not yelling, just bringing attention to facts that many people don't consider! many of the units being pulled, (on this thread), are pickups! a different class of unit compared to an A or B license, right? what good is there in asking a question if you don't know? these rigs are not in same category as bigger 5th wheel's. same principal, different proportions, license, and driver education. if you read the posts, you will see that this thread started with david being smart enough to ask about safety--BEFORE-- arrising issue. someday, he, and others, will be driving alongside you. give them all the info they can absorb to make them the best of the best. as far as comments on weight holding trailer????? why is it that you don't think about incident's on road? read back far enough, you will see that i said accidents for failure. this is where chains are needed! sorry if i was misinterpreted, sometimes we all need a smack in the forehead!

 

I think you are confusing truck class with licensing class.

Technically you need a class A CDL to drive my pickup (F350 SRW)pulling a tandem dually gooseneck, combination Vehicle over 26k. I actually took my CDL test with my pickup after I had accidentally let it expire too long. Same license you would get with a class 8 truck, even got double and tripples endorsement. Only thing I had to do is go back with my dumptruck to get the airbrake endorement.

IIRC a B license is for truck only over 26k, not combination. Dont know for sure.

 

Yup, in most states. But most don't care if you are driving a pickup.

 

The last time I checked, CDLs are for people who haul for hire. It's not for people who haul for themselves. In Washington State, you only need to buy tonnage to be legal and have the right weight rating on equipment.

As for to chain everything, if it's equipped, use it. I think people need to be educated on equipment usage and understand how to employ them. That's fine. But if the manual doesn't say goosenecks, we have to imply that it doesn't include goosenecks. Plain and simple.

If the gun laws made a 9mm automatic submachine gun illegal, does that mean the 22LR single shot rifle falls into that law?

Just because you have a CDL, doesn't mean you're a safe operator. Yes, I have read the entire thread. Like mudmaker said, if you're hauling 30,000lbs, do you seriously think that a chain is going to contain the trailer?

You're making it sound like there's a national crisis on our highways. When I see !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!, to me, that means you're yelling. If someone agrees or disagrees with you or me, it doesn't really matter. Because in the end, all we can do is offer our experiences and knowledge. It's up to the individual to comply with the laws and be safe. Because it's the person who is driving that is ultimatly responisble for the safe operation of his/her vehicle/trailer setup.

 

"Because it's the person who is driving that is ultimatly responisble for the safe operation of his/her vehicle/trailer setup."

But its the poor innocent soccer mom and her family that pay the price when you (the driver) feel that your truck is more important then your fellow road-sharing drivers' lives.


As far as the 22LR, if you had a .22 submachinegun then yes, I'd assume it was included under the same law. :P

 

Everybody is responsible for operation of his/her own vehicle, this includes the soccer mom. But if the soccer mom is a moron and she pulls out in front of truck, then she needs to be held accountable. Plain and simple. So what you're saying is, that if a mom drives like an idiot or pulls out in front of a truck. It's the driver's fault, if that's the case, then that's BS.

I firmly believe in safety as a operator. But if your truck and trailer is legal, you can't control the other drivers' actions on the road. You can do all the
preventive maintenance to your equipment and still have a failure. Does that mean that the driver is a moron? No, that's why they call this accidents. There's no way to foresee equipment failure.

If the person has been negligent, then the driver should be arrested because he broke the law.

As for the quote about the 22LR. Don't change my words around, it just makes you look like an idiot.

As for the quote about hauling a gooseneck with 1/2 ton. I talked to a service manager today about it. He looked at me like he couldn't believe what he was hearing. Then said that it's too much weight for that truck, even with the 6500lb weight on a trailer. His words , not mine.

Besides, I wouldn't want to be on the highway if you're hauling a trailer like that.

 

Maybe you should find a new service manager The scale disagrees with him. I have weight slips for every combination I towed it with, and in none of them was the trailer putting too much weight on the axles, nor was it ever over the total recommended limits. Its a heck of a lot safer than those who talk about how the ratings are only recommendations and bump them up a few tons. That's like telling someone with an exploder that they shouldn't tow that lawnmower, its too unsafe.

I guess my point with the soccer mom is yes, if she pulls out in front of you its her fault. If your trailer jumps hitch, isn't properly restrained, and kills someone else, that's YOUR fault, even if mom caused you to stop abruptly. You have to assume that people are idiots and don't know how to behave around trailers. You of all people SHOULD be knowledgable about trailers and safety and treat them with the respect they deserve.

I still challange you to find fault with my tow setup In which regard was it unsafe? Like I said, axle capacity was under limit, reinforced with load level suspension... hitch was rated for 30k, truck registered for 38k, kept the total trailer weight 15% under the recommended max, good quality brake controller and new truck brakes, tires changed before they tread recommended replacement, tires of appropriate capacity for loaded rig.... total wind surface under the class III limit... running out of things I feel are important! Rather than attack someone who has truely thought out their rigs and kept everything under the factory recommendations, why don't you talk to those folk out there towing goosenecks and fifthwheels with Dakotas and S10's? Or the folk here who do the same with Rangers?

 

if i appeared to be yelling at anyone, i truly do apologize! my intention was only to accentuate the point. there is a national crisis, (of sorts). example-80 year old driving 36ft motorhome. example-boats or small trailers with inadequate mirrors and no driving skills. that was my point. that is about to change. i don't expect hot shots and/or 30,000 lb trailers to be chained, but anything towed by a pickup?? this is where this conversation was intended!

 

Your truck was registered for 38,000 lbs.? Wow, and some people thought that's overweight for a 1 ton.

If I seen someone hauling fifth wheels and goosenecks with dakotas and s-10s, I would. But where I live every farmer I know has a 3/4 ton truck and up for hauling. I've seen one or two on the highway, 1/2 ton hauling a small fifth wheel.

There is a design difference between a 1/2 ton rear axle and a 3/4-1 ton rear axle. In a 1/2 ton, the bearings ride on the axle shafts inside the rear axle housing. When you're overloaded, you can easily snap the axle shaft. I know, it happened to me some time ago. I learned the hard way.

As for the 3/4-1 ton rear axles, the bearings ride on the axle housing. Plus the axle shafts are lot heavier and stronger. Thus the term Full-floating rear axles.

It was the service manager who said it. His techs are top notch as far as working on diesels. He was saying that when towing regularly, you could have serious tranny problems. I haven't had a 1/2 ton since early 1990's, so I haven't kept with the 1/2 tons.

 

I agree with the 80 year old driving a huge motorhome. I've alot of those on the roads.

If there's a F-350 with a bed that has a gooseneck setup bolted to the frame, and a F-350 with a flatbed that has a gooseneck setup bolted to the frame. Is there a difference? Both are bolted to the frame. I've seen F-650's with beds hauling goosenecks.

 

Some goosenecks are small, and built to be towed by smaller pickups.

My parents neighbour has a small gooseneck trailer, and they pull it with their Dakota, and its fine.

The trailer only has a gross weight rating of 7,000 pounds, and they only pull it at about 5,000 on average.
The Dakota is rated to tow far more than 5,000 and has a V8 just like many larger trucks.

 

It can be considered overweight if that's the actual towing weight. The registration weight has to do with legally hauling that much, and taxes. Registered weight is the one you want to have more than enough of just incase you do get weighed. Over registered weight fines are way more expensive than just over gross or over axle.

 

I understand how it works. It's just thought of somone actually using a 1/2 ton for the job.

 

That's correct... unless I'm commercial (which I'm not) the only way to have a registered combined weight of more than 5000lbs is to register as a farm vehicle. When registered as a farm vehicle you only have two choices of GCW, 5000 and 38000. Obviously, since my truck ALONE weighs more than 5000lbs, I went with the 38000 class.

I'm sorry the "thought" of me doing the job (while under all ratings) upsets you :P

 

That would make sense. But it seems kinda stupid for the state to classify their weight tares that way.

As far as me being upset, I'm not.................................. I don't have to worry either way, because you live on the East coast and I live in the West coast.

Are you going to upgrade to a 3/4 ton or higher truck since those morons wrecked your truck?