Any of you tow your personal vehicle with the bobtail?

I totally hear you on the one of a kind stuff! I usually have the same train of thought and my other half just doesn't get it LOL

Speaking of gooseneck horse trailers the local PJ Trailer dealer sells a plate that has a king-pin on one side and a gooseneck ball on the other, runs about $150. Borrowed one to move my horse trailer and it seemed to go pretty good. Just make sure the 5TH wheel is slid back. Clearance wise it was on par with a FedEx pup trailer.

 

Zx, here is a link for the one I havehttps://www.etrailer.com/Tow-Bars/Blue-Ox/BX7322.html
I bought mine at Tractor Supply Company. Here is one like my hitch except mine is adjustable width wise. https://www.etrailer.com/dept-pg-Trailer_Hitch-pt-Class_IV-pm-Reese.aspx
The hitch I bought was a generic reese at Walmart.

 

Problem with the 5th wheel to gooseneck converter deals is that my 5th wheel is WAY too high...I'd be dragging the back bumper of the horse trailer if I tried that. I need the top of the ball about even with the top of the frame rail at the most, and lower would be preferable. The other issue is the swing, and with the battery box I made for the nose of the gooseneck along with the spare tire up under there, I'm not certain the 5th wheel would slide back far enough. Heck, hooking to the pickup involves dropping the tailgate, backing under the trailer, putting the tailgate back up, and finish backing up. Try hooking up with the tailgate down and it hits the spare tire.

 

What do you do for brakes? Most states require them on the towed vehicle.

 

Whuddaya need brakes for? All THEY do is slow ya down!

 

They make a device that mounts under the driver seat and works the brake pedal of the towed car. Triggers off a brake controller box in the tow vehicle.

I don't plan on setting that stuff up unless I would be dragging it across country instead of across town.

 

I've never worried about brakes in the towed vehicle. Illinois says under 3K doesn't require brakes, and it's just a little '92 Ford Ranger...might weigh 3K with me in the driver's seat. 3K-5K needs brakes on 1 axle, and over that requires brakes on both plus a break-away brake system. I figure if a truck designed to pull a 10K wagon with another 50K in it can't stop with a 3K pickup behind it, it shouldn't be on the road.

I've never done more than just turn the key far enough to keep the steering wheel unlocked and put the transmission in neutral...if it burns up the trans, I've got another one just like it in my '86 Ranger that won't do me any good once I drop the 289 under the hood. I added tail/turn/brake lights in the back bumper that I plug into the 6-round on the back of the tractor. Farthest I've pulled it is 65 miles after I blew my turbo, got a ride home, and used it to get what I needed hauled back up to the truck. Went to retrieve it that next weekend and towed it home behind my F250. Most of the time, it's just a 25 mile pull, though.

 

Hi ZX150, sorry it took me so long to show the pics of my towbar setup but here they are. One note, if the roads are snowy or wet, your towed vehicle is going to get FILTHY or if you get mud on your drive tires like I did then your windshield will be covered in mud. I hope the pics help. Rob.

 

Thanks for the photos Rob!

Good point about the mud coming off the tires. Have you had any issues with rock chips on your glass?

Nice handy work with the electric cord as well.

 

No rock chips yet, although my windshield is already cracked so it wouldn't be a big deal. If I were to do it again I would buy a folding towbar that stays under the bumper and permantly mount the tail lights. Although I have since traded in my very unreliable truck for another. Hopefully I won't be using the tow bar as much. LOL