Towing heavy on a 1/2 ton

[Cat_Driver]

I've driven heavy loads with lighter trucks and heavy loads with heavy trucks, and I can tell you this I will never ever tow a heavy load with a light vehicle. I needed to panic stop with the light vehicle and the trailer and load pushed me throgh a red light.
The next day I purchased a F450 and nothing pushed me around.
Tow heavy and you will either die or kill someone. Not worth it.

 

[RandyT]

Sorry, no.

A CDL brings down my legal BAC whether i'm in a commercial vehicle or my private vehicle.
My license allows me to drive any "one" vehicle of any weight - a triaxle dump, say, for personal use or for hire.
And I cannot tow a trailer exceeding 9,990 - it's specifically stated as such on a CDL class B. Class A is tractor trailer, so trailer weight isn't limited by one's license.

My license isn't different depending if i'm working commercially or for myself in a personal vehicle.

Like a bus - the SAME vehicle, as a 'bus' you need a CDL. If it's registered as an RV, any old license works - even if it's well over 26k pounds or has air brakes.

CDL's are so specific I can't drive a manual transmission commercially unless i take the road test in a stick shift truck or bus.

If you go for your class b test in a tractor (as in semi) with a fifth wheel they won't let you use it. take off the plate, and you can use it for the test. Absolutely no difference in the vehicle's size, handling, rules of the road, etc - but the plate on the back makes it a Class A vehicle - even without a trailer!

Hey, license's are government things - they don't have to make sense.

Your class B is a single vehicle exceeding 26,001 pounds towing a trailer of less than 10K. But your license also allows any vehicle covered under a class C. Class C is a vehicle under 26K that doesn't otherwise meet the requirements of class A or Class B, example chevy 3500 dually. There is a no trailer weight restriction on a class C as long as the combination doesn't otherwise meet the requirements of class A or B. So your Class B Cdl allows for a chevy 3500 to tow a 14K trailer. What becomes an issue is as your tow vehicle approaches that 26K weight rating your allowed trailer decreases to avoid the magical 26,001.

People try to say my license limited me to a 10K trailer but the actual law doesn't say that. A class B requires the truck to exceed 26,001. Class A is a little odd in its wording because it was meant for tractor=trailers where the tractor exceeds 26,001 towing over 10K, but catches some pickup trailer combinations in the mix because of combined weight exceeding 26,001. Because in reality there isn't a single pickup towing a trailer that would fall into a class B license.

 

[dodge man]

A lot of 3/4 and 1 ton trucks are coming with a class V hitch now. Not sure of the exact rating but like 12,000 lbs, no WDH required. You can tell if you have one the shank size is bigger. I had a 2004 Dodge 3/4 ton and it had the smaller hitch so yes over 5000 lbs is said I needed a WDH.

 

[RandyT]

A lot of 3/4 and 1 ton trucks are coming with a class V hitch now. Not sure of the exact rating but like 12,000 lbs, no WDH required. You can tell if you have one the shank size is bigger. I had a 2004 Dodge 3/4 ton and it had the smaller hitch so yes over 5000 lbs is said I needed a WDH.

From my understanding the insert size is 3 inches.

 

[shooterdon]

From my understanding the insert size is 3 inches.

I had a class V on my Ford F350 dually and it was 2 1/2"

 

[Timm250]

My Ram 2500 Class V hitch is 2-1/2"

 

[JPRambo]

My 2013 Silverado 1500 w/ HD cooling package 5.3 lt. vortec 3.42 rear,ext cab standard box 2wd Z71/Z85 Allstar package, weight is 5100 lbs. w/o wdh 5000 lb towing w/ wdh 9700 lbs.. GCWR 15000.

 

[sdef]

I was in a quandry a few years back with getting a new truck to tow 12k# loads. I wanted a HD 1/2 ton vs. a 3/4 ton due to it not being primarily a tow vehicle. However, as time went on and reading lots of responses on TBN about this issue and other resources, I decided to go with a 3/4 ton and a diesel. I just could not get past the braking and chassis differences between the two types of trucks when dealing with heavy loads and 12k# sure seems like a lot of weight for a much lighter weight 1/2 ton vs. a 3/4 ton.

I drove vehicles from various OEMs of both types and from a performance standpoint, the diesel won out by a large margin. I paid the extra $10k for the diesel 3/4 ton and have never looked back.

Odds are, in order to make the OEM's rated bumper tow rating, you will need a WDH. I have had Reese and Draw-Tite WDH assemblies and went with a Blue Ox SwayPro this time and enjoy it far better. It is as trouble free as these things can be, I believe.

I have never owned a gooseneck trailer but would think if I were starting from scratch, I would get a 3/4 ton truck and a gooseneck trailer. My truck is factory configured to tow any type of trailer.

 

[Sysop]

ClassV hitches come with various size receivers and has no bearing on if WDH is required or not. How the hitch mounts to the truck's frame has more to do with it than anything. Any hitch not using weight distribution puts all of the weight on the rearmost fasteners. Weight distribution changes the leverage on the hitch, which transfers more of the trailer weight forward and off the rearmost fasteners. A lot of the ClassIII and ClassIV hitches simply mount to the bottom of the framerails. Most ClassV hitches also have structure that wraps around the outer sides of the framerail with additional attachment points.

 

[sdef]

A lot of 3/4 and 1 ton trucks are coming with a class V hitch now. Not sure of the exact rating but like 12,000 lbs, no WDH required. You can tell if you have one the shank size is bigger. I had a 2004 Dodge 3/4 ton and it had the smaller hitch so yes over 5000 lbs is said I needed a WDH.

My 2015 Ram 2500 diesel with 2.5" receiver also requires a WDH for over 5k# up to its rated 17.1k bumper tow rating.

And per other posts- I have had many, many 20 - 23 ton gravel and slag loads delivered in the last thee years. I have access to a new 12k dump trailer but it is not worth my time and vehicle wear and tear to drive at least 30 miles round trip per 4 tons of material. Far easier and in the end a break even deal financially to have it delivered and I can move/spread while another load is on its way.

 

[BoneStock]

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.

This.

...and without trailer brakes, I wont pull more weight than my truck weighs, thats when I really notice braking issues.

 

[fried1765]

Sorry, no.

A CDL brings down my legal BAC whether i'm in a commercial vehicle or my private vehicle.
My license allows me to drive any "one" vehicle of any weight - a triaxle dump, say, for personal use or for hire.
And I cannot tow a trailer exceeding 9,990 - it's specifically stated as such on a CDL class B. Class A is tractor trailer, so trailer weight isn't limited by one's license.

My license isn't different depending if i'm working commercially or for myself in a personal vehicle.

Like a bus - the SAME vehicle, as a 'bus' you need a CDL. If it's registered as an RV, any old license works - even if it's well over 26k pounds or has air brakes.

CDL's are so specific I can't drive a manual transmission commercially unless i take the road test in a stick shift truck or bus.

If you go for your class b test in a tractor (as in semi) with a fifth wheel they won't let you use it. take off the plate, and you can use it for the test. Absolutely no difference in the vehicle's size, handling, rules of the road, etc - but the plate on the back makes it a Class A vehicle - even without a trailer!

Hey, license's are government things - they don't have to make sense.

Not necessarily true as described above!
Rules/regulations may vary according to state you live in.

 

[Sysop]

Not necessarily true as described above!
Rules/regulations may vary according to state you live in.

Yep. Some places folk can buy nearly any type of vehicle, paint 'farm use' on the side, and run it on a standard driver's license. In WV we can do so with anything up to 26,000lbs without any special documentation. If over 26,001lbs, we can get an exemption so we do not need CDL.
https://transportation.wv.gov/DMV/D...tion-for-Farm-Vehicle-Driver-Exemption-wf.pdf

 

[Jchonline]

I had a class V on my Ford F350 dually and it was 2 1/2"

F250 here (2018) Class V 2.5 inch hitch

 

[sd455dan]

Quote Originally Posted by plowhog View Post
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.

This.

...and without trailer brakes, I wont pull more weight than my truck weighs, thats when I really notice braking issues.

^^^
and to add some more things that may be upgraded on 3/4 tons and up

1/2 tons don't generally have full floater rear axles or tires that are load range E 10 ply rating or above ...

Some 1/2 tons with rated towing above 11,000lbs. and are still sold with (P) grade passenger tires.
If towing near the rating I would want heavier duty tires - ride quality deemed secondary.

Most 3/4 and 1 ton trucks that have aluminum wheels are (Forged) not (Cast) making them stronger. Forged Aluminum are available with 1/2 tons but not always stock.

The weight and engine torque is carried on and through the axle shafts and tires.

In case of axle failure 3/4 and 1 tons full floaters will retain the wheel.
also bearing surface area is increased with full floater designs because 2 bearings are used instead of 1.

The heavier duty tires extra plies and sidewall toughness are also a bit more of a safety factor with all that weight attached to the truck.

 

[Jstpssng]

This.

...and without trailer brakes, I wont pull more weight than my truck weighs, thats when I really notice braking issues.

In this state you aren't allowed to haul more than 3000 lbs without brakes no matter what's pulling it. I once drove a C70 with a 23'hay body on back for landscaping, pulling a 3300 lb haymulcher behind it. We got stopped by the weigh wagon and they said that needed brakes on the trailer, it was 300 pounds over the limit.

My Ranger is rated to pull a "properly set up" trailer up to 7000 lbs; yet must have brakes for over 2000 lbs per manufacturer's specs.

 

[dnw64]

In this state you aren't allowed to haul more than 3000 lbs without brakes no matter what's pulling it...

I wonder how many thousands of violations occur per day there...

 

[Jstpssng]

You're right, and it's a peeve with truckers who are fined for minute things

 

[RandyT]

I wonder how many thousands of violations occur per day there...

16' tandem axle utility trailer with 3500# axles with 3000# plates because there don't have any brakes, and have 2" balls hitches rated at 5000#

 

[timswi]

I wonder how many thousands of violations occur per day there...

Same thing here. 3k & up has to have brakes. Makes sense safety wise. I prefer brakes, just don't like having to get them inspected. Under 3k you don't have to.