Towing: "Law Of Negligence"

[Rustic Eagle]

I ran across what I thought was an interesting article that looked at the issue of towing within a TV manufactures weight limits from a different vantage point, that being, "personal liability".

A couple of statements stood out in the article:

""Towing beyond any vehicle's manufacturer's weight ratings-or without regard to the properly-equipped limitations a vehicle's manufacturer places on the towing vehicle-relates directly to the "Law of Negligence", and places you, the driver, bearing the full weight of liability issues.""

........ and:

""The negligence issue gets back to the tow vehicle being "properly-equipped." Those are some words with real weight. You see them in every owners' manual and TV ad related to tow towing. Those two words are the automotive version of an electrified fence between towing with the full blessing of the vehicle manufacturer and not.""

Maybe if someone is on the fence line in respect to their own TV weight limit considerations, maybe the liability factor would be another thought to throw on the table.

http://www.dangeroustrailers.org/Towing_The_LIne.html

Bob

[RustyFairmount]

Lots of people (including me) also don't understand/obey the trailering laws of their state. For example, a commercial driver explained to me that any vehicle hauling any trailer in Michigan is not permitted in the left-most lane of a 3+ lane highway...unless exiting or entering from/to the left. Also, they must obey the posted TRUCK speed limits.

I can't tell you how many times I've see people in the left lane doing 75mph hauling campers, jet-skiis, lawnmowers, etc, when their limit is 60mph!

[clutch]

Bob, that was an interesting link. Also as pointed out by RustyFairmount, the truck speed is the legal speed in most states. ST tires will just about always fit or exceede the legal speed for trucks.

[Lady Fitzgerald]

Originally Posted by RustyFairmount

Lots of people (including me) also don't understand/obey the trailering laws of their state. For example, a commercial driver explained to me that any vehicle hauling any trailer in Michigan is not permitted in the left-most lane of a 3+ lane highway...unless exiting or entering from/to the left. Also, they must obey the posted TRUCK speed limits.

I can't tell you how many times I've see people in the left lane doing 75mph hauling campers, jet-skiis, lawnmowers, etc, when their limit is 60mph!

I don't know about RVs, but in CA, trucks are limited to the right two lanes. All trucks and vehicles towing trailers are limited to 55mph (although most fudge it).

[SecretCoveDave]

Thanks, this is big league learning for the brand new people!

Dave.

[Crabman]

This would answer those that have a 250 or 350 and ask "Do I need weight distribution with this truck?" It would seem they do.

[David472]

Regarding the WDH hitch question, what about a 5er, where the kingpin weight is over the rear axle? I don't have any experience with setting up a 5er, but an 18-wheeler friend tells me his kingpin is adjustable fore and aft. Is this the case with a 5er, to put some weight on the front wheels of the TV?

[Lady Fitzgerald]

Originally Posted by David472

Regarding the WDH hitch question, what about a 5er, where the kingpin weight is over the rear axle? I don't have any experience with setting up a 5er, but an 18-wheeler friend tells me his kingpin is adjustable fore and aft. Is this the case with a 5er, to put some weight on the front wheels of the TV?

Are you sure you don't mean the fifth wheel on the truck is adjustable? Every big rig trailer I ever saw had a fixed kingpin. Only the rear axle location was adjustable. The fifthwheel on most tractors is adjustable. In case there is confusion with terms, the king pin is a vertical rod on the trailer that connects to the fifth wheel on the tow vehicle, which looks like a flat plate with a notch in the trailing surface.

The only advantage I could see to an adjustable pinbox (which carries the kingpin on a fifthwheel RV) is gaining some more turning clearance between the nose of the trailer and the cab of the tow vehicle. Many RV fithwheel hitches are adjustable to allow adjusting the distribution of weight between front and rear axles on the tow vehicle (although some people erroneously use that adjustment to gain more turning clearance, often to the detriment of towing ability).

[David472]

Originally Posted by Lady Fitzgerald

Are you sure you don't mean the fifth wheel on the truck is adjustable? Every big rig trailer I ever saw had a fixed kingpin. Only the rear axle location was adjustable. The fifthwheel on most tractors is adjustable. In case there is confusion with terms, the king pin is a vertical rod on the trailer that connects to the fifth wheel on the tow vehicle, which looks like a flat plate with a notch in the trailing surface.

The only advantage I could see to an adjustable pinbox (which carries the kingpin on a fifthwheel RV) is gaining some more turning clearance between the nose of the trailer and the cab of the tow vehicle. Many RV fithwheel hitches are adjustable to allow adjusting the distribution of weight between front and rear axles on the tow vehicle (although some people erroneously use that adjustment to gain more turning clearance, often to the detriment of towing ability).

Please excuse my using the wrong term. I meant the device on the TV.

[David472]

Originally Posted by David472

Please excuse my using the wrong term. I meant the device on the TV.

My reason for bringing this up; there has been lots of discussion of WDH adjustment for TT's, but I've not seen the same mention of adjustment for 5ers, and the related liability issues. Lady Fitzgerald has shed some light here just now.

[dalenoel]

Originally Posted by RustyFairmount

Lots of people (including me) also don't understand/obey the trailering laws of their state. For example, a commercial driver explained to me that any vehicle hauling any trailer in Michigan is not permitted in the left-most lane of a 3+ lane highway...unless exiting or entering from/to the left. Also, they must obey the posted TRUCK speed limits.

I usually will not be above 60 since that is the most comfortable for my setup. The Michigan Law was changed in Nov 2006 to be:

"(5) A person operating a passenger vehicle drawing another vehicle or trailer shall not exceed the posted speed limit.

(6) Except as otherwise provided in this subsection, a person operating a truck with a gross weight of 10,000 pounds or more, a truck-tractor, a truck-tractor with a semi-trailer or trailer, or a combination of these vehicles shall not exceed a speed of 55 miles per hour on highways, streets, or freeways and shall not exceed a speed of 35 miles per hour during the period when reduced loadings are being enforced in accordance with this chapter. However, a person operating a school bus, a truck, a truck-tractor, or a truck-tractor with a semi-trailer or trailer described in this subsection shall not exceed a speed of 60 miles per hour on a freeway if the maximum speed limit on that freeway is 70 miles per hour."

Meaning passenger vehicles use passenger vehicle speed limits towing or not.

This is located at http://www.legislature.mi.gov/(S(d4z...me=mcl-257-627 for reference.

[Seann45]

Just remember insurance companies HATE to pay out... so if you are towing above the vehicles weight rating, speeding or anything else YOU MAY NOT BE COVERED..