Boat towing speed; Major dilemma

[Fish Chris]

First off, out of curiosity, how fast do you guys tow your boats ???

Of course everybody here knows that towing a boat, or any kind of trailer, for that matter, faster than 55 mph is against the law.
But here's my problem with that... I typically tow my boat at 62 mph. At this speed, nearly all cars and trucks are litterally flying by me, at 70 to 80 mph. Often times I see them close in on my tail so fast, all I can do is grip the wheel, and hope they notice that I'm "crawling along" at only 62 mph..... before they shove my motor through my transom, and then my boat through my truck !

It's "already dangerous" that I'm traveling at "only 62 mph", when the general flow is averaging 75 ! IMPO, it would be just flat out stupid for me to drop down to 55 mph !

So, the dilemma is, do we drive "as safe as we can, by speeding up closer to the speed of the general flow of traffic" ? ..... Or, do we endanger ourselves and others, to a much higher degree, by obeying the law, and driving at 55 mph ?

What do you do ?

Fish

[getalife]

I usually tow at the speed of traffic. I f I see a CHP I will deffinately slow down, but If I tow at 55 I am impeding traffic. I dont know how thew CHP officers feel about this but I havent had a ticket with my boat yet.

[Ricky-S]

Depends on where I am and how many cars are on the road. I drive a lot of miles between Northern CA, Navada and AZ. I tend to tow between 65 and 70.

In 12 years of towing all over the West I have gotton two tickets, one of which I faught and won in court.

PS-The speed limit is 55. Get a radar detector

[Paul W]

I dont have a boat at the moment, but I've always towed right around 60mph. I've seen guys pull wayyy faster which is nuts, even w/ good brakes and dual axles. I remember once going to the Delta I saw some guy pulling a Tracker Pro Guide V16 probably 85-90mph, this dude was HAULIN!

Paul W

[SloppySeconds]

I did get tagged by CHP on HW5 by an airplane while towing a small boat at 63-65... trying to stay somewhat with the traffic. That was an expensive ticket.

I think the important thing to think about is being able to stop when you need to, so 55 might be good in crowded traffic, but otherwise, I'll tow at 65-70 when out of CA. I think the 55 speed limit for trailers is pretty lame. There should be some sort of weight cut-off, since a guy with a 12' aluminum boat isn't the same thing as an 18-wheeler, but has to go the same speed....?

SF

[Cooch]

If I'm driving an Interstate highway, I will typically tuck in and safely cruise behide a simi rig. I was once told by an HP officer, ta do this, they NEVER excede the speed limit he said as he scolded me. That was 20 years ago while driving to Shasta on I5, haven't gotten a speeding ticket or pulled over since.

On other routes, highways and country roads, I tend to follow the DMV rule, "Drive only as fast as it is safe". That would typically be plus or minus 10 mph of the posted speed limit depending on the conditions.

[Pat]

I typically have towed at 60-62. That gets me there fast enough. I have never considered myself a hazard at those speeds as other trailer vehicles are usually around that speed too. Watch out for being in the priority lane on a multilane freeway with a trailer too, I got pulled over at 4 a.m. going through Sacramento when I was the only one on the road. Just a warning thankfully.

The other thing to consider is fuel mileage. When I towed my 19 foot Triton with my 01 Silverado I would consistantly get 14-15 mpg as long as I kept the speed to 60-62. My buddy with the same truck tows 65-70 and usually gets 11-12 mpg. At $3.30+ per gallon that will add up over a year.

Pat

[Jim PAyne]

Is that a real law just in CA? I was born and raised in CA (ya along time ago). But since I have been around the fishing business it has all been in the southern states and if you drive 55 there you will probably get ran over.

[snapitoff2002]

If you're worried about safety issues, maybe you should think of a wheel flying off at 65-70. I have had one come off at 55, and the trailer gets a little sideways. Bump up the speed a few notches, and it would have fishtailed a little more. Passing someone with that in mind... Where are you going to pull over? The median? Nope. That's what the right lane emergency lane is for. I'm on the road every day, and I see how common it is. Most big trucks cruise at 60-62 anyhow, so I'm fine at that speed. If I get behind one with a cell phone stuck up his ***, I'm not fine at 50mph.

[Fish Chris]

Hello Jim P. Yes, actually it is a Ca state law that vehicles pulling trailers are not to go over 55 mph.... and yes, you do stand a good chance at being run over if you drive 55 mph, which is precisely my dillema.

Anyone who believes that a CHP told the poster above to "pick up his speed" simply needs to go back through this guys recent posts....

Fish

[Bob Simard]

I remember back years and years ago reading an editorial by Pat Buchanon of all people on speed variance being a major cause of serious and fatal accidents on highways.

Google the topic....

Unfortunately, no matter how stupid the Law is, CHP officers don't make them - but are charged with enforcing them.

My advise - get a radar detector and travel with the traffic flow. They are cheap insurance against 'MOST' speeding tickets , giving you plenty of time to slow down before CHP can lock in a speed to write you up: 60 - 90 seconds on a straight highway. (won't help you on a curvy road but shouldn't be speeding there anyway)

Regards


Bob Simard

[Turkeyman]

We were pulled over once in Red Bluff on our way to Klamath, the CHP officer gave us a fix it ticket for a trailer light and said, "Keep it under 62MPH , Even the truckers know that." So that is where I try to keep it when on the road.

[Mitch]

As a part time trucker and fisherman I can attest to the fact that you WILL get pulled over for towing a boat or any other trailer if you exceed the posted speed limit or over 55 on the freeway. CHP has been hammering Hwy 99 from Bakersfield to Modesto in the last month. (they got new LASER toys ! ) ANYTHING over 60. Most aware truckers are running 57-58. NO PROBLEM they will stop and write you at 60. On I-5 you can run 61 and not be bothered usless you are driving carelessly. Also, while you are towing, the passing lane is only for passing and under NO CIRCUMSTANCE are you to be in the lane #3 except when directed by an officer !!! You can get ticketed for cruziing in the middle lane or in the passing lane on 2 lane. YOU are considered to be "impeading the flow of traffic" since your speed limit is lower than that of the passenger vehicle. Nice, huh ?

[Steve Reed]

my father and I got a ticket for going 65 with our boat, it was done by plane. Crazy!

CHP seem to be getting pretty cool lately, pulled over yesterday going 80 (no boat), chp just gave me a warning as they knew i was heading to shasta for some houseboating

[Jeff Huth]

I do about the same , I pick a group of trucks that are traveling the same speed and tuck in with them.I've driven from Shasta to Mead this way and have had no problems.I think most of those truckers are better drivers than most on the road and they plan their passes alot sooner.Now saying that I traveled for years with a group of anglers that would just run off and leave me,(I'd catch up at fuel or rest stops).most of the guys i've fished against run a little faster, usually between 65 and 75, but they will pick up a few tickets.and no I've not had a CHP officer pull up next to me when I'm running 57MPH and tell me to speed up a little more !

[Fish Chris]

Thank you for all the interesting replies. As I said, I do try to keep it to 62 mph myself.

Oh, but everybody beware ! They have been having a HUGE crack down on highway 12 !!! Tickets are running $2500 !!!! .....and in construction areas of H12, they can run $5000 ! These are the highest traffic fines anywhere in the nation ! This was in the local papers and television news.
My answer to this is, I just try to avoid H12 any way possible !

Hey Steve R, that is crazy ! They must have came in really low to hand you the ticket ! LOL

Oh, and a couple of you mentioned about it being illegal to tow a trailer in the #3 or #4 lanes. I don't typically do this myself.... But there is one short stretch near the truck scales in Cordelia, and the H12 offramp to Napa, where driving in the #2 lane, you are totally subject to people jumping out in front of you, from a complete stop, while your going 55 to 60 mph ! The #2 lane is simply too dangerous. Also, I-80 through Fairfield, especially West bound, is SOOO damn rough, you will beat the crap out of your truck and boat, in either the #1 or #2 lanes. I use the #3 there sometimes too, depending on how lucky I feel.

Peace,
Fish

[stickbait]

Thank you for all the interesting replies. As I said, I do try to keep it to 62 mph myself.

Oh, but everybody beware ! They have been having a HUGE crack down on highway 12 !!! Tickets are running $2500 !!!! .....and in construction areas of H12, they can run $5000 ! These are the highest traffic fines anywhere in the nation ! This was in the local papers and television news.
My answer to this is, I just try to avoid H12 any way possible !

Hey Steve R, that is crazy ! They must have came in really low to hand you the ticket ! LOL

Oh, and a couple of you mentioned about it being illegal to tow a trailer in the #3 or #4 lanes. I don't typically do this myself.... But there is one short stretch near the truck scales in Cordelia, and the H12 offramp to Napa, where driving in the #2 lane, you are totally subject to people jumping out in front of you, from a complete stop, while your going 55 to 60 mph ! The #2 lane is simply too dangerous. Also, I-80 through Fairfield, especially West bound, is SOOO damn rough, you will beat the crap out of your truck and boat, in either the #1 or #2 lanes. I use the #3 there sometimes too, depending on how lucky I feel.

Peace,
Fish

5000..... come on!!! even 2500 ... ??? where do you come up with these numbers ...

I just got a speeding ticket (no boat) .. 70 in a 55.. 15 mph over and it was.. my first in 25 years.
151.00 dollar and 183.oo with traffic school

[Fish Chris]

Hey Stickbait, I received an e-mail a couple weeks ago, with a link to some on-line news page. Sorry, I looked just now, but must have deleted it. Might have been BS but it looked legit anyway.
Then, in the same week, my landlord told me that he had a friend who had some function with Solano County law, who said the same thing..... However, admittedly, the main focus of law enforcement, was on illegal passing, which is what causes most deaths on H12 anyway......

Peace,
Fish

PS, BTW, were you speeding on H12 ? This was the area the increased enforcement, and fines were specifically targeting.

[troutnut]

Caltrans posted big signs with "$2500 fine for reckless driving" and I'm sure they consider anyone passing over the double yellow line ( which now extends from Suisun to Rio Vista) to be "reckless".
and they are putting up radar speed display signs with 55 mph. CHP were all over the place. Too bad they couldn't save some of the illegal alien money and just fix and widen that road. 2 lanes each way would eliminate all the traffic accidents. Pretty bad when you have to dodge potholes!

[Fish Chris]

Thanks Troutnut. No REALLY, thank you ! The last thing I ever want to sound like is a BS'er. I felt fairly confident that the $2500 fine thing was for real, or else I would never have mentioned it.

BTW, I semi-agree that 2 lanes each way on 12 would help a lot, but even with just single, "wider, re-paved lanes, with a safety shoulder, and here's the big thing "A CONCRETE DIVIDER" like on H 37, 12 would just be WAY safer, and the number of deaths would drop WAY down.

Peace,
Fish

[Andy Giannini]

Regarding which lane to be in, there are some busy places like I-5 through Stockton where through traffic should use the left lanes and it is posted to do so. (I use them everytime while trailering, too many idiots making lame attempts at merging from the on ramps.)

And I just did some trailering, on 4 between Concord and Antioch it was the same. No drivers would yield to my turn signal to move left to avoid a merging idiot from the on ramp. One truck driver did however, let me move over. After about three instances I just gave up and took the left or middle lane and risked a ticket vs. some kind of crash. And that is exactly what I will tell the CHP when I get written for it. There should be more "Though traffic use Left Lanes" as far as I am concerned.

A great majority of the drivers on the road should be sent back to driving school. They have no real notion about right of way or the traffic laws.

.02 A.G.

I wish 160 and 12 had solid K rail right down the middle of them. No more passing period. The new penalties are neat, but ineffective. Why would an idiot care about a fine, when if you screw up the penalty is DEATH? One good crash, and instant death penalty not just for the bad guy but innocents.

.02 A.G.

[Ray Vanacore]

[

Anyone who believes that a CHP told the poster above to "pick up his speed" simply needs to go back through this guys recent posts....

Well for your information, I have been told by the ChP to pick it up That is why they have speaker system on the outside of there vehicles. So I guess im a lier also. Some of you people seem to have issues with everything wooch says or does. Just my $.02.
Ray Vanacore

[Fish Chris]

Okay. Wooch, and Ray. Anybody else here been asked to "speed up" ?

I've been asked on the loudspeaker, to "slow down" from 63 mph, once...... To which I was like "Yes sir" ! {course I was thinking to myself, "Yea', I'll be less safe, just for you officer"}

Fish

[stickbait]

Hey Chris ..

I seen the sign that troutnut commented about today... it says ... 2500 fine for "reckleess driving"

I did not think you are bsing ..sorry if you thought this

But the thread was about speeding and speed.. I guess you kind of generalized it with your post as "tickets"..

I just could not see a speeding ticket costing 2500.00 to 5000.00 of course it depends on the speed .. but I think once you are over 20mph its concidered wreckless drive ??

Hyw 12 is a scarry road reguardless.. I think 55 mph is to fast on that road between lodi and rio vista and it is really bad between lodi and B&W

[Brian]

The fines on Hwy 12 are no B.S. It all started last year when a CHP officer was struck and killed by a speeder on Hwy 12.

[Andy Giannini]

There has been another fatality since this thread began, HWY 12 near Tower Park. Another head on collision speed related.

A.G.

[Sacto John]

I set the cruise control at 60MPH and get in the slow lane. I only speed up to go around Semis.

[Smile_n_Jax]

About 50 years ago when I first started driving my father told me to set my speed at 5MPH over the limit and I'd never get a ticket. I've pretty much followed that advice and have never been ticketed on a highway. I also use truckers, especially at night or in fog. Just stay far enough back so you can see his mirrors. That way he can see you.

As far as H12 goes, I will avoid it like the plague. It's one of the most dangerous stretches of road in the state.

[eddybilt]

I cruise at 70 when no traffic is near.....If I screw up it won't affect anyone near by..... And I take better care of my trailer than most.....