle;

(b) As an alternative to division (D)(3)(a) of this section, forty-two thousand five hundred pounds, if part of a six-axle vehicle combination with at least twenty feet of spacing between the front axle and rearmost axle, with the total weight of vehicle and load not exceeding fifty-four thousand pounds plus an additional six hundred pounds for each foot of spacing between the front axle and the rearmost axle of the vehicle.

(4) The total weight of vehicle and load utilizing any combination of axles, other than as provided for three-axle groups in division (D) of this section, shall not exceed thirty-eight thousand pounds plus an additional nine hundred pounds for each foot of spacing between the front axle and rearmost axle of the vehicle.

(E) Notwithstanding divisions (B) and (D) of this section, the maximum overall gross weight of vehicle and load imposed upon the road surface shall not exceed eighty thousand pounds.

(F) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, when a vehicle is towing another vehicle, such drawbar or other connection shall be of a length such as will limit the spacing between nearest axles of the respective vehicles to a distance not in excess of twelve feet and six inches.

(G) As used in division (B) of this section, "tandem axle" means two or more consecutive axles whose centers may be included between parallel transverse vertical planes spaced more than forty inches but not more than ninety-six inches apart, extending across the full width of the vehicle.

(H) This section does not apply to passenger bus type vehicles operated by a regional transit authority pursuant to sections 306.30 to 306.54 of the Revised Code.

(I) Either division (B) or (D) of this section applies to the weight of a vehicle and its load imposed upon any road surface that is not a part of the interstate system by vehicles with pneumatic tires. As between divisions (B) and (D) of this section, only the division that yields the highest total gross vehicle weight limit shall be applied to any such vehicle. Once that division is determined, only the limits contained in the subdivisions of that division shall apply to that vehicle.

[muddinredneck513]

that stuff just confusses the hell out of me!!!! im goin to pull the two and if i get pulled over i get pulled over!! ill deal with it when that time comes:eek:

[eighty3bronco]

I've seen a truck pulling a trailer w/ a boat and behind that a trailer w/ two wave runners on it. neither were gooseneck or 5th wheel.

[wilson1010]

that stuff just confusses the hell out of me!!!! im goin to pull the two and if i get pulled over i get pulled over!! ill deal with it when that time comes:eek:

I'm with you on that! Mostly, the cops have too much to do to spend their afternoon trying to figure out whats wrong with your rig or set up. They have more serious stuff to deal with. And, if you are driving safely and obeying all traffic laws, you further reduce the chance of problems.

When I think of some of the goofy stuff I've done without incident, I have to laugh. One time, we put some casters on an old fashioned ironing machine that weighed about 500 pounds and dragged it a couple of miles on the city streets with a strap!