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Bought a trailer, need some help with loading


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i bought a 6x10 V nose with a ramp and i pull it with my Astro. i can fit 90% of what i need in the trailer so the rear of the van stays a lot more open now. i'm having some issues getting the tongue weight right but i am working that out slowly by arrangement of cabs/amps. its mostly getting better except right now where i made it worse in my last attempt.

 

here it is

 

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my question is about how to haul my par cans on 4 bars; right now they are suspened via chain/roof in the van and i hate it. they are hard to get in/out and they make so much noise it drives me nuts.

 

in my other band i made this light rack from scratch and it works well

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i dont know if i should pursue something along these lines for my four 4 bars of par cans or not. chain on the ceiling might be the answer, the roof is 6' tall so it would be fine but i am thinking of trying to store the lighting in the nose area either on the wall or a rack, or would chains allow the bulbs to last longer? i havent wrecked a bulb from hauling via chains yet.

 

there is damage on the front of the trailer that i am in the process of fixing.

 

 

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i'm going to redo both sides straight across

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i've put a lot of thought into a rack for them, but due to the V nose i think the 4 bars would have to be oriented vertically rather than the typical horizontal load. this creates quite a few new issues that i dont yet fully understand. the front is the only location to put these if they dont hang from the roof.

 

the truss/pucks work really well for the other band but i am stuck in the old days with par cans. fortunately i have 16 500watt lights and that is all i will have of those

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no. those trusses and lights were $2k used and unassembled. my own light rig is paid for minus some gels and misc every once in a while. i am long overdue for some bulb replacement but its fine for what its for and how often its used. i have been considering wireless dmx though, we use that on those trusses and its never let us down plus no dmx cable to run

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I have one fussy 4-Bar that refuses to work with wireless DMX... in fact, it refuses to be anything less than the first fixture in a wired DMX rig... but other than that, everything else works fine on the cheap chinese wireless DMX gear I have (one TX and 3 RX) and since it's working fine to run DMX through our snake to the stage and up to that truss where I mount that 4-Bar and then wireless DMX from there to everything else... it's been a huge benefit to use wireless DMX.

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I apologize for the slight hijacking of this thread. I see a lot of threads on trailers, but little info on DOT reg's that go with them. I've been debating about going tandem axle, but the GVWR combined would put me above the 10,000 lbs and require DOT numbers, and that's with an F150 tow vehicle. Do you guys with the F350's and or the bigger trailers run into this issue? Thanks and sorry for the hijacking

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no its ok its why i have such a small van and trailer. my GCWR is under 10k

 

but here is the deal, technically its still a commercial setup because you make money with it. so as far as i can tell you still need state and fed DOT numbers you can only work x amount of hours etc etc etc. this country is not free anymore.

 

 

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no but the GCW being over is almost a guarantee if you do. i dont know when things changed but if yo are over 10k GCW they want to weigh you here at least MN side. not sure ND side.

 

apparently if under 10k you re ignored even if commercial unless you advertise on the vehicle. we have astros in the parking lot with MNDOT numbers on them and there is no way to get an astro in the 10K GCWR but its commercial and interstate being on a border town so they eed MNDOT and federal DOT numbers.

 

none of our vehicles have NDDOT anything. not sure what the rules are in ND, maybe none. lots of folks dont even register or license plate their trailers at all. i do., it is the law but it seems not enforced here. MN is not so easy, they will ticket you for smiling

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Horse trailers are ALL tandem axle and most bumper pulls are under 10k.

 

 

 

The manufacturer of the trailer defines the GVWR, and may use tandem axles for other reasons unrelated to weight alone. Horse trailers use them for ride stability, weight distribution and safety under a tire failure condition, as well as for the electric braking capabilities.

 

 

 

you need to know your dot rules before coming to such conclusions.

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Never had DOT numbers on any of my boat trailers. Double axle saved my butt one time when I was on a fishing trip and snapped an axle. Was able to wire the axle up and limp home on axle. Around here two axles require brakes though.

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Correct. For example, my F150 has a GVWR of approx 6900. Looking at most enclosed trailers, single axle has a GVWR of 2900 and tandem has a GVWR of 7000. If I go for single axle, I'm good (6900 + 2900 = 9800), but if I go with a tandem, I'm over (6900+ 7000 =13900).

 

Aged, are you saying there are manufacturers out there that intentionally set low GVWR ratings? Do they use lower rated axles than typical manufacturers?

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I think I may have misunderstood the comment. I was thinking the limit applied to the trailer GVWR, not sure about the combined limit of 10k unless something changed recently. There is a difference between commercial and non-commercial though, I'm pretty sure the limits are much higher for non-commercial. Otherwise i am significantly over the 10k limit on my now non-commercial rig.

 

 

 

Are these federal DOT rules of some local rule?

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this is some of what i have found: and the commercial part apparently applies to us ALL no matter the weight.

 

http://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/registration/do-i-need-usdot-number

You are required to obtain a USDOT number if you have a vehicle that:

Has a gross vehicle weight rating or gross combination weight rating, or gross vehicle weight or gross combination weight, of 4,536 kg (10,001 pounds) or more, whichever is greater;

AND is involved in Interstate commerce:

Trade, traffic, or transportation in the United States—

 

  • Between a place in a State and a place outside of such State (including a place outside of the United States);
  • Between two places in a State through another State or a place outside of the United States; or
  • Between two places in a State as part of trade, traffic, or transportation originating or terminating outside the State or the United States.

 

States that Require a DOT Number

Apart from federal regulations, some states require commercial motor vehicle registrants to obtain a USDOT Number. These states include:

 

  • Alabama
  • Alaska
  • Arizona
  • Colorado
  • Connecticut
  • Florida
  • Georgia
  • Indiana
  • Iowa
  • Kansas
  • Kentucky
  • Maine
  • Maryland
  • Michigan
  • Minnesota
  • Missouri
  • Montana
  • New Jersey
  • New York
  • Nebraska
  • North Carolina
  • Ohio
  • Oklahoma
  • Oregon
  • Pennsylvania
  • South Carolina
  • Tennessee
  • Texas
  • Utah
  • Washington
  • West Virginia
  • Wisconsin
  • Wyoming

 

Updated: Sunday, December 28, 2014

 

 

 

 

ND does not require it

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commercial_vehicle

A vehicle may be considered a commercial vehicle if it:

 

  • Belongs to a company or corporation
  • Is used for business, but is in an individual's name, such as a sole proprietor
  • Is a leased vehicle and in the name of the financial institution that owns it
  • Exceeds a certain weight or class and therefore, is "classified" as commercial even though it may not be commercially used or commercially owned. A weight rating of 26,001 pounds or more is always consider commercial.[2]
  • Is used to haul any hazardous material

 

A vehicle can be used for a business, if not exclusively, and remain privately licensed, depending on the amount of time used for business.

Commercial truck classification

Commercial trucks are classified according to the Gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR). The United States Department of Transportation classifies commercial trucks with eight classes:[3]

 

  • Class 1- GVWR ranges from 0 to 6,000 pounds (0 to 2,722 kg)
  • Class 2- GVWR ranges from 6,001 to 10,000 pounds (2,722 to 4,536 kg)
  • Class 3- GVWR ranges from 10,001 to 14,000 pounds (4,536 to 6,350 kg)
  • Class 4- GVWR ranges from 14,001 to 16,000 pounds (6,351 to 7,257 kg)
  • Class 5- GVWR ranges from 16,001 to 19,500 pounds (7,258 to 8,845 kg).
  • Class 6- GVWR ranges from 19,501 to 26,000 pounds (8,846 to 11,793 kg)
  • Class 7- GVWR ranges from 26,001 to 33,000 pounds (11,794 to 14,969 kg)
  • Class 8- GVWR is anything above 33,000 pounds (14,969 kg)

 

Examples of commercial vehicles

 

 

 

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As an owners of a "V" nosed trailer,I will warn you about the turning of the trailer you bought. The "V" shortens the length of the tongue of the trailer. Be very careful when making turns when backing. Took me a bit to get used to the visual when compared to my old flat nosed trailer.Its very easy to hit the trailer with the bumper of my truck. My son saved me right after I bought it.

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So after more research, I discovered the Interstate vs Intrastate matters a lot. In my case, if I am only doing business in PA, and do not travel out of state, then PA only considers it a commercial vehicle if over 17001 lbs GCWR. So if I go with the tandem, I will be at 13900 and won't be required to have numbers. If I go out of state with the trailer, it will be for personal use only.

 

Back to the main thread, looking forward to seeing your finished project, Coaster.

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those tack strips suck. even if you staple them on the rip off in 4 months.

 

herculiner although expensive does well

 

btw i got the front end done yesterday. still no ideas on how to load my lighting rig. it goes out friday

 

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Continuing the trailer theme here' date=' does anyone do anything with their ramp door to prevent slipping? Tack strips like they make for steps, etc?[/quote']

 

 

 

I picked up some 4" non-skid tape from Acklands. Maybe $40 for a 60' roll. I used some spray adhesive where I was going to place each strip. It worked out really well and has lasted a good 3 years so far.

 

 

 

I'm in Canada so I do lots of gigs during the winter. Snow etc.

 

 

 

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