Can I legally tow a 20,000 lb. trailer with my F-450?

[ScottAR]

It's about capacity my friends, all about potential. If your truck is rated at 19,500 lbs and your trailer is rated at 20,000 lbs then you are legally capable of carrying the combination of 39,500 lbs which is over the 26,000 lb limit of a non-commercial drivers license.

Here in Texas DPS loves to see a one ton coming down the road with a dual tandem float gooseneck hooked up to it. It's money in the bank.

...And it wouldn't matter if you had a tennis ball secured to the deck. Depending on how bad a day the officer was having, You'd at least get a driving without sufficent license ticket. Probably an overloaded ticket as well.

 

[graybeard451]

On the door post, there should be a number after GCWV which is total rating for truck and trailer. Here is a link to Ford's chart

https://www.fleet.ford.com/showroom/rv_trailer_towing/2007/07RVttslctrp18Aug06.pdf

There are some models that allow up to 33,000 lbs GCWV so your truck could be legal, but if you don't have a CDL licence, you're still not legal.
I'm not sure what that means in the real world, I see people driving giant motorhomes and big rental trucks and I don't think they all have CDL's.
Good luck

 

[Builder]

On the door post, there should be a number after GCWV which is total rating for truck and trailer. Here is a link to Ford's chart

https://www.fleet.ford.com/showroom/rv_trailer_towing/2007/07RVttslctrp18Aug06.pdf

There are some models that allow up to 33,000 lbs GCWV so your truck could be legal, but if you don't have a CDL licence, you're still not legal.
I'm not sure what that means in the real world, I see people driving giant motorhomes and big rental trucks and I don't think they all have CDL's.
Good luck

He has the 450 model, which even with the high capacity trailer package only gets him to 30K. If he did have that package, then he would need a CDL to tow a trailer as heavy as his.

Much to my shagrin, you can drive a "giant motorhome" without a CDL. Rental trucks have the same CDL requirements as any other truck.

 

[john_bud]

Yeah, it really "draws a large negative pressure" the way they do things.

There is usually a loop hole that states licensed load or capacity rating totaling 26,001 or more pounds. Even if you only tag a 20k trailer for 10k, you can only have a 6k truck pulling it. What a racket!


I guess they fugure that if you have a 20k trailer, you're going to load it to 20k or more no matter what you tag it for. Isn't that a case of presumption of guilt without due process of law?

jb

 

[Egon]

You may want to differentiate between can and may!!

 

[Builder]

Yeah, it really "draws a large negative pressure" the way they do things.

There is usually a loop hole that states licensed load or capacity rating totaling 26,001 or more pounds. Even if you only tag a 20k trailer for 10k, you can only have a 6k truck pulling it. What a racket!


I guess they fugure that if you have a 20k trailer, you're going to load it to 20k or more no matter what you tag it for. Isn't that a case of presumption of guilt without due process of law?

jb

So true. Suppose a guy with a regular driver's licence just wants to own a heavy duty trailer because he wants it to last longer. Let's also assume it doesn't have air brakes. If he never loads it beyond the CDL rating, but the trailer IS capable of carrying a load that gets into CDL range, what law has been broken?

 

[jmfox]

I think the answer is enforcement. It is difficult to determine if you're overweight. Major highways have scales, and there are ways for State Police to check weight with portable scales but it is difficult. Under the current law an officer checks trailer and truck capacity and if it is over the CDL limit you get a ticket on the spot if you don't have the license. This is why we can all drive cars that can go 150 mph. It's easy to determine if you break the speed limit.

Also, the intent of the law is to keep untrained unlicensed drivers away from equipment that is designed for heavy loads. That is, it is not only the weight but one's capacity to handle the different driving experience that comes with a vehicle that is designed and equipped to carry heavy loads.

jmf

 

[john_bud]

I think the answer is enforcement. It is difficult to determine if you're overweight. Major highways have scales, and there are ways for State Police to check weight with portable scales but it is difficult. Under the current law an officer checks trailer and truck capacity and if it is over the CDL limit you get a ticket on the spot if you don't have the license. This is why we can all drive cars that can go 150 mph. It's easy to determine if you break the speed limit.

Also, the intent of the law is to keep untrained unlicensed drivers away from equipment that is designed for heavy loads. That is, it is not only the weight but one's capacity to handle the different driving experience that comes with a vehicle that is designed and equipped to carry heavy loads.

jmf

I hear you and that may be the reason. Doesn't mean I agree with it! You may not either. My opinion is still that there is a presumption of guilt that penalizes you for the possibility of being overweight. I also disagree with the intent of the law. I thought it was to keep people from hauling more than their equipment and training allows them to safely haul. A heavier trailer with better tires, stronger brakes, stronger frame, etc should be safer to operate than a trailer pushed to the limits.

If you will allow, I will now go slightly off topic. If you don't want to be dragged off topic, please skip ahead...

It is very difficult to prove who shot a gun and killed someone. Should all gun owners be charged with murder, just in case they may decide to kill someone in the future? After all, that is easier to enforce - you find someone with a gun and arrest them for murder. It's a ludicrous analogy for sure, but still where does the presumption of guilt to make enforement of law easier stop?

Ok - back on topic. You still can't tow the 20k trailer.

jb

 

[jmfox]

I don't see a presumption of guilt. A better example would be an individual charged with unlicensed possession of an unloaded handgun. And I don't agree that larger equipment is necessarily safer than smaller equipment. What the CDL law is saying is that you better know what you're doing if you drive vehicles that are large enough to handle heavy loads. So it is the vehicle (and trailer) not the weight that is the focus. I assume this is why large campers are distinguished, and the reason CDL requirements were increased to allow them driven by regular licenses. Self contained campers can have gross weights greater than 18,000 lbs, but it is the vehicle itself that is the load. In situations where the vehicle's design doesn't depend on the driver's knowledge for securing and distributing the load, there is less risk. Yes, this does presume a load but not its weight. Vehicles that are designed to carry heavy loads are generally open designs with more space that pose greater risk and require responsible loading. There are many compact cars and pickups that are overloaded, but because of the limited space, they pose less of a risk. In contrast, take a large flat bed and start piling a loose load high and aft and one can easily create a dangerous situation for driver and highway.

jmf

 

[Builder]

I find that it's ridiculous that a class B licence holder CAN drive a truck over 26,000lbs, but can only pull a 10K trailer.

So with a class B licence, you can drive an 80,000lb triaxle filled to the gills with 3/4 stone, but then only pull a 10K lawn equipment trailer behind it.

I'm not suggesting that he be allowed to tow a 40K trailer, but the 10K limit is too low. Anyone knows that there's little to no difference between a 10K and a 14K equipment trailer other than the tire/rim size. The lengths are generally the same. Heck, I can get a 14K trailer that's 30' long and I can get a 20K trailer that's 24' long. Both could have electric brakes and both could be towed behind a 26K hydraulic braked GMC6500. So what's the difference? IMO, the 14K longer trailer is harder to handle than the shorter 20K trailer! Anyone who drives bigger trucks knows that it's LENGTH that makes a trailer harder to handle than WEIGHT (up to a point).

Why is it that a 1-ton pickup being driven by a non-cdl holder can tow a heavier trailer (GCWR up to 26K) than a class B CDL holder can tow behind a 26K F-650? The class B CDL holder can only tow a 10K trailer!

Stupid and very impractical for the average mason or small excavating contractor who needs to tow a mid size backhoe/trackhoe behind his 26K dumptruck !!!! You wouldn't believe how many times I hear this. That's why I got my class A CDL.