The first thing the trooper is going to do is eyeball what it APPEARS you
are doing, and if it APPEARS commercial he may stop and check you out.
Hauling a Spitfire on an open single-axle trailer behind an automobile
(originally; behind a van* the past many years) I never created that image,
although I did get stopped once in connection with a curious Kansas law --
trailers under 2000 lbs loaded weight are not required to have tags. But
mine looked as if it might be over 2M.
Trooper (very politely): "You know you're required to have a tag on that
trailer."
Myself (very innocently): "But officer, the car only weights 1405 lbs, I can
show you in the rulebook, and the trailer's only 500."
Trooper (very gently): "Well, I guess you know what you're talking about."
And he went back to his car and drove off.
We won't get into how much overweight my car is. :-) But soon after I went
to a local TV shop and bought one of those tags that say "KANSAS - Under
2M." Never had a problem since. Not even in other states.
* Another Kansas quirk -- a van used as personal transportation is a car and
carries car tags; a van used commercially is a truck and wears truck tags.
Mine has car tags, of course.
--Rocky Entriken
----- Original Message -----
From: "Bill Babcock" <Billb@bnj.com>
To: <fpspitfire@comcast.net>
Cc: <Fot@autox.team.net>
Sent: Wednesday, April 22, 2009 10:15 AM
Subject: Re: [Fot] towing and DOT
>I only wish the regulations were consistently enforced and perhaps a bit
>more rational. The idea that someone can go to an RV store and buy a rig
>that weighs more than 20,000 pounds and drive off without special training
>is disconcerting. For that matter the idea that I don't need any special
>training or licensing to hook a 34 foot airstream up to my F350 and drive
>all over the country seems absurd. I'm pretty sure everyone that tows
>their car to the track has had one of those moments when you realize that
>you're driving a very compromised vehicle.
>
> On Apr 22, 2009, at 7:47 AM, fpspitfire@comcast.net wrote:
>
>> A couple years ago the MazdaTrix guys were headed to runoffs and had
>> their
>> Toterhome/trailer impounded at a DOT inspection station in Arizona for
>> not
>> complying with the regs.B The rig wasn't released until a licensed
>> commercial
>> driver showed up to take it away.
>>
>>
>>
>> There is a big gray area with racers tow vehicles and the requirements.B
>> Certainly in the SCCA world because of contingencies it is considered
>> commercial.
>>
>>
>>
>> I think someone else was hit for violating the per axle weight on a
>> toter on
>> the Pennsylvania turnpike.
>>
>>
>>
>> The regs are too confusing for me.B I'll keep the 16' trailer and
>> explorer to
>> tow with
>>
>>
>>
>> aaron johnson
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