by eamarquardt » Wed May 12, 2010 12:23 am
Although the point has been made that you can legally tow a trailer in Texas up to 4500# w/o brakes, that is not the entire story.
Apparently they have taken into account that some vehicles are more suited for towing than others and have established criteria for actual stopping performance. Many other states have similar criteria.
Even if you are under the weight requirements for your trailer requiring brakes you can still be operating illegally if you can't stop in the distances required.
If my math is correct, every vehicle has to be able to stop from 20 miles per hour in 2.1 seconds. I don't understand why they have different distances for different type of vehicles but every vehicle has to be able to stop (decerate) at a minimum rate of 14 feet/second/second (some must decerate even faster). Even at the slower rate of stopping the max distance based upon deceleration is 31 feet not 50 feet.
20 mph=105600 feet per hour= 29.33 feet per second
29.33 feet/second / 14 feet/second/second=2.1 seconds to stop
distance=1/2 A T(squared)=1/2 (14 feet/second/second) * 2.1 sec * 2.1 sec= 31 feet
So, under Texas law you must stop in 31 feet when going 20 miles per hour!
I find this interesting. Not sure too many others will.
More of the "World According to Gus".
Cheers,
Gus
TEXAS LAW:
Sec. 547.408. PERFORMANCE REQUIREMENTS FOR BRAKES.
(a) A motor vehicle or combination of vehicles shall be equipped with service brakes capable of:
(1) developing a braking force that is not less than:
(A) 52.8 percent of the gross weight of the vehicle for a
passenger vehicle; or
(B) 43.5 percent of the gross weight of the vehicle for a vehicle
other than a passenger vehicle;
(2) decelerating to a stop from 20 miles per hour or less at not less
than:
(A) 17 feet per second per second for a passenger vehicle; or
(B) 14 feet per second per second for other vehicles; and
(3) stopping from a speed of 20 miles per hour in a distance,
measured from the location where the service brake pedal or
control is activated, of not more than:
(A) 25 feet for a passenger vehicle;
(B) 30 feet for a motorcycle, motor-driven cycle, or single unit
vehicle with a manufacturer's gross vehicle weight rating
of 10,000 pounds or less;
(C) 40 feet for:
(i) a single unit vehicle with a manufacturer's gross
weight rating of more than 10,000 pounds;
(ii) a two-axle towing vehicle and trailer combination
with a weight of 3,000 pounds or less;
(iii) a bus that does not have a manufacturer's gross
weight rating; and
(iv) the combination of vehicles in an operation
exempted by Section 547.407(b); and
(D) 50 feet for other vehicles.
(b) A test for deceleration or stopping distance shall be performed on a
dry, smooth, hard surface that:
(1) is free of loose material; and
(2) does not exceed plus or minus one percent grade.
(c) In this section, "passenger vehicle" means a vehicle that has a
maximum seating capacity of 10 persons, including the operator, and
that does not have a manufacturer's gross vehicle weight rating.
Acts 1995, 74th Leg., ch. 165, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1995.
The opinions in this post are my own. My comments are directed to those that might like an alternative approach to those already espoused.There is the right way,the wrong way,the USMC way, your way, my way, and the highway.
"I'm impatient with stupidity. My people have learned to live without it." Klaatu-"The Day the Earth Stood Still"
"You can't handle the truth!"-Jack Nicholson "A Few Good Men"
"Some people spend an entire lifetime wondering if they made a difference in the world. The Marines don't have that problem"-Ronald Reagan
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