Maintenance & Restoration

Roger H · 12-24-2006, 08:38 AM

Here's an interesting link!

California DMV Towing Guide

Roger

Gina D. · 12-24-2006, 10:06 AM

Yes, it is!

I'll put that in the links section soon!

**Frederick L. Simson** · 12-24-2006, 10:10 AM

How many of us Californians actually Have a non-commercial class A endorsement?

Brian B-P · 12-24-2006, 11:54 AM

That's a good find, Roger.

I find that government agencies really do want to share useful information, and are now using the internet as an effective tool to do that.

California's non-commercial Class A license is similar to other jurisdictions, which require some form of enhanced rating or endorsement to allow the towing of trailers over 10,000 lbs. This has been the subject of some discussion lately in RV magazines, since trailers this large are becoming more common. I can't think of any moulded fiberglass units which would hit this limit, although Bigfoot* was on their way there before switching to frame-and-panel construction for the newer, bigger, 3000 series of trailers.

In this area we occasionally see someone with double trailers, typically a fifth-wheel travel trailer pulling a trailer with a boat, motorcycles, quads, or snowmobiles. This seems to be covered by California's non-commercial Class A as well, and I do recall reading about one person pulling double trailers including an egg: a Casita followed by a personal watercraft.

Regardless of licensing requirements, it looks like there's some good information in there for all of us. Of course, some may be too general and some may be outdated, so as with any source it should not be accepted blindly.

I like the idea of ensuring that drivers are properly qualified. I was disappointed to see that, while the drivers of XXL motorhomes ("housecars" over 40 ft) must pass a skill test, people towing double trailers and 10,000 lb plus monsters do not. It seems clearly more difficult and potentially dangerous to drive a truck and trailer rig 50 feet long and weighing 20,000 lb, than to drive a 45 foot motorhome, even though the motorhome may be heavier.

* Check out Bigfoot's new and more annoying (for anyone without broadband internet access) web site. Good luck finding the specs quickly on dial-up... but I will give them credit for a much improved presentation of the Fibrecore Wall System™

dsheets70 · 12-24-2006, 07:24 PM

Quote:

That's a good find, Roger.

I find that government agencies really do want to share useful information, and are now using the internet as an effective tool to do that.

California's non-commercial Class A license is similar to other jurisdictions, which require some form of enhanced rating or endorsement to allow the towing of [b]trailers over 10,000 lbs. This has been the subject of some discussion lately in RV magazines, since trailers this large are becoming more common. I can't think of any moulded fiberglass units which would hit this limit, although Bigfoot* was on their way there before switching to frame-and-panel construction for the newer, bigger, 3000 series of trailers.

In this area we occasionally see someone with [b]double trailers, typically a fifth-wheel travel trailer pulling a trailer with a boat, motorcycles, quads, or snowmobiles. This seems to be covered by California's non-commercial Class A as well, and I do recall reading about one person pulling double trailers including an egg: a Casita followed by a personal watercraft.

Regardless of licensing requirements, it looks like there's some [b]good information in there for all of us. Of course, some may be too general and some may be outdated, so as with any source it should not be accepted blindly.

I like the idea of ensuring that drivers are properly qualified. I was disappointed to see that, while the drivers of XXL motorhomes ("housecars" over 40 ft) must pass a [b]skill test, people towing double trailers and 10,000 lb plus monsters do not. It seems clearly more difficult and potentially dangerous to drive a truck and trailer rig 50 feet long and weighing 20,000 lb, than to drive a 45 foot motorhome, even though the motorhome may be heavier.

* Check out Bigfoot's new and more annoying (for anyone without broadband internet access) web site. Good luck finding the specs quickly on dial-up... but I will give them credit for a much improved presentation of the Fibrecore Wall System™

I wonder how many of us egg pullers actually have break away switches. I purchased my scamp 13 secondhand with no trailer brakes. According to the manual, 1500lbs or better must have a break away switch and trailer brakes. What kind of risk am I at with a scamp 13?