Trailer tongue weight regulations

[radman1]

But where you ticketed for to much tongue weight or for being over licensed weight?

The tongue weight put me over the liscensed weight of the truck. My choice was to go commercial plates and pay for more tonnage or go with farm plates.

 

[Iowachild]

The tongue weight put me over the licensed weight of the truck. My choice was to go commercial plates and pay for more tonnage or go with farm plates.

Did they actually disconnect the trailer and weigh the tongue weight?

 

[Duffster]

The tongue weight put me over the liscensed weight of the truck. My choice was to go commercial plates and pay for more tonnage or go with farm plates.

Or lighten the tongue weight?

 

[Builder]

Did they actually disconnect the trailer and weigh the tongue weight?

I think we're losing sight of what he was cited for. Here's what the OP said

"the overall weight of the truck, toolbox and relatively mild tongue weight put me over the top by 300-400 lbs. Unknown to me the truck was liscensed for 9K lbs."

The trailer made the towing vehicle 300-400 lbs over his weight limit. It's no different than having 300-400 lbs too much in the bed of the truck.

I would have simply unchained the tractor, and if room was available, driven the tractor backwards on the trailer until the tongue weight was reduced enough to make it legal.

The fact that "it was unknown to me the truck was licensed for 9,000lbs" is something the OP should have been aware of, too.

 

[radman1]

No, I just got my ticket and they sent me on my way. Didn't have to move the tractor or do anything else. I was hoping they would just let me move the tractor back a few feet (I offered to reposition) and I would have been fine. It was my first heavy duty pickup and I didn't even know there were different categories for liscensing. I just paid what they put in front of me at the DMV. Not smart enough at the time to know better. In my state, all pickups get 9000 lb rating. Doesn't matter if 1/2, 3/4 or 1 ton. Above that, they are considered commercial and need commercial plates. Farmers get an exemption and can get total rating of truck and trailer up to 13 tons. I own farm land and couldn't even tell you what the requirements are for farm plates. I just told them I wanted farm plates and they handed them over.

When I got the ticket, I discovered the scales could read the weight of each set of tires on the truck and the trailer separtately. That how they knew the truck was over. Another lesson learned. The used kubota B7100 was my first CUT and I had just bought it that day. I had a new big truck and trailer rated way over the amount of the load. I was on top of the world. Then busted. I have gone through the same weigh station since then with other loads and they usually just wave me through and don't even weigh my truck/trailer. I assume they see the farm plates and relatively small loads and don't even bother.

I could have lightened the tongue weight but I occassionally pull much heavier loads now that are well over 20,000 lbs total with truck and trailer and some approaching 25,000 lbs. The big loads are with GN but I do have bumper pulls rated for 14,000 lbs. Heck, I can pull much heavier loads than the truck is rated for with the farm plates. I ask, where is the logic in that?

 

[zzvyb6]

The 'regulation is actually part of the S.A.E. Recommended Practise rules for trailer towing. If you wind up in court, that's the document that the judge and jury will see. That being said, this rule is often amended to address vehicle pitch attitude, rear axle GAWR and number of axles on the trailer. If there are 2 or more trailer axles, there is more stabilizing moment on the combination so you need less tongue weight fraction to keep it stable. Likewise, with friction sway control (which some a still grease to negate its effectivness), the issues all converge when a 'problem' arises.

 

[psj12]

Thanks zzbyV6. I will look in the SAE data base here.

 

[Builder]

I could have lightened the tongue weight but I occassionally pull much heavier loads now that are well over 20,000 lbs total with truck and trailer and some approaching 25,000 lbs. The big loads are with GN but I do have bumper pulls rated for 14,000 lbs. Heck, I can pull much heavier loads than the truck is rated for with the farm plates. I ask, where is the logic in that?

There is no logic in that. I like farmers more than anyone, I do work for them, but with practices like that, you and the rest who are allowed exemptions like that are an accident waiting to happen.

I'm not singling you out, radman, so don't take offense. I'm just in awe of the stupidity of a state giving someone a license to overload a truck like that.

I could never get away with exceeding weight limits like that, yet I traverse the same roads a "farm plate" truck does. Why does a "farm plate" truck get a special exemption to endanger the general public?

 

[Duffster]

There is no logic in that. I like farmers more than anyone, I do work for them, but with practices like that, you and the rest who are allowed exemptions like that are an accident waiting to happen.

I'm not singling you out, radman, so don't take offense. I'm just in awe of the stupidity of a state giving someone a license to overload a truck like that.

I could never get away with exceeding weight limits like that, yet I traverse the same roads a "farm plate" truck does. Why does a "farm plate" truck get a special exemption to endanger the general public?

He could get the heavier "commercial" plates and do the same thing.

 

[Diamondpilot]

There is no logic in that. I like farmers more than anyone, I do work for them, but with practices like that, you and the rest who are allowed exemptions like that are an accident waiting to happen.

I'm not singling you out, radman, so don't take offense. I'm just in awe of the stupidity of a state giving someone a license to overload a truck like that.

I could never get away with exceeding weight limits like that, yet I traverse the same roads a "farm plate" truck does. Why does a "farm plate" truck get a special exemption to endanger the general public?

Just the way it is in farming states. A 16 year old kid can drive a 18 wheeler here if he works for the farm in a 150 mile radius of the farm. All you need is a valid drivers license. Same goes with RV plates. You can run any weight with RV plates in Indiana.

Does not make sense but that is the way the law is written.

Chris