Anyone ever pulled over for overloaded tow vehicle?

[CharlieB]

Re: Anyone ever pulled over for overloaded tow vehicle?

Picture this, a Harley Panhead Dresser pulling a 22 or 24 ft Cabin Cruiser.

Now THAT'S overloaded!

Really happened, article and pictures in the Seattle Times in the late 60's or early 70's.

The owner was stopped at the Canadian Border, wasn't allowed into Canada, they thought it 'unsafe'.

 

[sutor623]

Re: Anyone ever pulled over for overloaded tow vehicle?

Picture this, a Harley Panhead Dresser pulling a 22 or 24 ft Cabin Cruiser.

Now THAT'S overloaded!

Really happened, article and pictures in the Seattle Times in the late 60's or early 70's.

The owner was stopped at the Canadian Border, wasn't allowed into Canada, they thought it 'unsafe'.

I thought it was funny when I saw an older Yammie V-Twin pulling a 1648 jon boat last year. At least the bike had the sidecar on it. Went up to talk to the guy and he said he got a lot of ***t about it but he really didnt care. Said the bike did fine. The funniest thing is that he told me he had a toyota 4runner that didnt have a hitch on it. I cant imagine why anyone would ever try pulling a cabin cruiser with a motorcycle, even if it was in the 60's.

 

[jkust]

Re: Anyone ever pulled over for overloaded tow vehicle?

Here in MN i'll broad brush it and say most boat owners own Trucks or body on frame suv's and most boats are under 20 feet. The worst I've seen is a crossover such as a Chevy Traverse with a 5000 capacity towing a 20 footer. Still within the limit but not much room left. Every now and again I'll see a minivan towing something like this past weekend an old Ford minivan from the early 2000's was towing a junky, old pontoon as a trailer boat which is unusual. He yanked it right out of the water up a steep ramp with 7 people aboard but I have no clue how much a pontoon like that weighs. My guess is not much. My body on frame suv with a 6700lb capacity is generally the smallest at the ramp usually towing the most weight with my sig boat/heavy trailer.
Where insurance is concerned, negligence will most certainly play a role in denying a claim but when the state steps in the insurance company my change their stance. Then of course when there is a jury trial and the big, bad insurance company gets hit for an XPL claim, they'll have wished they submitted full limits originally. In addition reinsurers play a part on an excess basis with the Counsel and Concur language.

 

[N3UP]

Re: Anyone ever pulled over for overloaded tow vehicle?

Maybe they should enforce the laws against Stupidity, we all would be alot safer. It's one thing to know the law and not adhere to it but to not know it and put it like you do, is another.You should look into how they figure the legal tow capacity and weight by using the door figures.Maybe the people on the other boat forum will explain it to you or maybe this will help you.

1.Locate the vehicle data tag on the driver's door post.

2.Note the CGWR. This is the combined gross weight rating. It is the maximum allowable weight your vehicle, with cargo and passengers, and a trailer can weigh.

3.Determine the loaded weight, with passengers and fuel, of your vehicle. This is most accurate by weighing the vehicle on a public scale. These can be found at truck stops and some moving companies. Check also at landscape supply companies and sand and gravel yards. If a scale cannot be found, estimate the weight by adding the curb weight of the vehicle and all passengers and cargo.

4.Subtract the loaded weight of your vehicle from the CGWR rating of your vehicle. The resulting number is your towing capacity. Keep the weight of your trailer under this number to be safe and legal. Weighing your trailer when fully loaded is most accurate.

I don't know about other makes, because all I have owned is Fords, but none of the ones I have owned list the CGWR on the door sticker.
GVWR, and GAWR's only.
You usually have to go to the owners manual for the GCWR...on Fords anyway.
Once there, there is a chart, body style (Reg cab, Ext Cab, Crew Cab, short bed, long bed) 2x4 vs 4X4, engine, transmission, axle ratio all factor in.

In addition to combined weight of vehicle (and cargo) , trailer (and cargo), tounge weight needs to be considered as well.
It is possible to exceed the rear axle weight capacity while being under the combined weight limit.

The most overlooked part of towing is the skill of the driver.
Any given day at the ramp will showcase the wide variation of skills, or lack thereof.....

I knew when I got my boat that I would be at or just barely under the max tow rating of my truck.
With that in mind, I upgraded the factory transmission cooler, added extendable tow mirrors, bought an aluminum trailer (to save weight) and had the trailer upgraded with electric/hydraulic disc brakes.

On the highway, I drive defensively.
Leave extra following distance, leave myself an escape route, anticipate.

All too often I see other drivers ignoring these simple safety concepts.

 

[bigdee]

Re: Anyone ever pulled over for overloaded tow vehicle?

Again, there is NO statute in NC and most states that states the capacity of the tow vehicle has to be within limits. The only thing the state is interested in is proper registration and fees for axle weights. It is the discretion of the officer to cite someone for driving too fast for conditions but not overloaded unless the load exceeds a certain length,width or height. It is perfectly legal to tow with a Smart car if you dare.

 

[Thalasso]

Re: Anyone ever pulled over for overloaded tow vehicle?

Again, there is NO statute in NC and most states that states the capacity of the tow vehicle has to be within limits. The only thing the state is interested in is proper registration and fees for axle weights. It is the discretion of the officer to cite someone for driving too fast for conditions but not overloaded unless the load exceeds a certain length,width or height. It is perfectly legal to tow with a Smart car if you dare.

Lets see , The only thing the state is interested in is proper registration and fees for axle weights. So what your saying it doesn't matter if your over the registration for axle weights. I'll bet if your registration for axle weight is over the weight registered i'll bet you get cited.What would the purpose of the registration and fee be.

 

[sutor623]

Re: Anyone ever pulled over for overloaded tow vehicle?

Lets see , The only thing the state is interested in is proper registration and fees for axle weights. So what your saying it doesn't matter if your over the registration for axle weights. I'll bet if your registration for axle weight is over the weight registered i'll bet you get cited.What would the purpose of the registration and fee be.

Yea, logically I would think that you could get the axle weight registration UP TO whatever the axle rating of the vehicle is. I am sure there are some limiting factors to what they will register. But who know if they use manufacturer recommendations or not. BigDee, what would happen if I wanted to get registration to have 5,000lb. axle weight when the manufacturer says not to go over 2,5oolbs.?

 

[bigdee]

Re: Anyone ever pulled over for overloaded tow vehicle?

Yea, logically I would think that you could get the axle weight registration UP TO whatever the axle rating of the vehicle is. I am sure there are some limiting factors to what they will register. But who know if they use manufacturer recommendations or not. BigDee, what would happen if I wanted to get registration to have 5,000lb. axle weight when the manufacturer says not to go over 2,5oolbs.?

In NC the legal meaning of overloaded would be in excess of 20,000 lbs per axle or 38,000 lbs per tandem axle. I think we are getting off track from what the OP question was,please read it again. Yes you can buy SUV or pickup tags in increments of 4000,6000 & 9000lbs regardless of the CGVW of the vehicle. Unless the vehicle is for commercial use and only carries "private property loads" the law is not enforced. A violation would be classified as improper registration not an overload. Overload is serious and could result in jail time especially if caught crossing a bridge!

 

[sutor623]

Re: Anyone ever pulled over for overloaded tow vehicle?

In NC the legal meaning of overloaded would be in excess of 20,000 lbs per axle or 38,000 lbs per tandem axle. I think we are getting off track from what the OP question was,please read it again. Yes you can buy SUV or pickup tags in increments of 4000,6000 & 9000lbs regardless of the CGVW of the vehicle. Unless the vehicle is for commercial use and only carries "private property loads" the law is not enforced. A violation would be classified as improper registration not an overload. Overload is serious and could result in jail time especially if caught crossing a bridge!

Wow, thats just insane!

 

[rbh]

Re: Anyone ever pulled over for overloaded tow vehicle?

In NC the legal meaning of overloaded would be in excess of 20,000 lbs per axle or 38,000 lbs per tandem axle. I think we are getting off track from what the OP question was,please read it again. Yes you can buy SUV or pickup tags in increments of 4000,6000 & 9000lbs regardless of the CGVW of the vehicle. Unless the vehicle is for commercial use and only carries "private property loads" the law is not enforced. A violation would be classified as improper registration not an overload. Overload is serious and could result in jail time especially if caught crossing a bridge!

Man thats just out to lunch!!!!

Those numbers you quoted are for a big rig and or trailer per axle, not you pick up pulling a boat. :facepalm:
whether they check for it or not SAFTEY, SAFTEY, SAFTEY, do your home work. OK??

 

[bigdee]

Re: Anyone ever pulled over for overloaded tow vehicle?

Man thats just out to lunch!!!!

Those numbers you quoted are for a big rig and or trailer per axle, not you pick up pulling a boat. :facepalm:
whether they check for it or not SAFTEY, SAFTEY, SAFTEY, do your home work. OK??

Yeah I live in an area of heavy logging activity and the D.O.T. are routinely setting up road checks but they only target the logging trucks (and commercial)...they will wave everything else through regardless of how unsafe it may seem to me. I was behind a pickup so overload that he couldn't go over 20mph without swerving from one side of the road to the other and he got waved through!

 

[toms26t]

Re: Anyone ever pulled over for overloaded tow vehicle?

The one thing that is over looked here is your 3500 lb axle for an example whether it is on your tow vehicle or trailer. if you use tires rated at 1,500 lbs each should be considered to be a 3,000 lb axle for weight calculation, you would need a total tire capacity of 3,500 lbs or more.

Every part of a boat trailer (coupler, axle, tire) should add up to or more than your weight being hauled.

 

[CharlieB]

Re: Anyone ever pulled over for overloaded tow vehicle?

Local U-Haul Dealer told me of a Company policy of refusing ANY trailer rental to a Ford Explorer, period.

Make a paid reservation with a credit card on-line, show up with an Explorer and get immediately canceled, refunded.

Guess U-Haul doesn't trust anything behind an Explorer.

 

[lncoop]

Re: Anyone ever pulled over for overloaded tow vehicle?

Hmmmmmm. Guess Expies are okay. I've never had that problem.

 

[sutor623]

Re: Anyone ever pulled over for overloaded tow vehicle?

Local U-Haul Dealer told me of a Company policy of refusing ANY trailer rental to a Ford Explorer, period.

Make a paid reservation with a credit card on-line, show up with an Explorer and get immediately canceled, refunded.

Guess U-Haul doesn't trust anything behind an Explorer.

I wonder what that is all about. Sounds odd. I can think of a lot worse tow vehicles.

 

[bigdee]

Re: Anyone ever pulled over for overloaded tow vehicle?

I wonder what that is all about. Sounds odd. I can think of a lot worse tow vehicles.

It is because of the Firestone tire lawsuits involving explorer rollovers.....it is a stigma that the insurance companies have never let go of,not U-Haul.

 

[sutor623]

Re: Anyone ever pulled over for overloaded tow vehicle?

It is because of the Firestone tire lawsuits involving explorer rollovers.....it is a stigma that the insurance companies have never let go of,not U-Haul.

Gotcha.

 

[Rancherlee]

Re: Anyone ever pulled over for overloaded tow vehicle?

If you have a bobcat behind a 1/2 ton truck, pretty good odds it is overweight. For a normal size skidsteer, you are talking 6000-8000 pounds, plus 2000 pounds of trailer below it. Throw in the usual gear that is added to a work truck pulling that load and a couple guys in the cab, and you are well over the limit.

Can't recall the last time I've EVER seen a 1/2 ton with a skid steer on a trailer pulled over for being over the weight limit.

Bobcat 743 Diesel (normal 1400# capacity machine), 5200# with bucket
Car Trailer 1800# with weight distributing hitch and 5200# capacity.
7000# on the nose, just under the 7100# rating of my "less then 1/2 ton" Mercury Mountaneer. The F150 I'm ordering with the 5.0L has a 9300# capacity and I'll have no qualms about towing my skid-steer behind it, the longer wheelbase and straight axle rear should make towing alot smoother.