Towing Capacity

[Bird]

<font color=blue>when the trailer brakes are engaged it will also add to the pin weight</font color=blue>

Absolutely.

 

[cowboydoc]

I think one important issue that we're overlooking here is the trailer brakes themselves. My big flatbed has a brake drum bigger than my pickup. Without those flatbed brakes and a big load on I can't even think about stopping for a LONG while. With the trailer brakes going I have no problem at all stopping very quickly. Same way on my new horse trailer. The trailer itself is 34' on the floor and weighs 10,300 lbs. Loaded with four horses I'm at about 15k. Again this trailer has four wheel disc, anti-lock brakes. Without them I wouldn't even drive the trailer. With them I have no trouble at all stopping. Many times I will even just use the brake controller and stop with the trailer brakes just to avoid using up my truck brakes. My last pickup as well I changed the rear brakes just as much as the front brakes. I haven't had the new pickup long enough to change them. To say that most of that comes from the truck is just not true in this case. Now if you take my little flatbed the brakes on it are not very big at all. There I definitely feel it more in the pickup. All in all, like Bird said, it is alot of factors that you have to consider.

 

[gerard]

pretty much in agreement with your whole post bird and cowboy doc also makes a good point!! I haven't done the "gradual stop" cowboydoc refers to by using only the trailer brakes but it sounds like a pretty good idea given adequate stopping distance. Have to try it next time we're carting the horses around! (By the way - we just had a new colt born 4/12 - 20 minute delivery with no complications and 10 minutes later he was up and standing - amazing to have seen. I'll post a pic in an off topic thread)

 

[Bird]

Congratulations on the new colt! Glad all went well for your sake, as well as the colt and mare's sake./w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif

 

[Bird]

I've never pulled a trailer with either disk or antilock brakes. I'll bet that's nice. I've certainly made my share (well, maybe more than my share/w3tcompact/icons/frown.gif) of mistakes over the years. When I bought the '89 travel trailer, it was supposed to be a light weight for its size, 3500 pound axles, 10" brakes. But since we were going to be living in it awhile, we got every conceivable option, including washer/dryer and generator, and also usually traveled with a full water tank. The trailer brakes could stop the whole rig, but a bit slowly and no way you could lock them up. So when I weighed it and found 7300 pounds on the axles, I went to the Dexter Axle factory and learned they were more than glad to custom build axles and I went to 5400 pound axles with bigger spindles, bigger bearings, heavier springs, stronger wheels, heavier duty radial tires, and 12" brakes (the linings were wider, too, of course but I don't remember the exact size). Then I could easily stop the whole rig with the trailer brakes and even lock up the trailer brakes if I wanted to.

 

[Soundguy]

In a towing situation, you will most likely find more weight on the rear end of the towing vehicle ( if the trailer is loaded correctly ).

Depending on the trailer setup, and number of axles.. and load.. you may be surprised to find that your trailer axles are loaded more than your towing vehicles axles.

And yes.. you probably can tow more than you can stop. I had a ford ranger .. 3.0L ( small v-6 0 )

It pulled my small 2 horse trailer ( using a class III hitch, all was legal, including gcvr ).. The truck just plain couldn't stop good when I test drove it .. so I added the brake controller.... much improved. I got rid of the small truck and trailer anyway.
But even on bigger truck and 16' trailer I still am gratefull for trailer brakes

Soundguy