Can I tow it - Safely?

[dhay13]

Please stop with the "it may not be legal" crap.
I already asked for someone to post a pic of the citation they received after being stopped, inspected and weighed while driving a recreational vehicles.
It just doesn't happen.

Never said anything about getting pulled over and getting a citation. If you are in an accident where there is death or serious injury you can bet every stone will be turned to try to place blame elsewhere and if you are overweight then they found it. But if you feel ok telling people they can tow illegally then go ahead

 

[Tom Davis]

Could it be done...Possibly. I myself with the weight you looking at I'd consider upgrading the truck to a 2500, or going with a smaller RV. I'm just one that would rather have to much truck then not enough. Just my 2 cents on it.

 

[regal81455]

I feel like I'm at the max for a 1500 Laramie ( which will be pretty comparable ). Our trailer weighs around 6500# fully loaded and ready to roll but no water in the tanks. Hitch weight is around 500# and the overall length, tip to tail is 29'. After two years of traveling around with it; I wouldn't want to go any longer or heavier unless I stepped up to a 2500.

It pulls and stops fine under normal conditions but man if I had to do an emergency stop or maneuver I'd be really worried about the outcome. This is after I even upgraded the entire suspension, redid the brakes with the powerstop kits ( front and rear ), and added a new panhard & rear sway. So I'm always aware of giving myself extra time, extra separation, & just in general taking it alot easier on the open road.

My opinion, FWIW, if you already have the trailer, either sell it and buy something else OR get into a 2500...

 

[Zoe Saldana]

.

+

 

[Gr8bawana]

Never said anything about getting pulled over and getting a citation. If you are in an accident where there is death or serious injury you can bet every stone will be turned to try to place blame elsewhere and if you are overweight then they found it. But if you feel ok telling people they can tow illegally then go ahead

I might agree with you if you could show us proof of someone actually being found liable for causing an accident with bodily injury when a tow vehicle was overloaded WHILE TOWING A RECREATIONAL TRAILER.

 

[dhay13]

I might agree with you if you could show us proof of someone actually being found liable for causing an accident with bodily injury when a tow vehicle was overloaded WHILE TOWING A RECREATIONAL TRAILER.

I did post a link to one a few years back. Can't remember the details now but anyone can file a civil case and you only need preponderance of the evidence, not beyond a reasonable doubt. Much lower bar. Not hard at all to imagine a jury finding for a plaintiff when a family member was killed for someone being overloaded. I'm sure there are many cases. I did a quick search and found and posted 1.
I agree with you that the odds of getting pulled over by local police or DOT towing recreationally are slim to none. But in a civil case even if you win it can bankrupt you.

 

[2003F350]

I might agree with you if you could show us proof of someone actually being found liable for causing an accident with bodily injury when a tow vehicle was overloaded WHILE TOWING A RECREATIONAL TRAILER.

I did post a link to one a few years back. Can't remember the details now but anyone can file a civil case and you only need preponderance of the evidence, not beyond a reasonable doubt. Much lower bar. Not hard at all to imagine a jury finding for a plaintiff when a family member was killed for someone being overloaded. I'm sure there are many cases. I did a quick search and found and posted 1.
I agree with you that the odds of getting pulled over by local police or DOT towing recreationally are slim to none. But in a civil case even if you win it can bankrupt you.

I remember seeing that post.

The problem with finding the evidence to back up the claim is that you would have to search through EVERY civil court system in the country, of which there are a LOT, and not many people have the time to do it. From what I understand many of them are not easily searchable (I do not know this as I have not tried). It's public record but public records are notorious for being hard to search unless you've got something specific.

THAT SAID, looking at the laws as written, and having a basic understanding of how insurance companies work and how sue-happy people are in this country, it's not much of a stretch to see that the possibility is there. It is VERY true that LEOs very rarely enforce loading or limits on personal vehicles or RVs unless there is an OBVIOUS situation, but all things considered they easily could enforce those rules and laws. They are written to specifically apply to commercial vehicles or 'for hire' vehicles, but they're still a good guideline for personal use as they're written with safety in mind, and it would only take a few word changes for them to 100% apply to personal use. Is it likely this will happen? I'd argue no, but the possibilities are there.

In the end, it all comes down to the risk people want to take. Personally I'd rather not gamble with mine or someone else's life, I'd rather not gamble being sued in civil court and possibly losing, and I'd rather enjoy my time on the road as much as possible, given how many idiots are on the road today. If YOU are willing to risk your time, money, and life, by all means go for it. However, it IS a risk, and it SHOULD be pointed out to someone new to towing - if you are overloaded and end up involved in an accident, you risk being held liable. Will it happen? I can't say. Could it? Absolutely.

 

[nlambert182]

It should be common sense and sometimes the things people say make me laugh. People are willing to take risks because of a want and not a need. I think we're beginning to confuse those two things.

When you introduce an rv of any sort into your lifestyle it is 99% a want, and not a need. Why take the risk over a want because you've convinced yourself that you need something that you really don't? I love the comments some make. "I don't need a bigger truck..." No.. you don't WANT a bigger truck that you really NEED to tow what you WANT to tow.

People will find any little shred of conjecture to hang onto to try and convince other people that it's totally fine to exceed all the ratings because someone on a forum said they did it... or because they got away with it a few times themselves. They're not trying to convince other people. They're trying to convince themselves that they're right and if they can get someone to agree with them based WANTING the same things they do then that becomes the "Facts" in their mind.

Choosing to only pick out what you want to hear or want to be relevant over common sense and the data that manufacturers provide is nonsensical to me. Why take the risk because you don't believe it's there? When we're pulling these rigs we are not alone on an empty highway. If you can't afford (or choose not) to properly size the truck to the trailer then you can't afford to go camping. It's not a cheap hobby, but it is a hobby that we don't need to survive.

 

[Jas34]

I feel like I'm at the max for a 1500 Laramie ( which will be pretty comparable ). Our trailer weighs around 6500# fully loaded and ready to roll but no water in the tanks. Hitch weight is around 500# and the overall length, tip to tail is 29'. After two years of traveling around with it; I wouldn't want to go any longer or heavier unless I stepped up to a 2500.

While I agree with you that that's the max you would want to tow with a 1500, are you sure about your tongue weight? Even 10% of the trailer weight you listed is 650 lbs. Most travel trailers run closer to 15%, or 975 lbs in your example. That's where these 1500's run out of capacity when they exceed payload.

 

[regal81455]

Yeah I'm sure ---- I guess I should've said the tongue weight is 500# +/- unloaded and around 700# ready to roll. My apologies for not being more clear regarding that portion of info.

And absolutely, sadly, if you're looking to tow big with a 1500 you'll be foregoing all the luxuries these trucks can provide in order to maximize payload - mines atrocious ( iirc around 1200 # ). Doesn't leave much wiggle for people and gear. We probably push/exceed it almost every time we go out but most of our trips were 2hrs or less and in the flats of IL. More recently; we just joined a private rec club so our pulls have only been about 15m one way! That and as mentioned every last thing that could help this truck handle and stop has been upgraded. Even added SumoSprings lol.

 

[Zoe Saldana]

Towing threads are the best!

 

[Randy Grant]

Towing threads are the best!

Yea', looks like this one went down the, "what the he!! were you thinking, and your crazy" rabbit hole. Oh well, they are fun from the sidelines.

 

[nlambert182]

Yea', looks like this one went down the, "what the he!! were you thinking, and your crazy" rabbit hole. Oh well, they are fun from the sidelines.

Crazy is someone who can't help themselves. Stupid is being able to but choosing not. Big difference.

 

[62Blazer]

Oh yes, love the towing threads when the Payload Police and Towing Lawyers with a degree from Facebook U all show up. I will get some people fired up and make the statement that many people making replies probably have very little to no towing experience, and absolutely zero legal experience. Every time somebody asks about referencing an actual court case it's the same answer.....several years ago I searched the internet and found some case, but now don't have any links to it or know the details........ I'm sure many people have heard the story about the person who shoveled the snow off the sidewalk in front of their house, somebody slipped on the sidewalk and got hurt, and they sued and won a settlement against that person because they had shoveled snow from the sidewalk.......
Yes, there is some potential liability if you tow over the factory ratings of the truck. Yes, you should use some common sense when towing. No, you shouldn't try to tow a 15,000 lb. travel trailer with a 1500. The point on liability, if you cause a serious accident that kills somebody else you are liable for this and could be sued regardless if you are towing or not, or towing within the truck's rating. How many people on here drive over the speed limit going down the freeway? If you caused a wreck you could get sued and lose the case because you were speeding. What is more "illegal", towing over the factory rating or speeding? Much more likely to get a ticket for speeding, right? Other reasons for losing in civil court. Maybe your tires were getting a little low on the tread? When is the last time you had the brakes checked? Do you have tinted windows that impaired visibility? Etc, etc, etc.....

 

[dhay13]

I have been a victim and I have been a witness of these types of incidents. Both times the driver lost in civil court. I never want to be on the 3rd side (defendant) so I will err on the side of safety and common sense.
Oh...and if you were referring to me, I started towing trailers in my dads 1976 F250 in hay fields at 11 years old and have been towing trailers since (I'm 55 now). I'd venture to say I have more towing experience than most on here. I also have a degree in criminal justice and have studied both criminal and civil law (I am not an attorney) but know enough about the system to know how easy it is to get caught up in things when your future is decided by a jury that wasn't smart enough to get out of jury duty and have no experience or knowledge about towing, was told by some 'expert' that being 1000lbs over 'could' have caused the vehicle to take longer to stop.
Keep your audience in mind here. Most that come on here asking towing questions are here because they have minimal towing experience but we have a few members telling them it's ok to ignore max capacities.

 

[crash68]

probably about time to put a lid on the rabbit hole..