My insurance agent just called me and said my truck was weighted for over 10,ooo lbs and would have to be put on a commercial policy.  Have had it weighted fo 20,000lbs for years.  Called another ins. co and they said the same thing

I weighs that much or the carrying cap. it over that?

Any way, YES and NO.......  We had Farmers and FB both and when we bought the truck we have now it came as a cab n chassis with no bed and we had to get a commercial policy.  Kind of BS, but our policy is really not any higher than the old policy was.  The only bad thing is we had to insure every single trailer we pull because the liability on the truck does not cover any trailer being pulled.  But another good thing is the insurance on the trailers is CHEAP so we put full coverage replacement value on all of them.

That's why Ford offers its 1 ton F350 with a 10,000 rating instead of the normal 11,500. So you can avoid that.

OMG, how do you pay that?  We are paying about $260 per month for homeowners (house and barns), 05 JD tractor/loader, 07.5 Dodge truck, 07 VW Beetle, 04 Sundowner 8010LQ trailer and a 28' flatbed gooseneck trailer.  And that is full coverage on all vehicles, tractor and both trailers.  So that figures to be just over $3000 per year for everything we own....

What is your secret? No tickets or at fault claims here. I pay a lot more than that! Just the Sportchassis and Bloomer LQ insurance is $1800 a year! Then add another $2800 for the Dodge dually, two BMW's and the 4 Star! Next add$2600 for homeowners and another $900 for commercial barn & boarders liabilty insurance! Oh, and I don't even remember what we pay for the tractor and other farm equipment! Can I say insurance poor?

hogtownboss writes:

OMG, how do you pay that?  We are paying about $260 per month for homeowners (house and barns), 05 JD tractor/loader, 07.5 Dodge truck, 07 VW Beetle, 04 Sundowner 8010LQ trailer and a 28' flatbed gooseneck trailer.  And that is full coverage on all vehicles, tractor and both trailers.  So that figures to be just over $3000 per year for everything we own....

As an insurance agent in PA, I can tell you that most of your comments are correct but you can't do a fair comparison if it's not apples to apples (same state, territory, cvg. etc.) to know who is paying too much and there are a lot of variables. For instance, rates vary by state & territories and there is a big difference in the rating process for personal vs commercial.  Personal Auto is now rated based on credit score in addition to accidents & violations & if you have any youthful operators, it can have a huge impact.  Commercial is rated based on the vehicle & its use as well as "cost new" for vehicle for the physical damage and as Paul said "radius" but it could still be cheaper than personal.  If you fit the slot an RV policy can be cheaper since it assumes not as much use.  You can also usually get a credit if your home & auto are with the same co.  However, not all cos will write a HO if you have horses or they may restrict the number & they can only be for your personal pleasure (no boarding, etc).  For those of you with larger properties, a Farmowners may be the way to go since they can usually include the equipment on the policy. My HO is with Farmers since I was "grandfathered" before the days it mattered how many horses.  My Auto is with Erie & I insure a 99 & 09 Subaru Outback, a 92 Ford F250 P/U, a 99 Ford F350 Dually Diesel, an 06 KB w/10' LQ, a 3-horse BP and an 02 Layton 35' Travel Trailer & we carry high limits & phys dmg on all vehicles & we put the dually on lay-up for 3 mos over the winter (large credit) & we pay $1,800 annually for the vehicles.  They give numerous credits, like if you pay annually, etc. & we don't have a co in our office that can touch it.  I worked for an Erie agent at one time & when I asked why my premium is so low, she said because I have an excellent credit score plus no acc or violations but I also know the rates in our area are reasonable & Erie is willing to write all the vehicles on the same policy. We live 50 miles n of Phila & if you had the same policy in Phila the rates would probably triple.  On the other hand Erie will not write a HO is you have more than 25 bales of hay in the barn so I left my HO w/Farmers. Once you have horses (depending on how many) & the "toys" we need to haul them (dpndg on how big) we don't always fall into the normal criteria any more.  We represent several different cos & usually run a quote w/each & sometimes can come up w/$500 difference apples to apples but we are also limited by the cos we represent & their guidelines for writing business.  If you think you are paying too much, maybe you are but it doesn't cost anything to get alternative "apples to apples" quotes & that will tell you. Once you know their rates are better, then you decide if you want to increase your limits, etc. & don't be afraid to ask how much it will cost - in a lot of cases it doesn't necessary increase the premium that much.  I would also add that if you don't have one, consider an Umbrella Policy which will give you an added $1,000,000 Liability OVER your primary auto & personal lia & doesn't always cost that much.  You have insurance for a reason, to protect your assets (NOT just because the state or mtgee says you have to.  If you don't have enough insurance, they will go after your assets.  I hate to think of the insurance ramifications for the somewhat recent post where a trailer became detached from the tow vehicle, crossed the road & hit a car head on, killing a 10 year old child and injuring the father & other sibling in the vehicle (why didn't the breakaway & chains hold?).  We spend a lot of time investigating & comparing trucks, trailers, etc. - why not insurance?  You should understand what you are purchasing & what your insurance will do for you in a case like that & a good agent will take the time to sit down & explain each of your coverages & answer your questions.  You could also contact another agent who represents different carriers, just to see what they come with (like anything, some are better & more thoro then others) It would be a good winter project & you might save yourself some $$$ in the process.  At least you will know if you are properly covered at the best premium you can get.