Can i legally haul this tractor ?

[aandjfarms]

I am wanting to purchase a Belarus 250 tractor and i need to find out if my truck and trailer will legally haul it.

My truck is a regular cab step side 1997 chevy Z71 4x4, it has the 350 motor and 3.73 gears and upgraded to hydroboost brakes (best thing i ever did), upgraded transmission cooler, oil cooler etc... the door sticker is missing and the sticker in the glove box says nothing to do with towing i have been looking online for towing capacity but i haven't been able to find anything.

My trailer is a 16ft car hauler with tandem 3500lb axles but no trailer brakes. I will need to tow it to my house about 15 miles then out to the farm which is about 25 miles... any help is greatly appreciated

 

[deerefan]

I am wanting to purchase a Belarus 250 tractor and i need to find out if my truck and trailer will legally haul it.

My truck is a regular cab step side 1997 chevy Z71 4x4, it has the 350 motor and 3.73 gears and upgraded to hydroboost brakes (best thing i ever did), upgraded transmission cooler, oil cooler etc... the door sticker is missing and the sticker in the glove box says nothing to do with towing i have been looking online for towing capacity but i haven't been able to find anything.

My trailer is a 16ft car hauler with tandem 3500lb axles but no trailer brakes. I will need to tow it to my house about 15 miles then out to the farm which is about 25 miles... any help is greatly appreciated

That tractor weighs roughly 5-5500 lbs, maybe a little more or less. I would pull it with trailer brakes. The first time you stop hard you will ruin your rotors. The t/c for your truck is around 6800lbs. With trailer and tractor you will be close. Mechanically, you have the power. Brakes wise, you are lacking. Borrow a trailer with brakes and you should be fine. As for your current trailer, it has 7k lb axles but keep in mind to deduct the weight of the trailer. You might do better borrowing a 10000lb cap trailer with trailer brakes. It will handle the load much better.

 

[mjw357]

You have enough truck, just not enough trailer. No trailer brakes with a load like that is a disaster waiting to happen.

 

[Diamondpilot]

You need more truck and for sure more trailer. I am a part time trailer dealer and have a book with all the listings. For 97 GM K series 1500 trucks with 350/3.73 combo it list the max tow rating at 6,500#

Also, if you do not tow much with this truck check the hitch first. I have seen my fair share of that era GM hitches fail. The ones I am thinking of are about a 3" box tube and they rust from inside out. It may look solid and hold fine till you hit a big bump then it rips them apart. I have rescued 2 guys in the last 2 years with 90's era GM trucks with hitch failures.

This will all depend on how you maintain/keep clean and where you live. Here in the salt belt all hitches rust out eventually but that design rusted quicker than most.

Chris

 

[radioman]

what no one has mentioned yet is that are you sure that your trailer has no brakes? what weight is the trailer registered for? I am guessing 7000lbs since you say 16 ft with 3500lb axles which is what I have. you might have at least one of axles with electric brakes already as florida law states brakes required for over 3000lbs combined trailer weight.

let's see, if you ignore what truck you have - other poster says your tractor is 5000-5500 lbs. 16ft trailers tends be close 2k unloaded leaving you 5k of carrying weight. I am willing to bet that when you add loaded tires, chains, ratchet straps, binders, fuel for tractor, etc, you just will be overloaded on that 16ft trailer if it the 7k kind.

Is it legal? you decide based on the facts here so far.

 

[yooper1]

If anyone is interested those numbers on the sticker in your glove box are called

RPO codes (for Regular Production Option)

you can translate what they mean here (searchable):
GM-Trucks.com| RPO Code Lookup

and here (this is all on one)

RPO Codes.com- GM option codes,GM rpo codes,Regular Production Options,General Motors options

it will (or should) tell you all the specs of your truck in regards to what axle you have, what GVW is, tranny, if you have HD tranny cooling, etc.

 

[jeffsw6]

I think you are required to have trailer brakes on any trailer over 3000# in Florida. Check with the DMV, but if this is true, you need to add brakes to that trailer in order to legally use it.

 

[Ken45101]

Absolutely illegal and extremely dangerous to haul that kind of weight without trailer brakes.

It varies with individual state laws, but nothing over a single axle is legal (or safe) without trailer brakes. In some states, even a single axle over 3000# requires brakes.

I did haul a 5000# Kubota M4700 with loader and bush hog on a similar trailer with a '96 Chevy 1500 WITH TRAILER BRAKES. I was not comfortable with it.

After I sold it it, a friend had it a few years and was hauling a similar trailer with just a small car on it. The frame holding the hitch broke and the tongue ended up on the ground. Fortunately he was going slow and down a slight grade at the time and no significant problems ensued. However, a few moments more, and he would have been going up a steep hill on a major state highway. It it had broken completely loose, it would have taken off downhill, out of control. The safety chains were attached to the hitch which had broken loose!

 

[Soundguy]

what the others said.

trailer is right onthe edge at 7k ( 1700# trailer usually for 16'.. leaving you 5300 cargo.. which the tractor eats up ).

truck looks ok.. trailer RATING is ont he edge.. but the brake issue is what I would address.

if it had barkes.. I'd pull it.

soundguy

 

[timswi]

what the others said.

trailer is right onthe edge at 7k ( 1700# trailer usually for 16'.. leaving you 5300 cargo.. which the tractor eats up ).

truck looks ok.. trailer RATING is ont he edge.. but the brake issue is what I would address.

if it had barkes.. I'd pull it.

soundguy

I've pulled much more than 6500# with a 97 350/3:73 combo..SB Reg cab 4x4...No problem...Trailer brakes are a must...The truck ain't gonna stop that load alone, no way.