Is it legal to tow a converter dolly WITH a trailer attached to it?

I havn't pulled pupsin many years.....last century if recollection allows...., anyway,I havn't seen mention of the air clamp action on the converter dolly pintle hook on a pup set. Pretty sure it is there for a reason....safety/security to maintain connection maybe?

 

No, you won't. You're only pulling 1 trailer...otherwise, there would be no "doubles" other than B-trains...and triples would be 5 trailers (and no endorsement for that).

The ONLY thing that converter dolly does is convert a semi-trailer into a full trailer...which is still only 1 trailer.

 

If that is the criteria, why does a trailer like this need doubles endorsement?


Remember the bridge strike in Nashville a few months ago? He was pulling a trailer like that and one of the things he got cited for is not having a doubles endorsement....

 

Does not look so bad after looking it up on line. Whats the problem?

 

A jeep and a converter dolly are two entirely different things. A jeep is a trailer, and a converter dolly is not.

 

If you say so. Actually I did go earlier today and look and I believe you. I just don't see FMCSA's logic.

To me they function almost exactly the same way.
They both hook up to the tractor at a pivot point.
They both have a pivot point on the equipment.
They both transfer weight from the tractor.

Yes I know some dollies are non-articulating to the front trailer, but from past discussions here those are rare.

 

A jeep functions similarly to a b-train double...a tractor/semi-trailer/semi-trailer, where some of the weight from each trailer is carried by the unit ahead of it in the combination. A converter dolly converts a semi-trailer into a full trailer, which can be pulled by a truck (as opposed to a tractor). Don"t be confused by pivot points and such. When coupled together, a converter dolly + semi-trailer is no different than a hay wagon as far as driving and backing are concerned...they are both examples of full trailers, where the trailer carries all of the weight, and the truck simply pulls it.

As far as locking hitches, the log wagon I used to pull behind the knuckleboom truck was a full trailer, with a pneumatic lock...flip a switch on the dash and it'd engage an air solenoid to push a locking pin into place when the front tires were straight. Made backing an empty trailer easier...but most of the time if it was a straight shot or I could make a wide arc, I didn't bother with it.

 

Perfectly legal. Years ago, I had some storage trailers but no truck with a 5th wheel. I pulled them all the time empty, with a dump truck and converter dolly.