Northern Virginia Roll Call

Ahh, a CST stop. Never could bring myself to enforce that one.

 

Thats awesome.

 

I had german chocolate cake for breakfast. Now I need a glass of milk. And a nap.

 

You’ll definitely be fine at green ridge, be ready for mud with how much rain there has been though (not deep mud)

 

Milka oder was?

 

Hello . Been lurking for a while, haven't seen this thread until today. Living in Northern Virginia for another year or so.

 

Morning all...

 

Welcome!

 

That's awesome! Is it just me or shouldn't the "Y" be missing based on the lettering logic?

 

Welcome to the mad house!

 

Welcome to the thread!

 

nope its a Toy Yoda
not a Toyoda

I guess thats theirs but I got thrown off the same way when first looking at it.

 

Ah, got it...I think.

 

Welcome...

 

Mornin fellas

Stupid people! Its just rain not the end of the world. Get off the road if it scares you.

 

Have fun with your commute and count how many idiots in silver/gray vehicles don't have their lights on.

 

That sorta thing drives me crazy! Or even at night people fail to turn their lights on. I've almost hit a few people because of that.

 

Chatting with a buddy last night and he gave me this which was amended and passed a couple years back I think it was....He told me he pops people all the time with bumper mounted ball assemblies for not being "structurally adequate for the weight being drawn"....

1. That § 46.2-1118 of the Code of Virginia is amended and reenacted as follows:

§ 46.2-1118. Connection between vehicles; tow trucks towing vehicles by means of a wheel lift apparatus.

The connection between any two vehicles, one of which is towing or drawing the other on a highway, shall consist of a fifth wheel, drawbar, trailer hitch, or other similar device not to exceed 15 feet in length from one vehicle to the other. Any such two vehicles shall, in addition to such drawbar or other similar device, be equipped at all times when so operated on the highway with an emergency chain or cable that is structurally adequate to securely stop and hold the trailer being towed.

The fifth wheel, drawbar, trailer hitch, or similar device must (i) be structurally adequate for the weight being drawn, (ii) be properly and securely mounted, (iii) provide for adequate articulation at the connection without excessive slack at that location, and (iv) be provided with a locking device that prevents accidental separation of the towed and towing vehicles. The mounting of the fifth wheel, drawbar, trailer hitch, or similar device on the towing vehicle must include reinforcement or bracing of the frame sufficient to produce strength and rigidity of the frame to prevent its undue distortion.

The foregoing provisions of this section shall not apply to (i) any farm tractor, as defined in § 46.2-100, when such farm tractor is towing any farm implement or farm machinery by means of a drawbar coupled with a safety hitch pin or manufacturer's coupling device or (ii) any tow truck towing a vehicle by means of a wheel lift apparatus that employs a safety strap to hold two of the towed vehicle's wheels within a wheel lift cradle in a manner consistent with instructions of the manufacturer of such wheel lift apparatus.

 

So it looks like plate bumpers would be just fine from the looks of it. At least on my bumper it’s pure beef, beefier than an oem hitch.

 

Is he testifying as a structural engineer to the weight bearing ability of an OEM bumper based on his technical education and training? Or is he actually doing the research to see what the OEM bumper is rated for by the manufacturer, pulling out scales and getting weights on the trailer, calculating tongue weight etc, etc?

Ford says their step bumper is equipped with an "integrated hitch" so it meets the definition of the Va code saying you must have a hitch. Toyota does not call it a hitch, but rates it for 3500lbs total weight for towing with the bumper. So if he is pulling people over pulling a small trailer with a garden tractor, he will lose that case I think. If he is pulling people over towing a car trailer with a step bumper mounted ball, then he has a good case.