On 12/13/2017 10:52 AM, wrote:
On Wed, 13 Dec 2017 05:22:13 -0500, "Mr. Luddite"
wrote:

On 12/13/2017 1:18 AM, wrote:
On Tue, 12 Dec 2017 15:37:39 -0500 (EST), justan wrote:

I put together a 1720 lb rated Harbor Freight folding trailer.
Approx 300 lbs
On it, I have a 1050 lb golf car.
Tongue weight is 108 lbs with the car as far forward as I can get it.
Some say the tongue weight should be 10 to 15 % of total. Others
say 5 to 10 %.
Let's hear your opinions on the subject.

I would give it a shot. Short trailers have the sway problem worse
than long ones in my experience tho.
The tongue weight on my pontoon is less than 100 pounds and it tows
straight as an arrow at speeds up to 80 or so.
The tongue load may be more on the road tho since it loads with the
deck down at around 8-10 degrees so I imagine that may give me down
force at speed.

How far are you towing it and at what speeds? A surface road speed
you should not have any trouble at all.



Ummmm.... Greg ... just my opinion here but I think anyone pulling a
trailer loaded with a boat of any type doing "80 or so" shouldn't be
allowed on the road regardless of how skillful they think they are.


You must not drive in Florida very often. The speed limit on the
interstate is 70 and that is how fast people go ... or a little more.



Towing a trailer with a load on it? The max speed while towing in
Florida is 65 mph.

On 12/13/2017 11:08 AM, wrote:
On Wed, 13 Dec 2017 09:47:56 -0500 (EST), justan wrote:

Many states have a reduced speed limit when towing.

It is the same as a car here.



Not so. You should check your Florida laws regarding towing.
Specifically states that the max speed limit while towing is 65 mph.

On 12/13/2017 11:13 AM, wrote:
On Wed, 13 Dec 2017 09:50:51 -0500, John H
wrote:

On Wed, 13 Dec 2017 09:41:25 -0500 (EST), justan wrote:

John H Wrote in message:
On Tue, 12 Dec 2017 20:10:44 -0500 (EST), justan wrote:

Wrote in message:
On Tue, 12 Dec 2017 15:37:39 -0500 (EST), justan wrote:

I put together a 1720 lb rated Harbor Freight folding trailer.
Approx 300 lbs
On it, I have a 1050 lb golf car.
Tongue weight is 108 lbs with the car as far forward as I can get it.
Some say the tongue weight should be 10 to 15 % of total. Others
say 5 to 10 %.
Let's hear your opinions on the subject.

===

Towing a 7200 lb boat and trailer with my pickup truck, I found that
700 or 800 lb tongue weight was about right. I also increased
pressure on the rear truck tires about 5 lbs to stiffen up the side
walls. If you're towing with your big RV, that should be more stable
than a pickup truck. What I did when setting up was to take it out on
the highway and slowly increase speed. With an RV you might want to
have someone following unless you have a good rear facing camera.

I'd also recommend carrying one or two spare trailer tires.

---
This email has been checked for viruses by AVG.
http://www.avg.com



I'm going to try towing with the car first. I do have one spare.

Don't worry about spares. If a trailer tire blows, just hop in the golf cart and get to the nearest
gas station! :)


Good thought. I wouldn't even have to detach the trailer from the car.


Depending on the height of the trailer, you may not even need a ramp.

Sometimes I'm just pretty damn ingenious!

Just back down into a swale and you can directly load into most trucks
and trailers. A Club Car will fit in a standard full size pickup. I
assume most are the same size. You are best backing them in tho
because they are heavier in the back and it gets the weight centered
better. We hauled ours around in "Brownie" our old F150.



Greg, not all places in the country have swales like in Florida.

On Wed, 13 Dec 2017 11:25:06 -0500, "Mr. Luddite"
wrote:

On 12/13/2017 10:52 AM, wrote:
On Wed, 13 Dec 2017 05:22:13 -0500, "Mr. Luddite"
wrote:

On 12/13/2017 1:18 AM, wrote:
On Tue, 12 Dec 2017 15:37:39 -0500 (EST), justan wrote:

I put together a 1720 lb rated Harbor Freight folding trailer.
Approx 300 lbs
On it, I have a 1050 lb golf car.
Tongue weight is 108 lbs with the car as far forward as I can get it.
Some say the tongue weight should be 10 to 15 % of total. Others
say 5 to 10 %.
Let's hear your opinions on the subject.

I would give it a shot. Short trailers have the sway problem worse
than long ones in my experience tho.
The tongue weight on my pontoon is less than 100 pounds and it tows
straight as an arrow at speeds up to 80 or so.
The tongue load may be more on the road tho since it loads with the
deck down at around 8-10 degrees so I imagine that may give me down
force at speed.

How far are you towing it and at what speeds? A surface road speed
you should not have any trouble at all.



Ummmm.... Greg ... just my opinion here but I think anyone pulling a
trailer loaded with a boat of any type doing "80 or so" shouldn't be
allowed on the road regardless of how skillful they think they are.


You must not drive in Florida very often. The speed limit on the
interstate is 70 and that is how fast people go ... or a little more.



Towing a trailer with a load on it? The max speed while towing in
Florida is 65 mph.


There are no signs saying that.

On Wed, 13 Dec 2017 11:27:37 -0500, "Mr. Luddite"
wrote:

On 12/13/2017 11:13 AM, wrote:
On Wed, 13 Dec 2017 09:50:51 -0500, John H
wrote:

On Wed, 13 Dec 2017 09:41:25 -0500 (EST), justan wrote:

John H Wrote in message:
On Tue, 12 Dec 2017 20:10:44 -0500 (EST), justan wrote:

Wrote in message:
On Tue, 12 Dec 2017 15:37:39 -0500 (EST), justan wrote:

I put together a 1720 lb rated Harbor Freight folding trailer.
Approx 300 lbs
On it, I have a 1050 lb golf car.
Tongue weight is 108 lbs with the car as far forward as I can get it.
Some say the tongue weight should be 10 to 15 % of total. Others
say 5 to 10 %.
Let's hear your opinions on the subject.

===

Towing a 7200 lb boat and trailer with my pickup truck, I found that
700 or 800 lb tongue weight was about right. I also increased
pressure on the rear truck tires about 5 lbs to stiffen up the side
walls. If you're towing with your big RV, that should be more stable
than a pickup truck. What I did when setting up was to take it out on
the highway and slowly increase speed. With an RV you might want to
have someone following unless you have a good rear facing camera.

I'd also recommend carrying one or two spare trailer tires.

---
This email has been checked for viruses by AVG.
http://www.avg.com



I'm going to try towing with the car first. I do have one spare.

Don't worry about spares. If a trailer tire blows, just hop in the golf cart and get to the nearest
gas station! :)


Good thought. I wouldn't even have to detach the trailer from the car.


Depending on the height of the trailer, you may not even need a ramp.

Sometimes I'm just pretty damn ingenious!

Just back down into a swale and you can directly load into most trucks
and trailers. A Club Car will fit in a standard full size pickup. I
assume most are the same size. You are best backing them in tho
because they are heavier in the back and it gets the weight centered
better. We hauled ours around in "Brownie" our old F150.



Greg, not all places in the country have swales like in Florida.


You can usually find a little hill you can work with if you look
around. That is how we loaded Harleys and that was all over the DC
area. It really does not take much.

On 12/13/2017 1:12 PM, wrote:
On Wed, 13 Dec 2017 11:25:06 -0500, "Mr. Luddite"
wrote:

On 12/13/2017 10:52 AM, wrote:
On Wed, 13 Dec 2017 05:22:13 -0500, "Mr. Luddite"
wrote:

On 12/13/2017 1:18 AM, wrote:
On Tue, 12 Dec 2017 15:37:39 -0500 (EST), justan wrote:

I put together a 1720 lb rated Harbor Freight folding trailer.
Approx 300 lbs
On it, I have a 1050 lb golf car.
Tongue weight is 108 lbs with the car as far forward as I can get it.
Some say the tongue weight should be 10 to 15 % of total. Others
say 5 to 10 %.
Let's hear your opinions on the subject.

I would give it a shot. Short trailers have the sway problem worse
than long ones in my experience tho.
The tongue weight on my pontoon is less than 100 pounds and it tows
straight as an arrow at speeds up to 80 or so.
The tongue load may be more on the road tho since it loads with the
deck down at around 8-10 degrees so I imagine that may give me down
force at speed.

How far are you towing it and at what speeds? A surface road speed
you should not have any trouble at all.



Ummmm.... Greg ... just my opinion here but I think anyone pulling a
trailer loaded with a boat of any type doing "80 or so" shouldn't be
allowed on the road regardless of how skillful they think they are.


You must not drive in Florida very often. The speed limit on the
interstate is 70 and that is how fast people go ... or a little more.



Towing a trailer with a load on it? The max speed while towing in
Florida is 65 mph.


There are no signs saying that.


Don't feel bad. In Massachusetts the max legal towing speed is 55 mph.
65 mph in FL is listed in several online sources in addition to this one:

http://www.hitchemup.com/statetowinglaws.htm

On Wed, 13 Dec 2017 13:20:38 -0500, "Mr. Luddite"
wrote:

On 12/13/2017 1:12 PM, wrote:
On Wed, 13 Dec 2017 11:25:06 -0500, "Mr. Luddite"
wrote:

On 12/13/2017 10:52 AM, wrote:
On Wed, 13 Dec 2017 05:22:13 -0500, "Mr. Luddite"
wrote:

On 12/13/2017 1:18 AM, wrote:
On Tue, 12 Dec 2017 15:37:39 -0500 (EST), justan wrote:

I put together a 1720 lb rated Harbor Freight folding trailer.
Approx 300 lbs
On it, I have a 1050 lb golf car.
Tongue weight is 108 lbs with the car as far forward as I can get it.
Some say the tongue weight should be 10 to 15 % of total. Others
say 5 to 10 %.
Let's hear your opinions on the subject.

I would give it a shot. Short trailers have the sway problem worse
than long ones in my experience tho.
The tongue weight on my pontoon is less than 100 pounds and it tows
straight as an arrow at speeds up to 80 or so.
The tongue load may be more on the road tho since it loads with the
deck down at around 8-10 degrees so I imagine that may give me down
force at speed.

How far are you towing it and at what speeds? A surface road speed
you should not have any trouble at all.



Ummmm.... Greg ... just my opinion here but I think anyone pulling a
trailer loaded with a boat of any type doing "80 or so" shouldn't be
allowed on the road regardless of how skillful they think they are.


You must not drive in Florida very often. The speed limit on the
interstate is 70 and that is how fast people go ... or a little more.



Towing a trailer with a load on it? The max speed while towing in
Florida is 65 mph.


There are no signs saying that.


Don't feel bad. In Massachusetts the max legal towing speed is 55 mph.
65 mph in FL is listed in several online sources in addition to this one:

http://www.hitchemup.com/statetowinglaws.htm

On Wed, 13 Dec 2017 13:20:38 -0500, "Mr. Luddite"
wrote:

Towing a trailer with a load on it? The max speed while towing in
Florida is 65 mph.


There are no signs saying that.


Don't feel bad. In Massachusetts the max legal towing speed is 55 mph.
65 mph in FL is listed in several online sources in addition to this one:

http://www.hitchemup.com/statetowinglaws.htm

I am not sure I have ever seen that enforced. Would that include semi
trailers? If so it is definitely ignored. There are semis going 80
every day on I-70 and 70 on the 2 lane blacktops (with 60 MPH limits).
I also see plenty of regular trailers going over 70 on the interstate
without much attention from the cops. I also believe the counties
around me are "tags optional" since I see trailers without one a lot
and occasionally cars and trucks. When I said something to the part
time cop who worked for IBM he just laughed and said it was not
something they were told to "police". He did get a kick out of the
"tags optional" line tho and said he would start using it. He also
liked "speeder maid" to describe state troopers. Evidently there is a
bit of animosity between them and the deputies. He was an aux deputy
(but "sworn") at the Charlotte sheriff department and was the senior
officer there. (as a volunteer). None of the full time had more years
on the force. The newly elected sheriffs tend to clean house when they
take over and there was a lot of churn in Charlotte county.

On 12/13/2017 1:53 PM, wrote:
On Wed, 13 Dec 2017 13:20:38 -0500, "Mr. Luddite"
wrote:

Towing a trailer with a load on it? The max speed while towing in
Florida is 65 mph.


There are no signs saying that.


Don't feel bad. In Massachusetts the max legal towing speed is 55 mph.
65 mph in FL is listed in several online sources in addition to this one:

http://www.hitchemup.com/statetowinglaws.htm

I am not sure I have ever seen that enforced. Would that include semi
trailers? If so it is definitely ignored. There are semis going 80
every day on I-70 and 70 on the 2 lane blacktops (with 60 MPH limits).
I also see plenty of regular trailers going over 70 on the interstate
without much attention from the cops. I also believe the counties
around me are "tags optional" since I see trailers without one a lot
and occasionally cars and trucks. When I said something to the part
time cop who worked for IBM he just laughed and said it was not
something they were told to "police". He did get a kick out of the
"tags optional" line tho and said he would start using it. He also
liked "speeder maid" to describe state troopers. Evidently there is a
bit of animosity between them and the deputies. He was an aux deputy
(but "sworn") at the Charlotte sheriff department and was the senior
officer there. (as a volunteer). None of the full time had more years
on the force. The newly elected sheriffs tend to clean house when they
take over and there was a lot of churn in Charlotte county.


Your state DMV laws may be loosely enforced but they still *are* laws.
Florida technically requires tags and insurance on trailers as well.

When I travel down a turnpike or divided highway I am not as concerned
about big semi-trailer trucks being driven by professional drivers. I
am far more wary of the weekend warrior heading down to the Cape, towing
his boat with a Jeep Cherokee or something and doing 70-80 mph. Those
are the ones most likely to lose control and end up killing someone.

wrote:
On Wed, 13 Dec 2017 09:47:56 -0500 (EST), justan wrote:

Many states have a reduced speed limit when towing.

It is the same as a car here.


Here on the towing and truck limit is 55. Trucks seem to do 63 on 70 mph
I-5. They need to change the limits. Is causing accidents and
congestion. 15 mph on a 2 lane each way interstate is designed to cause
accidents.