Serpentine Tows

[George Cole]

Seems like whenever I travel anymore through AL, MS, LA, and TX, I see strings cars being towed by a single car or mini-pickup.  Or there's multiple trailers being towed by a single SUV, Van, or Minivan.  And it's not uncommon to see multiple tows on I-95.  Here's two 16-ft trailers being towed by a Chevy van in NC.  It was early morning, just starting to break daylight...and raining.  Neither trailer had license plates and because the front trailer was 8.5-ft wide, I couldn't tell what state license plate the towing van had.  Likewise with the strings of cars, only the towing car has plates.  I give them a wide berth and try to pass them as quickly as possible.  I thought this crap was supposed to be illegal.

[keiser31]

They still have triple semi trailers around here. Scary!

[George Cole]

14 minutes ago, keiser31 said:

They still have triple semi trailers around here. Scary!

 

Yes, I see them in many places as well.

[padgett]

And there there were Michigan Monsters, more wheels than a 747 (and can't find a picture but remember one stuck on a freeway exit around 1974...)

[George Cole]

22 minutes ago, padgett said:

And there there were Michigan Monsters, more wheels than a 747 (and can't find a picture but remember one stuck on a freeway exit around 1974...)

 

Yes, but I think those are special permitted transports for oversize, overweight, etc.  I'm referring to Joe Blow motoring down the highway with multiple cars or trailers in tow.  I also wonder if these drivers have licenses or green cards.

[Phillip Cole]

1 hour ago, George Cole said:

Seems like whenever I travel anymore through AL, MS, LA, and TX, I see strings cars being towed by a single car or mini-pickup.  Or there's multiple trailers being towed by a single SUV, Van, or Minivan.  And it's not uncommon to see multiple tows on I-95.  Here's two 16-ft trailers being towed by a Chevy van in NC.  It was early morning, just starting to break daylight...and raining.  Neither trailer had license plates and because the front trailer was 8.5-ft wide, I couldn't tell what state license plate the towing van had.  Likewise with the strings of cars, only the towing car has plates.  I give them a wide berth and try to pass them as quickly as possible.  I thought this crap was supposed to be illegal.

It is.... 

Years ago a friend,  who had to drive from Alabama to Atlanta, GA on Monday mornings, told me he had to wait till the sun came up to leave for Atlanta.  Otherwise,  he'd have drive with mobile homes being towed illegally at high speeds into Georgia. 

[Morgansdad]

It's well known that here in good ole' North Carolina, the State Troopers are not on the roads between the hours of 1a.m. and 6 a.m.. There is always a trooper on call in the event of an accident but, otherwise you won't see one. You pay close enough attention and you will see all kinds of illegal stuff on our interstate.

[John348]

2 hours ago, George Cole said:

Seems like whenever I travel anymore through AL, MS, LA, and TX, I see strings cars being towed by a single car or mini-pickup.  Or there's multiple trailers being towed by a single SUV, Van, or Minivan.  And it's not uncommon to see multiple tows on I-95.  Here's two 16-ft trailers being towed by a Chevy van in NC.  It was early morning, just starting to break daylight...and raining.  Neither trailer had license plates and because the front trailer was 8.5-ft wide, I couldn't tell what state license plate the towing van had.  Likewise with the strings of cars, only the towing car has plates.  I give them a wide berth and try to pass them as quickly as possible.  I thought this crap was supposed to be illegal.

 

George, 

I am pretty sure that those trailers are empty (not that it right) Those trailers look new, it is possible that they were getting delivered? There is some town in Georgia that seems to make all of the 

'non' brand trailers. Might be the reason that there are no plates/tags on the trailer? It is pulling way too level

 

10 minutes ago, Morgansdad said:

It's well known that here in good ole' North Carolina, the State Troopers are not on the roads between the hours of 1a.m. and 6 a.m.. There is always a trooper on call in the event of an accident but, otherwise you won't see one. You pay close enough attention and you will see all kinds of illegal stuff on our interstate.

 

Very true,

 I born and raised in the Bronx worked in NYC for 40 years, traveled mass transit at all hours and they only time I was robbed in my life was at a rest area on I-95 in Santee South Carolina. When the Trooper arrived he made a comment to me that the "interstate system was a nothing but a sewer system with all kinds of crap flowing on it"  

[Matt Harwood]

7 minutes ago, John348 said:

 

George, 

I am pretty sure that those trailers are empty (not that it right) Those trailers look new, it is possible that they were getting delivered? There is some town in Georgia that seems to make all of the 

'non' brand trailers. Might be the reason that there are no plates/tags on the trailer? It is pulling way too level

 

I agree with this. I've seen multiple trailers daisy-chained together and open trailers towed like that with others stacked on top. There's no way there could be a car in each trailer or any real weight if a van is pulling it. It has to be delivering new trailers to a dealer or something.

 

Had a guy show up a few weeks ago towing a 24-foot enclosed trailer to take a 1967 Chrysler Imperial convertible to Minnesota and using a Nissan Pathfinder as his tow vehicle. We said, "LOL, no." He was pretty pissed, but I bet the trailer empty was at that little V6 unibody SUV's limit and adding 5000+ pounds of Chrysler would have been a recipe for disaster.

 

[TAKerry]

I think John may be correct, probably a manufacturer delivering. Lots of rv traffic like that in northern Indiana, I think that area is the rv manufacturing capitol of the world. It still looks pretty crazy, I doubt they would get 5 miles into MD without getting stopped.

[Ken_P]

50 minutes ago, Matt Harwood said:

Had a guy show up a few weeks ago towing a 24-foot enclosed trailer to take a 1967 Chrysler Imperial convertible to Minnesota and using a Nissan Pathfinder as his tow vehicle. We said, "LOL, no." He was pretty pissed, but I bet the trailer empty was at that little V6 unibody SUV's limit and adding 5000+ pounds of Chrysler would have been a recipe for disaster.

 

 

Wow! I have a 24-foot enclosed trailer, and my 2500HD diesel pickup knows it is back there, even when empty. Can't even imagine towing that with a pathfinder! At least not at speeds above parking lot speed!

[nzcarnerd]

Not a serpentine - although it did snake a bit - but something getting into trouble in Christchurch, New Zealand, yesterday 5 August, 2020. 

 

Not my photo.  The van is a Suzuki. I think he was lucky the load didn't tip the van over.

 

[Terry Bond]

A few years ago I drove down to Blairsville GA to buy a new trailer. When I asked about temp tags I was told there isn't any such thing and I'd have no probs trailering it back into Va. On a stretch of NC I actually had a state trooper behind me for a few miles. I thought I'd be in trouble when I pulled into a rest area and he pulled in right behind. His only comment was "nice trailer." Same happened on rt 58 going through Va. Local police car in Brunswick (notorious speed trap) gave a thumbs up as he was passing. So, trailers w/o tags passing thru must be ok. Agree it's probably new trailers going to a dealer or something newly bought going home. 

Terry

 

Edited August 5, 2020 by Terry Bond (see edit history)

[capngrog]

3 hours ago, padgett said:

And there there were Michigan Monsters, more wheels than a 747 (and can't find a picture but remember one stuck on a freeway exit around 1974...)

 

I have a friend who is a retired B-747 Captain, and occasionally when asked what he did for a living, he said that he drove an 18 wheeler.  The Boeing 74 has eight main gear wheels, eight body gear wheels and two nose gear wheels.

 

Just some useless but perhaps interesting trivia.

 

Cheers,

Grog

[George Cole]

2 minutes ago, Terry Bond said:

A few years ago I drove down to Blairsville GA to buy a new trailer. When I asked about temp tags I was told there isn't any such thing and I'd have no probs trailering it back into Va. On a stretch of NC I actually had a state trooper behind me for a few miles. I thought I'd be in trouble when I pulled into a rest area and he pulled in right behind. His only comment was "nice trailer." Same happened on rt 58 going through Va. Local police car in Brunswick (notorious speed trap) gave a thumbs up as he was passing. So, trailers w/o tags passing thru mus be ok. Agree it's probably new trailers going to a dealer or something newly bought going home. 

Terry

 

 

I've bought 2 new enclosed trailers from MAXX Cargo, a dealer in central GA, and towed them back to FL.  Both times they put a 30-day temp tag on the trailer.

[padgett]

"In general" and in Florida if driving home with a new car or trailer, if stopped a recent Bill of Sale will suffice particularly since now you have to be a county resident to even get an appointment at a DMV office. I generally use a tow dolly (and have towed Fieros backwards before) since neither the dolly nor the towed car is required to have a plate or registration. Have brought several cars both FWD and RWD home that way. Since the dolly has brakes it is a lot better than a flat tow. I do carry spare tires for the tow car, dolly, and if I have one, the TOAD plus a compressor and jack/jack stands.

[Frank DuVal]

A friend of mine about 10 years ago....

 

Camper in Dodge dually, towing trailer with Greenbrier on it, towing a boat trailer with a Wayne 100 (Corvair powered) on it. From Iowa to Virginia.

[deaddds]

Does insurance cover stupid? If the whole thing snapped I would have to believe the insurance company would deny the claim right? 

[kgreen]

https://news.pickuptrucks.com/2009/02/state-laws-can-pull-you-in-many-directions-if-you-double-tow.html

 

" In general, you’ll find that every state along the Atlantic bans double towing except for Maryland. Hawaii, Washington and Oregon also make it illegal to double tow."

[Matt Harwood]

10 hours ago, Frank DuVal said:

A friend of mine about 10 years ago....

 

Camper in Dodge dually, towing trailer with Greenbrier on it, towing a boat trailer with a Wayne 100 (Corvair powered) on it. From Iowa to Virginia.

 

How can that possibly be legal?

[8E45E]

In Alberta, and maybe Montana, it is legal, but in British Columbia, it is not.

 

Craig

[Brass is Best]

Imagine if you had to back it up.

[jeff_a]

Here in Idaho it's routine to see a road train - a crewcab pickup pulling a travel trailer pulling a flatbed with 4-wheelers on it.

[dictator27]

1 hour ago, 8E45E said:

In Alberta, and maybe Montana, it is legal, but in British Columbia, it is not.

 

Craig

Short commercial b-trains (2 20 foot trailers) can be seen in the Lower Mainland Fraser Valley area east of Vancouver, but past the town of Hope at the east end of the Fraser Valley they are no longer legal because of our mountain highways. The Coquihalla (highway 5) is notorious for vehicle fires caused by overworked engines/transmissions. One caused a small forest fire earlier this week. Arrangements like the one shown above are illegal province wide.

Any towed vehicle/trailer/tow dolly must be licensed and insured.  Ask me how I know.  

In British Columbia a vehicle with a manufacturers GVWR of 3800 kg and a net weight of 2100 kg can tow a trailer weighing 1700 kg.

[padgett]

In Florida, fifty yar ago the only place dual semis were allowed was on the turnpike (four fairly narrow lanes) at each end there was a wide spot in the center and could see 10-20 dollies just waiting for the next load. Staging areas seem to have disappeared this century.

[Frank DuVal]

3 hours ago, Matt Harwood said:

How can that possibly be legal?

 

I didn't say it was....😁

 

He asked around before he left to do it, and he got one of those "Sounds OK to me, but I will check" answer from a deputy. Sure enough, when he got back, the real answer was NO! See, since he thought he was legal, he just drove that train back to VA,  casually, passing state and local LEOs along the way, who looked but never stopped him. 

[8E45E]

2 hours ago, dictator27 said:

Short commercial b-trains (2 20 foot trailers) can be seen in the Lower Mainland Fraser Valley area east of Vancouver, but past the town of Hope at the east end of the Fraser Valley they are no longer legal because of our mountain highways.

There are huge signs depicting a diagram of a truck-5th wheel/trailer-boat setup like the one above when entering BC from the Alberta side clearly stating it is illegal there.  There are some VERY tight turns; especially east of Golden on highway #1 where the speed limit is reduced to 25 mph for a few miles. 

 

Craig

[padgett]

At least you don't need a man on a horse with a red flag.

[George Cole]

9 hours ago, Matt Harwood said:

 

How can that possibly be legal?

 

The only thing missing is kids riding in the boat. 

[Buffalowed Bill]

The thread brings to mind the Lucile Ball, Desie Arnez favorite "The Long, Long Trailer." While starting out they were using a 1953 Mercury convertible later changing to a later "Y block" but I can't remember whether it was a Merc or a Lincoln. I guess that it really didn't make much difference, disaster was written all over that one.

 

What is as equally troubling is that so many people don't even know the the limitations of their choices for tow vehicles. Or the older retiree who decides that, at age eighty, he is capable of towing a 30' travel trailer, or driving a huge RV. To make it clear I'm 76 yrs old and I believe that I'm still a good driver, as are many old timers, but I know many who are not (at least no one has threatened to take away my car keys yet 😌).

 

Bill

[SC38dls]

80 is the new 40’s. ! 

[Billy Kingsley]

That seems like a bad idea to me. I don't like being next to a triple-trailer "18" wheeler, either. The third trailer in line is usually bouncing all over the road... perhaps swaying is a better term. They aren't legal here I don't think, but I encountered them often on my trips to Toledo.  There is a staging area for them right off exit 59 on I80/90, which was right across from the motel I stayed at every year. 

 

I seem to recall seeing them on the NY Thruway or Northway as a kid in the 80s, but I don't know if they used to be here and then changed the rules, or if it was just tandem trailers and I'm misremembering.

[padgett]

Helps to have been towing cars and travel trailers for fifty years. Do tend to take things like tires and brakes a lot more seriously this century. Back when living in ther midwest I remember seeing many sets of truck Cab/chassis going down the road , only the lead unit had the front wheels on the ground.

[Guest]

5 hours ago, padgett said:

Back when living in the midwest I remember seeing many sets of truck Cab/chassis going down the road , only the lead unit had the front wheels on the ground.

Back in the early 60's I was borrowed from the Parts Department because I had a Chauffeurs license with an air endorsement.  The task was to accompany the man who brought all our trucks from Oshawa.  We flew to Toronto and were picked up and driven to Oshawa.  Never did see the GM plant except from a distance.  A Company had gathered our trucks together and had them all hooked up.  A tandem in front with all wheels on the ground, a tandem on the back with a tandem on the back with a single axle on the back with a pick up right up on the frame.  All the towed trucks had their axles removed.  We left town with me behind and about ten miles away we pulled off and my leader disconnected the governors on his and my tractor.  He connected the first three gas lines together and away we went.  Basically non stop, bathroom and snacks excepted.  23 hours and 1350 miles later we stopped about twenty miles outside of Winnipeg and he reconnected the governors and removed hi gas line plumbing.  Half an hour later we were driving into the shop. Other guys separated the units and packed up the fifth wheel assemblies to send back to Oshawa.  We went home to bed because two days later we were off again.  What fun for a 19 year old.  As recently as four years ago I saw a couple of rigs like this on I5.  I never was asked to do this again but was borrowed every once in a while for a country trip with one of our tow trucks.

[54vicky]

On 8/7/2020 at 2:39 PM, Buffalowed Bill said:

The thread brings to mind the Lucile Ball, Desie Arnez favorite "The Long, Long Trailer." While starting out they were using a 1953 Mercury convertible later changing to a later "Y block" but I can't remember whether it was a Merc or a Lincoln. I guess that it really didn't make much difference, disaster was written all over that one.

 

What is as equally troubling is that so many people don't even know the the limitations of their choices for tow vehicles. Or the older retiree who decides that, at age eighty, he is capable of towing a 30' travel trailer, or driving a huge RV. To make it clear I'm 76 yrs old and I believe that I'm still a good driver, as are many old timers, but I know many who are not (at least no one has threatened to take away my car keys yet 😌).

 

Bill

a little late but it was a lincoln it is written up

[zepher]

I still have my CDL with a doubles/triples endorsement.

 

I'd have to look at the requirements for me to tow double trailers with a standard pickup.

[padgett]

Anything is possible in California.

[zepher]

17 minutes ago, padgett said:

Anything is possible in California.

Actually, there are no triples of any kind allowed in Kalifornia.

But since my license is an interstate CDL it includes the triples for those states that allow it.

Which reminds me, I have to find somewhere that is actually open so I can get my medical renewed.

 

Edited August 27, 2020 by zepher (see edit history)

[Ed Luddy]

On 8/7/2020 at 7:51 PM, padgett said:

Helps to have been towing cars and travel trailers for fifty years. Do tend to take things like tires and brakes a lot more seriously this century. Back when living in ther midwest I remember seeing many sets of truck Cab/chassis going down the road , only the lead unit had the front wheels on the ground.

Same here in Ontario Canada with bus cab/chassis on there way to the Thomas Bus or other local builders back in the late 80's. None now. Factories are gone.

[Bill Stoneberg]

In Texas you see three vehicles in a train all the time. Most of the time they are headed to Mexico. It’s amazing how creative they can get. A box truck with a mini truck and motorcycle in the box hauling a car trailer with a car and a bike on it and the final vehicle is a convertible full of parts. The whole train is barely going 50 in a 80 mph zone. Dangerous as heck if you aren’t paying close attention.