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...towing a tank?

quickfarms

Well-known member
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Location
Orange Junction, CA
CDL is a state by state issue if you are not using it commercially.

You need a M915, M916, M920, M931, M818 or civilian tractor and low boy trailer.

What you need to check is the max CGVW for the truck. This is the max combined gross vehicle weight. On a class 7 or 8 truck, semi, they list the GVW for the tractor and you have to add the trailer axles to get the max weight up to your registered or permitted weight.
 

Stalwart

Well-known member
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Location
Redmond, WA
Um, nope

No you can't, I can't either and I have an '08 F450 and a heavy duty trailer. Pictured here is my heaviest load to date, about 1 ton heavier than 8-8.5 ton Scorpion tank. My truck and trailer weigh in at 18,000 lbs empty and although I could load it with 10 tons safely, it still exceeds my 34,500 GCVW rating of my truck from Ford. I have MUCH heavier rated axles, frame, engine and transmission and have 4.88 gears to get it moving. I end up putting between 5-6000 lbs on the truck via the gooseneck to keep the trailer from pushing the truck around, your F350 can't hold that much weight. To do that weight, you need an F650 . . . minimum. Sorry!

M656N450.jpgFUTLEAVING3.jpgTrailer1.jpg
 

carolinanum1

New member
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Location
Candler/NC
I believe if you are using federal funded highways federal law supersedes state law.
Probably a good idea to check with your local DMV for requirements.
 

JH1

Member
305
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18
Location
Seattle, WA
Physically, you could probably pull it. You could even stop it, sooner or later. Legally, it's way over the published ratings for the truck. Insurance-wise, your truck insurance doesn't cover that kind of towing, and if you ever get in an accident, the insurance company will be off the hook. Translation: You'd be driving uninsured, functionally. Overall; very bad idea. Good that you asked, though. For the OT-90 (VERY cool), you'll need a 20 ton trailer (hard to find a 15 ton trailer, but it would work if you can) with air brakes (possible to get electric brakes, but they lack the safety and robustness of real air brakes). The least expensive solution for a tractor is one that is old enough to qualify for collector insurance, roughly 30 years old. At least one collector insurance company will insure old tractors for towing, and that's Gulfway. They put that in writing. Congrats on the OT-90, but you're gonna need to up-truck.
 

Coffey1

Well-known member
Steel Soldiers Supporter
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Location
Gray Court SC
Moose they said no cdl on your own stuff not making money, but believe me ! They will put you under the jail house for being over weight and acting a **** fool.
 

moose97

Member
127
1
18
Location
Hoagland, IN
Moose they said no cdl on your own stuff not making money, but believe me ! They will put you under the jail house for being over weight and acting a **** fool.
That was pretty much my point. Also, I'm a firm believer in the quote, "you can't get a ticket for having too much license."

I, meanwhile, have a Class B with air brakes and take the road test in just over 3 weeks for my Class A. Once I pass that, there won't be anything on the road that I (theoretically) can't drive (already have school bus and passenger endorsements and adding tanker, hazmat and doubles and triples endorsements).
 

Ferroequinologist

Resident railroad expert
Steel Soldiers Supporter
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Liberty Hill, SC
I would recommend a M915 and a M127 trailer, since you have to have overwidth permits anyway.

In SC, you can get a Non-CDL license for the big trucks. You can also get blanket yearly overwidth/height permits if the load is under a certain size. $100 a year in SC and you can go anywhere in the state, during daylight hours, excluding Sundays and federal holidays.


M915s can be had for 3000-10,000, depending on where, and how nice a paint job it has. M172 trailers can be had for 1000-5000 again depending on where, condition, and if it has ramps.

So figure another $15,000 for a haul rig you can be sure will haul it safely, comfortably, and at a decent speed.
 

martinwcox

New member
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Location
Wilmington, MA
My Scorpion weighs about 18,000lbs, my 12-Ton Tilt Trailer has a GVWR of 29,500 (trailer weighs about 7,500lbs) and I am pulling that with a M923 (rated at 30,000lbs on road.) And in MA I don't need a CDL.
 

Augdog1964

Member
522
15
18
Location
Richmond, IN
What has been left unsaid I believe, so far... is that your OT-90 is over 9 feet wide... that will require 1) trailer bed extensions, and 2) wide load permitting...

We have three BMPs, same chassis... and you are over width.
 

JH1

Member
305
5
18
Location
Seattle, WA
The M172 and M172A1 are naturally 10 feet wide. Some have been narrowed, but the originals are 10' wide and would work great with a M818, M915, or M52. All of those are cheap, compared to the OT-90, and they are old enough to qualify for collector insurance rates. I think it would make a dandy combination.
 
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