Bet Your Towing Illegally!!!!! So Check Your Balls!!!!!!!

[Jthibodoux]

I bought a kubota bx23 and 16’ tandem trailer a month ago. I got at $400 Ticket from PA state trooper today because the backhoe bucket wasn’t on the deck. Tractor was tied down properly with two 10k straps. Bx only weighs 3k with fel and backhoe. I had the lock/tram pins in, so boom could not drop or swing. I don’t even think I can put the bucket on the deck without extending the boom about 3ft, which is longer than the trailer to drop gate. Trooper said rules for big equipment also applied to my sub-compact. Doesn’t sound right to me. Anybody ever run into this?

 

[aczlan]

From the feds:

AEM made a presentation to FMCSA personnel in 2004 requesting clarification and on September 8, 2005, the Agency approved the following official regulatory guidance:

§ 393.130 What are the rules for securing heavy vehicles, equipment and machinery?

Question 1: If an item of construction equipment which weighs less than 4,536 kg (10,000 lb.) is transported on a flatbed or drop-deck trailer, must the accessory equipment be lowered to the deck of the trailer?

Guidance: No. However, the accessory equipment must be properly secured using locking pins or similar devices in order to prevent either the accessory equipment or the item of construction equipment itself from shifting during transport.

Question 2: How should I secure the accessories for an item of construction equipment which weighs 4,536 kg (10,000 lb.) or more, if the accessory devices would extend beyond the width of the trailer if they are lowered to the deck for transport?

Guidance: The accessory devices (plows, trencher bars, and the like) may be transported in a raised position, provided they are designed to be transported in that manner. However, the accessory equipment must be locked in place for transport to ensure that neither the accessories nor the equipment itself shifts during transport.

Question 3: A tractor loader-backhoe weighing over 10,000 pounds is being transported on a trailer. The loader and backhoe accessories are each equipped with locking devices or mechanisms that prevent them from moving up and down and from side-to-side while the construction equipment is being transported on the trailer. Must these accessories also be secured to the trailer with chains?

Guidance: No. However, if the construction equipment does not have a means of preventing the loader bucket, backhoe, or similar accessories from moving while it is being transported on the trailer, then a chain would be required to secure those accessories to the trailer.

See also: https://www.tractorbynet.com/forums...182664-securing-backhoe-trailer-question.html

So, as I read it, your boom would be ok, but the bucket still has to be secured.

Aaron Z

 

[Jthibodoux]

Thanks!

 

[fried1765]

I bought a kubota bx23 and 16’ tandem trailer a month ago. I got at $400 Ticket from PA state trooper today because the backhoe bucket wasn’t on the deck. Tractor was tied down properly with two 10k straps. Bx only weighs 3k with fel and backhoe. I had the lock/tram pins in, so boom could not drop or swing. I don’t even think I can put the bucket on the deck without extending the boom about 3ft, which is longer than the trailer to drop gate. Trooper said rules for big equipment also applied to my sub-compact. Doesn’t sound right to me. Anybody ever run into this?

Contest that ticket in court!
Save $400 !!
Bring a copy of: § 393.130....federal register documentation for securing heavy vehicles, equipment and machinery.
Let us know how it all worked out!

 

[nwut05]

I would be interested in the outcome also in this case.

 

[Jthibodoux]

Will do. I’m pleading not guilty and taking this section of code to court. Need to check to make sure PA doesn’t have some quirk in their law for this.

 

[buickanddeere]

Ok, so Let me explain,,,, Up until a year ago I been running a New Holland t1510 with loader Ballasted rear tires approximate total weight of say 5000 lbs Not exact just estimate. So i been pulling it around with my 1500 chevy no problems pushing the limits with 16 ft trailer but no problems. Then I go get A New Holland Workmaster 60 f.e.ll and Ballasted tires. Estimated weight 7000 lbs give or take. Realizing I needed a larger pull truck I found a 1985 ford 350 with the 460 and C6 trans Plenty of payload/gvwr of 15000 lbs. Then i got to looking at my trailer its a 20 ft hauler with a 7500 lb rating and it has a steel deck. So now i got to find me a trailer because 7000 plus 2000 lbs estimated trailer is more than 7500 lbs......:thumbsup: But in my quest i have ran into an interesting find that i think most people overlook.... The Receiver and ball and pin, now my f350 has a bumper hitch class 5 rated for 10,000 lbs. and 14000 with LOAD LEVELERS INSTALLED. So I got the receiver ........ But do you realize that most 2" hitch tubes are rated for 5000 to 7500 lbs. and then they are held in the receiver by only a 5/8 pin and that pin may or may not be rated for more than 5000 lbs. and on top of that the ball themselves may only have a rating of 5000 or 7500 lbs stamped on them,,, heck i just looked at a 2 5/16" ball at a local parts store today that only had a 8000 lb rating. Now i am no stickler here and have over loaded farm equipment to "get er Done" more than once but after looking around and only finding a few 2" hitches actually rated for 10,000 lbs. I'm taking a second look at a lot of towing stuff.

So CHECK YOUR BALLS!!!! and I bet you, and me, for now, are towing Illegally weather it be your Receiver, Your Hitch, Your Ball, or Your Pin that's the weak link It's worth a look and cheaper than the possible lawsuit after the accident to...... FIX IT NOW......

And YES to those of you who want to say it I know....Just get a Gooseneck...My reply Check you GVWR'S You may be surprised after you take your truck and trailer weight out just how little you can legally haul and don;t forget to take your weight out too ... But this is not the debate!!! Receiver Balls and Hitches are.......

Your or You are ?

 

[dnw64]

Your or You are ?

Yes..

 

[WranglerX]

Slight hijack here.... Check your safety chains... Are they substantial enough for weight of trailer and load....Are anchor points substantial on trailer and hitch for task.... Also I hope the are not dragging chains on ground and grinding metal off and causing sparks, we have had several roadside fire from people ( dumb tourists with travel trailers) whose safety chains are dragging and causing sparks....

Dale

 

[Elkins45]

Bumpers used to actually be made to take a minor hit. Now days the slightest bump is $thousands in damage.

In 1980 I found a one size fits all bumper clamp trailer ball mount at the local hardware store. With the help of a very large hammer I managed to fit it onto my 1971 Dodge Dart and used it to pull a 14' aluminum boat. That was a car that used a bumper jack to change the tires, so it could handle a little boat trailer with no problem.

Slight hijack here.... Check your safety chains... Are they substantial enough for weight of trailer and load....Are anchor points substantial on trailer and hitch for task.... Also I hope the are not dragging chains on ground and grinding metal off and causing sparks, we have had several roadside fire from people ( dumb tourists with travel trailers) whose safety chains are dragging and causing sparks....

Dale

I have to twist the chains 3-4 times on my tractor hauler and then still have to bungie up the chains to keep them from dragging.