a triple tow..


is a pickup truck, a 5th wheel trailer and a car/ boat.. and is NOT legal in 40 states..


and the 5th wheel trailer FRAME must be designed to TOW the weight of the Third unit/trailer/car. MOST ARE NOT... again NOT LEGAL in most states.

 

Yeah, triple tow is allow in some states but the first towed vehicle has to be a 5th wheel.

So that is a no-go.

I recommend you look at different toy haulers or a gooseneck.

For now I would have an additional driver just drive the jeep and follow you.

 

Absolutely not. The swaying is not caused by 'heavy' it's cause by having the weight too far back. Few people have ever posted anything on the internet about the math of it, or why it happens, which is unfortunate. I will explain it here just as a though experiment.

The short answer is you want 10% of the trailer's weight on the truck, this is not to hold the truck down. It's an indication that the center of gravity of the trailer is forward of the axles. If you already have this, then my assumptions about your situation are all wrong.

When a trailer is swaying, it's like a pendulum swinging. Instead of gravity, we have enormous forces of tire sideslip trying to push the trailer back into a straight line. The forces are very unequal depending on the trailer's angle (not like gravity). The energy of course is all coming from the tow vehicle. The reason that the sway gets bigger and bigger in the case of trailer crashes is that the trailer pushes the tow vehicle sideways. If you get a pendulum in your hand and get it swaying by moving your hand sideways, you can also do this with a pendulum.

So here is the important part. If the center of gravity of the trailer is behind the axles, the sideways motions of the tow vehicle will strongly build up and you'll crash. You probably are not so far over the line on that. If the center of gravity of the trailer is in front of the axles, the sideways motions still happen, but they go the other way, and will cancel the sway. They don't make the sway bigger.

 

In most states that's true. Wisconsin permits double towing of conventional-style trailers, and there may be others.

 

Something that would make sense, but might not be a practical solution, would be to move the axles farther back. that would actually work, but the legality of it in the event of a crash might be questioned. I don't think anybody makes a toy hauler to handle a car, but that is what I would want, if I had a toy hauler.

 

I can't tell by the phrasing (Lana!), but have you taken it to a set of scales yet? I think the first step would be to go to a truck stop, loaded, and get a baseline of what you are looking at.

Probably not, but is there anything that you could easily remove from the Jeep and put in the front of the trailer? Or anything else in the rear/toy section, like tools?

 

I suck at photoshop so this is the best I could do. this is where the jeep is placed inside the camper/hauler. the fron't axle with the heavy engine in actually forward of the axles. and the rear axle of the jeep is behind the axle.

I've not taken it to the scales, and I didn't fill up the 60 gallon fresh water tank. all tanks are winterrized.

also in texas it is legal to tow a conventional camper and a vehicle behind the camper. so that is still an option. and since I have no issues towing the camper without the jeep. I might just hook up a triple tow and drive it around a vacant lot and see how that feels.

 

I'd see how hard it would be to move your axels back. Maybe even add another, or upgrade the two you have. I have a custom built trailer from my Kubota w/ hoe attachment. The axles are 18" farther back than a standard 14k trailer. Does great w/the hoe, heavy on the tongue for much else. Since toyhaulers are usually built with side by sides, dirt bikes and four wheelers in mind, you might have to see about a bit of customization on your trailer.

 

Are you looking to tow the Jeep with the four wheels on the pavement?

 

If I end up triple towing, yes, the jeep will tow flat, 4 wheels on the ground.