USA State trailer laws

lots of 5th wheeler caravans and horse floats in australia , much better to tow. i even know of a mini roadtrain, its a toyota landcruiser towing a caravan and a large trailer boat hooked on behind the van.

 

Now that is illegal in Uk --unless you are a farmer or have a showmans license.

 

that landcruiser was in w.a and used to go up the coast for the winter each year, so it was not on the road much , i doubt if it would be legal in the eastern states.

 

Piggyback(tandem) trailers are illegal in Florida.

 

"Class A's (basically bus chassis),",,,, Not so,

A bus (except a skool bus) doesn't really have a chassis , most are monocoque or semi monocoque.

The Class A I see most is a stretched truck chassis (Ford or Chevy) or sometimes (higher end) a Spartan .

Class A just means the entire body is RV , not a stuck on body behind a truck driving area Class C.

These are usually fine , if the "engineering dept " is willing to accept the factory ratings.
They get in real trouble adding a pair of air shocks and 6 ft to the chassis and claiming it has a 5000LB better rating.

The best way to decide on a rig is to buy a RV magazine , and see how many "fixes and cures" are sold for the chassis you like.

Because some marketing clown claims his Alegro Bus is a bus , doesn't change how its constructed.

Just because Kittens are be born in the oven , there not MUFFNS!

 

You're right about the technical definition of class A's vs. class C's, of course. But there are class A's and class A's.

My old 32' Georgie Boy from the seventies is the sort you're describing. It has a V-8 Dodge engine and transmission. On the other hand, I've seen some seriously high-dollar diesel pushers out there, which are apparently built more like a bus.... those seem to be in an entirely different class.

Which reminds me: we're up to our keisters in Class A's and Class C's. But is (or was there ever) a Class B motor home?

 

Yes. Class B RVs are based on vans, see http://www.classbrv.com/ for examples. They are often called Campervans.

 

Fast Fred- I agree the distinction is largely historical. The industry is so large now that it can have stuff built to suit. The days of borrowing a coaster are pretty much over.

http://americancoach.com/americanrevolution/chassis.aspx

 

Ah. Thanks for enlightening me.

 

The goose-neck and the fifth-wheel are two totally different ways of coupling a semi-trailer.

With a goose-neck arrangement, you have a ball mounted on the truck bed and the receiver coupling is mounted on the goose-neck of the trailer.

A fifth-wheel is mounted on the tractor chassis that often has ramps that lift a landing plate below the trailer to the correct height. A king-pin is fitted in the middle of this landing plate and locks into the fifth-wheel. The king pin usually measures ~3-1/2"(or ~90mm) in diameter. A smaller diameter version is available in the US.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=endscreen&v=uvjTXcFDmRc&NR=1

 

You are absolutely right, my mistake. Here is an example of an rv 5th wheel hitch receiver. http://www.pplmotorhomes.com/parts/rv-hitches/valley-hitch-5th-wheel.htm
http://www.pplmotorhomes.com/parts/rv-hitches/Husky-hitch.jpg

 

This one calls itself a 5th wheel but is actually a goose-neck. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PGeUSjRMlQ4

 

Ha! Ha! That's pure genius.

 

Sort of. It's about half and half, fifth wheels and motorhomes. My wife and I are full timers and live in our motorhome. We prefer to pull a dinghy ( a car) instead of having a pickup that gets 8 mpg (like my motorhome). So when you are settled you can run around town, or where ever you need to go, in something that doesn't sound like a truck, and gets decent mileage. But there are pros and cons to both.