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Can you pull two empty wagons 200 miles thru Iowa?

rockyridgefarm

rockyridgefarm

Well-known Member
I’m half an hour north of Dubuque, and have bought almost every wagon I own in Iowa. They’re cheaper there, far cheaper than Wisconsin.

I’ve always pulled them home one at a time because I’ve never bought two in one spot. Guy has a pair of nice 350 bushel boxes near Des Moines, and I’d really like to own them. They have good tires and surge brakes. I wouldn’t hesitate to do it, but a couple years ago I learned that an Iowa highway patrolman’s favorite meal is a pickup with Wisconsin farm plates.

Does anyone know the actual law on pulling double wagons in Iowa? I don’t want to trailer them because it makes a tall load and I don’t think they’d both fit on my 25’ trailer...
 
Your chances of getting caught will be lower if you stay off the paved roads and stick to gravel roads, those are patrolled less often. Two large wagons will attract extra attention and scrutiny even when it is legal. Out of state farm plates that far from any Wisconsin border will also be an automatic red flag. Can you use your trailer to bring two drivers and two trucks or can you make two trips?
 
(quoted from post at 11:45:40 11/02/18) Don?t flatter yourself with your Wisconsin plates. No one
including the highway patrol cares
Click to expand...

Tell that to the one who claimed he was off duty but turned around and followed me through 10 miles of detour to pull me over and park me on the side of the road for 10 hours a couple years ago.

Do you know the rules regarding pulling tandem wagons with a pickup in Iowa?
 
If you can be there hooked up and ready to head home about daylight on a Sunday morning you will most likely have clear sailing, much less
traffic for a bonus.
 

Will the wagons fit your trailer if you place them directly end-to-end? Remove the wheels and the height problem should go away.

While I THINK you can legally tow 2 farm wagons, I would NOT want to do it for 200 miles.
 
Maybe I'm wrong or stupid, but here goes. Wouldn't you be better off calling the Iowa Dep't of Transportation or the Highway Patrol and get an answer than asking a bunch of us farmers that may or may not take a chance (I know I'd probably take it and might pay a fine for it too). Not many of us are lawyers, and not many of the ones that are live in Iowa, so we basically have absolutely no answer on the legality of your endeavor. Just my thoughts, you do as you wish, Keith
 
Maybe you can find some one with a longer trailer and take a cordless impact and take the wheels off like suggested or hire a trucker to do as it will cost you something to do it yourself anyways.
 
(quoted from post at 16:22:49 11/02/18) Maybe I'm wrong or stupid, but here goes. Wouldn't you be better off calling the Iowa Dep't of Transportation or the Highway Patrol and get an answer than asking a bunch of us farmers that may or may not take a chance (I know I'd probably take it and might pay a fine for it too). Not many of us are lawyers, and not many of the ones that are live in Iowa, so we basically have absolutely no answer on the legality of your endeavor. Just my thoughts, you do as you wish, Keith
Click to expand...

How many times should he call them?
Because if you call each of them ten times and talk to 20 different people, you will get 20 different answers.

Or they will just say "no you can't do that" just because they do not know. And do not want to research it for a real answer.
 
(quoted from post at 16:52:49 11/02/18) Maybe I'm wrong or stupid, but here goes. Wouldn't you be better off calling the Iowa Dep't of Transportation or the Highway Patrol and get an answer than asking a bunch of us farmers that may or may not take a chance (I know I'd probably take it and might pay a fine for it too). Not many of us are lawyers, and not many of the ones that are live in Iowa, so we basically have absolutely no answer on the legality of your endeavor. Just my thoughts, you do as you wish, Keith
Click to expand...

What? Use your head and take a sensible course of action? Pfffftt! Where's the fun in that?
 
Rocky, you?re a smart articulate guy. Either check the Iowa
State Statutes or call the Department of Transportation as was
suggested below. Only that will get you an answer you can
depend on.
I applaud you for wanting to get the facts.
Paul
 
The way it was explained to me was that a pickup with two wagons is what "they" consider THREE because of the pickups bed being capable of carrying commodities. Not that it IS carrying them just that it is CAPABLE. That is why you can get away with two wagons behind a tractor. Yes I was caught with a stupid load, two loaded KillBros 450 wagons behind a 3/4 ton pickup. Guy didn't write me up as I was about 300 ft from the driveway to the terminal, but I got a real talking to. Guy must have felt sorry for me, as I had Dad in the cab reading me the riot act too (I TOLD you not to do it!).
 

Keith molden for the win with the best advice given all day . The ytdot has no actual jurisdiction you know
 
Got a friend or neighbor who would travel down with
you in their truck and pull one back? Buy em a nice
lunch, buy fuel, and enjoy a day out? Just a
thought, as my brother and I have done that a few
times pulling two items back to the farm.
 
This may sound stupid but I have done it a few times and
seen it done several time. Take two chains and two boomers.
One for each wagon. Hook each end of the chain on the
horizontal arm that drops down to the wheel hub the run
through the tongue clevis and too the horizontal tub on the
other side. Make sure the tongue is straight run the boomer
down tight. Then hook them to your truck and take off. They
will not sway and will follow right behind you. I have pulled
three wagons hooked together around 120 miles back home
and ran 50-60 mph the whole way. Might be worth adding you
cannot do this with wagons that are loaded. I hope I explained
it correctly for you. If you are having any doubts about it try it
with a wagon you already have and drive around a little bit. It
will blow your mind how nice it pulls
 
(reply to post at 13:15:28 11/02/18)
Click to expand...

I have drug and hauled about everything thru Iowa
If you have a flag or magnetic flashing light
They don’t bother farm equipment unless you are being stupid
I wouldn’t hesitate at all with wagons that size
Dugger
 
Well, would pulling two wagons large enough to weight 25,000 pounds each down a major road at highway speeds, possibly without any trailer brakes, with a pickup truck be considered stupid? In Minnesota the answer is yes. You can pull two wagons behind a farm tractor, but not a pickup.
 
What's a boomer? This sounds like a neat idea. So does this render steering inoperative and the front wheels skid when turning? Paul
 
Drive down to Dubuque and find a DOT and explain what you want to do. At the very least, I would remove SMV sign,( SMV illegal over 25? Mph) add turn signal and brake lights. I assume wagons that size have surge brakes. I agree with Keith M. No one on here is an authority on the laws in the state of Iowa.
 
Let me know when and if you pull them home as
well as the road you are taking so I don?t run over
you with the truck!
 
Lots of good advice offered by YT'ers. The answer to your question is of course yes, you can pull two
trailers through Iowa ...... until you get stopped and parked or in some kind of an accident, etc. You
could even pull three if you were so inclined. Not sure I would do it but each to his own I guess.
Remember there are others on the road too.
 
I will admit to being narrow minded and a little to gutzy at times,,,, but I would get their just before dark. Check the air pressure in the tires and check out the wheel bearings and shag Azz for home. Stay off the main roads and make sure you have lights on the back. I would pick Sunday night. You only live once and we all need stories to tell when we get old. Give me a call and I will even help. P/s I am known for living on the edge. P/ss Always, ALWAYS act like you know what you are doing and have done it a million times. Al
 
350 bushel wagons are small wagons here in Iowa. Just make sure you have properly attached safety chains between wagons and of course the front wagon and pickup. It wouldn’t hurt to rig up some tail lights and turn signals on the back wagon and cover up or remove the SMV sign on both wagons if they have them. Then like was suggested, take off on s Sunday morning. Stay on the blacktops if you can. This might sound crazy, but crawl under your pickup to make sure your hitch/rear bumper bolts are tight. Pulling wagons tends to loosen thing up under there.
 
Take a couple wheels/tires and bearings plus even hubs so you don't get stranded especially on a late Saturday or Sunday. Order them if need be because you will
probably use them at some point. Jacks, blocks, tools, etc. also. Not a fan of moving anything a great distance but a 350 bushel box/gear times 2 is one of the more
easy jobs to undertake. Have a chase truck if you can. Lighting on the back, too.
 
(quoted from post at 17:21:13 11/02/18) The past tense of drag is dragged, NOT drug!
Click to expand...

"The past tense of drag is dragged, NOT drug"

Hmmmm. in today's world, not necessarily, IMHO.
 
I do not know about the legal aspects, but would bet this time of year no one will look twice.

As an Iowan, please stay off the main roads.

Do you know how tight the steering is?
 

Newhollandnut,

I've done that many times, most recently a couple weeks ago when I bought a Dakon box on a 12 ton westendorf running gear an hour and a half into Iowa just off hwy 20. It swayed at 40mph, but ran arrow straight at 65 mph after applying ratchet strap "stiffeners".

2510paul,

Yes it does make the front tires drag around corners. That's why you can only do it with empty wagons.

All,

thanks for the input. i had messed around on the Iowa DOT's site awhile before I asked on here. I had also sat on hold on their phone service for 15 minutes before I hung up. I measured my current boxes and the box by itself is 12'. He said his measure 26' from front of front tire to back of back tire, so it'd be a matter of backing the first one up onto the trailer, zinging off the tires, and rolling it a lil further on the hubs, then pushing the second on on forward, and also zinging off the tires. I may do this if I decide to go get them. At least I'd then have them on my trailer versus dragging them home and potentially wrecking a tire, hub, other vehicle, etc.. We'll see.
 
I use drug also , don't you just love the old crotchety and more important than others correcting you on a tractor talk page Dugger? I live to come here and take time from my day to find scan and post the correct info only to have these who think they are better than others say things like this,, like who cares other than them,, Me I like to ramble on and not make correct sentences and such just to poke them a bit, I have to wonder how many of them are actually paid authors that make these statements? few if any I guess,, myself if I wanted a school lesson on English I would ask for it,, still though they do make me have a good laugh at them,, I dealt with kids in school who in different ways were just a big as bullies as the ones here are,, you know what,,those who made my life so fun today look 25 years older than me and look miserable when I see then but me I smile and speak to everyone I see and have Great days every day,, so Sad for them really to be so bitter,petty and hateful and then to see what it has done to them but for the things they put others through I guess it may be karma calling, enjoy your posts Dugger when I see your name I do read what you have to say and always find it helpful and well thought out, so many great folks here and then like the Osmund's use to sing in their hit song from the 70's "One bad apple don't spoil the whole bunch girl" Rings as true today as it did then,, have a Great day Dugger
cnt
 
Why risk it? Make two trips or have a friend help with their P/U. Take extra wheel, jack etc. If anything goes wrong and someone gets hurt or property damaged, the expense of two trips will be cheap.
 
I would have no problem with paved "local" highways but not expressways/turnpikes. For those that know US 20 here in the Northeast that is ideal as the traffic is pretty much local as I90 runs pretty much parallel with it. Those wagons should move through town speeds of 30 MPH and then go in the slow lane if need be otherwise. I towed a NH forage harvester 75 miles and was OK despite the slight over width. Start talking something more than a couple of feet over width then its time to call out the trailer or have to move through major population centers
 

I've pulled wagons that began "wagging the tail" at anything over about 10 miles per hour, and some that would follow perfectly at speeds up to 50 mph. I sure would not want to set out on a 200 mile journey until I KNEW how those wagons are going to follow.
 
You are wrong on the laws of Minnesota.

The weight and size and speed regulations make a simple law complex; in general you can tow 2 empty wagons with a pickup if you are within 35 miles of home.

Much of this regulation came about from coops pulling anhydrous wagons around, and the wording became complicated....

https://dps.mn.gov/divisions/msp/forms-reports/Documents/TR_implements.pdf

Paul
 
How do you figure an empty 350 bu wagon weighs 25,000 pounds? My 250 bu wagons weigh about 2200 pounds.
 
not to be to big of a smartass but you can do whatever you want, you do not need permission ,if you get popped by the cops just figure it a toll road, have a safe trip
 
My Killbros 350 wagons with 10 ton gear weigh a smidge under a ton each. I don't see the problem given the weight involved. Of course common sense needs to be employed in that the road should be dry or at least not snow or ice covered, the wagons don't shimmy which should have been figured out before the OP got to this step, tires good enough that the side wall is breaking out etc.. I don't like moving equipment great distances but this should not be a problem short of a freak occurrence or sheer recklessness.
 
(quoted from post at 16:22:49 11/02/18) Maybe I'm wrong or stupid, but here goes. Wouldn't you be better off calling the Iowa Dep't of Transportation or the Highway Patrol and get an answer than asking a bunch of us farmers that may or may not take a chance (I know I'd probably take it and might pay a fine for it too). Not many of us are lawyers, and not many of the ones that are live in Iowa, so we basically have absolutely no answer on the legality of your endeavor. Just my thoughts, you do as you wish, Keith
Click to expand...

What! Are you nuts?!!! You mean that actually making the effort to call a LE agency and ask a rather complex question is smarter than asking some nameless, faceless internet entity that has absolutely no clue on what is actually legal in the states in question? Why, why, that's on the verge of applying common sense!!! :lol: :wink:
 
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