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Pulling trailer with 2x2 on it


KevinR

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We have a Reflection 337LRS with a 3500 pound rated bumper. We just bought Maverick X3 and want to pull it with the 5th wheel. Which do you think, single or double axle, 12ft or 14ft trailer? We are going to buy an aluminum. Any suggestions? Do any of you pull a triple?

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In some states the only thing you can pull behind a 5er is a boat trailer, others differ. That BTW is towing double, not triple. Otherwise what would be towing single??

 

2000 Winnebago Ultimate Freedom USQ40JD, ISC 8.3 Cummins 350, Spartan MM Chassis. USA IN 1SG retired;Good Sam Life member,FMCA ." And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you--ask what you can do for your country.  John F. Kennedy 20 Jan 1961

 

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22 hours ago, KevinR said:

Thanks in Utah it is legal. 

Yes it is, if you have a permit and are within a certain overall length.  We talked to some folks in Kanab in October who found out the hard way.

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I tow my SXS trailer behind my 5th wheel.  It is a 12 foot single axle trailer and the total weight of the trailer and cargo is less than 3000 lbs.  (This is important in CA because then the trailer does not require its own brakes).  The receiver hitch on the back of my 5th wheel was rated at 3000 lbs from the factory (DRV).  I had the receiver hitch beefed up to handle more weight because I originally towed my Jeep 4 down behind the 5th wheel (the Jeep weighed about 5000 lbs).  I tow my combination with a converted over the road truck tractor (HDT), so I am not worried about brake capacity.  If I were towing with a 3500 class pick up, I would not double tow my rig without a second set of trailer brakes on the SXS trailer (regardless of how much it weighed).  The things that I looked for when buying a SXS trailer were:

1.  Capacity - It needed to be able to haul my SXS and all related gear and stay under GVWR (in my case I wanted the GVWR of 3000 lbs or less).

2.  Turning - I wanted the a frame on the trailer to be long enough to allow the SXS trailer to be 90 degrees to the 5th wheel without the deck of the trailer coming in contact with the side/rear of the 5th wheel.  This is important on a tight u-turn.

3.  Unladen Weight - I wanted the trailer light enough (or balanced enough) for me to be able to move it around (unloaded) by hand if necessary when stopped somewhere.

4.  Ramps - I wanted individual fold down ramps rather than a tail gate (this was personal preference)

5.  Tie down points - I wanted multiple tie down points at many different locations

6.  Width - I needed the deck of my trailer to be wide enough to handle a 72" wide SXS (the first trailer I looked at was about 2" to narrow - much to the chagrin of the dealer who tried to sell it to me)

7.  Trailer height - I knew I could not use a drop hitch on the back of my 5th wheel to allow the second trailer to tow level.  Because of the long overhang behind the axles of my 5th wheel, the rear of my trailer comes very close to dragging (or sometimes does drag) when entering or exiting steep driveways or road transitions.  This meant the hitch coming out the back could not drop down below the framing.  This was the main reason I stayed with a single axle SXS trailer because it allowed the trailer to be pulled at an angle.  A two axle trailer would have taken weight off the front axle and added weight to the rear axle when pulled at an upward angle like I needed.  I could not find a trailer that sat at a high enough height to keep the hitch and trailer level.  I have since flipped the axle on my SXS trailer to raise it up to be more level with the fifth wheel receiver hitch and lessen the angle it rides at, but it still does not ride completely level.

Other considerations when towing double are length restrictions and doubles restrictions.  Every state sets its own individual length restrictions.  Just because you are legal (lengthwise) in one state, does not mean you will be legal in the next state.  Also, every state sets the rules on whether they will allow double towing or not.  Again, just because it is legal in one state does not mean it will be legal in the next state.  Some states allow doubles for commercial rigs, but do not allow them for recreational rigs.  Some states do not allow doubles at all and some states set specific rules on what can be towed double.  It is up to you to know the specific rules of the states you choose to travel in.  Also, just because your home state licenses you to tow doubles does not mean that you can tow double in all states.

Finally, towing doubles means you need to plan your routes pretty specifically.  It is very difficult to back up a set of doubles (especially a long trailer doubling a short trailer behind it) for more than a few feet.  If you drive into a location that you can't get turned around in you will have to unhitch and maneuver your second trailer by some other means to get out.

There is more, but these are the basics that I thought of off the top of my head.  Let me know if you have any other questions.

Edited by Chad Heiser

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15 hours ago, Randyretired said:

I towed a boat behind a 5er for a few years and to add to Chad's excellent material I would want a camera to see the back trailer.  Things can go awry in a hurry.

Excellent point.  I did not mention that, but I do have a camera on the back of my 5er that allows me to constantly monitor the SXS trailer.

2000 Kenworth T2000 w/ Cummins N14 and autoshift
2017 DRV Mobile Suite 40KSSB4 with factory mods, dealer mods and personal mods - now in the RV graveyard
2022 DRV Full House MX450 with customized floor plan
2018 Polaris RZR Turbo S (fits in the garage)
2016 Smart Car (fits in the garage or gets flat towed behind the DRV when the RZR is in the garage)
My First Solar Install Thread
My Second Solar Install Thread & Photos and Documents Related to the build
My MX450's solar, battery and inverter system - my biggest system yet!

chadheiser.com      West Coast HDT Rally Website

event.png    

AZCACOIDIAKSMNMOMTNENVNMNDOKSDTNTXUTWYxlg.jpg

 

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