What size gooseneck trailer?

[Chickengrower]

Hello all,

Sorry for the elementary question here but I've not got much experience here pulling heavier loads and none with gooseneck trailers. My question is what size trailer do i need to be looking for to match up with my pickup? The heaviest thing I would need to tow is a JD tractor that weighs approx. 9500 - 10000lbs. I do not ever see myself having to haul anything heavier than that.

I definitely want a gooseneck and I like the idea of a low profile deckover but I dont know if my truck is big enough for that. I know a diesel truck would be the best but I need to make do with what i've got for the time being. My truck is a 2001 reg cab, long bed, chevy 3/4 ton HD with the 6.0 gas engine and 4.10 gears. Its in good shape and has only 48K miles so I'm confident in its abilities up to its ratings at least. (No hills to worry about around here) Door sticker says the GVWR of the truck is 9200 lbs and the manual says it can tow 10,400 lbs.

I guess the main thing I'm wondering is can you add those 2 numbers (9,200lbs + 10,400lbs = 19600) and then subtract the actual weight of truck (with passengers and cargo) to come up with the amount of weight i can tow? I dont know exactly how much the truck weighs but I read somehwere the payload was 3950lbs so, for example, that would make the truck come in at 5250lbs empty. Add another 500 for passengers and now I'm at 5750 lbs.

So does that mean i can tow 13,850lbs (19600lbs - 5750lbs = 13850) worth of trailer and equipment?

 

[Lt CHEG]

Hello all,

Sorry for the elementary question here but I've not got much experience here pulling heavier loads and none with gooseneck trailers. My question is what size trailer do i need to be looking for to match up with my pickup? The heaviest thing I would need to tow is a JD tractor that weighs approx. 9500 - 10000lbs. I do not ever see myself having to haul anything heavier than that.

I definitely want a gooseneck and I like the idea of a low profile deckover but I dont know if my truck is big enough for that. I know a diesel truck would be the best but I need to make do with what i've got for the time being. My truck is a 2001 reg cab, long bed, chevy 3/4 ton HD with the 6.0 gas engine and 4.10 gears. Its in good shape and has only 48K miles so I'm confident in its abilities up to its ratings at least. (No hills to worry about around here) Door sticker says the GVWR of the truck is 9200 lbs and the manual says it can tow 10,400 lbs.

I guess the main thing I'm wondering is can you add those 2 numbers (9,200lbs + 10,400lbs = 19600) and then subtract the actual weight of truck (with passengers and cargo) to come up with the amount of weight i can tow? I dont know exactly how much the truck weighs but I read somehwere the payload was 3950lbs so, for example, that would make the truck come in at 5250lbs empty. Add another 500 for passengers and now I'm at 5750 lbs.

So does that mean i can tow 13,850lbs (19600lbs - 5750lbs = 13850) worth of trailer and equipment?

If the manual says that you can tow 10,400 pounds then that is the limit of what the manufacturer intended for your vehicle to tow. I'm sure you could legally tow a little more than 10,400 and not overload the GVWR, but I know I would not tow 13,850 pounds with that truck for any distance.

 

[Soundguy]

i was gonna saw a 14k trailer is gonna be needed. that's gonna weight somewhere inthe 3500-4500# range... and would be good for a 9500# load.

however... therein lies a bit of a weight issue..

 

[RDrancher]

i was gonna saw a 14k trailer is gonna be needed. that's gonna weight somewhere inthe 3500-4500# range... and would be good for a 9500# load.

however... therein lies a bit of a weight issue..

I agree with Soundguy. My 20+5 14K GN weighs 4700#. You can stay within the load limits of the trailer by transferring some of the weight to the truck, but that doesn't change your tow rating.

 

[firedog]

I have a 14K gooseneck and it weighs right at 4K, which leaves ~10K for load.
My truck is rated for ~12.5K towing capacity, so that limits me to 8.5K of load.
So based on your tractor weight and you trucks capacity, I'd say you need a bit bigger truck.

 

[Diamondpilot]

Long story short is you do not have enough truck.

And your truck does not weigh 9200#. That is the GVWR. Gross vehicle wheel rating. Your truck is about 6500# so you simply subtract that from your GVWR and that gives you your maximum payload. In your case it is about 2700#.

Chris

 

[pjbci]

Dont worry about the mule, just load the wagon! You have plenty enough truck to tow your tractor with a gooseneck equipped with good electric brakes.

 

[Chickengrower]

Dont worry about the mule, just load the wagon! You have plenty enough truck to tow your tractor with a gooseneck equipped with good electric brakes.

Now we're talkin! lol

 

[Chickengrower]

Thanks for the responses gentlemen. I think I understand what most of you all are saying, The tow rating, is the tow rating, is the tow rating.

But I do have one last question. How about the tongue weight? Does it still count towards the Max tow rating of my truck or not?

What I am trying to say is, as my max load, could I pull 12,000 lbs of trailer and equipment and still be within the manufacturers rating when counting the transfer of the tongue weight (say 15% or 1800 lbs) of the 12,000 lb load to the truck? Therefore i'd only actually be "towing" 10,200 lbs, and the truck, not the trailer, would be supporting the 1800 lbs of tongue weight, right?

Or is the tow rating, the tow rating, the tow rating? 10,400 and thats it, end of story. Just trying to get my head around this subject and squeeze out every last lb here cause i know my truck is not a big powerhouse or anything. But she is paid for. :thumbsup:

 

[Case485Guy]

The MFG ratings are not the end all ratings as some would have you believe. If this were the case all these hotshot companies you see running up and down the road would not be doing that. There would be no 1 ton trucks pulling 40' goosenecks loading 18k on them and cruising through multiple states.
9200 GVWR truck plus a 14k 20' +5 G/N VWR trailer= 23200 GCVWR
Lets estimate truck with fuel/people @ 6k
Trailer empty @ 4500 lbs.............................that gives you about 10,500 lbs empty weight and room for 12,700 lbs in cargo. Now thats with out uprating your trucks registration. The other thing you need to look at is axle loads, once loaded. Scale each axle on the truck and the pair on the trailer. If those fall into correct weights, no problems.

IMO you have enough truck for towing 10k, **** man pulling 10k with a 3/4 ton here in S. Tx is not even a second thought. As mentioned, a good quality trailer and a good brake setup needed for sure.

 

[Diamondpilot]

No, the tow rating is the tow rating. Can it pull more? Sure.

You get no credit for load on the ball. Your 10,500# rating is just that.

Legally.....


Chris

 

[Case485Guy]

Legally: 2004 Dodge 1 ton registered for 16,000 lbs GVWR
Legally: 40' Gooseneck trailer registered for 20,000 lbs GVWR
Legal: GCWR- 36,000 lbs
Truck: empty 8,000 lbs
Trailer: empty 8,500 lbs
Legally cross CMV scales in multiple states grossing into the 30k range. I know law suit blah, blah...OK if the trucking companies have been sued and lost, I don't think this would be possible to do today. Yet its done everyday.
OK I am going to bow out of this thread, I just get a kick out of everyone preaching tow rating as the gospel.
The OP, your truck will do more than fine. Just get a good trailer and brake setup and you will be safe.

 

[Xfaxman]

Hello all,

I definitely want a gooseneck and I like the idea of a low profile deckover but I dont know if my truck is big enough for that. I know a diesel truck would be the best but I need to make do with what i've got for the time being. My truck is a 2001 reg cab, long bed, chevy 3/4 ton HD with the 6.0 gas engine and 4.10 gears. Its in good shape and has only 48K miles so I'm confident in its abilities up to its ratings at least. (No hills to worry about around here) Door sticker says the GVWR of the truck is 9200 lbs and the manual says it can tow 10,400 lbs.

Low profile deckover seems to be a contradiction of terms. Do you have any pictures, or links to look at?

You need to put your truck on the scales with a full tank of gas. Also get the weight on the front and rear axles. I used the scales at the local co-op.

Here is mine, 2006 GMC short bed 3/4 ton HD 4x4 diesel, 7300 lbs, front 4100, rear 3200.

The link to my trailer, read #18, #28 and #34: http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/trailers-transportation/273476-stand-up-slide-ramps-2.html

 

[RedNeckRacin]

The thing you will find that really limits your capacity is your brakes #1 and your pin load of your trailer #2. I have a 14.5kGN that weighs about 5400 lbs and it would carry alot more than my SRW one ton was happy toting around even with air bags and 10ply tires. If you ever felt a one ton rear end get squirrely and mushy thats enough to pucker your *** let alone trying to panic stop that mess. You can easily find a 12k GN or 14k gn (which are more prevelant). License it for what your state will allow (pa goes by the manufacture's gcwr) and be on your merry way. Just add what your truck weighs to what your trailer weighs and subtract it from your GCWR. Thats what you can haul. IMO GN's pull so much nicer than bumper pull trailers do even though DP and I disagree about that from what I recall. Now if your flirting with that upper weight limit, you might need to consider upgrading in the future. There are hundreds of stories of guys pulling a yacht with vw beetle (exaggeration) and it works great for them. My question to them would be, how fast can you whoa that horse? Trailer brakes be damned, if you have a wire come loose and you are on truck brakes alone, are you going to be able to stop it at all? So to beat a dead horse, your tow rating, is your tow rating is your tow rating.


faxman, a Low profile deckover is exactly what it says. On my trailer, the axles are actually recessed into the mainframe and there are metal plates over the tires where the decking stops to give you more clearance. Now its only about 3" lower than a full height deckover, but as they say, every inch counts! lol

 

[Muladzh]

Everybody can tow whatever trailer they want - that is human nature. You can legally register a truck for towing a large load trailer, everyone knows that - just look at the pickups staggering up grades in the west, with a huge loaded trailer behind them. But. Just because you can do it, does not mean it is safe, or a good idea. If, heaven forbid, you have a wreck with anything that exceeds the manufacturer's rated load, the insurance will NOT pay up. As the insurance will not pay, whoever you hit collided with an uninsured vehicle, for which you will be cited. So, yes, you can tow anything you want, and probably won't get pulled over for a 'reasonable' load, just don't hit anything.

 

[Xfaxman]

faxman, a Low profile deckover is exactly what it says. On my trailer, the axles are actually recessed into the mainframe and there are metal plates over the tires where the decking stops to give you more clearance. Now its only about 3" lower than a full height deckover, but as they say, every inch counts! lol

Ok, thanks, I have seen those.

 

[sd455dan]

Hello all,

Sorry for the elementary question here but I've not got much experience here pulling heavier loads and none with gooseneck trailers. My question is what size trailer do i need to be looking for to match up with my pickup? The heaviest thing I would need to tow is a JD tractor that weighs approx. 9500 - 10000lbs. I do not ever see myself having to haul anything heavier than that.

I definitely want a gooseneck and I like the idea of a low profile deckover but I dont know if my truck is big enough for that. I know a diesel truck would be the best but I need to make do with what i've got for the time being. My truck is a 2001 reg cab, long bed, chevy 3/4 ton HD with the 6.0 gas engine and 4.10 gears. Its in good shape and has only 48K miles so I'm confident in its abilities up to its ratings at least. (No hills to worry about around here) Door sticker says the GVWR of the truck is 9200 lbs and the manual says it can tow 10,400 lbs.

I guess the main thing I'm wondering is can you add those 2 numbers (9,200lbs + 10,400lbs = 19600) and then subtract the actual weight of truck (with passengers and cargo) to come up with the amount of weight i can tow? I dont know exactly how much the truck weighs but I read somehwere the payload was 3950lbs so, for example, that would make the truck come in at 5250lbs empty. Add another 500 for passengers and now I'm at 5750 lbs.

So does that mean i can tow 13,850lbs (19600lbs - 5750lbs = 13850) worth of trailer and equipment?

Doesn't your GM list a Combined Gross Vehicle weight? If a 1/2 ton Ford on p rated tires can legally tow 13000lbs. I'm sure your goose neck equipped 2500 hd 4.10 equipped truck with (_ ply tires) can pull that set up, gvwr as I was informed does not limit trailer towed weight as much as it does payload....

 

[Diamondpilot]

Doesn't your GM list a Combined Gross Vehicle weight? If a 1/2 ton Ford on p rated tires can legally tow 13000lbs. I'm sure your goose neck equipped 2500 hd 4.10 equipped truck with (_ ply tires) can pull that set up, gvwr as I was informed does not limit trailer towed weight as much as it does payload....

Actually no. The GM 3/4 tons of that era were rated quite low compared to what is offered after 2008.

Chris

 

[pjbci]

My owners manual allows 16000 gcwr for those 3/4 ton gas trucks.

 

[sd455dan]

My owners manual allows 16000 gcwr for those 3/4 ton gas trucks.

Well it sounds like, no matter how you slice it, if he wants to stay within the factory advertised ratings. He will be overweight...As others have said goose necks pull nicer than bumper pull, my guess is if he tried a bumper pull at his max rating and then tried a goose neck with the set up he is planning (overweight) he would find that the truck / trailer feels safer with the goose neck even though not meeting the factories guidelines, the #s he's quoting are where a goose neck and 5th wheel are both just getting started, that should count for something... then again guess it still comes back to the trucks rating
EDIT : new info from edmunds suggests it may very well be within tow limits suggested by gm for 5th wheel trailer towing see last post..