Towing heavy on a 1/2 ton

[Overtaxed]

I've got an F150 and am considering getting a 14K dump trailer. The F150 is rated, the way mine's configured, for a bit less than that (12-13K, IIRC), so I'd keep it under full to stay in range, but then, start doing a little more digging and realize that's only with a weight distributing hitch. Now, I haven't used a WDH in many years; but wow, they were a total PITA the last time I used one. Nightmare getting hooked up, dropped out of alignment at times, just bad. So, unless things have changed (if so, please educate me), I'm not too keen on fitting a WDH.

So, my other option is to get a gooseneck dump trailer and put the goose in the bed. I like towing a goose, and it's easy to hitch up (which is important for me, this trailer won't be an all day thing, I'll hook up, get something, drop it, and then perhaps hook up later and go get something else the same day, not running it "always connected" like some people do).

And, of course, there's the really expensive way to do this, get a F250/350 with a goose and call it done. Overkill for me, for sure, I probably haul about 5% of the time I'm in my truck, but that'll be the end of worrying about weights and capacity. Might as well go all out and get a 8 wheel dump trailer, that'll take me over 100K for the combo to move around some rock.

You know, reading the manual, it seems to say that any trailer over 5K on a F150 needs a WDH. What the heck is that?? I've never seen a WDH on a F150 in my life that's not a long distance car hauler setup. In fact, I don't think I've ever seen a dump trailer hooked up using a WDH. Is this just corporate CYA? Or do I need to really be concerned here? My truck has the max tow setup, brake controller etc, I tow my 7K landscape trailer (which, apparently, I'm doing wrong!) all the time with it.

 

[Jstpssng]

I have never seen anybody get stopped for trailering issues when driving a pickup. The time that it matters is when somebody cuts you off and you smack them... then the only thing which matters is that you weren't following the letter of the law. Rather than buying a trailer why not go out and buy a ton truck with a dump body for that occasional use; take care of it, park it inside when not in use and you will be able to get your money back when you are done with it.

 

[plowhog]

There are lots of opinions about this, but my biggest concern about towing with 1/2 ton versus something heavier duty is braking. If my 1/2 ton can only pull 40mph up a grade, well, oh well. It's a short term inconvenience. But the 1/2 ton brakes are lower capacity than bigger trucks, so that is the issue for me.

If you are comfortable with the terrain you drive on, and the load you pull, then go for it. I've towed heavy trailers over *Monitor Pass* in California with a 210hp 1/2 ton Chevy Suburban. Peak elevation along a series of mountain passes there is around 8,000 feet. I could get down to 25mph on the uphill part, and it sometimes got very concerning on the downhill part. Only once was it dangerous-- my brake controller failed so I only had the brakes on the Suburban (no trailer brakes) going down Monitor Pass. By the time I got stopped on a shoulder the right wheel was smoking so hard I was worried it would catch fire.

So, my advice is if you feel OK with your braking .. go for it.

 

[YLee Kioti]

Just because it says you can does not mean you should.

Small truck, brakes, suspension, means a 14k rated trailer loaded up will push truck around and wear out brakes sooner and not be effective in the braking arena.

This is a topic in so many forums where an owner wants to use available vehicle to tow something at or just a hair beyond.

WDH has its place and especially with a small frame truck and a heavy 14k rated trailer.
The WHD is a big help when towing a huge box shaped trailer like a RV or enclosed trailer where the winds will whip it all over the place.
An open trailer not such a big deal for sway issues.
If you need a 14k trailer for your business then at least a goose neck will place the load over the axles providing a much more stable tow then at the end of a ball.
The real solution is a F250, gasser or oil burner. Looks like for your needs a gasser would fit the bill.
Below is a link on some basics from a guy that does a good job of helping answer this kind of question.
PERFECT RV for 3/4 Ton trucks! - YouTube

 

[fried1765]

I have never seen anybody get stopped for trailering issues when driving a pickup. The time that it matters is when somebody cuts you off and you smack them... then the only thing which matters is that you weren't following the letter of the law. Rather than buying a trailer why not go out and buy a ton truck with a dump body for that occasional use; take care of it, park it inside when not in use and you will be able to get your money back when you are done with it.

I submit that the truck would be a bad/costly idea.

First there is the cost of truck registration v/s trailer registration. In your state of Maine, trailer registration is only $20/year. Truck registration in any state would be substantially more. Truck insurance for a year would be a significant expense. Trailer insurance (liability) is actually free, as it extends to the trailer from the towing vehicle. Then too there is truck maintenance v/s trailer maintenance.

A trailer is a very cost effective solution.

 

[Industrial Toys]

I have a Duramax and thought I had the world by the tail. I'm not interested in getting a CVR and so the increased weight of the truck robs me of allowable towed weight. With one particular dump trailer, I can haul 500 pounds of cargo to be legal!

 

[Overtaxed]

If I went to a 250/350, I'm gonna go diesel, I won't have this problem again. But, at the same time, my uses for this are pretty limited which is why I think I might be able to "get by". The biggest thing (and heaviest) is gravel. I'm tired of paying for gravel delivery, I've already bought a dump trailer in delivery fees and see myself getting more pretty consistently as I try to reclaim the land from the red clay. So I would like to be able to go the quarry (about 15 miles) pick up ~5 tons of rock and drive it home. It's about 1/2 the cost per ton to do a pickup vs delivery, so.. Buying a dump at 5-6K, it doesn't take too many trips to the quarry before I start to approach "paid for itself", or at least "paid enough that I can sell it and wind up even" if I don't find other uses for the dump. If I had to estimate, I'd be towing maybe 1000 miles a year with the dump, 500 of them loaded close to the limit. The trip from here to quarry (or the mulch plant, another use for the dump) is about 30 miles round trip, so, 30 times a year.. 900 miles or so towing. I'm sure I'll find other uses for it, and I'd sell my landscape trailer getting the dump, so it would be used for HD runs etc, but none of that would ever get close to 10K in the dump bed.

Just don't see it making financial sense to buy a 250, it's cheaper to get it delivered forever vs the uplift to a 250 just to tow 1000 miles a year or so.

Do most people towing a 14K dump on any truck (where it's required) use a WDH? Like I said, I've never seen one on a dump trailer, I've only ever seen them on motorhomes/tag alongs and car haulers. It seems like something's fishy here, I mean, I should really have a WDH on my little 7K landscape trailer? You gotta be kidding me, I don't even feel that thing back there loaded with 5K on it, I have to keep it in mind to remember it's there so I don't take corners too quick!

 

[ning]

I'm curious about this as well. I've got a '97 F350 SRW (Powerstroke 7.3), and yes it's a 1-ton, but my guess is that a modern F150 can probably out-tow this in every way - tow capacity, braking ability - except raw weight (my truck is about 6,000lbs empty). I was considering the 14k trailer bit as well, until I realized that there's a reason why the 14k is heavier rated than the 10k - it's both longer and heavier built, meaning it's substantially heavier, and the truck's only got so much tow rating that that's eating into.

 

[plowhog]

I've got a '97 F350 SRW (Powerstroke 7.3), and yes it's a 1-ton, but my guess is that a modern F150 can probably out-tow this in every way - tow capacity, braking ability - except raw weight (my truck is about 6,000lbs empty).

I'm not a truck expert but that would greatly surprise me. I have a 2011 GMC Duramax diesel rated to tow 17,000 lbs. Before that was a Chevy 1500 and the Suburban 1500. The GMC 3/4 ton diesel is so far beyond the capabilities of those other two it is hard to describe. Better pulling, more stable ride, better braking.

 

[RandyT]

I have never seen anybody get stopped for trailering issues when driving a pickup. The time that it matters is when somebody cuts you off and you smack them... then the only thing which matters is that you weren't following the letter of the law. Rather than buying a trailer why not go out and buy a ton truck with a dump body for that occasional use; take care of it, park it inside when not in use and you will be able to get your money back when you are done with it.

The only time I have seen pickup trucks stopped is when the trailer looked overloaded, or was just a piece of junk. But if somebody wants to research there are court cases where people have been held liable for millions because they were not using the proper towing equipment at the time of the accident. I came across a case a few months ago where a elderly woman was killed by a DUI that ran a red light, but the insurance company didn't have to pay the life insurance (court decision) because the vehicle she was riding in was towing a trailer that exceeded the towing capacity of the vehicle. And it was like a 8K trailer behind a vehicle rated for 7.5K or something like that. Toy hauler or something like that trailer.

 

[crazyal]

Can you do it, sure. Most likely you're not going to have a problem. Around here, in the middle of the day, I can drive to one of the gravel pits and back and not see another vehicle. It's that one chance in a million that you have to worry about. What you are risking is your wealth. If something goes wrong and you hit someone, say because the trailer connector came disconnected and you only had your truck brakes to stop you, then the resulting lawsuit could be very costly. It sounds like you aren't poor so that's what I would be worried about (well that and possibly injuring someone).

 

[Overtaxed]

Yeah, I'd rather not be breaking the law. And absolutely don't want to hurt someone. What would I be doing that's actually wrong though? Just not having the WDH? Is that actually something that's part of the towing requirement? To be honest, until I started really looking at it, I thought the weight capacity of my truck for rear towing was 13K. That's what published everywhere. It's not until you start reading the fine print that you see "over 5K requires WDH". Does anyone actually know this/follow this, or am I just reading too much (that happens a lot)? Considering I see F150s towing things like small skids/ex's around pretty commonly around here and I've never seen a WDH on anything, I do think there's something I don't know. Either that or a lot of people (including me with my landscape trailer) are one missed red light away from a massive lawsuit while towing.

 

[4570Man]

I can haul about the same amount of rock in my 1 ton dump as you’re going to haul in your setup and I find it ridiculously impractical. I can have 12 tons delivered for $175 or I can make 3 trips on my truck and pay $30 per trip for material plus fuel, plus time, plus wear and tear on my truck which is a lot loaded with 4 tons. I’m way ahead paying the guy $175. My one ton dump is the most practical truck I’ve ever had, but it sucks for hauling gravel. If I was going to have a dump trailer it would be a 10 ton and still a stupid setup IMO. A trailer like that cost about 10k, isn’t very good for hauling equipment, requires a dually to pull, and is hard to get around. I’d way rather take the 10k and buy a single axel dump truck that hauls the same amount. If you’re saving buying the dually you can double or more the 10k budget and be ahead. Around here it’s legal to put “your name farms, not for hire” on the door and drive the single axel truck to your place a couple times a year.

 

[Jstpssng]

What you are doing wrong is exceeding the rated capacity of your vehicle. Besides the legal aspect of it there are legions of lawyers out there just waiting for accidents to happen so that they can make money off the fine print. And for the record; just because the truck salesman says it doesn't mean that it's true.

 

[4570Man]

I'm curious about this as well. I've got a '97 F350 SRW (Powerstroke 7.3), and yes it's a 1-ton, but my guess is that a modern F150 can probably out-tow this in every way - tow capacity, braking ability - except raw weight (my truck is about 6,000lbs empty). I was considering the 14k trailer bit as well, until I realized that there's a reason why the 14k is heavier rated than the 10k - it's both longer and heavier built, meaning it's substantially heavier, and the truck's only got so much tow rating that that's eating into.

I’d bet money against this and I’ve got multiple 90s 1 tons if anyone wants to take me up on it. The new 150 might have more HP, but way less springs, less brakes, and less tires. Assuming you didn’t bend the axel or break something else you’ll bust tires before I stop loading my 1 ton. How would the F-150 handle this? If it’s still drivable after that we can hook my GN weighing 21 k to it.

 

[plowhog]

What you are doing wrong is exceeding the rated capacity of your vehicle.

That is a really good point. There is gross weight, max tow capacity, max tongue weight, max combined vehicle weight, and so on. If you are outside of one of those parameters and a fatal accident occurs it is not a good place to be. Maybe the other party blew a red light and you hit them. But .... if you were towing legally ..... they might be alive today. Not where I would want to be.

 

[newbury]

I've got an F150 and am considering getting a 14K dump trailer. The F150 is rated, the way mine's configured, for a bit less than that (12-13K, IIRC), so I'd keep it under full to stay in range, but then, start doing a little more digging and realize that's only with a weight distributing hitch. Now, I haven't used a WDH in many years; but wow, they were a total PITA the last time I used one. Nightmare getting hooked up, dropped out of alignment at times, just bad. So, unless things have changed (if so, please educate me), I'm not too keen on fitting a WDH. <snip>.

Other than expense a WDH can be fairly easy. I've a 2002 F350 dually w/ a tow capacity of 12K and a 12K rated trailer and a Ford hitch rated for 12K. But on the hitch it says WDH is needed for over 5K. I set it up once in about 2013, got every thing leveled w/ a full load and have not changed it since. I had been towing it about 2,000 to 4,000 miles a year since then.

I've an Equal-izer 14K rated WDH, hooks up fairly easy.

Yeah, I'd rather not be breaking the law. And absolutely don't want to hurt someone. What would I be doing that's actually wrong though? Just not having the WDH? Is that actually something that's part of the towing requirement? To be honest, until I started really looking at it, I thought the weight capacity of my truck for rear towing was 13K. That's what published everywhere. It's not until you start reading the fine print that you see "over 5K requires WDH". Does anyone actually know this/follow this, or am I just reading too much (that happens a lot)? Considering I see F150s towing things like small skids/ex's around pretty commonly around here and I've never seen a WDH on anything, I do think there's something I don't know. Either that or a lot of people (including me with my landscape trailer) are one missed red light away from a massive lawsuit while towing.

Yup, for your vehicle and use it seems the WDH for the 14K trailer is just a CYA. Just be sure to not make your total weight above your GCWR. Or buy a WDH, keep your total weight below your GCWR and don't worry at all about being legal BECAUSE YOU ARE.

There was another WDH that came out "recently" that uses chains instead of bars. That one looked really easy to hook up.
/edit Andersen hitch

I think the "over 5K" stipulation is just a corporate CYA.

 

[Overtaxed]

Other than expense a WDH can be fairly easy. I've a 2002 F350 dually w/ a tow capacity of 12K and a 12K rated trailer and a Ford hitch rated for 12K. But on the hitch it says WDH is needed for over 5K. I set it up once in about 2013, got every thing leveled w/ a full load and have not changed it since. I had been towing it about 2,000 to 4,000 miles a year since then.

I've an Equal-izer 14K rated WDH, hooks up fairly easy.


Yup, for your vehicle and use it seems the WDH for the 14K trailer is just a CYA. Just be sure to not make your total weight above your GCWR. Or buy a WDH, keep your total weight below your GCWR and don't worry at all about being legal BECAUSE YOU ARE.

There was another WDH that came out "recently" that uses chains instead of bars. That one looked really easy to hook up.
/edit Andersen hitch

I think the "over 5K" stipulation is just a corporate CYA.

How the heck does that WDH do anything for moving the weight? Seems like that would be sway control only, I don't see how that's transferring weight forward.

And for the record; just because the truck salesman says it doesn't mean that it's true.

In fact, it's often the opposite. I'd never believe the salesman, however, when I bought this truck, I spent some time looking hard at the specs published by Ford, including their neat "trailering selection guide" document that goes through a million different options. I just totally missed the fine print at the bottom of the sheet that says "Any trailer over 5K requires WDH". It's a footnote, and, if you think I'm being stupid, I challenge you to read the document and notice that data without really looking hard at it.

http://www.diehlford.com/images/pdf/2018_RV_Trailer_Towing_Guide_F_150.pdf

However, I think I've gotten my answer.. Don't do it, or buy a lighter dump trailer for the F150 and then sell it if I move up to a bigger pickup in the future. The 14K trailer, as other said, is going to eat about 4K in payload for the trailer, which will only let me load it with a few 2x4's without a WDH (lol) or ~4 tons of gravel with a WDH. Funny, when I bought this truck I thought to myself, what the heck could I want to tow that would weigh enough to get beyond 12K?! Now I have a couple of answers! And honestly, had I known that any double axle trailer on a F150 requires a WDH, I don't think I would have bought it. I'm annoyed that I've been towing illegal without knowing it, I'm usually pretty good at reading this stuff and just missed this one. Shoot, I had 40HP tractor on a borrowed monster pintle rig trailer behind this thing! That rig had to land around 10K (most of it trailer, my god that thing was huge). That was nowhere near legal and, in my mind, I was well within the capabilities of the rig.

The other thing, I rent trailers occasionally for specific purposes, that WDH requirement makes that somewhere between impossible and completely impractical. Those little dollies of redi-mix are great, but if you're towing it with a F150, you ain't legal.

 

[mikester]

I have never seen anybody get stopped for trailering issues when driving a pickup. The time that it matters is when somebody cuts you off and you smack them... then the only thing which matters is that you weren't following the letter of the law. Rather than buying a trailer why not go out and buy a ton truck with a dump body for that occasional use; take care of it, park it inside when not in use and you will be able to get your money back when you are done with it.

It happens around here - pickup trucks are getting stopped even if the load is secured. They will also issue warnings if your load is getting close to CDL territory...and fine you if you overload.

Personally I wish theyd stop more guys that are overloaded or unsecured. I recently saw a num-nut in a half ton rust bucket on the highway with at least two tons of scissor jack in the bed. Wheels would have been rubbing the wheel wells if they hadnt already rusted away. Accident waiting to happen and some poor sucker would be the victim.

 

[dodge man]

First off, I can almost guarantee your truck is not rated to tow 12000 lbs. Look in your door jamb at the yellow sticker. I have a 2017 F150 and my sticker says 1940 lbs. That is fairly high for an F150 unless you have the heavy duty payload package, which is quite rare.

So take my 1940 lbs, that’s how much weight you can put on the truck. That includes a full tank of gas but no driver or passengers. I have got a tool box, that’s 200 lbs, me I am 240 say. Now that 1940 is down to 1500 lbs. Take a 14000 trailer and take 10% tongue weight, that makes 1400 lbs. In theory my truck can handle that tongue weight. What if the tongue weight is 15%? What is you payload sticker? What all do you carry in your truck? The other problem is my truck is rated at 9000 lbs tow rating.

You will find your hitch is only rated at 500 lbs without a wdh. I know it does not look like they do anything but as the trailer makes the truck sag, they lever the sag back up and put weight back on the front end. It’s kind of magic.

In theory a max tow heavy duty payload package F150 will tow what you want but try to find one on the lot. Can your F150 tow what you want? Probably but do not kid yourself on the need for a wdh and what your truck is rated at. Look at that payload sticker.