towing

"Just remember, if you have full hookups, keep your valves SHUT! Then dump black, followed by gray. You cannot just leave it all open and not have "piles' in the tank.

You never get that advice in a walk through."

We did when we got our walk through. I bet it depends on the dealer. We have a great dealer who helped quite a bit. The big trouble was me remembering it all.

Originally posted by wingnut2312 Dingo- Thanks. That's the kind of story I was hoping for. We are going with the full size truck option. Started looking yesterday. Hopefully we'll find something soon and then no prpblems. Thanks again for sharing!

From someone who has wrecked a trailer, you're making the most prudent, albeit, most expensive decision. With the financial commitment you're making, I hope the Pod and tow rig are a great fit for your lifestyle! Best of luck. 

Originally posted by Keith-N-Dar Thanks. I see it applies to travel trailers and 5th wheels. I see lots of boat trailers without brakes, and bunches of small utility trailers too that have no brakes. That includes my boat and both trailers. I don't know if the law excludes them or if LE ignores this unless they need o stop a vehicle. I know some cops and can find out. How about the dollys that go underneath car wheels? My neighbor has one and it has no brakes. He has had big cars on that! I wouldn't want that much weight behind my truck without brakes!

Good points!  My boat is small, and I only tow it to the nearby Indian River and the boat ramps at Port Canaveral.  The entire outfit is probably under 2000# which is not a problem here in Florida.  I never thought about it, but it might be illegal in other states???  I have noticed that all of the larger boat trailers around here have surge brakes, as do all the rental trailers.

For several years I towed my Honda on a dolly behind my motor home. I normally traveled between Indiana and Florida, and was never stopped.  Maybe it is because the presence or absence of electric trailer brakes are hard to detect by law enforcement.

Off the subject, but in June I lost the license plate on my trailer in the strong cross-winds while I was entering Nevada.  I reported the loss to the North Las Vegas police department to document the lost plate.  On our way home, about 2500 miles away, we were never stopped for having no plate although several state,county and local police passed us on the road.  We were even stopped by Homeland Security at one of their check points and nothing was said about not having a plate on the trailer. 

Sometimes I think the police don't want to bother with petty infractions.

Bob

Originally posted by Pod-a-terre Sleepless; It is my understanding that as long as you are legal in the state you are licensed in and tagged in the you are ok  in the other states. Just like if you had a class A that required a modified CDL in your state you would be legal to drive it in the rest of the country. That is my understanding otherwise you would be basically state bound to your state.

My expertise in in Federal law, so I based my comment only on a limited experience with state laws.  Normally if you are outside your home state, the laws, ordinances, etc. of the state you are entering apply.  Examples are speed limits, load limits, making right turns on a red traffic signal, and so forth.  It stands to reason (this is only my opinion) that the same applies to trailer requirements such as safety chains, break-away switches, fenders, working brakes, license plate lights and other similar items.

Some states have reciprocal agreements with neighboring states on carrying firearms and other non-vehicular matters, but I am not aware of any states having reciprocal agreements regarding trailer requirements.

Again, this is only my personal opinion, based on my limited knowledge and experience in the issue.  I do know that once when I lost a fender on a small utility trailer, I received a warning notice from a local municipality in another state.  In that instance, local jurisdiction had the authority even though several other states at the time did not require fenders on small trailers. 

Personally, I believe that most new travel trailers meet the safety standards of all the states, but not always.  One exception that we are all aware of is the exterior light recall of our older R-Pods.  Technically, I am breaking the law by towing my pod until the lights are installed.  But that is another story.

Bob

Originally posted by Keith-N-Dar Most small boat, snowmobile, and utility trailers don't have brakes here. There must be a weight limit. I must be blind. I went through this thread post by post and can't find any reference except Michigan. Can you point me to it please? I want to make sure I am kosher.

No problem.  It blends in with the rest of the post.  Here it is, but you will have to copy and paste it.  I am sure there are several more sites with the same information, but this is the first one I saw.
http://www.boatwheels.biz/brakelaws.pdf

Bob