The sad thing is you might already BE in the one country where there’s even a slight chance of being left alone!!! 
G.
That should have said “the country.” I’m originally from a rural area, and the HOA I grew up with controlled things like not being loud after 10pm or not letting your dogs roam lose or not letting a car rot in your front yard, you know things that actually interfere with your neighbor’s life, safety, or home value. Growing up with an effective (somewhat), reasonable HOA really skewed my expectations. Lesson very painfully learned.
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My mind is blown. I dislike HOAs to begin with. I’ve never moved anywhere with one so it is just in principle. This is just mind blowing.
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Yep, I’ve seen several HOA’s with a no trucks allowed rule.
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Didn’t read the entire thread…
Can’t you just take the VIN number and contact the manufacturer? I did that with my Ford truck to verify that it had a tow package before I purchased it.
Indeed. But be careful what “country” you’re looking at. In some places the county commission can be be as “brown shirted and jackbooted” as any HOA. To say more might “political” and that’s a no-no!
G.
If you decide to get another tow vehicle, make sure it is a 3/4 ton pickup. Even if the tow package is a “heavy duty” one, a 1/2 ton truck will have trouble safely pulling all that you want to pull. A 1 ton pickup is meant for towing a big gooseneck and is overkill for what you want.
A 1/2 ton is meant for pulling speed boats and utility trailers. Get one that is meant to do the job you are buying it for.
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My former condo’s HOA had a no-truck rule that also included no full size vans. One of the things you don’t even think to ask about before moving in, especially if you’ve never dealt with a HOA before. Now living in a water-oriented community, so half the neighborhood either has a truck or an SUV large enough to tow a decent sized boat trailer.
OP, see if you can find a Suburban or Yukon with a tow package. Mine was killed by a deer last year, and it was a fantastic tow vehicle that I still miss. I needed a quick replacement and I bought an Expedition because the price and timing was right, and while all the specs and technical features are there, I just don’t think it tows as nicely as the Yukon did.
Today’s 1/2 tons are not yesterdays 1/2 tons.
They are much better for towing.
We have always had a 1/2 ton and pulled a 16’ steel bp and gn stock trailers without trouble just fine for decades.
As do so many around here.
Sure, more pickup is always fine and better.
1/2 ton, being sensible loading and driving, is fine too.
Many doing just that out there attests to it.
Now, for extreme towing, like all day long in the steep mountains, maybe not.
What do those with no pickup HOAs do when they have visitors with pickups?
Where do they park those?
My HOA has a no street parking rule. That’s so you can actually get down the streets, and emergency, and service vehicles can get through. And the houses are very close together, and some are single car garages and driveways, so people would be parking right on the edge of the neighbor’s driveway, and blocking mail boxes, and trash can pickup.
We have a visitor lot that is pretty big, and you’re supposed to park extra vehicles, and visitors there. However, commercial trucks are banned for overnight or permanent parking, and RVs/trailers can only park to unload for a few hours. A lot of the self storage places here have covered parking with 24/7 access for trailers or RV’s or boats, etc., and the monthly rent is very reasonable.
There are also a ban on commercial vehicles, and that’s partially so you don’t have someone running a commercial business out of a private residence, or townhouse. You could run a business that doesn’t have constant traffic, but that’s all. That’s one reason so many stand alone businesses, like insurance agents, here have houses on main streets, or offices that accommodate parking for multiple vehicles.
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We looked at several houses in HOAs, and walked away from all of them after reviewing the rules. Some require all vehicles to be parked in the garage overnight. No visible vehicles at all. Others wouldn’t even let me bring the horse trailer home to drop off/pick up stuff, much less actually leave it parked for a few hours.
Happy ending? Bought a Certified Pre-Owned Ford Expedition from a dealership earlier this week. So new it still has room left on every warranty. Turns out there are some differences once you’ve seen both manufacturer installed tow packages. The Heavy Duty has both a 4 point and 7 point hook up and it has the fancy brake switch right next to the steering wheel, already installed by the manufacturer. (Plus the fancy upgraded engine parts that aren’t so visible.)
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Perfect OP!
Yep - my sister lived in a HOA community where you could not park in the driveway overnight. I don’ t know what people did who had three drivers with cars in their house (i.e. mom, dad, & teenager). I don’t know if there was a truck rule. I never saw any - but you’d almost think the community was abandoned - you never saw anyone at all.
There were a few spots across the drive from her house that were guest spots, but you had to get permission for overnight parking there - and they were stingy about giving permission. I never spent the night there - her roommate was a bit of a weirdo and owned the house, so did not want to aggravate the situation further for her.
You can blame all the people leaving disabled cars in the driveway for weeks on end, or running home mechanics shops, for that one.
and also that anyone who has ever been on an HOA board is by definition on a power trip, it’s a job requirement.
My mom lives in a HOA but it fits her personality. She also got burned by the neighbor in the house I grew up in. The neighbor bought a wooden boat he was going to restore. It sat 10 feet from our property line for 15 years and he never once worked on it. He let the grass grow up around it, I looked more weathered each year. The neighborhood kids used it as a fort. It was pretty big- maybe 25 feet long. It was quite the eyesore. Having it there made selling the family home harder.
She now lives in a development in AZ. There are 6-7 houses per acre. The city doesn’t really have many zoning rules as the HOAs have the rules. With such high density you had better have very specific rules or things will get ugly quickly between neighbors. The heat tends to contibute to less than cool heads. They have the no RV parking, cars must be in garage over night, trashcans not out before x day/time and have to be in by y time after pick-up. It is a 55+ community so really no kids live there. They can get a parking permit for the driveway for a visitor for up to 7 days. It is much easier to piss off your neighbor when you live right on top of them.
The HOA rules are there to help prevent that fights and to maintain house values. No purple house when everyone else is tan. No dead cars on blocks in the front yard. No feeding the local rabbits which draws the coyotes into the neighborhood who then steal the little yappy dogs right off the leash or out of the walled back yard. (Yes that happened locally to my Mom.)
I would not want to live in a place with a HOA but I can see their appeal to certain people and in certain circumstances.
I used to live in a rural area with no enforceable covenants. A jerk moved in across the road and had an off road racing business, complete with dirt track and a shop in which they worked (loudly) all night, very close to my bedroom due to where they put the shop. Even though we had a covenant that prohibited it, there was nothing I could do since the covenants were unenforceable (weird legal history). These were not huge parcels–five acres, and so the noise was an issue not just for me but for people several lots away.
I now live in a suburban type subdivision with strong, enforceable covenants. I was very tired of living at the mercy of my neighbors. There are always a few people in every neighborhood who think the rules don’t apply to them, but our HOA board will be dealing with them very soon. The HOA can impose fines and foreclose if the fines aren’t paid.
I don’t understand why my scofflaw neighbors (where I live now) would even move here with the rules we have. They gripe constantly and want the rules changed. There are plenty of developments nearby with fewer and no covenants at all. Why not live there?
I would not buy a house without reading and understanding the covenants and rules first. I knew when I came here that my boat could not be parked in the driveway. I also knew I couldn’t park even a car on the street. It’s fine as I was prepared.
Rebecca
