Double Towing

[lmcclure]

If you are a resident of Tennessee you can Triple Tow, and a special license is not required. A special license is only required for commercial hauling. Do not triple tow in Alabama it is $500.00 Don't ask how I know. You can go to the Department of Safety in the states on line and they will tell you if it is okay, Yes most states do have a length of 65' as maximum. My DW wants a M2 hauler with room to carry a smart car on it. Me too but the prices are way up there.

 

[caissiel]

I towed a small car until I got a wheel problem on the trailer. Damaged the car.

Now wife drives behind me. Not much difference in fuel and she helps me a lot for changing lanes. She has learn to drive in my draft and we get 10 more mpg with the car. I calculated that it was as economical and she listens to her own music. I can carry 120 lbs more that way and she can carry 600 more pounds in the hatch back.

Sent from my GT-S5660M using Tapatalk 2

 

[Wharton]

Andy,

Did you have a special hitch put on your trailer to double tow? Was it welded on? Would like some specifics if possible.

 

[boatto5er]

Andy,

Did you have a special hitch put on your trailer to double tow? Was it welded on? Would like some specifics if possible.

Andy (Don Massengill) isn't on here much, but I've been camping with them a number of times and have seen their setup pretty close up. I can't remeber if the bumper hitch is welded to the RV frame or just bolted, but he did modify it to have two receivers spaced about three feet apart rather than the usual one in the center. He also modified the swivel trailer to have two corresponding connectors also. That way the trailer is "double-hitched" to the RV It is extremely stable that way and all turning forces are on the swivel wheels. It basically extends the length of the trailer and you have to take that into consideration when turning and getting sites. His total length is probably close to 46-48 feet for the RV with attached golf cart trailer. We will see them again in two and a half weeks and if he doesn't mind, I'll take a few pictures for you.

 

[jimtoo]

A couple of the models of the swivel wheel trailer come made for the dual or two connectors to make it more stable.
check out the specs

 

[boatto5er]

A couple of the models of the swivel wheel trailer come made for the dual or two connectors to make it more stable.
check out the specs

That's probably what Don has with the modified hitch to accept it. I'll check when I get a chance.

 

[RedRockCouple]

We also have a 3670, we tow a 6x10 enclosed trailer behind it with no problems. I installed the hitch myself, you will have to remove your rear jacks and move them forward so the hitch will install at the rear most portion of the frame. I bolted the hitch on instead of welded (even though my welder was there to weld the jacks back on) once it was mocked up bolting seemed much stronger than the couple small welds you would be able to get on the hitch mounting plates. Never had any issues towing it at all.

I tried to upload a picture but its not working for some reason, there are pictures of it in our album.

 

[Kbvols]

I pulled a motorcycle trailer behind a travel trailer for several years with little problem although as i have aged would probably not do over. Pulling behind a 5er should not be a problem. Just have to know where you are going as you don't want to get in a situation where you may have to back up.

 

[SailorDon]

I'm getting ready to start double trailer towing. Here is a photo of the rig I'm putting together. A 17' long wooden rowboat goes on the boat trailer.
Boat plus trailer weigh about 500 pounds.



Sorry about the lawn tractor being in the way. I had just finished mowing the lawn.

I'm installing the rear trailer wiring along the bottom of my Wilderness so the boat trailer lights will be connected directly to my tow vehicle. I am not splicing into the Wilderness wiring.
.

 

[SailorDon]

I have towed my double trailer rig 330 miles to Madisonville, Louisiana, and 330 miles back to Livingston, Texas.
Note: This rig is illegal in 25 states.
It was a relatively uneventful road trip as far as handling is concerned. At 58 mph, the sway became a problem.
I switched on the Ford F-150 computer controlled sway control and 65 mph was easy to control.
Problem is that the computer uses the truck's brakes to control sway at highway speeds resulting in a loss of 2 mpg (9 mpg vs. 11 mpg.)

 

[RoadJunkie]

we recently had a double tow fatality in our region. The second trailer started to sway and the driver lost control. Probably a reason why this is illegal in 25 States, per your data.

 

[Toy1Ton]

the reason you have a sway problem is you do not have enough tonge weight on the second trailer

 

[TandT]

If I am not mistaken, some states require the first trailer to be a 5th wheel to make it legal to tow doubles at all. Trace

 

[TravisJen]

I was under the impression that it was mandatory for the first trailer to be a 5'er in order to double tow...

 

[TandT]

This is a good source of towing information. Towing

Trace

 

[SailorDon]

I was under the impression that it was mandatory for the first trailer to be a 5'er in order to double tow...

There are 5 states that require that the first trailer in a double tow be 5th wheel type. 20 states don't allow double trailers at all.

The other states basically require that overall length maximum is 65 feet. (Mine is 64 feet.)
Some require special driver's license classification.

Check TandT's link to towing. It is an excellent resource for towing laws in the various states (and Canadian provinces).

 

[jimmystephens]

My mechanic said I couldn't double tow behind my 2011 Bighorn 3070RL even though it has a 2" square hitch. I want to pull a small 5x8 trailer. Would this be OK?

 

[jimtoo]

Hi Jimmystephens,

Welcome to the Heartland Owners Forum and family. Lots of good information and great folks here.

In some states it is illegal, but I see a lot doing it here in Texas. I think it is OK by law,, but you better check for yourself. As far as doing it,,, you can probably do it without any problems as long as the trailer is not to heavy. I would make sure the hitch is a real good one on the back of the 5er, not just a cheapo.. You will get lots of bounce, up and down at the hitch, so it needs to be strong.

Enjoy the forum and if you don't belong to the Heartland Owners Club,, check it out and join us.

Jim M

 

[GSGRAPE]

We have a 3000CK Sundance and we pull a motorcycle trailer behind the 5th wheel with a Goldwing on the trailer. This will be the fourth year now and we have had no problems doing so other than making sure you have plenty of room pulling in and out of gas stations. We did want to go to the Smokies this summer but the eastern coastal states don't allow double tow. We are looking into a Blue Ox Carrier II that has a double attachment to the 5th wheel with a swivel wheel. Haven't found any definate answers that this will be permitted in those states yet.

 

[jmgratz]

Each state has different rules concerning double and/or triple towing. Texas allows double towing not exceeding 65 feet. Keep in mind that towing a trailer behind your Heartland RV will void the frame warranty per Lippert.