Scaled my tow rig

[Diamondpilot]

If it is so clear why don't you show us where it says this.

Its on page 13.

http://www.in.gov/dor/files/cdl.pdf

Chris

 

[Duffster]

Its on page 13.

http://www.in.gov/dor/files/cdl.pdf

Chris

I don't see anything that references personal use being exempt.

Unless you can register that dually flatbed GN as an RV?

 

[oldtractors]

Why is this weight thing such a mystery? It comes up weekly. He is not "Commercial". The law clearly states that Recreational vehicles, Motor homes, personal property, Farm uses, ect is exempt.


Chris

Personal property is not exempt if you are over 26,000. RVs are. Unless you license the truck as an RV, it legally requires a CDL to pull that trailer. Some people do put the required equipment in a Class 7 or 8 truck and relicense them as an RV. If you had a camper permanently mounted on the front of the gooseneck, it would be an RV. You would be legal to pull a trailer of that weight with a Van, motorhome, or Suburban. But to pull it with a pickup requires a CDL.

Luckily, I don't see any "sponser" stickers on your Jeeps. If the DOT sees that, they assume you are making money with those Jeeps and you are definately commercial.

Most local race car drivers around here are now pulling their trailers with Suburbans, vans, or motorhomes in order to get around the DOT.

 

[Diamondpilot]

Personal property is not exempt if you are over 26,000. RVs are. Unless you license the truck as an RV, it legally requires a CDL to pull that trailer. Some people do put the required equipment in a Class 7 or 8 truck and relicense them as an RV. If you had a camper permanently mounted on the front of the gooseneck, it would be an RV. You would be legal to pull a trailer of that weight with a Van, motorhome, or Suburban. But to pull it with a pickup requires a CDL.

Luckily, I don't see any "sponser" stickers on your Jeeps. If the DOT sees that, they assume you are making money with those Jeeps and you are definately commercial.

Most local race car drivers around here are now pulling their trailers with Suburbans, vans, or motorhomes in order to get around the DOT.

I see where you guys are coming from. I always been told that personal property was exempt. For example I pull a 35'x12.5' boat that is 25,000# twice a year. Its about 40' long on the trailer. I apply and get a over width permit from the state of Indiana for each and every pull. They give me limitations like route, day, time, marked wide load, chase vehicles, ect. I simply tell them its personal use and no questions are asked. Maybe they are just turning a blind eye. I drive right past the cops with no issues while a guy with a ZTR mower on a single axle trailer behind a F-150 will get pulled over because they assume he is for hire.:confused2:

I supply the folks at the Indiana Motor Carrier Dept all the info required like truck, plate number, license number, insurance, ect. I do not have a CDL and in 7 years, 13 times transporting so far not one mention of a CDL. They just simply ask me why I am moving it. I respond by telling them I am transporting the boat from the marina to storage in the fall or from storage to the marina in the spring. End of story.
Chris

 

[Duffster]

Personal property is not exempt if you are over 26,000. RVs are. Unless you license the truck as an RV, it legally requires a CDL to pull that trailer. Some people do put the required equipment in a Class 7 or 8 truck and relicense them as an RV. If you had a camper permanently mounted on the front of the gooseneck, it would be an RV. You would be legal to pull a trailer of that weight with a Van, motorhome, or Suburban. But to pull it with a pickup requires a CDL.

Luckily, I don't see any "sponser" stickers on your Jeeps. If the DOT sees that, they assume you are making money with those Jeeps and you are definately commercial.

Most local race car drivers around here are now pulling their trailers with Suburbans, vans, or motorhomes in order to get around the DOT.

A suburban VS pickup doesn't make any difference. Now motorhome vs pickup would.

 

[Duffster]

I see where you guys are coming from. I always been told that personal property was exempt. For example I pull a 35'x12.5' boat that is 25,000# twice a year. Its about 40' long on the trailer. I apply and get a over width permit from the state of Indiana for each and every pull. They give me limitations like route, day, time, marked wide load, chase vehicles, ect. I simply tell them its personal use and no questions are asked. Maybe they are just turning a blind eye. I drive right past the cops with no issues while a guy with a ZTR mower on a single axle trailer behind a F-150 will get pulled over because they assume he is for hire.:confused2:

I supply the folks at the Indiana Motor Carrier Dept all the info required like truck, plate number, license number, insurance, ect. I do not have a CDL and in 7 years, 13 times transporting so far not one mention of a CDL. They just simply ask me why I am moving it. I respond by telling them I am transporting the boat from the marina to storage in the fall or from storage to the marina in the spring. End of story.
Chris

Boats are considered an RV. Now if you told them you were towing it for hire you would need a CDL.

 

[Dmace]

Boats are considered an RV.

So are the Jeeps and Buggy's he's hauling. Funny how some people think "RV" means camper instead of Recreational Vehicle. Now if he was hauling large crates or boxes of supplies and other materials (wood, bricks, concrete, etc...) then he would need a CDL but these trucks and buggy's are just as "recreational" as a camper.

 

[oldtractors]

A suburban VS pickup doesn't make any difference. Now motorhome vs pickup would.

It does in Iowa. A Suburban is a "car" and isn't registered by weight. You do not need a CDL to drive a "car"

 

[Diamondpilot]

So are the Jeeps and Buggy's he's hauling. Funny how some people think "RV" means camper instead of Recreational Vehicle. Now if he was hauling large crates or boxes of supplies and other materials (wood, bricks, concrete, etc...) then he would need a CDL but these trucks and buggy's are just as "recreational" as a camper.

Thats how they see it here also. My buddy with the 60,000# rig is pulling dirt bikes, UTV's, and ATV's plus a couple of buggies. They consider all that Recreational in Indiana.

Chris

 

[wolfpack2]

Per Michigan CDL Manual:

Are There CDL Exemptions?
The following people do NOT need a Commercial Driver License (CDL):
�� ACTIVE DUTY MILITARY: Operating military vehicles with military licenses (includes National Guard).
�� POLICE AND FIREFIGHTERS: Operating authorized emergency vehicles.
�� FARMERS: Operating vehicles within a 150 mile radius of their farm.
An F-endorsement is needed by farmers operating combination vehicles whose towing vehicle has a
GVWR of 26,001 pounds or more. A knowledge test, but no skills test, is required to obtain the Fendorsement.
The F-endorsement is NOT a CDL.
Farmers who carry hazardous materials in amounts requiring placards while operating combination
vehicles whose towing vehicle has a GVWR of 26,001 pounds or more, or a single vehicle with a GVWR
of 26,001 pounds or more, need a CDL with a hazardous materials endorsement.
�� INDIVIDUALS: Operating motor homes or other vehicles used exclusively to transport personal possessions or family members, for non-business purposes.

 

[Duffster]

It does in Iowa. A Suburban is a "car" and isn't registered by weight. You do not need a CDL to drive a "car"

You very possibly can. It goes by GVWR, among other things. You will not be likely to get to enough GVWR with passenger car but it is more likely with a subby, especially a 3/4 or 1 ton subby.

 

[Duffster]

So are the Jeeps and Buggy's he's hauling.

But the trailer isn't registered an RV is it?

 

[Dmace]

But the trailer isn't registered an RV is it?

Last I checked, nothing gets registered as "RV". My 27ft travel trailer is registered as a "trailer", my 10k dump trailer is registered as a "trailer", and all our equipment trailers from a 12k bumper pull to a 20-ton tri-axle low boy are all registered as a "trailer".

Like I said, it's not about how's it's registered but how it's used. I can haul a 20 ft enclosed cargo trailer loaded to over 10k lbs with snowmobiles, cars, ATV's, etc... without a CDL but if I were hauling landscaping and building supplies for work then I would be using the trailer "commercially" and that's when you need a CDL.

 

[Duffster]

Last I checked, nothing gets registered as "RV". My 27ft travel trailer is registered as a "trailer", my 10k dump trailer is registered as a "trailer", and all our equipment trailers from a 12k bumper pull to a 20-ton tri-axle low boy are all registered as a "trailer".

Like I said, it's not about how's it's registered but how it's used. I can haul a 20 ft enclosed cargo trailer loaded to over 10k lbs with snowmobiles, cars, ATV's, etc... without a CDL but if I were hauling landscaping and building supplies for work then I would be using the trailer "commercially" and that's when you need a CDL.

Motorhomes, camper trailers and boat trailer are registered as RV. Even the link that Diamond posted say it has to be registered as an RV to fall under that exemption.

It isn't always how you use it. I can tow a trailer over 10k without a CDL as well. As long as the combined GVWR is under 26k or you fall under an exemption.

http://www.dot.wisconsin.gov/drivers/plateguide/misc.htm

 

[Diamondpilot]

Motorhomes, camper trailers and boat trailer are registered as RV. Even the link that Diamond posted say it has to be registered as an RV to fall under that exemption.

It isn't always how you use it. I can tow a trailer over 10k without a CDL as well. As long as the combined GVWR is under 26k or you fall under an exemption.

Miscellaneous license plates - Wisconsin Department of Transportation

It may say that but we do not have RV plates either. We have trailer plates that are sold in 3,000# increments and truck plates that are sold in weight classes. Passenger vehicle plates can also be put on trucks with no weight limit.:confused2:

Chris

 

[Duffster]

It may say that but we do not have RV plates either.

BMV: Recreational Vehicle

 

[mlauk]

I had access to a certified axle scales the other day so did some weighing.

My truck is a 2000 F250, 7.3L Diesel, AT, SRW, Extended Cab, Shortbed, Lariat model, half a tank of fuel.

My trailer is a Neal Brand GN, 28' + 4' dovetail, no ramps, wood deck, dual wheeled 10K Dexter axles, no spare.

Here's my results.

Empty Truck: Front axle 4110lbs. Rear axle 2730Lbs. Total 6840lbs.

Truck and empty trailer: Front axle 4080lbs. Rear axle 3700lbs. Trailer axles 5910lbs. Total 13,690lbs.

Loaded as pictured with two Jeeps: Front axle 4130lbs. Rear axle 4770lbs. Trailer axles 12,290lbs. Total 21,090lbs.

I was surprised by a couple things. First my trailer weight is 6850lbs. At least it's not 9000lbs as some suggested it was. But still heavier than I expected.

Second,I was surprised that increasing the total package weight by 14,250lbs only added 20lbs to the truck front axle??

On the other hand I was pleased that it added 2040lbs to the rear axle of the truck.

I like that the trailer is carrying the majority of the weight which was my goal. It pulls very well loaded as pictured.

For the safety police, internet researching revealed my truck's GCWR at 20,000lbs. So I am 1090lbs overloaded.

Overall I like the balance. I bought this trailer without a dovetail and added it myself. That's why my axles are so far forward. For what I'm doing I like that. Puts a bigger percentage of the weight onto the trailer axles and drastically increases the ability to get into tight spots.

I'm no trailer expert so open to any comments/suggestions.

Chris, looks like his Ford truck has 40% of the weight on the rear axle when empty. Just so you know in the future. This is what you said in a recent thread.



"I do not have a link to the year I have but here is Fords 2011. It clearly shows they have tons of GVWR packages but as you can see they have 11,500# package still on a Supercab and Crew Cab 4x4 SRW trucks.

My truck has a 6,000# front axle and a 7,280# rear axle. Truck is a 2006 F-350 SRW 4x4 Supercab Diesel.

I seriously doubt there is 40% of the weight on the rear axle when empty. It would be luck to be 30%. I can tell this when I jack it up to rotate my tires every other oil change.
2011 Ford Super Duty | View Payload Specifications | Ford.com

Chris"

 

[Diamondpilot]

Chris, looks like his Ford truck has 40% of the weight on the rear axle when empty. Just so you know in the future. This is what you said in a recent thread.



"I do not have a link to the year I have but here is Fords 2011. It clearly shows they have tons of GVWR packages but as you can see they have 11,500# package still on a Supercab and Crew Cab 4x4 SRW trucks.

My truck has a 6,000# front axle and a 7,280# rear axle. Truck is a 2006 F-350 SRW 4x4 Supercab Diesel.

I seriously doubt there is 40% of the weight on the rear axle when empty. It would be luck to be 30%. I can tell this when I jack it up to rotate my tires every other oil change.
2011 Ford Super Duty | View Payload Specifications | Ford.com

Chris"

Yes, on his truck it is clearly 40% and mine may very well be also. The issue is there are tons of GVWR packages on these trucks so who knows? Also, his truck is 6 years different than mine with a totally different drive train so what does this prove? Its like comparing a 1980 F-150 to a 2011 F-150, just no comparison????:confused2:

Chris

 

[mlauk]

The only reason I assumed it was a 60/40 weight ratio is that how most cars are designed, so they handle better.

 

[ramheadjim]

In the great state of Georgia if the vehicles are used for personel use, no money exchanged, you do not need a CDL. like i said this is georgia and the info came straight from a DOT Bear. probably the same one that gave me a ticket for not having a CDL when i had a hotshot company. I normally was at 25K but that day i was 33400 CGVR. went and got my CDL'S and the judge dismissed the ticket. thanks Mr. judge!!