HI All,
I need to do some work on my property (lot clearing / grading / cut in driveway etc) and rather than hiring somebody to do it (expensive!) , I decided to do as my friend did on his property and buy my own equipment to do it myself.
In theory, buying will cost as much as having the work done BUT a side benefit of the DIY approach is that it is kinda fun and you also get to have a machine left over in case you need more work done in the future.
My situaltion is this...I found a nice large machine ( A combination trencher (putting in drain lines off my gutters / installing drain pipes to drain water away from the house, back hoe (handy for general digging / removing stumps , vibratory plow for neat wire installing to my out buildings, and a 6 way blade to maintain the gravel driveway) located about 900 miles from my house (yes far away BUT it is a good price and will do what I need....The machine weighs about 13K lbs.
I have a 1997 dodge dually (diesel, 5 sp, ext cab, 4.10 gears , 4x4, e) and just bought a Econoline 12T backhoe pro trailer (older 1995 model...needs some work but I got it at a very good price so I think it was a good deal)....Per the sticker on the trailer it weighs 5K empty).
I have a friend who is a welder by trade and he will make me a commercial grade hitch to handle the weight....(FWIW - We will be removing the rear bumper and having the hitch custom done so the pintle / ball (if we convert it over to a ball coupler of the appropriate weight cap so we can run weight distributing), moved closer to the rear axle of the truck to minimize the overhang length and the extra stress it would make for the rear end (while not as good as a goose neck or 5th wheel, it would still be light years ahead of the stock hitch location.....I don't want to use a bed type hitch because I run a cap on my truck for tools / storage etc...).
Anyways, my biggest concern is issues with "the man".....I actually went to our local DMV (division of motor vehicles) to get info on CDLs and DOT numbers because some of my friends say that is what would keep the man off my back in the even I get pulled over.
On the flip side I also have friends say I don't need it because it is for personal use and therefore a COMMERCIAL drivers license is not needed.
I understand the combo is heavy GVW rated (the truck sticker is about 11K GVW and the trailer is 24K GVW).....I only use the dually for me personally and the trailer I got a good deal on (plus if it is rated to do 24K , the 13K I need it to haul should not be a problem....heck the trailer alone could stop everything using its brakes alone I believe!).
Anyways, If I get the machine it would be a long multiday trip so its not like just like running out a couple hundred miles (at night if need be to minimize exposure)...plus I'd like to actually do some sightseeing along the way to and from picking up the machine (might as well make it a semi vacation trip to boot!).
So, is it fair to say that because I am doing it for myself (no commercial use), I should not have problems with "the man" in terms of CDL / DOT numbers.....(actually, I'll have to see how much weight my DMV says I can tow with my dually....in VA people sometimes tag / title things to make sure they have enough "paper capacity" even though this may be different than actual vehicle capacity.
I hate it when things get so complicated for seemingly such a simple task....Oh side note : The truck is in an LLC name for liability reasons (my house is also in a LLC name for the same reason)...not real business use just to protect property and minimize exposure to potential losses).
Thanks in advance for any and all help.
Andrew
PS - Since this this is personal use even tho heavy....I did not plan on a CDL / DOT number / stop at weigh stations type situation
I need to do some work on my property (lot clearing / grading / cut in driveway etc) and rather than hiring somebody to do it (expensive!) , I decided to do as my friend did on his property and buy my own equipment to do it myself.
In theory, buying will cost as much as having the work done BUT a side benefit of the DIY approach is that it is kinda fun and you also get to have a machine left over in case you need more work done in the future.
My situaltion is this...I found a nice large machine ( A combination trencher (putting in drain lines off my gutters / installing drain pipes to drain water away from the house, back hoe (handy for general digging / removing stumps , vibratory plow for neat wire installing to my out buildings, and a 6 way blade to maintain the gravel driveway) located about 900 miles from my house (yes far away BUT it is a good price and will do what I need....The machine weighs about 13K lbs.
I have a 1997 dodge dually (diesel, 5 sp, ext cab, 4.10 gears , 4x4, e) and just bought a Econoline 12T backhoe pro trailer (older 1995 model...needs some work but I got it at a very good price so I think it was a good deal)....Per the sticker on the trailer it weighs 5K empty).
I have a friend who is a welder by trade and he will make me a commercial grade hitch to handle the weight....(FWIW - We will be removing the rear bumper and having the hitch custom done so the pintle / ball (if we convert it over to a ball coupler of the appropriate weight cap so we can run weight distributing), moved closer to the rear axle of the truck to minimize the overhang length and the extra stress it would make for the rear end (while not as good as a goose neck or 5th wheel, it would still be light years ahead of the stock hitch location.....I don't want to use a bed type hitch because I run a cap on my truck for tools / storage etc...).
Anyways, my biggest concern is issues with "the man".....I actually went to our local DMV (division of motor vehicles) to get info on CDLs and DOT numbers because some of my friends say that is what would keep the man off my back in the even I get pulled over.
On the flip side I also have friends say I don't need it because it is for personal use and therefore a COMMERCIAL drivers license is not needed.
I understand the combo is heavy GVW rated (the truck sticker is about 11K GVW and the trailer is 24K GVW).....I only use the dually for me personally and the trailer I got a good deal on (plus if it is rated to do 24K , the 13K I need it to haul should not be a problem....heck the trailer alone could stop everything using its brakes alone I believe!).
Anyways, If I get the machine it would be a long multiday trip so its not like just like running out a couple hundred miles (at night if need be to minimize exposure)...plus I'd like to actually do some sightseeing along the way to and from picking up the machine (might as well make it a semi vacation trip to boot!).
So, is it fair to say that because I am doing it for myself (no commercial use), I should not have problems with "the man" in terms of CDL / DOT numbers.....(actually, I'll have to see how much weight my DMV says I can tow with my dually....in VA people sometimes tag / title things to make sure they have enough "paper capacity" even though this may be different than actual vehicle capacity.
I hate it when things get so complicated for seemingly such a simple task....Oh side note : The truck is in an LLC name for liability reasons (my house is also in a LLC name for the same reason)...not real business use just to protect property and minimize exposure to potential losses).
Thanks in advance for any and all help.
Andrew
PS - Since this this is personal use even tho heavy....I did not plan on a CDL / DOT number / stop at weigh stations type situation
///// Heavy hauling for personal use ? CDL / DOT # ? //////
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