brodon
Florida
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Joined: 11/12/2011
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Just bought a Nat. Dolphin 38' Class A MH; looking at braking issue.
MH stats:
GVWR 24,000
GCWR 30,000
Unloaded WR 20,840
Max CC 3,160
Cargo CC 1,782
Tow Veh 3,880
The way I read these figures, I should be able to pull and brake with my MH safely.
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CA Traveler
The Western States
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Joined: 01/03/2004
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brodon wrote:Just bought a Nat. Dolphin 38' Class A MH; looking at braking issue.
MH stats:
GVWR 24,000
GCWR 30,000
Unloaded WR 20,840
Max CC 3,160
Cargo CC 1,782
Tow Veh 3,880
The way I read these figures, I should be able to pull and brake with my MH safely. My concern has always been safety, legal and liability. States have different laws requiring aux brakes. A 3,880 toad requires a brake in most states.
Should the unfortunate happen I don't want to be explaining to the insurance company or judge why I ignored the states requirements. Not to mention putting my assets at risk.
2009 Holiday Rambler 42' Scepter with ISL 400 Cummins
750 Watts Solar Morningstar MPPT 60 Controller
2014 Grand Cherokee Overland
Bob
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PartyOf Five
Wheaton, IL
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Joined: 07/18/2016
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No date but laws shown here are by state and province: https://drivinglaws.aaa.com/tag/trailer-brakes/
There's enough state requirements here, and the phrase above ( safety, legal, liability) to make me close the door on getting a tow dolly to embark on "the toad adventure" for now.
Descending a steep grade in Western PA with a utility trailer (roughly 1200 lbs), we popped the fuses on our conversion van rated to tow 5k.
The idiot that jumped in as traffic was stopping in Calgary last year made me stop so short that everything flew forward.
Combining these two incidents, I can envision significant damage. Now maybe the toad's purpose is to prevent the RV from taking these drives, but we drive in traffic all the time and for me it's more about having a spare set of wheels that I can move around easily in.
I wouldn't add the breaking system and accessories cost or effort into the equation right now, and I wouldn't get a tow dolly without including them. The conversation was very helpful for showing various viewpoints, products, and their reviews- thanks all.
Da Moose - 2001 Dutchman 31' on E450
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mowermech
Billings, MT
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Joined: 06/28/2003
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CA Traveler wrote:brodon wrote:Just bought a Nat. Dolphin 38' Class A MH; looking at braking issue.
MH stats:
GVWR 24,000
GCWR 30,000
Unloaded WR 20,840
Max CC 3,160
Cargo CC 1,782
Tow Veh 3,880
The way I read these figures, I should be able to pull and brake with my MH safely. My concern has always been safety, legal and liability. States have different laws requiring aux brakes. A 3,880 toad requires a brake in most states.
Should the unfortunate happen I don't want to be explaining to the insurance company or judge why I ignored the states requirements. Not to mention putting my assets at risk.
Most states do not have laws requiring a braking system on a towed motor vehicle.
However, nearly all states have a braking performance requirement. You must be able to come to a full stop within a certain distance from a certain speed, on a level, hard, clean surface (See MCA (Montana Code Annotated) 61-9-312 for an example of such a law). If you can meet that performance standard, you are legal. If you can't meet the standard, fix it so you can.
An almost identical standard can be found in the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS).
CM1, USN (RET)
2002 Fleetwood Southwind 32V, Ford V10
Daily Driver: '06 PT Cruiser Turbo
Toad: '05 Wrangler Unlimited
Toy: 1999 Dodge QC LWB, Cummins, Auto, 4X4
Other toys: 2 Kawasaki Brute Force 750 ATVs.
"When seconds count, help is only minutes away!"
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