Towing behind 5th wheel

[NASCAR9]

Looking at the CA DMV web site is exhausting, finding exceptions to the 5th wheel rules. I'm still going to upgrade my license just wish the waters weren't so muddy.

I found the below for Class B and Class C(Normal license)

If the towing vehicle weighs 4,000 lbs. or more unladen, you may tow a:

Trailer coach not exceeding 9,000 lbs. gross.

Trailer coach or 5th-wheel travel trailer under 10,000 lbs. GVWR when towing is not for compensation.

5th-wheel travel trailer exceeding 10,000 lbs. but not exceeding 15,000 lbs. GVWR, when towing is not for compensation.

[Second Chance]

Looking at the CA DMV web site is exhausting, finding exceptions to the 5th wheel rules. I'm still going to upgrade my license just wish the waters weren't so muddy.

I found the below for Class B and Class C(Normal license)

If the towing vehicle weighs 4,000 lbs. or more unladen, you may tow a:

Trailer coach not exceeding 9,000 lbs. gross.

Trailer coach or 5th-wheel travel trailer under 10,000 lbs. GVWR when towing is not for compensation.

5th-wheel travel trailer exceeding 10,000 lbs. but not exceeding 15,000 lbs. GVWR, when towing is not for compensation.

"Trailers over 10,000 lb GVWR and fifth wheels over 15,000 lb GVWR require non-commercial Class A. See Recreational Vehicles and Trailers Handbook."

https://www.dmv.ca.gov/portal/wcm/co...=AJPERES&CVID=

Rob

[NASCAR9]

Rob thanks for posting.
I've read that document cover to cover and based on it I do need to upgrade. I'm going to upgrade my license just to be on the safe side.
Check this link from the same web site, maybe I'm misreading it.

https://www.dmv.ca.gov/portal/dmv/de...dl648/dl648pt2

[Second Chance]

Rob thanks for posting.
I've read that document cover to cover and based on it I do need to upgrade. I'm going to upgrade my license just to be on the safe side.
Check this link from the same web site, maybe I'm misreading it.

https://www.dmv.ca.gov/portal/dmv/de...dl648/dl648pt2

Not sure you need to - the Reflection 303 is well under 15K. The rest of the stuff (tow vehicle over 4,000 lbs. unladen) is for agricultural use. I hear the process in CA is a PITA...

Rob

[scott d]

We pull a Aluma MC210 behind our 303 for three years. We just bought a Solitude 310GK and we will pull the same trailer behind that. WE normally hall a Can am Spyder but, have taken our Ranger on the trailer. Here in Mn you can be 70 feet long. A lot of states are 65 feet so i would try to stay under that. I like doing this a lot better than when we had our 43 foot toy hauler. The shorter trailer give you a lot more choices where you can stay.

[oubruceb]

I have double-pulled behind a fifth wheel for several years, thousands of miles. I used to go to NASCAR races all over the south. I changed to a Jayco Eagle fifth wheel 2 years ago. It had a Reese Sidewinder hitch on it. I hooked my normal single axle utility trailer and pulled my side-be-side onto it. Hooked everything down and started to my land to deer hunt. About half way there a strong gust of wind hit me while going down a steep grade. My trailer started to wiggle with my utility following it. I ended up turning the fifth wheel on its side and the utility trailer flipped. My picked stayed upright with whe fifth wheel still attached. Sounds impossible but i Have pictures. No one hurt and I didn't hit anything. Insurance totaled everything. I think the cause of the accident was that the sidewinder lets the fifth wheel really move back and forth going downhill. I bought a grand design reflection 28BH to replace the Jayco. I plan on making the sidewinder on it unable to swivel and trying the double tow again. I noticed without a second trailer behind me my trailer sure moves around going down a small grade..My advice on double tow is use a slider hitch on short bed, with no swivel. The highway patrol will usually leave you alone for being a few feet over if you drive normally. I live in Oklahoma. We lived in the DC area for a while and they are crazy strict. Good luck.

[Roll With The Changes]

The rules are the rules, but that's only part of the story.

Starting at the beginning, a 5th wheel is more stable than bumper pull because the pivot point of bumper pull is well behind the rear axle (steer pivot of the truck). This is enough of a problem that manufacturers make anti away devices and things to counteract all of these problems.

A typical bumper pull hitch setup might be four feet behind the truck axle. If I put a hitch on the back of my fifth wheel, it would be twelve feet behind the trailer axles.... A small over correction in the truck is magnified as it goes back through all the pivot points.

I've been a CDL driver for 25 years and I have a doubles and triples endorsement, but I wouldn't think of pulling a double without some training even though a commercial double is a much more stable setup.

The law is lenient on the RV community because we have been relatively small and we don't make much noise. The best way to get the attention of the government is to do dumb things like pull a double with a pickup truck.

[lorend]

You'll have to count on this list, but I think it's about 14 states that have special driver's license requirements for singles and combos over specified GVWR limits. Many of us full-timers who are domiciled in Texas have to have what Texas calls a "Non-Commercial Class A Exempt" driver's license. In TX, that involves studying part of the CDL handbook, taking a written test, and taking a driving test with your rig. The requirements in terms of singles, combos, and GVWRs for each state are in this link:

http://changingears.com/rv-sec-state-rv-license.shtml

Rob

Hi Rob, first let me say thanks for your posts. They are on topic and informative. In Texas do the troopers usually look the other way for people with out of state plates as needing an endorsement on their license? It is always one of those grey areas that you have to obey the laws of the state but you don't live there. Kind of like having a carry permit in one state and in your neighboring state you had better not have a gun in your vehicle.

[Second Chance]

Hi Rob, first let me say thanks for your posts. They are on topic and informative. In Texas do the troopers usually look the other way for people with out of state plates as needing an endorsement on their license? It is always one of those grey areas that you have to obey the laws of the state but you don't live there. Kind of like having a carry permit in one state and in your neighboring state you had better not have a gun in your vehicle.

If you are licensed in another state, your home state's laws for licensing apply no matter where you are traveling. As long as you are legally licensed in your domicile state for the vehicle you are driving, Texas' licensing laws have nothing to do with you. It's nothing like CWPs.

Rob

Edit/PS: However... if your home state requires a Class A Non-Commercial license for your rig and you don't have one, a Texas LEO can cite you for driving without a license if he/she cared to.

Rob

[NASCAR9]

This was the article I read that peaked my interest.
https://www.trailerlife.com/towing/a...of-toy-hauler/