Towing Question??

[gilbertmsg]

I'm going to try and move the truck forward a little. I would like to strap tires down and also strap the front down thru the skid plate and use two chains on the rear from the bump stops on top of the rear end. Is there anything wrong with strapping front and rear and using straps on the tires. (safety first) I will take some more pictures and post for comments.

Eddie

 

[orezok]

Just a thought on those who say move it forward and get more tongue weight. The A frame on a 7,000# trailer isn't the strongest. I would put a straight edge on the A frame where it meets the front of the deck after loading and if there is significant bowing (and that's subjective), I would back off a little.

 

[Don87]

There is a scale on 301, just north of the bridge. At the state line(Maryland side).

 

[Don87]

I read this thread with great interest and thought I would share an experience. I pull a 30 ft. gooseneck with three 6000 lb axles and 10 ply tires with a Ford 350 dually. I recently had a blowout hauling 5000 lbs. No apparant reason, good highway and new tires properly inflated. The next week blew another tire on the same trailer with no load. The tires were inflated properly, the manufacture date was 2010 and was travelling at the speed limit on both occassions. Can't figure out why. Any ideas?

Heat.
Heat and the weight will also be the OP's enemy, if it were me I would travel at night. By 9 am the roadway will be hot.

 

[gilbertmsg]

Plan is to leave at 4am, it's a 4 hour drive. Hope to be there between 8-9am. How far from Richmond is the scales? I have never stopped at scales while pulling my tractor, what is the difference between tractor and truck on same trailer? I will do some research on the VA Department of Transportation website concerning scales and types of vehicles that need to stop.

Eddie

 

[Don87]

Plan is to leave at 4am, it's a 4 hour drive. Hope to be there between 8-9am. How far from Richmond is the scales? I have never stopped at scales while pulling my tractor, what is the difference between tractor and truck on same trailer? I will do some research on the VA Department of Transportation website concerning scales and types of vehicles that need to stop.

Eddie

I edited my previous post, but you posted before it came thru.
Scale is on the Maryland side of the state line if I remember correctly, just past the bridge going north.

 

[Don87]

Truck Scales Weigh Stations DOT Rules

http://coopsareopen.com/virginia-weigh-stations.html

I was incorrect, scales are on the Virginia side on 301.........second link.

 

[Don87]

Plan is to leave at 4am, it's a 4 hour drive. Hope to be there between 8-9am. How far from Richmond is the scales? I have never stopped at scales while pulling my tractor, what is the difference between tractor and truck on same trailer? I will do some research on the VA Department of Transportation website concerning scales and types of vehicles that need to stop.

Eddie

Normally anything over 5 tons must stop at weigh stations, but I've seen some bypass the scales and get away with it............I've also seen others pulled over less than a mile after running a weigh station.

 

[Ford tractor]

Normally anything over 5 tons must stop at weigh stations, but I've seen some bypass the scales and get away with it............I've also seen others pulled over less than a mile after running a weigh station.

Yeah, but the "truck" in this case is well under 10,000 actual weight. Plus, his state may not have the same rules as Maryland. Most don't.

Total Weigh Stations & Truck Scales: 23

Maryland weigh stations require all trucks over 5 tons to weigh.

You'll note that it's "trucks over 5 tons" not gross combined vehicle weight.

 

[Don87]

Yeah, but the "truck" in this case is well under 10,000 actual weight. Plus, his state may not have the same rules as Maryland. Most don't.



You'll note that it's "trucks over 5 tons" not gross combined vehicle weight.

But it's apparent that you don't drive truck for a living like I do, and is even more apparent that you don't know Maryland, and Virginia DOT as well as I do.
I didn't want to say this earlier, but now I will.

If anything happens 'enroute' to his destination.........HE is at fault automatically because he is overweight. The trucks, and trailer combo is illegal on the highways.

The only thing I was doing was trying to inform him of the weigh stations.........BUT..........If'n ya ain't never drove in Maryland, or Virginia don't question me.

I've been pulled over on numerous occasions by the Maryland DOT(and Maryland is like PA) Every state police officer is DOT certified. Maryland pulls trucks over at random, just like North Carolina.

And if he drives by the scale, while it is open, he stands a 50% chance of being pulled over, while that chance is ok for some..........I wouldn't do it.

If it were me, I would do what was suggested earlier.........attach a stiff hitch to the towed vehicle................but at 6:30 pm on a Saturday...........what does one do?

And further............it don't make a bit of difference what his state requires...........when traveling in another state.........you gotta be compliant with their laws(not your home state).

EDIT: Illinois at one time had a weight limit on tractor trailers of 73,280lbs, they raised it to 80,000 just like all the other states..........but now they are talking about lowering it to 73,280 again. If they do, and 47 other contiguous states allow 80,000lbs, do you think I'm gonna drive my truck across that line weighing more?

 

[Skyco]

I'd be real interested in hearing if the camber is removed from the axles on the trip.
I hauled a 4000 lb vehicle 1500 miles on a 7700 lb rated car hauler, with two Dexter 3500 lb axles. At the end of the trip the camber (center of axle tube bent up) was gone! Lots of really bad interstate like I-10 and I-20 from north Texas to SC.
I did put the camber back with a load on the trailer and a jack under the axle center...and it has never come out again, but I've never hauled that heavy of a load that far on such bad roads since

Good luck on the trip.....PS I wouldn't do it but that's just me.

 

[Don87]

Plan is to leave at 4am, it's a 4 hour drive. Hope to be there between 8-9am. How far from Richmond is the scales? I have never stopped at scales while pulling my tractor, what is the difference between tractor and truck on same trailer? I will do some research on the VA Department of Transportation website concerning scales and types of vehicles that need to stop.

Eddie

I never directly answered this question, but since the 'cat's' out of the bag, I will.

It can clearly be seen by the trained eye(truck driver, or DOT), that the truck is too big for the trailer............first is the length, second is that the trailer is squatting. Both indications of possible overload.
A tractor is normally shorter, and doesn't draw attention because it's 'farm related'..........there is a difference.

 

[Duffster]

You'll note that it's "trucks over 5 tons" not gross combined vehicle weight.

Good luck with that one.

 

[gilbertmsg]

I agree the truck is long for the trailer, but trailer is not really squating as bad as you might think. You're making me a little nervous though. I am not the type who take a risk, just want to be safe. We are going for a ride on Monday before we leave. Thanks for the comments.

Eddie

 

[Don87]

I agree the truck is long for the trailer, but trailer is not really squating as bad as you might think. You're making me a little nervous though. I am not the type who take a risk, just want to be safe. We are going for a ride on Monday before we leave. Thanks for the comments.

Eddie

I'm just echoeing the comments of others, and adding my knowledge as an over-the-road trucker.

If you can get hold of a stiff hitch, and drop the driveshaft...........you would be in compliance with all laws...........with nothing to worry about.

But I will give you a 'for instance'...........this just happened to me yesterday.

Picked up a load from a warehouse in Allentown, Pa.. Was the last of the shipment from the warehouse that is being relocated.

I had boxes of computer equipment, old wooden tables, air compressors, and last but not least............the forklift that loaded the stuff.

Being that I picked up the remainder of the leftovers from the warehouse.........including their telephones. They had nothing to block the wheels on the forklift(no wood or nails)

I figured ok...........I'll just take my time and be extra careful.

Famous last words
The trailer now sits at our terminal, with several thousand dollars of load damage because a person in a car............traveling the opposite direction, on a 2 lane road was having some kind of medical emergency. When I rounded the right hand curve, they were fully in my lane on that 2 lane road.

I locked up the brakes, took my tractor trailer into the ditch and the tree limbs. I avoided them(just barely), but the forklift slid forwards in the 'panic stop' and crushed everything in it's path.

5 miles from my destination.

The moral of the story is 2 fold..............make sure your stuff is right, cause ya never know what the other guy is gonna do!!!

 

[sandman2234]

Don87,
You should have removed the forks and turned the forklift sideways when loading. Most forklifts used in wharehouses will fit and it keeps them from rolling either forward or backwards. Too late, but maybe for next time. Your trailer didn't have E tracks? Another way is to use a strap (I have stopped and bought one) anchored on the back bumper and run into the trailer (doubled) and secured a moveable object. Close the doors on the strap.
Good luck with the freight claim.

O/P,
If the tongue on the trailer in question is suspect, but your going anyway, loop a chain around the front part of the tongue in the form of a "0". Hook a comalong to the bottom part of the loop of the chain and run in under the tongue to a good solid crossmember, preferably several feet back under the trailer. Jack up the front of the trailer and take the slack out of the comalong cable. If possible, double the cable in the form of a V, using anchors on each side of the trailer. The cable is cheap insurance and added strenght to the tongue of the trailer so that you don't have a catastropic failure of the tongue, in the event you hit a bump a little too hard.
David from jax

 

[peytonsfc]

I agree the truck is long for the trailer, but trailer is not really squating as bad as you might think. You're making me a little nervous though. I am not the type who take a risk, just want to be safe. We are going for a ride on Monday before we leave. Thanks for the comments.

Eddie

Hey Eddie, was looking at the pics and IM'd one of the guys on my truck ****:laughing: and he said in short that the weight my truck is to risky for that trailer!

I didnt know my exact weight, but he also said in street trim its closer to 7300lbs. Like others have said here, not worth the risk. We have to come up with plan "B".

Butch

 

[Dmace]

I didnt know my exact weight, but he also said in street trim its closer to 7300lbs.

I thought 6700lbs was high but 7300lbs sounds even more exaggerated. A good friend of mine has almost the same exact truck but with the 6.0l V8 gas and it was just over 6,100lbs empty with a 180lb driver. I know a diesel engine is heavier but I can't imagine that truck coming in 1300lbs more.

Another weight comparison is this old Heavy Duty Truck test from Edmunds which had a 2006 Chevy 3500HD Diesel Dually Quad Cab weigh in at only 7,420lbs.

Also, PickupTrucks.com weighed a 2007 GMC 2500 crew cab V8 6.0l at 6,120lbs and a [FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]2007 Chevrolet Silverado 3500 Diesel Crew Cab Dually 4x4 at 7500lbs[/FONT].
I highly doubt your truck weighs 7300lbs unless "street trim" includes 1000lbs of bricks in the bed.

 

[gilbertmsg]

We have decided not to use my 7,000 lb trailer. Just to many things to go wrong. Will find at least a 5 ton trailer today or monday. Dmace, by the way my dodge weight is 6799 dry, not including 34 gals of fuel, oil, and any thing else in my vehicle. So with that said I'm sure most 2005+ diesels are well over 7,000.

 

[peytonsfc]

I thought 6700lbs was high but 7300lbs sounds even more exaggerated. A good friend of mine has almost the same exact truck but with the 6.0l V8 gas and it was just over 6,100lbs empty with a 180lb driver. I know a diesel engine is heavier but I can't imagine that truck coming in 1300lbs more.

Another weight comparison is this old Heavy Duty Truck test from Edmunds which had a 2006 Chevy 3500HD Diesel Dually Quad Cab weigh in at only 7,420lbs.

Also, PickupTrucks.com weighed a 2007 GMC 2500 crew cab V8 6.0l at 6,120lbs and a [FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]2007 Chevrolet Silverado 3500 Diesel Crew Cab Dually 4x4 at 7500lbs[/FONT].
I highly doubt your truck weighs 7300lbs unless "street trim" includes 1000lbs of bricks in the bed.

Hmmm! I will have to agree with you. After doing google search, the curb weights I found all where between 6100-6700 lbs based on trim,tires and options. Guess the next time I go to the track I will weigh it on there scales.