Double towing in Oregon

[Pyscokev]

I'd like to go to the sand dunes in Oregon but I tow a 5th wheel and a flatbed trailer behind it with my toys. I live in CA and have the appropriate license and am the correct lengths. I've alwaya heard Oregon and Washington don't allow double towing but as I researched it found that many people do it in Oregon. Do they just hope to not get caught, get a permit, just not care? I'm looking for anyone with real life experience doing this and why it can or can't be done. Thanka for the help. 

[Deezl Smoke]

 I'll try to provide more info later. Gotta run on errands at the moment. But start here.

[Chad Heiser]

Oregon does not allow recreational doubles.  I too live in California and tow doubles with the appropriate license.  I do not tow doubles into Oregon or Washington because neither state allows it for non commercial vehicles.  I would like to take my RZR up to the dunes behind my 5th wheel, but it isn’t allowed.  I have a friend who used to live in Idaho were recreational doubles are allowed.  He tried to cross the Oregon border with his 5er and a utility trailer behind it with his SXS.  He was stopped shortly after crossing the border and told to turn around and go back to Idaho.  He now lives in Washington so in order to bring his toys, he built a truck capable of hauling them on a flatbed and also tow his 5er (no more doubles for him).

[Pyscokev]

Thanks for replying Chad, especially since you have knowledge of this. What is the difference in the recreational vs commercial doubles? My truck is technically commercial (I think?) as is my rear trailer since it's over 10k gvwr. Not sure if that makes a difference. Appreciate the help. 

[Deezl Smoke]

 Application and licensing. If you are making money, you are commercial. This includes indirectly making money. If you are say a sponsored rodeo rider, and tow a horse trailer behind an rv. That would a "commercial aspect" and would require all commercial licensing etc.

 I have had many conversations on the phone with Oregon motor carrier. Use the site ASKODOT.com and they will get back to you with answers. If you leave your phone number, they may even call you for more specifics. One of my questions was regarding how they determine commercial vs. recreational. The official called me on the phone and explained that there are no laws on Oregon (at that time) stopping me from going to town and buying a semi and an A-train and driving it to the beach. Even with a class C license. As long as I am not making a dime, I am not commercial. However, if I stop and pick up a friend and get pulled over, and this is pushing the concept, but for the sake of analogy, the cop asks if my friend is buying lunch for the ride, and I say yes. I am at that point commercial.

 I'm on the west side of the cascades near Portland. Here, whether or not you get hassled will be a county by county deal. The state troopers are few and far between and usually dont spend a lot of time on the highways unless it is a holiday.

IMO

[Chad Heiser]

On 6/21/2020 at 3:56 PM, Pyscokev said:

Thanks for replying Chad, especially since you have knowledge of this. What is the difference in the recreational vs commercial doubles? My truck is technically commercial (I think?) as is my rear trailer since it's over 10k gvwr. Not sure if that makes a difference. Appreciate the help. 

I posted the legal answer with references on your other thread about this same topic.  It is not legal to do in Oregon with your set up.  See my other post for the reference link.

[Dollytrolley]

Was hatched in Oregon some moons ago and seems like been on every paved road and 99% of the unpaved roads and have flown aerial natural resources survey over every sq. mile of Oregon more than a few times.

ODOT if you ask deep into the agency will mutter that once a RV operator exits the ONLY two freeways (I-5 / I-84) then the roads tend to get fairly narrow and often twisty and steep.

Now a bunch of folks here on the forum will say so what .....heck Kalifornia has some steep and twisty roads and so does other Western states as well.....

What tends to make things a bit dicey in Oregon is........POWER POLES........Ouch......these are .......POWER POLES but in most states the power poles are poked into a hole in the ground and stand upright with wires strung between the poles........in Oregon many of these ONE HUNDRED TEN FOOT poles are loaded onto bunks on the back of a log truck and it makes for a .......Oh Crap moment when ever you meet one of these rigs coming around a corner and the tractor is in his lane and his trailer is in your lane on a twisty secondary lane........

Sometimes a flag-car will flag you down before the corner but some roads just have warning signs about pole trucks and then if a RV meets the pole truck in the corner then the Law of the LUG-NUTS is applied (the rig with the most lug nuts move forward and the RV gets to back up)......

You see asking the average triple-tow RV operator to back up a narrow twisty road is going to get ugly in no time so Oregon with good reason just does not allow triple-tow RV operations.

Some highways in Oregon don't even allow commercial B trains.

For the most part Oregon loves RV's but many of the highways are not very well suited for RV's and especially large RV's

 

Drive on.........Keep  your eyes peeled for .......Pole Trucks

Edited June 28, 2020 by Dollytrolley

[Tim M]

Well I guess I'll just leave my RZR at home when I go up to Oregon. Since I pull it behind my 5th wheel. ☹

[Lou Schneider]

Dollytrolly - Triple tow is 3 trailers behind the power unit.  Oregon does allow these for commercial units on their 2 freeways.

I don't know why people call two units behind the power unit triple towing.  That would mean the 3 trailer units would have to be called quadruple tow, a term I've never heard of.

[rollinbrian]

You can still put toys behind the 5th wheel just not on a 'trailer'.

Google 'freedomhauler' - it looks and hauls like a trailer but is considered an extension of the 5th wheel.

The key is that it doesn't pivot on a single point (hitch) and is instead attached at two points with no pivot.

It can also be converted back to a trailer for regular use once at your destination.

[noteven]

7 hours ago, Lou Schneider said:

Dollytrolly - Triple tow is 3 trailers behind the power unit.  Oregon does allow these for commercial units on their 2 freeways.

I don't know why people call two units behind the power unit triple towing.  That would mean the 3 trailer units would have to be called quadruple tow, a term I've never heard of.

Lou I am driving my Kenworth around today with no trailer. So I would be “single towing” in the RV dictionary? 🤷🏼‍♂️🤪

[Larry Burkett]

noteven, you would be Bobtailing

[Big5er]

7 hours ago, rollinbrian said:

You can still put toys behind the 5th wheel just not on a 'trailer'.

Google 'freedomhauler' - it looks and hauls like a trailer but is considered an extension of the 5th wheel.

The key is that it doesn't pivot on a single point (hitch) and is instead attached at two points with no pivot.

It can also be converted back to a trailer for regular use once at your destination.

Not in my state. The freedom hauler is still an "attachment" and not part of the original trailer. I have never seen the definition of a trailer anywhere that say it has only one attachment point as opposed to two or how it is attached for that matter. Just like a "flip axle" on the back of a commercial semi trailer. It is a separate unit. If it's not permanently attached, its a trailer, IMHO and 34 years of LE experience.
Even on their website they tell you on some trailers you may need a hitch (and they recommend the Hensley) to attach it to your trailer in some instances. 
And if Oregon is as strict as others say here, I wonder what the overall vehicle length for an RV is?? 

Edited August 12, 2021 by Big5er

[noteven]

1 hour ago, Larry Burkett said:

noteven, you would be Bobtailing

Ya that's what we would call it in the world of trucking ... I'm still learning all the RV terms 🤣

[rollinbrian]

5 hours ago, Big5er said:

Not in my state. The freedom hauler is still an "attachment" and not part of the original trailer. I have never seen the definition of a trailer anywhere that say it has only one attachment point as opposed to two or how it is attached for that matter. Just like a "flip axle" on the back of a commercial semi trailer. It is a separate unit. If it's not permanently attached, its a trailer, IMHO and 34 years of LE experience.
Even on their website they tell you on some trailers you may need a hitch (and they recommend the Hensley) to attach it to your trailer in some instances. 
And if Oregon is as strict as others say here, I wonder what the overall vehicle length for an RV is?? 

The Hensley goes in between your pickup and the travel trailer to help with stability since your trailer is now notably longer, not between your travel trailer and the tote.  The tote is fixed, does not connect via a ball hitch, and remains in straight line behind the trailer.

All of which is out of scope as the original question was about how to carry toys behind a 5th wheel.

Watts on Wheels uses one regularly and has some great YouTube videos demonstrating how it works.

[ARGO]

Is that the same as a Henway?

[rickeieio]

12 hours ago, Big5er said:

And if Oregon is as strict as others say here, I wonder what the overall vehicle length for an RV is?? 

Which makes the whole notion of double towing moot.  While it might be okay in a few states, and others do it without getting caught, is it worth the risk?  What happens if you're far from home and the nice fellow with the blue lights says you're red tagged?

And Argo, a Henway is a whole different animal............

[Ray,IN]

Just to eliminate the confusion about towing configuration, this is the official FMCSA, USDOT towing configuration and designations.

https://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/sites/fmcsa.dot.gov/files/docs/Vehicle_Configuration_508CLN.pdf

[noteven]

7 hours ago, ARGO said:

Is that the same as a Henway?

What’s a henway? 
 

 

[Darryl&Rita]

22 minutes ago, noteven said:

What’s a henway? 
 

 

2-3 lbs. Depends on the end use. Roasters weigh more than broilers.

[noteven]

1 minute ago, Darryl&Rita said:

2-3 lbs. Depends on the end use. Roasters weigh more than broilers.

🤣

[ARGO]

Aw, you guys stole the joke..................

[Big5er]

On 8/12/2021 at 12:47 PM, Ray,IN said:

Just to eliminate the confusion about towing configuration, this is the official FMCSA, USDOT towing configuration and designations.

https://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/sites/fmcsa.dot.gov/files/docs/Vehicle_Configuration_508CLN.pdf

We aren't subject to the FMCSA regulations or definitions.  

[Danandfreda]

I was waiting for someone to ask that question about henway

[Ray,IN]

13 hours ago, Big5er said:

We aren't subject to the FMCSA regulations or definitions.  

Correct! However that is the accepted definitions for towing nationwide. The silly notion towing 2 trailers is triple-towing flies in the face of logic; I wonder how the bloggers define single-towing? How about towing 3 trailers?

Some RV blogger made that up and it stuck due IMO to trucker-wannabe's towing RV trailers. You never hear that outside the RV towing sector.