I’d been thinking about driving across the country in my fifth wheel when I wondered whether I could tow another vehicle instead of needing another driver. I decided to do a little research to see if that was possible.
So, is it possible to tow a vehicle behind a fifth wheel? It is possible to tow a vehicle behind a fifth wheel. However, certain states have rules on triple towing, including whether passengers are allowed, size restrictions and specific driving regulations that ensure that you are safely towing.
Although it is possible, it does not necessarily have to be legal. It is important that you are aware of the additional rules and laws associated with towing a car behind your 5th wheel. Different states have different regulations, so if you are aware of safety measures and limitations, you can make your trek easier across the country.
Driving on the highway in a car is one thing, but it is completely different from pulling along another vehicle while driving a fifth wheel
So what’s the law and triple towing?
Now we know triple towing is possible, we just need to know where and find out any additional things that we need to know. triple towing just a phrase that’s used by the experts which refers to towing another car or trailer behind your fifth wheel. At the moment there are only 28 states that allow triple towing The east coast of the US is where it is mainly illegal.
however there are a few exceptions with the East Coast rule, So it’s worth planning your route and to check which of these codes rules have these exceptions that might allow you to triple tow through them.
The following states allow you to triple tow So you can check your route to know that you can legally triple tow and get your destination without being fined.
- Alaska
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- California
- Colorado
- Idaho
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Maryland
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Montana
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- New Mexico
- North Dakota
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- South Dakota
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Utah
After you have checked with this list, you might think “Great! I’m set to go!” Although this list will assist you to a little more positive regarding your triple tow route, a number of these states include further rules for triple towing.
A number of these restrictions depend on the length of the triple tow. That length comprises of how long the vehicle is, the fifth-wheel attached, as well as the extra car behind your fifth wheel. These kinds of restrictions mainly are present to ensure that you, along with other drivers on the highway, reach their destinations safely.
Towing one thing is definitely challenging, however adding yet another car or even a trailer in the mix will make it doubly tough.
Typical triple tow restrictions contain conditions that your third item getting towed can just be recreational equipment which includes boats, an additional trailer with jet-skis, along with four-wheeling equipment.
You’ll want to make sure the states you intend on traveling through permitting you to triple tow a further vehicle, not only that they permit you to triple tow.
Additional states control exactly where passengers may ride. Whilst the three-vehicle caravan is on the move, in some cases, passengers are limited to the front vehicle. That means, they can’t ride inside the fifth wheel or even has to be at a specific age in order to do this whilst in motion.
Last but not least, a typical restriction is concerning with just where on the highway you’re located whilst traveling. Some states require you are required to remain in the right lane without exceptions. Doing this can certainly cause it to be a tricky order to get over in order to complete a difficult left-hand turn.
Being conscious of what distance away you are from your turn, along with roughly how much time this may take you to get over will assist you to prepare appropriately. You may be one of many bigger vehicles on the highway which can make this more challenging to change lanes.
Clicking here would provide an extensive table looking at state limitations along with suggestions regarding triple towing.
Some items that you need
- Towbar
- Safety chain
- Lights
These things are really basic essentials to make sure you are properly towing. Your tow hitch needs to be properly secured on your fifth wheel to enable your vehicle to be towed behind. It is essential to confirm the weight restrictions of the hitch and ball.
There will be a weight limitation on the box whenever you buy a new tow hitch. If you have currently a hitch pre-fitted on your fifth wheel, you ought to be able to look up the actual limits of your specific tow hitch.
The particular weight restriction of the hitch and ball needs to be higher than the combined weight of your fifth wheel as well as the car you’re going to be towing. In addition, it’s important to make sure that the weight restrictions of the hitch on your vehicle you’re driving (pulling your fifth wheel and also the extra car) is able to support this combined weight. To determine exactly what the limit will be it is possible to search online or simply call the manufacturer.
A safety chain is an essential piece of hardware that is needed for the majority of triple-tow permitted states. You’ll hook it up on the back of the fifth-wheel as well as the car you’re towing behind it.
It is really an important safety device as it makes sure that in case the car you’re towing come away from the tow hitch, it remains connected to the tow caravan.
Your lights from your tow hitch have to be attached to the main vehicle, and then coupled to the fifth wheel, and lastly the rear-most car, and hooked up to ensure the rearmost vehicle’s lighting is connected to the main vehicle. This should be checked simply by depressing the brakes in the vehicle you’re going to be driving.
How to safely tow
Typically, the main vehicle should really be a truck to be able to triple tow. Almost all vehicles lack the power that will be capable of handling the load and demand which the extra challenges involving a fifth wheel and the other car will place on the car.
The extra heavy use with your vehicle is going to lead towards the need to fill up quite often. Whenever pulling off in order to refill at the service station, ensure that the particular gas station you’re going to is suitable for large vehicles or RVs.
It will prevent the irritation of having to refill in a gas station that is too small as well as has limited space which is challenging to get in and out of. Planning ahead at easily accessible gas stations as well as planning stops assures that you simply don’t run out of gas in the middle of nowhere.
A number of gas stations have a good dedicated Big vehicle lane. Knowing about that option beforehand enables you to benefit from it on a regular basis. Regular RVers have emergency gasoline can available whenever there aren’t any easily accessible gas stations close by.
An alternative approach to get around this problem could be to fill up your main vehicle once disconnected from the caravan. Having said that, this can be generally agreed for being a big headache and might result in errors, for example, forgetting to reconnect the brake lights. It is really a choice for the desperate.
Slow as well as being patient tend to be the recommendations whenever triple towing. Heading out slowly equates to being safe, accidents typically arise because of overconfidence or simply unsafe driving.
Actually, a large number of triple-tow permitted states to require that you remain in the slow lane. Reducing the speed ahead of turns and stops creates protection along with safety on the highway.
And also, switching on your blinker well ahead of time of your lane maneuver also provides increased safety for you, plus others on the highway.
The number 1 advice for when triple towing is safety foremost. It doesn’t matter that you might miss the turn-off if the rash lane changing is going to place you and others in danger.
Triple towing increases the strain associated with driving together with may endanger the safety of you along with other motorists if done incorrectly. It is essential that practice plus confidence from the driver exist prior to a cross-country triple-towing venture.
Related Towing Questions:
Will flat towing place miles on the vehicle? Flat towing means the method that you are towing the car behind the fifth wheel. Since you are towing the car, it’ll put miles on the odometer just as if you are driving the car.
Can I damage my car from towing? Yes, If done incorrectly and you are towing an automatic transmission car in neutral it is recommended to have the engine running for the transmission gets fluid to cool it.