what tlr to purchase

[Hoeman00]

Hello rmonio;
I think u need to check the weight of your tractor.
7000 gvw trailer u need to take off trailer weight.
Example 7000 gvw
-2000 trailer weight
------
5000 net u can haul on trailer
My guess is the 4600 and loader is close to that (tires loaded or counterweight ???)

 

[LBrown59]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( Gary in Indiana,<br><br>I measured the deck. It is 20' long. Here are some pics. Excuse the quality all I have is a cheap digital camera. Hope to get a better on soon.<br> )</font>

Nice Tr.
Are the side rails removable?
You may want to load or unload something sometime with a set of forks.

 

[LBrown59]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( Another thing to consider is the tow vehicle. There are not a lot of vehicles that will tow 10,000 pounds. )</font>





What ones will?

 

[BER]

Something I had to consider when purchasing my trailer was the width of the trailer's tire track. The county roads here a narrow, so I went with a deckover flatbed. The drawback is the height of the deck. Loading can be a problem using ramps that are at the steep angle caused by the deck height.

 

[keeney]

RE:
<font color="green">( Another thing to consider is the tow vehicle. There are not a lot of vehicles that will tow 10,000 pounds. )

What ones will?
</font>

Generally, you are looking at a 3/4 ton pickup (Ford F250, Chevy/GMC 2500, etc). Towing capacity is one of the main reasons for moving to the larger sized pickup truck. I think some of them are advertised up to 14,500 lbs and come with a built-in brake controller.

Some SUV's like the Suburban are available in a 3/4-ton version.

My buddy at work has an Avalanche 2500 for towing his 12,000 lb camper - works great!

Most of the newer 1/2-ton pickups have towing cap of around 9500 lbs, so if you can stay a bit under 10,000 lbs, you would be OK, but at the limit of the truck's capacity.

- Rick

 

[LBrown59]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( RE:
<font color="green">( Another thing to consider is the tow vehicle. There are not a lot of vehicles that will tow 10,000 pounds. )

What ones will?
</font>

Generally, you are looking at a 3/4 ton pickup (Ford F250, Chevy/GMC 2500, etc). Towing capacity is one of the main reasons for moving to the larger sized pickup truck. I think some of them are advertised up to 14,500 lbs and come with a built-in brake controller.

Some SUV's like the Suburban are available in a 3/4-ton version.

My buddy at work has an Avalanche 2500 for towing his 12,000 lb camper - works great!

Most of the newer 1/2-ton pickups have towing cap of around 9500 lbs, so if you can stay a bit under 10,000 lbs, you would be OK, but at the limit of the truck's capacity.

- Rick )</font>
Can you combine towing capacity with load capacity?

 

[Dartagnan]

Load Capacity= amount of vehicle weight + Contents + Tongue weight

Towing Capacity= max gross trailer weight

Which means you can be limited by tongue weight rather than max tow cap, also means you can tow more with a bumper pull than a 5th or goose neck. Why? Goose and 5th pull better with Approx 25% tongue weight, bumper is closer to 10%. So if you only have capacity for 1000 lbs of load on vehicle, you can pull 10K on the bumper or 4k on a 5th/gooseneck. (Of course the 10k would probably be limited by "max towing Cap" of the said vehicle)

So the next question is why spend the extra for less cap on a goose or fifth wheel? Drivability. They handle/track better at speed and are generally much easier to manuever.

Just as a note, Truck class IE 1/2 ton, 3/4 ton is not neccesarily tongue weight limit, from my discussions with Ford, it is apparently a structual limit on the box/bed. Max tongue weight is determined by gvw stickers on door and subtracting weight of vehicle and contents. You also must take into account where the tongue weight is going, front axle/rear axle ratio, as the limits on each are not always the same nor are they "preloaded" the same in an empty vehicle.

Dart

 

[LBrown59]

I guess what I'm asking is This.
EXAMPLE
If you have a truck that can haul 4000 pounds
That has a towing capacity of 10000 pounds.

Can you pull a trailer that loaded weighs 9000 pounds and haul 3000 pounds of something in the bed at the same time?

 

[Egon]

Gross combined vehicle weight.

Egon

 

[keeney]

RE: <font color="blue">Can you pull a trailer that loaded weighs 9000 pounds and haul 3000 pounds of something in the bed at the same time? </font>

Not unless you are talking about a larger truck with a higher total combination rating, like a 1-ton. It would be right at the limit on most 3/4-tons, and over capacity on all 1/2-tons as far as I would guess.

Most trucks are already at or close to their Gross Combination Weight - the weight of the truck, trailer, and contents of both - when at their max towing weight.

There are generally four limits to worry about:

1. Gross Trailer Weight - the weight of the trailer and its load. For a given payload, you can reduce the total weight by going wioth a lighter trailer (aluminum).

2. Tongue Weight - how much of the weight of the trailer rests vertically on the tongue (or fifth wheel). Since a trailer needs more of its weight up front than behind its axle to be stable, the heavier trailers will often have heavier tongue weight. For a heavy trailer, you can reduce tongue weight with a load-compensating hitch.

3. Combination Weight - the toal weight of the turck, trailer, and all loads carried in each (including the driver and passengers).

4. Axle max and front-back ratio. You can't just lump all the weight on the rear axle. The tow vehicle needs weight on its front axle to stay stable and steer. Weight-compensating hitches and fifth-wheel setups help with this. If you need to haul something in the truck AND tow a trailer, make sure the payload inthe truck is as far forward as possible.

 

[bugstruck]

I can tell you from experience that you can tow with trailer and tongue weight loads past the manufacturer's ratings more easily on the smaller trucks than the larger trucks. My 1993 F250 has a trailer rating of 11,300# +/-. Tounge I don't recall at this moment but it's substantial. At 13,000 of trailer (overloaded) and maybe 1,500 tounge it's past it's capability. Been there. My 1980 Dodge D-50 toy pickup was rated at 2,000 trailer rating. 3,000 barely phased it. It pulled 5,600 lbs of boat and trailer for nearly 5 years. Only once did I think that was a mistake. At 65 mph in driving rain on an interstate I asked for more power and the rear wheels broke loose (going forward) and it wasn't a hydropolane situtation. Got interesting fast, but in dry pavement it would out pull most small V-8's. If the trailer brakes are right, the balance (tounge weight) is manageable, and the power is there, you can pull beyond the ratings in certain instances. My F 250 is senisbly done at the manufacturers maximum. My F 150's were good for maybe 1,500 lbs less than the 250's rating (real world) in the late 80's and early 90's, but Ford said the spread between those two vehicles should have been more like 4,000# in towing. Just my 2 cents but I know what towed loads feel and react like. I'd rather tow 9,000 lbs. on my 1987 F-150 and be say 1,500 lbs beyond the manufacturer recommended max. than tow 11,300 with the 250 and be in compliance. Tow ratings can be the bar and then sometimes they don't even seem sensible.

This much I know having pulled the 5,600 lb. load for 23 years.... The F250 diesel will make the quarter mile just over one second faster than the now dead and gone D-50 Dodge with a 2.6 liter 4 cylinder. It will take about 25 more feet to stop the F-250 from 50 mph and 7 more feet at 60 mph (can't explain the spread). The 3,000 lb. truck stopped faster with a 5,600 lb. load. Can't be!!! The trailer had both axles braked and could out-stop the 250. It couldn't outstop the D50 but it couldn't push it into the next state either.

If you use your senses you can pretty easily accertain what any vehicle can pull and stop with. If you only read charts you may just be safe. Good Luck.

 

[johnday]

here is how I do it. 20' MacLander, 12K, 2 axle brakes, 7000# axles, and Powerstroke. With the longer trailer, you can also move your weight around to balance everything out. No problem towing at all. /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

 

[johnday]

another photo /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

 

[LBrown59]

I went with a tilt bed and love it.
:
Gary_ _Indiana
==============
hydraulic or manual tilt.