Using your Jeep to tow

weldedcambolt said:
i think the "or" should have been an " and". "safety chains and brakes", if this is the actual written law. cause anybody holding onto safety chains in the cab, trying to control an out of control trailer, would be a treat to witness, like trying to control the reigns of a horse while sitting in front of it?:) i called the nd dot, to get an interpretation, see if they call back. a safety chain invention, that attaches to each side of the front of the trailer, an they stay equal an tight, during forward motion but when going into a turn, they slack off, for room to turn. that would saves thousands of wrecks, if done properly. maybe its out there, but to daunting a task to be controlled by a driver.
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she called me from the dot, but couldnt get the call, will call her monday, to see their interpretation.
 
My Bantam T3-C trailer weighs 1,050 pounds fully loaded and is equipped with safety chains but no brakes of any kind. It complies with all vehicle code requirements in my state.

I've decided not to tow my trailer through North Dakota until they learn to write clearly.

Problem solved; no statutory interpretation necessary.
 
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So, if your (or whomever's) interpretation is correct than every trailer must have brakes, I am thinking that that is not correct in that every little utility trailer sold at Lowes, Harbor Freight, etc. has to have brakes?...... no, I am thinking you are incorrect, the safety chains are required for smaller trailers (ie trailers that have a ball hitch or pintle hitch as opposed to a fifth wheel or goose neck trailer (depending not he set up) do not have safety chains but are required to have trailer brakes due to their increased weight....... I am pretty sure common sense comes into play, if the vehicle towing the trailer can be reasonably assumed to have adequate braking to stop the trailer based on weight then no trailer brakes are required...... just my opinion.....
 
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@FireJeep: those requirements are for trailers that are towed in excess of 25 miles an hour.

Besides, once the customer buys a trailer, it's not the retailer's responsibility to make sure the customer is using it correctly.
 
But the retailer has a legal obligation to note if the trailer (or whatever vehicle) is not street legal (ie side by sides state in many places "not legal for use on public highways" or some such language). Trailer brakes are required when the GVW of the trailer can exceed what a vehicle rated at towing that GVW can not adequately and safely stop.
 
FireJeep said:
But the retailer has a legal obligation to note if the trailer (or whatever vehicle) is not street legal (ie side by sides state in many places "not legal for use on public highways" or some such language). Trailer brakes are required when the GVW of the trailer can exceed what a vehicle rated at towing that GVW can not adequately and safely stop.
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Maybe, maybe not. Surely it varies from state to state. That is the problem, every state has their own regulations. So if towing out of state, you are responsible to know what and what is not legal. It is safe to say that brakes, safety chains, lighting, and break-away brakes, would satisfy every states regs.
 
FireJeep said:
But the retailer has a legal obligation to note if the trailer (or whatever vehicle) is not street legal (ie side by sides state in many places "not legal for use on public highways" or some such language).
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This is exactly why companies employ lawyers of their own; to make sure their products or the products on their shelves won't get them sued.

I feel like you're looking for a "gotcha" that isn't there.
 
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I am looking for a "gotcha"? Not at all, but I get torqued when people throw their opinions out as fact. North Dakota law does not require brakes on every trailer, that is fact. I was in Sturgis three years ago, I bought a trailer to tow behind my Indian motorcycle and it does not have brakes. No Gotcha, just facts.

And the fact that each state has it's own laws is not necessarily a bad thing, take concealed weapons for example, thankfully I live in VA where I am "allowed" to carry concealed, but our liberal neighbors in Maryland can not carry any sort of hand gun unless it is locked up and the ammo is carried in a separate and locked area of the vehicle.........

Just my 2 cents.........
 
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does north dakota, have a state federal register where the regulation is explained, like there is a federal register for the federal government where they laws are interpreted an where people can voice their opion steering on if they agree or not agree with the intent of the law wanting to be passed? https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/current everybody should look at the federal register everyday, to see whats going on. an if you see a paragraph like the one in n. d., then you can voice your opion rack an steering to them, so, it can be corrected. :)
 
The notifications were
filed for the purpose of extending the
Act’s provisions limiting the recovery of
antitrust plaintiffs to actual damages
under specified circumstances.

https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2018-03-19/pdf/2018-05533.pdf - like take this for example - is
Heterogeneous System Architecture Foundation trying to get out of something for the future, that their research may cause? this is just an example of why all should keep an eye on the federal register. :)

or what is the American Society of Mechanical Engineers up to on this page:) is the ASM trying to get your jeep turn signal to be seen from 400 miles away? all that you question, most of it starts on this daily federal register page.
 
UPDATE: Jeeps aren't meant to tow. However, it did the job. Hauled 3500 extra lbs of weight almost 2000 miles. I'll buy a truck before I ever do that again though. Had 1000 extra lbs in the jeep, the trailer weighed 1000 and the load on the trailer was 1500. No big issues besides ripped tarps and a broken saftey chain. My guess was it caught somehow on the grate on the Mackinaw bridge and snapped a link. Worst mpg was 8.5. Best was almost 13. Thanks for all the advise and suggestions.
 
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I have extensively towed a trailer with a couple dirt bikes, probably around 650 pounds. No problem, but I have a LJ.
I towed a two axle landscape trailer for 10 years with my YJ, but usually Only on side roads. Never a problem, except once I skidded through a red light and got a ticket. However, I was in my twenties and was drinking beers while driving half of the time so maybe don't take this as advice...
 
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