Just put a hitch on my tandem trailer that I haul ATV's on so I can pull my pop-up camper behind also. Has done very well on the first time out. Doe anyone foresee any problems that I could run into? I checked and it is legal in my state(Ky). Would like some input on what you all think

 

You do not mention what you are pull this with or what kind of brakes are on the trailers. If your tow vehicle is plenty big and you have a progressive braking system that is designed for double towing with good brakes on both trailers and you take it really easy you'll probably get by.

I always ask folks to consider the worse case scenario when these towing questions come up and my opinion is ask. What is going to happen if you are going downhill on a gradual to increasing corner that is getting pretty tight. The pavement is wet or maybe has a lot of wet leaves on it. The bad thing happens and a deer or other obstruction pops up in front of you and you have to really hit the brakes. In your case I can see where you could end up looking at your own tail lights or having the second trailer whip to the outside of the corner in a major wipeout.

I would not even consider pulling this setup without a really good brake system in place.

Just my opinion and I could be wrong but I'm basing it on having pulled a lot or trailers including a pup trailer behind a semi.

 

tencubed is right, i would have a braking system on all trailers pulled, the biggest triler with electric, and the other could be hydrolic system on the hitch, its well worth it

 

I pull a fifth wheel with a utility behind it!
Check it out.

 

<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote>Originally posted by: tencubedWhat is going to happen if you are going downhill on a gradual to increasing corner that is getting pretty tight. The pavement is wet or maybe has a lot of wet leaves on it. The bad thing happens and a deer or other obstruction pops up in front of you and you have to really hit the brakes.</end quote></div>

I pull a fifth wheel toy hauler that is right at the rated maximum of my one ton dually pickup when it is fully loaded, at 17,000 lbs. Even with triple axles and brakes on all three axles on the trailer, ... that deer is toast. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-frown.gif[/img] Lots of weight has lots of momentum, and just doesn't slow down very quickly. If it were me I would already be in low gear in that scenario, and taking it super super slow (the deer would still be dead, but maybe I wouldn't be).

I see lots of people pulling double trailers around here. Kind of scares me to tell the truth.

DV

 

I agree with you DesertViper, it scares the heck out of me as well. I grew up driving trucks and it concerns me that folks that would never qualify for a CDL can buy an off the rack pickup or light duty truck and hook all kinds of stuff behind it.

Even at my age and with medical problems that would prevent me from having a CDL again, even if I wanted one, I can legally buy the biggest truck or motorhome that can be run on the road, label it as a private RV, hang a huge trailer behind it, and hit the road. Just flat does not make sense IMO.

 

Alright, I am looking at triple towing. F350, 32 foot 5th wheel, and 12 foot enclosed trailer. Just curious on the brake setup for the rear 12 foot enclosed trailer. I know the laws and concerns, so lets keep the conversation on brakes. The F350 has the integrated brake controller. Do I need a second brake control for the back trailer? Do I tie into my existing 5th wheel trailer's axle e brakes? I can go talk to an RV shop but wanted to see what everyone thought about the best solution to control the back trailer's brakes. Thanks in advance for any advice on the brake setup.

 

that's what the RV shop told me. the car hauler behind the 5th wheel needs a separate controller, due to the fact that the brakes might be worn differently. you don't want one trailer locking up before the other one engages. made sense to me. it'd give a good balance to the entire control scheme. besides, i got a lot of money tied up in both trailers and loads....

 

The magnets on electric trailer brakes are all hooked in parallel. I don't see why you couldn't extend the wiring from where it branches at the 5th wheel's rear axle and run it to a plug at the 5th wheel's rear bumper.

It seems to me it wouldn't be any different than the brakes on my 3 axle 5th wheel.

I run a fluid pressure activated controller, and it calibrates to the trailer by pushing the manual activation lever to full (while stopped) briefly.

The other possibility, you could set up the rear trailer with hydraulic surge type braking system, since you won't likely be backing up anyway.

 

I think you would want the brakes seperarte. If the 12ft enclosed trailer was empty and the fifth wheel still weighed the same how would you set the controller. I think the 12 ft trailers brakes would lock almost instanly. Vice versa if you set it so the back trailer was right you wouldn't be getting the right amount of braking from the fifthwheel. All the controller does is decide how much voltage to send back to the brakes. Different loads require different adjustments.