Hauling tractor on U-haul car carrier trailer

   / Hauling tractor on U-haul car carrier trailer #61  
Although this is way more common in Scandinavia, the other countries in Europe will also do it but not as much.

It's easier and cheaper to get the drivers license for the bigger tractors and it's less expensive having tractors doing trucks jobs. With a tractor, you wouldn't need the yearly vehicle inspections, tachograph and tachograph inspections, and all the associated stuff. Also, I don't think you have to renew the drivers license for tractors, or at least that often compared to trucks.

This works better because of the smaller travel distances to the jobs since the countries are, for the most part, small. At least compared to the US.

My country actually don't do it that much. For those that can justify the expense of running a truck, they mostly run 20 ton dump trucks fitted with Pallfinger cranes. It's a good general purpose truck.

View attachment 684959

And this smaller 5.5 ton one:
This one can get registered at light duty and can be driven by anyone with a B category drivers license (can drive all vehicles up to 7700 lbs gross weight), but gets capped at 7700 lbs. Or can be registered as commercial and get a 5.5 ton gross weight capacity but needs C category drivers license (can drive trucks without trailers).

View attachment 684961

We’ve got a completely different set of rules to play by. For 1 we can’t even buy tractors built to go down the road. 2 there’s no separate license for tractors. If you’re a farmer you can pretty much do whatever you want. If you want to take an 18 wheeler load it to 100,000 with beans and then put an 18 year old field hand in it you’re good to go. For everyone else you’ll need a CDL. There’s endorsements involved for trailers, double trailers, multiple passengers, air brakes but for this discussion non of that matters. There’s really only 2 licenses. Everyone’s that’s good to 26,000 pounds and a CDL. There’s vehicle inspections in some states mostly where there’s heavy rust involved but there’s not in my state.
 
   / Hauling tractor on U-haul car carrier trailer #62  
The ramps on my trailer leave room for improvement. They have the angle iron in between the channel sides and the track pads are wider then the ramps. They just sit on the slick channel and get zero traction. If they were built with the angle on top like this they would be way better. How much trouble is it to run medium duty trucks over there? View attachment 684955

Kinda depends on which brand trailer.
Mine are like that.
 
   / Hauling tractor on U-haul car carrier trailer #63  
You’d be limited to like a B26 at that weight class. My full-size hoe was 17,000 on a 5500 pound trailer. My M59 is close to 10k.
Yep, I like the rules we have in place.
Nice Deere, we have the next model up at work (IIRC its a 310SJ, little bit bigger tires and a turbo).
Wouldn't want that much weight on a bumper pull trailer behind a SRW F350.

Aaron Z
 
   / Hauling tractor on U-haul car carrier trailer #64  
We致e got a completely different set of rules to play by. For 1 we can稚 even buy tractors built to go down the road. 2 thereç—´ no separate license for tractors. If youæ±*e a farmer you can pretty much do whatever you want. If you want to take an 18 wheeler load it to 100,000 with beans and then put an 18 year old field hand in it youæ±*e good to go. For everyone else you値l need a CDL. Thereç—´ endorsements involved for trailers, double trailers, multiple passengers, air brakes but for this discussion non of that matters. Thereç—´ really only 2 licenses. Everyoneç—´ thatç—´ good to 26,000 pounds and a CDL. Thereç—´ vehicle inspections in some states mostly where thereç—´ heavy rust involved but thereç—´ not in my state.

Much simpler and much more freedom to drive pretty much anything.

The tractor driving license is more like an addendum to the vehicle driving license. It used to be a separate thing but recently they joined both. Back in the day, old people could get the tractor driving license without even knowing how to read. It was very easy to do and it didn't required any exams.

In Europe, there are 4 categories for driving license and each category is then subdivided into subcategories.

Class A- required to drive a motorcycle over 50cc with or without sidecar
Class A1- required to drive a motorcycle up to 125cc and power up to 14 HP

Class B- required to drive a vehicle with a maximum weight of 7700 lbs, and seating no more than eight passengers, including the driver. This includes standard passenger cars, people carriers and microbuses. Can tow a maximum weight of 1650 lbs. Can also drive tractors and trailers up to 13000 lbs.
Class B1- required to drive a vehicle (tricycle and quadracycle) with an engine size of 50cc and less
Class B+E - Same as B but can tow a maximum weight of 7700lbs. I had to take the exam on this one, in order to legally use my trailer

Class C- Can drive any truck, no weight limit, and up to eight passengers but can only tow up to 1650 lbs. Can also drive any tractors with no weight limit.
Class C1 - Can drive any truck up to 16500 lbs gross weight and trailers up to 1650 lbs.
Class C + E - All of the C class but can use any trailer, no weight limit.

Class D is for any vehicle that can carry more than 8 passengers. And more stuff but doesn't matter much for now.

This is kind of summed up, but that's pretty much it. Also, each category requires a theoretical and practical exam.

Looks complex but it really isn't. Also prevents people from driving stuff that they shouldn't or don't have any experience with and do dumb stuff.
 
   / Hauling tractor on U-haul car carrier trailer #65  
I would say that’s ridiculous but really ours probably isn’t harsh enough. Half of Americans couldn’t park a bicycle.
 
   / Hauling tractor on U-haul car carrier trailer #66  
Yep, I like the rules we have in place.
Nice Deere, we have the next model up at work (IIRC its a 310SJ, little bit bigger tires and a turbo).
Wouldn't want that much weight on a bumper pull trailer behind a SRW F350.

Aaron Z

I don’t have that Deere anymore. I kinda wish I still did. Definitely agree a pickup doesn’t like pintle hook trailers.
 
   / Hauling tractor on U-haul car carrier trailer #67  
Ford 2000; 3 cyl. Diesel; 8/2 trans.....more than once I have hauled my Ford 2000 on a U-Haul car trailer behind a 94 F150 with straight 6 engine. Never had a problem. Counter guy always asks what I'm hauling and I tell him a tractor. He scratches his head and cannot find tractor in his list so he says call it a Pinto. No mention of insurance unless it's in the fine print. Tractor fits on trailer but it's not a large tractor and it's not got much extra room. Front wheel harnesses plus chains that I provide to tie it down.
 
   / Hauling tractor on U-haul car carrier trailer #68  
Ford 2000; 3 cyl. Diesel; 8/2 trans.....more than once I have hauled my Ford 2000 on a U-Haul car trailer behind a 94 F150 with straight 6 engine. Never had a problem. Counter guy always asks what I'm hauling and I tell him a tractor. He scratches his head and cannot find tractor in his list so he says call it a Pinto. No mention of insurance unless it's in the fine print. Tractor fits on trailer but it's not a large tractor and it's not got much extra room. Front wheel harnesses plus chains that I provide to tie it down.

It just might BE "in the fine print"!
Involved in an accident?
You just might be on the liability hook!
 
   / Hauling tractor on U-haul car carrier trailer #69  
It just might BE "in the fine print"!
Involved in an accident?
You just might be on the liability hook!

seems a lot of people have a story about how you'd be screwed on liability in an accident... just wondering where the loophole is?

My insurer (large name carrier that covers the whole country at least) extends my vehicle liability insurance to any trailer i tow in a non-commercial setting whether I own it or not. physical damage to the trailer or what I haul is on me without separate poilcies. if the trailer is suitably sized and safely connected to be hauling the load then where is the liability catch? surely it is not in the naming of what the trailer is used for, because if so, there are a lot of people in trouble. Lots of companies list their trailers as "car haulers" and I'll bet lots have bought them to haul tractors or other cargo - not just cars. Sure-Trac, for one example, markets some of their 7k & 10k wood deck trailers as car haulers. i'm betting there have been a lot of them used to transport smaller tractors and lots of other loads - maybe even by people on here (I hauled my 3039r cab home on a borrowed 7k sure-trac almost a year ago and checked it over with my insurance company before i did it.) if the naming / intended use creates an insurance loophole you should be equally screwed if you hauled a 4k car on a 14k equipment trailer right?

we're not talking about things that won't fit, or unsafe loads here... that's a whole different animal.
 
   / Hauling tractor on U-haul car carrier trailer #70  
seems a lot of people have a story about how you'd be screwed on liability in an accident... just wondering where the loophole is?

My insurer (large name carrier that covers the whole country at least) extends my vehicle liability insurance to any trailer i tow in a non-commercial setting whether I own it or not. physical damage to the trailer or what I haul is on me without separate poilcies. if the trailer is suitably sized and safely connected to be hauling the load then where is the liability catch? surely it is not in the naming of what the trailer is used for, because if so, there are a lot of people in trouble. Lots of companies list their trailers as "car haulers" and I'll bet lots have bought them to haul tractors or other cargo - not just cars. Sure-Trac, for one example, markets some of their 7k & 10k wood deck trailers as car haulers. i'm betting there have been a lot of them used to transport smaller tractors and lots of other loads - maybe even by people on here (I hauled my 3039r cab home on a borrowed 7k sure-trac almost a year ago and checked it over with my insurance company before i did it.) if the naming / intended use creates an insurance loophole you should be equally screwed if you hauled a 4k car on a 14k equipment trailer right?

we're not talking about things that won't fit, or unsafe loads here... that's a whole different animal.

Give an accident chaser attorney an inch, and he will find a way to bring a liability case!
 
 
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