34 foot enclosed trailer first time.

[snowmobile74]

Howdy all! I'm going to be moving a lot in the next few months and my plan is to load up a 34' trailer to haul my stuff around. I have a lot of experience towing 4 place snowmobile trailers but nothing THIS big. So first off, the trailer is a three axle standard hitch trailer with electronic breaks.

Do I need any special licencing for this? What should I watch out for/prepare for on the two cross country trips I'm taking (one in december)?

thanks!

[Boost]

You should be fine. No licensing need to tow a trailer. Just remember that when your switching lanes to keep room to clear the trailer. also you will have to turn wider on some right turns so take those wider then normal... I have a 40' Enclosed gooseneck and i just need to remember that i have a bigger trailer then my 18'

nothing special needed to haul this trailer. just make sure trailer tires are aired up and try not to turn around in REALLY tight spots... tri axle trailers that are loaded like to rip axles or tires off when turned REALLY tight and fully loaded. good luck

[03-blue-Powerstroke]

I also would be sure you have a spare tire and tools to fix a flat just in case.

[mrnecsteve]

#1 get a load equalising hitch if the trailer didnt come with one,especially if youre not using a drw with a long wheelbase.
#2 take the time (with a helper ) to find out what your "offtrack" will be.(does the trailer follow the same path as your tires on a turn...how much is it off?
#3 Check the vehicle licensing requirements in your state (you didnt mention your state)
By haveing a triple axle,youre trailer is probably rated for 15k,which puts you over the 10,000 pound class.
In some of the eastern states,they have adopted the new DOT regulations. Its generally
referred to as" NON CDL driving a commercial vehicle."A 15k trailer is commercial,but doesnt require a cdl.(but does require numbers,hazard signs and a fire extinguisher.(I believe it requires a med exam as well.) Quite a few contractors in pa,de,and md have been hassled by this new rerquirement even tho they have been hauling their backhoes around for years without special equip.
Check it out for your state. A three axle trailer is a dead giveaway to law enforcement.

[Baddestt]

Originally Posted by snowmobile74

Howdy all! I'm going to be moving a lot in the next few months and my plan is to load up a 34' trailer to haul my stuff around. I have a lot of experience towing 4 place snowmobile trailers but nothing THIS big. So first off, the trailer is a three axle standard hitch trailer with electronic breaks.

Do I need any special licencing for this? What should I watch out for/prepare for on the two cross country trips I'm taking (one in december)?

thanks!

In June I just towed the same type of trailer, 34' triple axle enclosed cargo trailer, standard hitch type. I loaded all of my furniture and my girl's furniture and I started from the front and worked my way back because in the rear end of the trailer was my Lexus IS 350, which weighed 3600lbs by itself. I placed the car in the rear just in case I broke down, then it would be easy to get it out. I tied all the heavy stuff down and Once everything was loaded up it tip the scales at 17,000lbs....quite a hefty load.

I utilized sway/load equalizing bars for the trailer tongue to minimize sway and a BRAKE CONTROLLER IS A MUST. I also had my tranny flushed and filled with new MERCON SP, radiator flushed, changed the fuel filters, and ran a fresh coat of Mobil 1 Turbo Diesel Truck 5w40 and new Motorcraft oil filter. Also, purchased 4 gallons of Diesel Kleen and TCW-3 2 cycle oil to be mix with the diesel. MAKE SURE YOU GET GUAGES! I pulled this load when I moved from Tampa, FL to Austin, TX this past June. I left at night because temps were much cooler, it was a 25 hr drive!

Be carefule with DOT laws in your state, as I got stopped in the middle of the night about 200 miles before exiting FL by the Florida Agricultural Police, not DOT. I was supossed to stop at a trailer weigh station and I didnt, I thought it was for 18-wheelers, anyway he inspected my load briefly and asked me where I was headed at so late at night, and I told him moving to Texas....he ended up writing me a WARNING....so he turned out to be real cool, but I might not have been so lucky if it was Florida DOT, those guys are DICKS.

My mods are in my sig, which is not much, but what really helped towing was the 4.30 gears with 33" tires....on the flats I could keep it at 65-72....what really slowed me down was the hills...slowed to 35mph but EGTs never got much passed 1050degrees on hills and 800 on flats....Keep an eye on tranny temps as mines were 170 on the flats and about 185 on hills and up a steep bridge in LA it got to 195....so you know when to back off.

Give yourself extra distance when in traffic, because morons will cut in front of you or slam on brakes....I always stayed in the right lane and its scary going through the construction areas and big 18-wheeler rigs passin you. Plan for turns and take wide turns...the trailer is much longerthan you think when driving Just take it easy, constantly check your mirrors and the hell with those that get mad because your going to slow!

Lastly make sure you bring extra jacks and extra trailer tires...I had 1 trailer tire shred on I-10 in LA. The trailer was too heavy for my jack, so luck would have it I had Triple A and the guy came out and had heavy duty equipment and was able to put on the new spare.

I never had any problems with the powerstroke with that type of weight and 1200 miles.

Just be careful!

[Ryan Rønning]

You should be fine on Licensing as long as you stay under 26000lbs. That is the cut off for my license.

I pull a 48' GN and the biggest thing to always remember is turn wide and plan your turns ahead.

I assume that your truck has a trailer brake controller and if it doesn't then get one asap.

On a trailer this big I also highly recommend the load equalizing hitch as mentioned above.

If you are going to be traveling in snow this winter keep your speeds down and use the trailers brakes to your advantage. They will keep you going strait down the road.

[mrnecsteve]

I did a little more research and found this:
Online Registration and Compliance Assistant: 2.10
In summary: If you cross state lines,if over 10k,and if FOR HIRE...you need to get registered.
Some states are enforceing and checking....if you get pulled over with 10,001 pounds in your trailer,going to another state.....youre not doing it for hire (or youre employer) It is
completely aside from being under 26,000 pounds. If there is old signage on the trailer..remove it.
I suspect...(and I am not a constitutional lawyer)but I suspect that the police would now have the right to pull you over without "probable cause" as the trailer is commercial class.(watch for weigh stations)

[corey.beggs]

I just did a trip from sc to ok with a 30ft and only thing i can say that not been said is if you use cruise control take it off when you hit a hill cause itll scream to try to keep up, good thing i did too cause within a week of gettin to ok i had to have a full head gasket, egr valve, egr cooler and oil cooler replaced that were close to going out by the grace god is the only way i figure i made it with no problems.

[snowmobile74]

Seriously some awesome information here thanks guys! Its going to be registered in Iowa and driven solo trhough Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Pensylvania, West Verginia, Virginia and back!

Then again later though Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, Washington and back with a follow car