Legal to tow this combination in Alaska

[cross21114]

We will be in Alaska during September and meeting up with good friends who live there. One of our fun things is to hunt Ptarmigin and grouse. We use a powered canoe to cross some sloughs.

For the first time, we will have a RV which 4 of us can stay in which might eliminate the need for 2 RVs (our friends have a truck camper). I will be pulling a fullsize SUV behind a 36' Super C, 4 down. Brake system with emergency brakeaway system on the SUV. Driver is Class A w/o CDL.

Can I hook the canoe trailer (length of canoe on the trailer = 20') to the SUV and pull the combo in Alaska. Estimated length of entire combo at 80'. Estimated weight of trailer and canoe at 500#.

If so, this greatly simplifies the trip and gives us a fullsize SUV to use. No backing up even contimplated, before we reach our distination, we merely find a straight spot and disconnect the SUV and someone drives that and canoe trailer in behind the RV.

Appreciate thoughts. Is it legal?

[noteven]

California permits multiple tows on ball/pintle hitches.

Coffee, beer, etc spluttered on keyboards everywhere...

[PA12DRVR]

I haven't looked to see what the rules are...so can't comment on that.

However, with the current staffing levels of AST, ADF&G, and the various fed agencies, I would estimate (that's more than a guess but less than certainty) that triple-towing (particularly a canoe) on the Denali Highway during grouse season will attract more attention (if any at all) from game law and land use enforcement than any traffic patrols.

[Grit_dog]

Wow!
If towing a canoe is criminal behaviour and living on the wild side, skirting Johnny Law, some of y'all need to get out more....
It's a canoe for cripes sakes. Let me think of the story.
"Sorry sir, was just trying to get up to Tangle lakes for some grouse hunting. Buddy offered to bring his canoe. Shoot, I'm sorry, well umm how about if we unhook? Again my apologies, have a nice day."
Big deal? Nope. Prolly drag that thing around for a month without anyone batting an eye as long as he doesn't pass anyone on rvnet!

[catkins]

garyhaupt wrote:
Yeah....guy from Texas makes such a great suggestion. It always takes me by surprise when some goof suggests breaking a law in Canada and no-one raises an eyebrow. Make a similar suggestion about breaking a US/state law and the world is about to end.

"Worst case if you get stopped would be simply disconnect the SUV and continue on your way. And hook back up an hour down the road."


Gary Haupt

Gary - I agree with you. If towing that way is illegal, simply don't do it. If they were stopped and managed to get only a warning, with computers now, ANY LEO would know of the stop. Be safe and Happy Trails!

[garyhaupt]

Yeah....guy from Texas makes such a great suggestion. It always takes me by surprise when some goof suggests breaking a law in Canada and no-one raises an eyebrow. Make a similar suggestion about breaking a US/state law and the world is about to end.

"Worst case if you get stopped would be simply disconnect the SUV and continue on your way. And hook back up an hour down the road."


Gary Haupt

[PA12DRVR]

"Statehood and the oil boom ruined the Territory."

I wasn't old enough to understand what it meant when the Territory became a State....but I don't think I'd disagree (not very vehemently, anyway).

That being said, having spent an unfortunate amount of time outside of Alaska for work, the scenery is still spectacular, the wildlife is still pretty neat, and (dancing away from "which is best"...), Alaska as a state is still quite unique in many ways.

[bob_nestor]

PA12DRVR wrote:
"Thanks. You're the second person I've heard refer to Los Anchorage. I haven't been to Alaska in 14 years - has it changed that much? Sorry if it has.

...... One place is Tangle Lakes, the other my friend has sworn me to secrecy. ......."

- Hindsight is always rose-colored: The Anchorage of the 60's (where I grew up) turned to Los Anchorage in the 70's (pipeline boom) and again later in the 90's (another indirect petroleum boom).....and never went back, all in my NSHO of course.

My Dad first went to Alaska in the 30's and worked for the ARC. Before WWII he was working the road reconstruction between Valdez and Fairbanks. After the war he worked on building the Sterling Hiway on the Kenai from Hinton's Lodge (now the Russian River Crossing) all the way to Homer. He always referred to Anchorage and Los Anchorage and that was back in the 50's and 60's.

I hadn't been back in almost 50 years - left for college and never returned until I retired. It has changed a lot, and not for the better in my opinion. Almost all the folks I grew up with say the same thing - Statehood and the oil boom ruined the Territory.

[Grit_dog]

10-4! That's the part I missed. While it seems awkward, I don't think you will get hasseled over it. JMO from living there for a couple years. AST's have enough natives, "sportsmen" and meth heads to deal with to even think about hassling someone who is not really doing anything wrong.

[cross21114]

Grit dog,

I am not driving all the way to Alaska hauling a canoe. I thought I was pretty clear that it would only be in Alaska to eliminate 2 power vehicles going from Anchorage to Tangle Lakes and one other spot on main roads.

[Grit_dog]

"This would only be in Alaska, not towing all the way through Canada."

Edit, complete 180 from what I read the first time.
For the group, the CANOE and trailer are already in AK at your buddy's place.
In that case, I say go for it, who cares. It's AK. What's worst case, a Trooper has a case of the Mondays and you unhook the toad and pull it separate for a while (and not back past the same trooper! lol).

Sounds like a great trip! Have fun!
And sweet setup by the way....

[PA12DRVR]

"Thanks. You're the second person I've heard refer to Los Anchorage. I haven't been to Alaska in 14 years - has it changed that much? Sorry if it has.

...... One place is Tangle Lakes, the other my friend has sworn me to secrecy. ......."


- Hindsight is always rose-colored: The Anchorage of the 60's (where I grew up) turned to Los Anchorage in the 70's (pipeline boom) and again later in the 90's (another indirect petroleum boom).....and never went back, all in my NSHO of course.
- Tangle lakes is a spectacular area. Depending on the time of year one actually goes, getting to Tangle Lakes exposes one to the zoo that is the Denali Highway during caribou season...and heaven help the poor bird hunter who stumbles on a caribou: the sound of bullets whizzing by is unmistakable.

I jest but a little.....but that area is one of the most beautiful in the state in my view.

[cross21114]

Thanks. You're the second person I've heard refer to Los Anchorage. I haven't been to Alaska in 14 years - has it changed that much? Sorry if it has.

We already know where we're going and even I have been there several times. One place is Tangle Lakes, the other my friend has sworn me to secrecy. There, we only cross a slough at one place and it's only 40 yards. But we have to cross it. Those are the only 2 reasons we pull the canoe. Since I will already be in an RV pulling an SUV, we could all travel in one rig if we could merely hook the canoe to the back of the SUV (lots of highway miles to enjoy each other's company, not to mention fuel savings). We'd pull off and disconnect the SUV before we even made a turn off the major roads.

Guess we'll hook it up, measure and give it a short test run to see if it's feasible.

[PA12DRVR]

I'm sure that there will be other opinions, but FWIW, here's mine based on living in Alaska (although some would argue that Los Anchorage is at least an hour away from Alaska) most of my life:

- Even if legal (and I've seen quite a few combos of 1 puller, two toweds), it is awkward and cumbersome.
- Many of the handy spots for getting into sloughs and creeks from the roadside will not be big enough to accommodate a "triple tow" and you'll have to disconnect and rearrange to get side x side to fit in the "pullout".
- Alaska is pretty sizable, so everything varies, but I think you'll find that you want to use the canoe more for running up creeks and sloughs vs. "crossing": not to get bogged down in nomenclature, but both ptarmigan and grouse are quasi-upland game and, while one could certainly cross a creek or a river to get to the forest or hills on the other side, the more usual activity is to take the canoe/raft/plane and use it to go upriver to a place a bit farther away from the parking lot. If that is the intended use, then a triple tow is fine since you'll be mobilizing at the pullout for a few days trip anyway.
- If the intent is to drive along and "let's cross this lake to try that stretch of hills" or "that plateau across the creek looks pretty good", a triple-tow will be cumbersome. If the intent is to run up the creek for a 3-day excursion, a triple-tow (while cumbersome on the road, at stops, and at the gas stations) won't be a big barrier to enjoying the trip.
- Depending where you are going with your friends, there might be better access to ptarmigan and grouse via ATV/UTV than with a canoe.

....and depending on where and when, if you're working on or relatively near the road system in the fall / early fall: a) have your paperwork ready to prove that you're not big game hunting; and b) you'll likely be overrun with road hunters for moose or caribou.

[cross21114]

noteven wrote:
“Triple tow”? So if I uncouple the two towed vehicles/trailers and drive the tow vehicle alone am I “single towing”? RV terms confuse this bunkin...

If you are taking a ferry from WA to AK disregard this Canada info:

When checking for info don’t mix light duty / RV regs with commercial vehicle regulation.
SK province operates 3 x 53ft trailer road train combinations on certain roads and 2x53ft trailer trucks and double semi-trailers (140,000lbs Super B) are common in western Canada.

Light vehicles/RV are under different rules.

BC does not permit light vehicle double tow.
AB permits with front trailer coupled by a king pin fifth wheel only. No ball couplers.
SK permits ball or fifth wheel lead trailer. It must be 2 or more axles, with brakes on all axles. Lead trailer must weigh more than the back trailer.
Not sure about YT or MB - info is on DMV websites.
Length limits apply. 65ft is common.

Sounds like a fun adventure.

This would only be in Alaska, not towing all the way through Canada.

Ford Expedition - length 18.4' plus about 5' tow bar. Will have to hook up and measure sometime and get the length of trailer with canoe overhange from my buddy in Alaska.

We could put the canoe on top of the Expedition but motor has to come off, which is just a packing problem.

It would be 2 hith balls in this situation.