LUVTruck.com

Anyone ever tandem tow with the LUV - with the LUV in the middle...

V8 Dakota in the front, towbar flat tow a LUV, then a <1000lb load following the LUV.

Dakota tow capacity is rated at 7200lbs, towbar is rated for 5000lbs, from what I've gathered, the LUV's capacity is ~2000lbs.

lets pretend the LUV weighs 3000lbs. add 1000lbs behind it puts 4000lbs on the towbar. All numbers are less than the rated numbers. of course I'll use safety chains - maybe even double up on the chains just because.

I flat towed a luv earlier this month and it super easy... only reason I knew it was back there was because each time I looked in the rear view mirror, that jerk kept tailgating me

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-1979 LUV 4x4

i think your biggest issues would be corners and rookie state patrol officers
im sure the truck itself could handle pulling it all along just not sure if its legal... what is being pulled behind the luv? and possibility of loading it in the luv bed?

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Luvless
1980 Mikado-Sold.

1993 Lexus SC400 my Daily
2004 Yamaha WR250F my new love in life
2016 Toyota Camry my girls ride

In CA to do a tandem tow, like dually pulling a 5th wheel RV, towing a dirt bike trailer, ALL axles must have brakes. And I don't think we can tow using two hitch balls like you want to. I think only the last one can be a ball, the first must be a 5th wheel or goose neck ball in the bed.

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OK, I'm over it. Where's the beer?

I've wanted to know the answer to this question for some time now. I just assumed it was, no way, never, in CA, but Rondog's reply made me do a search.

I found a ton of info. The short answer to your question is yes, when conditions are met. I'll try to keep this concise because I know you guys have a short attention span.

The rules vary by state. Some sites post a list of towing rules, but none of them seems to cover specifics about tandem towing, double towing, triple towing, whatever each state calls it.

http://www.woodalls.com/articledetails. ... ID=1195129
http://www.towingworld.com/articles/TowingLaws.htm

Again, these are cool, but don't answer our question.

If you look through the official rules, using CA as an example, one section states that any vehicle towing more than one vehicle requires a class A license. It also states that a driver is required to obtain an endorsement issued by the department to operate any commercial motor vehicle that is a double trailer. And it states that no vehicle combinations may exceed a total length of 65 feet. Also note that it is implied that no passenger vehicles can double tow. You must have a truck (commercial vehicle) to even attempt it.

http://www.dot.ca.gov/hq/traffops/truck ... length.htm

There is a post made by an ex CHP that does a good job of explaining some of it.


Full link here http://www.redding.com/news/2009/dec/26 ... ained-for/

He mentions getting a medical card, which I couldn't specifically find. That may be related to having the class A, and not so much to do with the tandem towing. Rondog?

There is a lot of information out there. Google is your friend.

I have done lots of research myself also aside from actually calling the DMV and asking. I've got to get the out of state inspection at the highway patrol inspection place soon, so I'll ask when I'm in. I'll report back when I find out.

Really, I meant to ask if anyone had ever done it before. The states I would consider doing this in is Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, Missouri and Arkansas, all of which showed it as being legal, but again, the specifics are gray.

to answer love4theluv, I don't plan on having really anything in the bed of the LUV - my luggage/tools/generator/etc would be in the bed of the dakota. I'd either be pulling an el-cheepo harbor freight foldable trailer (the one with the bigger wheels) with a 250cc buggy loaded on it -OR- a small ~700lb popup camper. probably depending on which one I think would be easier.

I often go camping/riding with my brother-in-law. He has a tandem axle trailer and a street-legal sand rail buggy. Last time, he actually put a hitch on his buggy and loaded both his buggy and the popup on his tandem axle trailer. It was quite ridiculous, but you know all the rednecks that saw us on the road were jealous and saying to their wives "that's a good idea!"

anyway, I'd either load my buggy on his trailer with his buggy and pull the popup, or we'd do like we did last year and I'd pull my buggy.

Here are some pics (since pics are always more entertaining!)

My Dakota pulling the modified harbor trailer.


Brother-in-Law's sweet setup!


Another good pic. - We do CB's on the caravan, makes it a fun journey!

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-1979 LUV 4x4

oh, one other thing - I've seen it done around here (Gardner, KS) - tandem bumper pulled trailers with an RV and a Boat behind a Dodge Ram 1500 - but that doesn't necessarily mean it's legal.

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-1979 LUV 4x4

You guys are lucky.



http://www.kansashighwaypatrol.org/faqs/trailers.html

A medical card can be gotten at just about any doctors office. Tell them you need a DOT physical. It's a short exam where they check your vision, blood pressure, and rub your balls to check for hernias. All cdl holders have to have one. They're good for two years if you're in good health.

man for some reason all i could think about just now is the truck-boat-truck from squidbillies
im sure most of you havent seen it but anyone who has will get it

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Luvless
1980 Mikado-Sold.

1993 Lexus SC400 my Daily
2004 Yamaha WR250F my new love in life
2016 Toyota Camry my girls ride

It takes a endorsement on your license for doubles/triples. I am sure a few here (myself, rondog and drummer) has one. It's a easy written test. I was able to drive a truck in Nevada that was called a rocky mountain double, never again and I damn sure don't want to drive tandem with light duty trucks.

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Certified pilots, looking down on people since 1903.

Yep. I pull doubles every night.

Ever pull triples? I've pulled a set around the lot, but haven't had a chance to pull them on a highway yet. I just want to do it once. Kansas is the nearest state that allows it, and you have to get approval from the state first. I don't run over the road anymore, I just run back and forth to Nashville out of Memphis, so it'll probably never happen.

I'm guessing a tow bar does not classify as an anti sway device, so I'll need to look into that. I'm sure since the luv has dual axle, sway wouldn't be a problem, but I also want to be legal. Don't want any trouble with the cops.

Any ideas on adding electric brakes to an el cheapo harbor trailer? Again, it is super light so I'm sure it wouldn't be very beneficial, but the idea is to be legal.

Thanks. I like reading all the discussion on this topic.

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-1979 LUV 4x4

Search the web, but I doubt you'll find a brake set up to fit your trailer set up. I used to have one of those. You may need to swap out the whole axle to one that is bigger to have brakes.

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OK, I'm over it. Where's the beer?

Back in the 80's/90/'s, my buddy drove a 70's Chevy crew cab dually with a service bed on it. He pulled a goose neck flat bed trailer, hauling his Jeep and 3 or 4 atc's on it. Behind that he pulled a 24ft. (give or take) travel trailer.
He carried the page out of the vehicle code that showed he was legal.
Almost every trip he would get stopped by a cop that thought they would bust him for being stupid. "You can't do that!" He'd pull out the page and say, "Oh yes I can". That type of set up is called Oky doubles.

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OK, I'm over it. Where's the beer?

Come to think of it my friend has a old truck, 3 axel big rig that ge held the speed record at Daytona and he pulled a 5th wheel flat trailer with a travel trailer behind that, he kept getting harassed to he extended the frame on his truck and bolted the travel trailer to it. Nothing like a 16v92 with turbos on it to power your motorhome. He is a stunt truck driver, look up jackknife king on the net.

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Certified pilots, looking down on people since 1903.

For you class A guys, how hard would you say it would be to get a class A for the above average class C driver?

I'm thinking of doing it someday. Mainly because I just hate people telling me I can't do something. I was just curious what it takes. I'm looking for more of an answer than, written test, behind the wheel test, medical card. Would it be easier to just go to one of those truck driving schools?

I don't plan on becoming a truck driver for a living. I would just like to be able to drive a truck, if that makes sense.

Makes sense. Same reason i would consider getting a ham license... Not to talk to hams, but just to have one. I think it would also be cool to have a pilot license, and conceal carry. Just to say i have them, but that is beside the point. Lol.

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-1979 LUV 4x4

It's not hard Ben. Read the book for the written. The hard part II the pre trip inspection before the drive test. In a day myself or Ron can get you up to speed to pass that.


Come on Ben, I passed it how hard can it be?

A pilots certificate I also posses, conceal weapons permit I used to have, never kept current at a range for it to be valid.

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Certified pilots, looking down on people since 1903.

Truck driver schools are usually pretty pricey. The deal a lot of companies make is they'll put you through the school, but you're stuck working there for a year. If you quit or get fired, you owe them.

+1 to what Karl said. Learn to pre-trip. If you can jam gears and back a trailer, you're in.

Btw, big rigs don't have synchronizers in their transmissions. You gotta match your speed and rpms to the proper gear. It's kind of like shifting gears in a car without using the clutch, but a big rig has 10 or more gears.

Cool. You guys get my reasoning. LOL!

Well then, in my spare time I'm going to work on this. LOL, I said spare time! Ha ha ha ha haahha hah ha ha!

My dad is a retired local 12 operating engineer with a crane cert, so he could help me out. The problem is, he's a dick and he won't.
So yeah, getting a class A despite his feeble stonewalling would be cool too.

My sister and I are pretty sure we're adopted.