Tri- trailing (pulling additional trailer behind 5th wheel)

[CK Tobin]

Has anyone pulled another trailer behind their 5th wheel with quads or side by sides? If so any problems having a hitch installed on the rear of the 2018 5th wheel ( or newer or older units). I know it voids the 3 year structure warranty.
Thanks for any comments.
CK

[Kid1956]

CK, youre gonna get lots of opinions, for weight,structure,etc..
the biggie is, you will need a doubles endorsement on your DL to be legal. NV is really big on checking for this.. its the one thing NHP will stop you for.. just sayin..

my x-trucker opinion is, theyre not made to.. and unless youre pulling w a KW or Pete,etc.. youre pickup isnt big enough if things literally go sideways with doubles. Lots do it,, and have power to pull it.. but when it starts to jack.. youll get it..

[Eagleback]

In Michigan its called a double double and it requires a class R endorsement. Its not legal to do in all states and the second trailer can not weight heavier than the 5th wheel and 72 foot total length for the whole rig. as for backing you really dont do it. small city streets are an issue.

[Theunz]

I pulled various bass boats behind various trailers with various trucks for over 30 years. Every thing kept getting longer and heavier, but all towed well. My current boat is 20+feet and boat and trailer probably weight about 3500lbs; so I decided that may be more weight than my poor old truck may want to handle. As mentioned laws vary in different states. Your ATV trailer will tow behind your 5th wheel the same as it tows behind your truck, so if it's sketchy behind the truck it will be sketchy behind the 5er. Except for going around corners most of the time you won't be able to see it. One time I had a car beside me motion towards my rear, and when I stopped and checked it out I was surprised to see not only a flat on the boat, but nothing left of the tire except the two sidewalls. If you decide to pull doubles than I suggest that you go to a good trailer hitch shop and have them custom build a hitch. You must be extra diligent when pulling doubles and drive at a lower speed. With practice you can back them but it must be done in baby steps. The only time I felt uncomfortable was with my last setup, and then only when I exceeded 62mph, however that boat should have been on a tandem trailer and was also twitchy behind my pickup. Perhaps I had little issue towing doubles because I pulled doubles, triples, and trains at work for 40 years. By the way, when other drivers would shout out on the CB that my triples were really wiggling I would reply that if I can't read the company name on the side of the trailer than all was fine 😎

[BandBmalin]

I pull a "smart trailer" behind my fiver with a golf cart on it. The advantage with this is that it is a solid connection to my fiver so I am basically lengthening my trailer about 7 feet. When I turn, I have to be a bit more careful because of the extra length behind my fiver axles, but backing is just like normal. I cut the receiver off of the trailer that was installed at the factory and installed a bolt on receiver I got online. (My 3rd one I've bolted on trailers with no issues yet!) I can't see this trailer so I'm also extra diligent on maintaining my tire pressures and am in the market for a TPMS for the fiver and smart trailer so I know faster if there ever is an issue.

For me, this works great and i get to use my entire fiver without sacrificing a part of it to a garage.

[jeffba]

Looks like CO makes RVs exempt from requiring a CDL- so no endorsement is needed.

The frames on SOBs rated to tow are a lot beefier front to back.

Question begs the difference of can and should.

[DQDick]

I've always been told that It's mostly illegal on the east and west coast.

[MxBound]

Cdl holder here with double/triples endorsement !
We plan on towing a side x side on a trailer behind our 5er.

[DQDick]

You would have to do something to attract them, but some states also have total length requirements that could come into play.

[whiterose]

Originally Posted by Eagleback

In Michigan its called a double double and it requires a class R endorsement. Its not legal to do in all states and the second trailer can not weight heavier than the 5th wheel and 72 foot total length for the whole rig. as for backing you really dont do it. small city streets are an issue.

The other requirement in MI is that the safety chains go to the rear corners of the towing trailer, not to the hitch.

[worleyjrtx5]

Texas has a 65 foot length restriction. Do it with my gator which exceeds the length a couple of feet no issues so far. Does cause a bit of chucking cause the gator is heavy (Kubota).

[richfaa]

Originally Posted by MxBound

Cdl holder here with double/triples endorsement !
We plan on towing a side x side on a trailer behind our 5er.

The CDL will not help you as you are not pulling commercial when driving a RV.

[jetskier]

If you have a class A CDL with doubles/triples endorsement, it usually covers all the non-commercial licenses classes. I have a non-commercial class A, but previously a class C with an endorsement for a combination of vehicles (multiple trailers) and towing over 10k.

For the record, I pulled my jet ski trailer (2500#) behind my 3790RD. It has the factory installed 2in receiver rated for 300# rack load. I added another 2in sq x 3/16 wall tube to support the receiver tube at the back end. I welded it to the end of the 12in wide flange frame beams to stiffen it up more. I added wiring and a chain loop. I also have disc brakes. I wouldn't recommend double towing with electric drums. I can stop the entire combination with the trailer brakes alone. My first tow was Friday and it pulled great. Heavy, but no chucking, no swaying. I monitored it with my back up camera. I've towed doubles with my old trailers since 2000.

If you don't drive erratically, you won't have any issues.

I can backup with this combination as well. Not for miles, but a couple hundred feet.

[StageCoachDriver]

Check if you need an D/L endorsement in your home state and check if it's legal in states you may travel through. On semi good resource is: http://www.doityourselfrv.com/state-towing-speeds/

[reinell30]

Originally Posted by CK Tobin

Has anyone pulled another trailer behind their 5th wheel with quads or side by sides? If so any problems having a hitch installed on the rear of the 2018 5th wheel ( or newer or older units). I know it voids the 3 year structure warranty.
Thanks for any comments.
CK

I have towed tandem in MONTANA since 2003. Currently I tow my 2007 Montana 3500RL with my F250 diesel. Behind my RV I tow a 2010 Reinell fiberglass boat that weighs over 4000lbs. I have never had an issue. Make sure your welder puts cross beams on the frame of the RV for your hitch. The hitch that come son the newer Montana models is not for towing more than 1000lbs I don't believe. Get a good hitch welded to the Montana frame.

As far as tandem towing in certain states, check with the highway patrol divisions in each state you plan on towing in. Colorado, Montana, Texas, Wyoming, Idaho and Oregon all allow Tandem towing. Montana limits the length to 75 ft but are lenient depending on size of towing vehicle.

[Ernrays]

Three items to emphasize that have already been mentioned above. (1) Check the state laws for each state you plan to pull the tandem. Utah has a length restriction. If you exceed it you have to pay an additional $100 per year or $30 per trip. I imagine other states have similar restrictions. (2) Install a camera so you can see what is going on back there. I too blew a tire on the boat. I was lucky. I had a family member trailing me and called me on the cell to pull over. Without that, I'd have pulled the boat on a metal rim for miles. YouTube has a WiFi camera system detailed on it that I installed on my 2008 Mountaineer. I point the camera out the back window. I can see upcoming traffic on both sides of the boat and can see if it is trailing normally. The whole set up cost me less than $100. There are other really good systems out there for a few more bucks. I think the camera is critical for safety; at least it is for me. When I had my problem, I didn't notice anything was wrong and I can't see the boat when I am towing tandem: no drag, no sway, no nothing! (3) I don't exceed 65 mph when pulling tandem and am more comfortable at 60 mph. 70-80% of the time I am on the interstate so I don't have to pass anyone. It's a relaxing change. I've had no problems pulling the rig from home at an elevation of 2800 feet to 9800 feet at the lake. I'm pulling with a 2007 Chevy Diesel with a Duramax. That may make my life easier.

[miton 5052]

What trailers have you looked at, and what SBS, are going to tow? Have looked into swivel wheels. And a polaris 570

[Ernrays]

Originally Posted by Ernrays

Three items to emphasize that have already been mentioned above. (1) Check the state laws for each state you plan to pull the tandem. Utah has a length restriction. If you exceed it you have to pay an additional $100 per year or $30 per trip. I imagine other states have similar restrictions. (2) Install a camera so you can see what is going on back there. I too blew a tire on the boat. I was lucky. I had a family member trailing me and called me on the cell to pull over. Without that, I'd have pulled the boat on a metal rim for miles. YouTube has a WiFi camera system detailed on it that I installed on my 2008 Mountaineer. I point the camera out the back window. I can see upcoming traffic on both sides of the boat and can see if it is trailing normally. The whole set up cost me less than $100. There are other really good systems out there for a few more bucks. I think the camera is critical for safety; at least it is for me. When I had my problem, I didn't notice anything was wrong and I can't see the boat when I am towing tandem: no drag, no sway, no nothing! (3) I don't exceed 65 mph when pulling tandem and am more comfortable at 60 mph. 70-80% of the time I am on the interstate so I don't have to pass anyone. It's a relaxing change. I've had no problems pulling the rig from home at an elevation of 2800 feet to 9800 feet at the lake. I'm pulling with a 2007 Chevy Diesel with a Duramax. That may make my life easier.

WIFI Camera on YouTube

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6UIG-31UCFU

[reinell30]

I have also towed my 28ft Mission enclosed trailer with three side X sides and lots of gear behind my Montana with no issues. Each atv weigh 1100 and the trailer is 2800.

[badknees]

Badknees here I to have a smart trailer on 2019 3931FB I haul a small golfcart. I had to stop at keystone because my door to coach would not lock. the first thing keystone said the trailer was causing my door from locking. lazydays was trying to fix it . that didn't work. anyway keystone wants me to have my trailer frame checked for cracks or twisting. I only had the fifth wheel for two weeks. keystone said they would put new strike plate on. when I walk away he put the old plate on, that was ground down by lazydays iam not sure what to do new at this. they drilled a few holes to move the strike plate around and now it stays loose