Towing from Fl to NJ...need info

[acupajoe]

Just curious....pulling my 27ft proline 8'6" beam....can I go through the tunnels on 95 in Maryland. I think there are two? Any advice. Also do I need to go the weight station because truck and boat over 10k??? Wanna do it right with no tickets or accidents!

Thanks

Joe

 

[woosterken]

Re: Towing from Fl to NJ...need info

your the same width as a semi , no scales your a privet vehicle
unless you have some kind of company name on you truck

if i were you i wouldf time the trip to NOT be in the major cities like DC at rush hours

woosterken

 

[acupajoe]

Re: Towing from Fl to NJ...need info

One more thing...I plan on getting a temp gauge from harbor freight to keep eye on hub temp etc....will i be ok to go right thru???

 

[woosterken]

Re: Towing from Fl to NJ...need info

how many miles you talking about?
i would think pulling your boat that far and through some major cities would make for one hellish day!!
with rest stops,food and fuel (probably LOTS of fuel )

make sure the trailer has a couple spares ,tools to change,jack big enough for the boat, extra bearing set or 2,extra bulbs for ALL the lites.
pack the trailer bearings BEFORE you go

woosterken

 

[reelfishin]

Re: Towing from Fl to NJ...need info

Been there, done that but in the other direction a few weeks ago.
You don't have to stop for weigh stations with a private vehicle, and this applies to rental trucks as well. If you do, they will usually just wave you through.

As far as the tunnel, your only concern will be if you have any bottled gas onboard such as propane. Otherwise just so you under 108 wide I believe your good to go. (I usually avoid the tunnel just due to traffic though, unless its late at night).

As mentioned above, avoid the Washington DC metro area during peak business or rush hours. The same for Richmond, VA during rush hour. I sat there a few weeks ago for 3 hours in stand still traffic on a Friday afternoon.

South of Richmond is all pretty smooth sailing. It can get a bit slow around Baltimore as well and if your running on the weekend, DE can be a bit slow just before the bridge.

Down south the only hassle can be Jacksonville and Savannah but neither have every held me up for long, just heavier traffic at times. Take the bypass at Jacksonville unless traffic reports say it's jammed.

Which ever direction, it's a pretty pleasant drive other than the DC area, which can try your patience a bit.

Where in FL to where in NJ?

I would check the hubs and bearings to make sure all is 100% before leaving, if so, you should have no issues at all. Take a spare and a jack just in case. A good bottle jack and block or two of wood work well, as well as a real lug wrench or breaker bar. If all on the trailer is healthy, you most likely won't have any issues.

 

[smokeonthewater]

Re: Towing from Fl to NJ...need info

also you can ditch the harbor freight guage and use your hand.... if it is uncomfortable to leave your hand on the tire or hub, or if one is much warmer than the others then you may have an issue.... that issue just might be brakes working just as they should so if you have just come off of a hill then don't flip if the wheels have some heat in them...

I'd say if you have ANY doubts then check after 10, 25, 50, 100, and every gas fill or other stop after that

 

[skargo]

Re: Towing from Fl to NJ...need info

There are 2 tunnels, the Harbor Tunnel on 895, and the Fort McHenry Tunnel on 95. You will go through one or the other, not both. They will both get you where you're going.
Reading here, the Harbor Tunnel is restricted to 8' width, so use the Fort McHenry tunnel. You can have propane as long as they are 10# or less.

http://www.mdta.maryland.gov/TollRates/rates.html

 

[180shabah]

Re: Towing from Fl to NJ...need info

The same for Richmond, VA during rush hour. I sat there a few weeks ago for 3 hours in stand still traffic on a Friday afternoon.

I95North at exit 84 truck and camper flipped and had all three lanes blocked. And some self absorbed grandstanding richmond DA actually said that the driver should pay $100 to each motorist that was inconvenienced by the delay. $@$&hole.

OP - the 695 bridge around baltimore is a little longer but not as cramped you will have to watch wind wind warnings though.
Or skip DC/Baltimore completely and take 301 from just north of richmond to just before the Del Mem bridge.

 

[reelfishin]

Re: Towing from Fl to NJ...need info

301 is probably the best route, its a bit slower but less hassle. The boat I hauled down to FL was just under 9', I never got bothered at all. I figured that if they didn't bother me at the bridge tolls leaving NJ I was good to go. I was even more surprised at how many tolls didn't hit me extra for the boat trailer period. Most charged me passenger car rate and no more. The Delaware Memorial Bridge hit me for $14 though. Total tolls on a on ton pickup hauling a three axle trailer to FL from NJ was still under $40. I think $36 was the actual number but I ran I95 in FL, I skipped the FL turnpike as I was headed to Stuart and the radio alerted me to an accident delay on the FL turnpike that day. Plus I had to stop in Cocoa Beach on the way down, so it all worked out well.

If you want to play it safe, I'd avoid both tunnels and go around. Besides the normal traffic issues, if anyone will hassle you for being wide, that's the most likely area to get nailed. I ran that route with a truck for years, after a while you get used to when to use the tunnel and when not too. In most cases, forget the tunnel or any downtown area in DC or Baltimore during either rush hour or lunch time. I like to hit that area after hours, like 5 AM or 7 PM. But I've been stuck in the Richmond back up as late as 7:30 PM heading south, northbound don't seem as bad but that maybe just that I've gotten lucky heading north.
If I get anywhere near Richmond or the DC/Balt. area during rush hour, I run 301. I don't recall any issues that way at all.

 

[Philster]

Re: Towing from Fl to NJ...need info

Are there restrictions for towing over 8' beam on a Sunday in some states? Why do I have a mental note that this is a problem.....?

 

[gstanton]

Re: Towing from Fl to NJ...need info

No problems on any of the issues mentioned above. Just go.

 

[freeisforme]

Re: Towing from Fl to NJ...need info

I'm pretty sure that 102" (8' 6") is the Federal limit on any interstate. So the OP should be fine. The only issues will be traffic and any local bridge or tunnel restrictions, which I don't see where he'll have any issues. I've towed wider for short distances with no problems, but it was most likely a case of just not being noticed. I towed a 12' beam boat from PA to NJ a number of years ago, it was over height as well by a foot or so. I built a deflector over the top to deflect wires and ran late at night and dropped down to the DE Memorial bridge to avoid a toll plaza into NJ at the time. I stuck to the main highway as far as I could, and just took it easy to where I was heading. I probably bumped a few wires here and there, and most likely dropped a few cable lines but that's it. We were done and gone by daybreak and the truck was back home and the boat was underway to the marina where we planned to dock it. No one ever gave it a second thought. We even had two patrol cars block traffic for us so we could get around a few traffic lights in one town. No permits, nothing special, just a big boat on a flat bed. If they would have really checked, they would have found that none of us even had a CDL to drive the truck let alone oversize permits. Plus, the truck had NJ farm use tags on it.

 

[acupajoe]

Re: Towing from Fl to NJ...need info

Thank you guys very much!!!!!!!! Actually flying down to Jacksonville to pick up my new 1998 proline 251...can't wait! Thanks for all the good advice! Doesn't 301 go over Chesapeake Bay Bridge and aren't there like three tunnels? I am thinking driving speed around say 60-65? Really need to try and plan the major cities even though we will be coming up from Fl 4am on a Sunday. Thanks again!!!

Joe

 

[skargo]

Re: Towing from Fl to NJ...need info

IF you do go through one of Baltimore's tunnels, just remember like I said earlier, the Harbor Tunnel is restricted to 8' width, otherwise you are good to go.

 

[jasonbailey]

Re: Towing from Fl to NJ...need info

Thank you guys very much!!!!!!!! Actually flying down to Jacksonville to pick up my new 1998 proline 251...can't wait! Thanks for all the good advice! Doesn't 301 go over Chesapeake Bay Bridge and aren't there like three tunnels? I am thinking driving speed around say 60-65? Really need to try and plan the major cities even though we will be coming up from Fl 4am on a Sunday. Thanks again!!!

Joe

There are 2 toll bridges on 301 that you will cross in Maryland. The first is coming into Maryland from VA. it is a two lane bridge built 60+ years ago. It is NARROW and can be an adventure in heavy traffic with a wider vehicle. I'm in the National Guard and have driven down to Ft. AP Hill many times in a 5 ton truck in heavy traffic, not a lot of fun. In Maryland there are a significant amount of traffic lights on 301 from LaPlata up through Waldorf and Bowie, MD. In Bowie, 301 joins U.S. 50 going East. Once on 50/301, it is limited access and runs like an interstate until you get to the Eastern Shore. 301 splits back off route 50 in Queenstown, MD. Once you get past there, there is just about no traffic, except for the MD State Revenue Agents, I mean State Police.

The second toll bridge is the Chesapeake Bay Bridge near Annapolis, MD. It connects the MD Western and Eastern shore. Traffic is heavy east/North bound Thursday & Friday nights and very slow on Saturdays until about 3 in the afternoon. Getting through Annapolis during rush hour on Thursdays and Fridays can be especially nasty.

The Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel is in the VA Beach-Norfolk area and connects VA's Eastern shore to Norfolk area. It is at the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay.

If it were me coming up through, having driven both routes, I would go the 301 route, unless you are hitting the DC and Baltimore section of 95 before 6:30AM during the week.

 

[skargo]

Re: Towing from Fl to NJ...need info

The Baltimore section is not terrible during the day, I go through the Ft McHenry all the time. In fact, I just came through it 40 minutes ago, northbound.

 

[smokeonthewater]

Re: Towing from Fl to NJ...need info

Are there restrictions for towing over 8' beam on a Sunday in some states? Why do I have a mental note that this is a problem.....?

there are restrictions against towing anything over 8'6" anytime on state roads without a permit and many states restrict oversize permit loads to moving during daylight hours 6 days a week and not on major holidays
I had no probs on two seperate 1000 mile trips with 10' wide 28'ers driving mostly at night with no permits tho

also most non interstate roads are actually restricted to 8'.... Never heard of that being enforced though