Well I decided to pick up one of those diffuser radar detectors that my dad had installed in his porsch. This thing is a nice little honey I tell you what. It lets me know when they do their little radar detecting and lets me know how far they are(by two methods, sound intensity and by bars on the controller unit itself). All in all a nice little package. I'll try to post some pics of the controller unit(under the window gauge pod). From what I had heard though is that in this state anyway that the stores can't purchase any more of those units and that they are able to get rid of their stock but after that no more. Bummer to as it is really a nice unit.

 

Be careful using it when you have your horses hooked up. I don't know what you have your truck registered as, but I got a 100 dollar ticket here with my 35' hooked up, since I have my truck registered at 24k. I was told that since I have it registered so high that I will get a ticket no matter what trailer I have hooked up.

Also I got a warning in Iowa for having it just sitting on my dash not even hooked up.

 

Most of those devices are worthless anyway. Every cop that I have ever known, including myself ( I am out now) would not leave their radar on until they can already see you and then they will just pop it on for a slight second to get your speed and then it is back off again and your "detector" hasn't done you any good. I know that I have pulled over many many people for speeding with those devices on their dash and it made me not want to give them a break. And trust me I gave more breaks than any other guys that I knew.

They only time I have ever known guys to leave them on purposely was when they are sitting by a school or worksite of some sort and they are just wanting people to slow down (knowing that people who have radar detectors are going to mash on the brakes as soon as it goes off beeping)

To me and most of the guys I knew, if you have a radar detector in your vehicle that tells me that you have the intent to speed everywhere you could and it made it hard for me to believe it when you said you didn't realize you were speeding. It's like you are trying to cheat the system. But anyway, I gave a lot of warnings and it was a crappy profession anyway, you get really tired of everyone lying to you and treating you like crap and I am more than glad to be out of it.

 

No mine is hidden, but that tag rating doesn't make much sense, I think they were selling you a bill of goods on that.

The difference on this is that if their lit. is correct that this actually prevents them from getting an accurate reading unless you just put it on scan mode(where the diffuser part comes in). Your right, if it was just a radar detector plan and simple that would be a waste of money. Now this is based on the assumption that the lit. that comes with the device is accurate(which would explain why this particular type of device is banned from being sold anymore in this state).

 

Well if your tagged over 12k pounds than you are tagged as a commercial vehicle and commercial vehicles can't use radar detectors. I knew better it was on my CDL test.

 

I have two exemptions working for me as I'm tagged normal.

A. Ag exemption(which gives me 150 mile radius to drive no matter what weight I'm pulling)
B. When I haul beyond those mile limits, I'm hauling my own horses to shows in Dallas etc so that qualifies under personal property.

So if A. doesn't apply at a given time, then B. kicks in.

Now I well say this, these are the exemptions for the state that I live in, not all states may have these exemptions(I think most have A., but maybe not B. or maybe they have caveats for B(although they don't here or atleast I haven't been able to find them published anywhere)).

 

I don't know the laws are so messed up its ridiculous.

I know A doesn't apply to me since I am in the city and here that is called the farm rule. Basically as long as you live on a farm or something of the sort you can drive anything you want as long as its within a certain distance from your property.

B is so varied in different states/counties that it is impossible to follow. The way it works here is that if you want to have a gvwr of more than 12k pounds you have to get tagged to whatever rating but once you go over that 12k standard than you are tagged as a commercial vehicle. Even with my boat I am over 12k pounds so I have to obey by all the commercial driving laws its stupid, but what can you do.

 

liv - i am tagged at 16K and i'm not commercial. now the state got annoying with their issuance of farm tags. basically they wouldn't give me one, but whatever. i just know that i'm still not commercial.

 

I'm covered by the following:

A) Drive the speed limit

B) Don't worry aobut it.....

 

Problem there is that they have some stupid low speed limits. There is a hill, pretty steep one that if I actually do the speed limit of 35 up that hill, I will go backwards instead of up it if I were to do the posted speed limit. You can forget about me doing 35 when I'm pulling a trailer. For safety for those that want to tailgate me I have to go a little faster, now I'm not talking 60 in a 35, but 40 will sometimes be enough to get me over the hill when I'm towing a light load or it will be for sure enough to get the truck up there, although it takes a little while to do it.

I have to because most people don't know how to deal with a truck pulling a trailer or even a truck that is unloaded but backwards because the speed limit is set for a pedestrain vehicle instead of one that weighs 4 times that amount going up a significant grade.

So while both of those are ideal, doesn't always happen that way. And I have been given a ticket going 1 mph over the speed limit, but what could I do, I was technically speading, I couldn't argue that I wasn't. Atleast this little deal will(if it works as advertised) make it a little harder to give him a reading unless I disable that function(which you can fairly easy after they "shoot" you the first time and get no reading.

 

I'm tagged at 12k but I pull a 11.5k TT (dry) so I know I'm over that. I've not been questioned as I pull into the weigh or AG station locally. I'll probably get nailed as soon as I leave for a longer trip.

 

Do you pay the taxes in February and fill out that sheet at the DMV when you registered for more weight? The state also should be sending you appraisal sheets to turn in with your taxes every year.