Car Camping / Trip Reports / Photos / Buildouts / “Overland” / Expedition Rigs Area (homeless?)

Another strike against Cali.

 

Technically, the 55 mph limit while towing is just within the populated areas, not the whole state. But when you're towing, it sure feels like the whole state.

 

Man some of the rules you guys have blow my mind... here they're like just send it bud !!!

 

Send it

 

It's a little gloomy outside, just woke up from a nap. Are you silly? I'm still gonna send it

 

Anything with 3 or more axles has a 55mph speed limit in CA.
I'm a truck driver. I get paid by the hour.
Just ain't care.

 

No.
False.
Read previous post.

 

Per CA DMV site: Unless otherwise posted, the maximum speed limit is 55 mph on a two-lane undivided highway and for vehicles towing trailers.

 

Since we're in a bit of a hiatus I decided to strip down the truck for cleaning and reorganizing as it's constantly kept nearly fully loaded at all times. As it turns out, when you remove the RTT, jerry cans, lights, fridge, drawer with it's contents and all the misc. crap scattered throughout it really makes a difference in gas mileage...

Consistently got around 210-220 out of a tank.
Currently getting about 290-310.
It also feels like a sports car in comparison

 

We have a couple spots on the major highways that have different speed limits for commercial trucks, but all the ones I know about are down steep grades and otherwise have quite high speed limits so it makes sense to me.

 

Onion Creek?

 

Yep. Drove out castle valley up to the kokopelli and down onion creek

 

Yes, and that does not include the freeway, which is about the only place I'd pull at speeds greater than 55. Frankly, I don't like driving much faster than 55 on two-lane highways without a trailer. A two-lane undivided highway is a different animal than an Interstate and on stretches of the 10 and the 15, speed limits are higher. You can legally tow (in safe conditions) on those stretches at the posted speed limits (70 and 75 IIRC).

I've been towing for a long ass time and much of that time is made up of towing horses. Needless to say, I'm deeply aware of speed limits, laws, regulations, and such, and do my damnedest to stay abreast of all of them. There is so little room for error when you have large animals in a trailer. That said, the biggest eye opener for me was learning about trailer tires and speeds. It turns out that many, many ST tires (Special Trailer?) that are standard on so many trailers don't really do well at higher speeds. Many are not rated above 65 mph. I learned this first hand caravanning back from Arizona one when my best friend (towing at 75+ mph) had a tire come apart and tear up the side of his trailer. As I replace tires on my horse trailer, I'm going to move to an LT to help guard against this. Moral of the story, if you're going to tow at high speeds, make sure your tires can take those speeds.

That's the last I have to say about all this. Your mileage may vary.

 

FIrst thing I've ever done, when buying a trailer, is to get really truck tires installed and get rid of the crap that came on it.

 

I've never understood why so many trailers come with garbage tires. I used to work at a marina and it was the same with boat trailers. "WHY DO YOU HAVE $6 TIRES THAT ARE GOING TO BLOW UP UNDER YOUR $80,000 BOAT!?!?" I thought to myself frequently.

 

I've had 3 tires blow up on 2 separate boat trailers I've towed for other people. Shitty tires mixed with sitting for long periods of time are a recipe for a blow out.

 

This is much better than how i have mine!!!!

 

I've got bigger tires on my hand truck than allot of people have on their boat and camper trailers. I see them blasting down the highway around here as we live next to the largest sportsman lake in the area and every weekend you see the carnage on the side of the road and at least once a month one will be burnt to the ground because they smoked the bearings.

Don't get me started on the muppets that try to tow giant trailers with little cars.