Anyone Hauling Cars?

[GShail]

Where in the world is Jorge'

Sorry fellas been as busy as a bee. No rest for the wicked and the righteous don't need it . . . I guess. Been on the So Cal trip and had some work in Idaho. Going back to So Cal tomorrow or Friday. Then get in as many runs as possible before Christmas.

 

[Otis Calhoun]

Gshale ,Do you ever need to use the front or back extentions when hauling 3 cars-truck? I just bought a take three 49er and no extentions came with it. Is this something I must have? thanks Otis

 

[GShail]

I don't have the extensions on front nor on back. Usually don't need them, but sometimes have to put the cars on creatively. My trailer is only a 49 footer. If I was looking at a 53 foot trailer I would definitely get flips for front and back because then you can take FOUR cars!!! I had to go with the short 49 foot trailer because I run some really tight backmountain switchbacks.

 

[PatrickCampbell]

Any suggestions on a trailer? Seems like there's a lot out there. Kaufman is cheap but not great build quality in my opinion. Could possibly be upgraded and is still cheap. Take 3 looks good an they are NATM member. Been talking with the guys from Sun Country trailers. They will make the trailer right to my specs. Only 84" because I don't need wider. Make its a lot lighter. They say about 5500 which seems to be 1000 lbs less than a 96"er. That is 1000 lbs of payload... . Any sense in getting 96" or 101" ? I'm not going to haul duallies, hummers or trailers. Lo profile not a wedge, because I don't have a bed. 0" king pin setting so I can have a car stick out up to 3 feet in front and still turn 90 degrees (king pin right at the end of the trailer, Take 3's kingpin is 18" back on the deck. . makes me worry I will hit my cab... have to do some math to figure it out exactly) 2 8000# torflex axles and steel belted Load range G (3750# each) tires will save me aggrevation of tread seperation and uneven wearing with a tri-axle, and lots of money on tolls. Spare tire, sealed wiring, All LEDs. Slide out ramps. What am I forgetting. It's not cheap. Just as expensive as Take 3's "lo profile super single" with electric/hydraulic brakes.

 

[MMeier]

You can never have enough trailer in my book !! Get the wide one, that way in case you have to fill a load and the only thing available is a truck of some sort, you will have room for it !! And..... let'see, 16k# GVWR, trailer will weigh 5500#,(if you go with what you posted here) only leaves you with about 10. 5k# of payload..... hmmmm... . kinda limiting yourself there I think. I am picking up my 35' +5'pop up dove hopefully at the end of this week, I went with the tandem dual 10k# axles on it. Going to be hauling intermodals from L. A. to here, and the occasional car or truck on the way down starting hopefully on the 2nd of the New Year, just got my MC yesterday and insurance is slated to be put into effect Dec. 28 th. . Think it over real good Patrick and let us know which way you go!! And upon reading your post again, if those are single wheel axles your tire combo comes up a bit short also. . (15k vs. 16k for the trailer)

 

[NIsaacs]

I am not sure what Patrick's tow truck is, but even if it is a single rear wheel truck with no bed, he should have at least another 3,000 lbs of gvw over the capacity of the trailer. If it is a dually, maybe 5500 lbs of gvw over the trailer. That will get him to the 26,000 lbs load limit if that is his wish. Plus being low profile on the trailer makes a huge difference in towing performance over a high profile load. I know max gvw, is max gvw, however in real world towing, wind resistance is a key factor that the factory tow ratings do not take into consideration. If you haul for a living, yer' gonna' be over weight some where some how!





"NICK"

 

[PatrickCampbell]

There's 84, 96, 101. I am almost certain I don't need 101" but not sure about 96" -- I measured outside of my 265mm tires and it was something like 79", which would fit on an 84". 96" definitely seems to be the most common.



Besides safety (lower center of gravity) and wind resistance (I dont know how much effect this will have on economy but must be some), the low profile trailer will also be easier to strap down vehicles because they will be basically at chest level instead of above my head.



Then there is deck length too. This is 48. I could go slightly longer but would not go shorter.



On the other hand, a typical 3 axle regular old wedge will definitely have better resale value. Hopefully I will not have to sell it any time soon but it is something to consider.

 

[DHayden]

and wind resistance (I dont know how much effect this will have on economy but must be some)

In most cases wind resistance will have much MUCH more negative effect on your mileage then weight will.

 

[GShail]

The 101 inch trailer is a must for a host of reasons, especially if you are looking at Take 3 or similar manufacturers basic 3 car wedge designs. Here are a few.



1. Wider wheelbase allows for more varied cargo (dually's, lifted 4x4's with big tires, ice cream trucks, small stakebeds) It is important to be able to haul varied cargo. It gives you an edge in that all important category of MAKING THE MONEY. The specialty stuff that is wider typically pays a good bit more per loaded mile. Those specialty loads are available all of the time. This gives you an edge sometimes over the big haulers, they often don't have room for the extra wide and/or tall specialty vehicles.



2. Wider wheelbase allows for a larger margin of error when loading and unloading - (you don't have to be so perfectly even side to side. ) Wider means safety!



3. Wider wheelbase allows more room to work when on the trailer working around the cars (strapping or chain/binding, jump starting, engine compartment troubleshooting, entering and exiting the vehicles. )



4. Wider wheelbase is especially nice when working with high dollar vehicles (the extra room keeps you from putting scratches on that Vette, Ferrari or Benz with your coat zipper, wallet chain, cellphone on the hip, clipboard, etc. )



5. Wider wheelbase provides a barrier of protection for the cargo vehicles. (Extra width keeps a few rocks off the cars and keeps that minor fender bender from impacting your cargo. )



6. If you have to load/unload on a busy street the extra width gives you somewhere to jump when the traffic gets too close. Better to be up on the wide trailer than down on the street when cars go careening by at high speed. Wider means safety!



I am sure I could come up with some other reasons. The lesser trailer, the 94 inch only gives you a 1,000 lb weight advantage, and a thousand or so in initial purchase price advantage, but costs more money in the end because you miss out on cargo that could only be hauled with the wider trailer.



A seven inch difference could cost you thousands over the long haul!

 

[PatrickCampbell]

Good info. I was/am concerned about my payload but I guess you have to give some to get some.



My truck is going to run about 7000 all loaded up (2WD 2nd gen with no bed). I gotta get to the scales but it was 6900 with the bed and a bunch of other junk I've taken off.



Trailer at 5500 leaves 13500 payload...

Trailer at 6500 leaves 12500 payload...



Basically either way if I threw a 7000 pounder on there I could only put 1 other car on or I would be overweight.



God hope I never get my hands on a Ferrari... :-laf

 

[HBarlow]

I am not sure what Patrick's tow truck is, but even if it is a single rear wheel truck with no bed, he should have at least another 3,000 lbs of gvw over the capacity of the trailer. If it is a dually, maybe 5500 lbs of gvw over the trailer. That will get him to the 26,000 lbs load limit if that is his wish. Plus being low profile on the trailer makes a huge difference in towing performance over a high profile load. I know max gvw, is max gvw, however in real world towing, wind resistance is a key factor that the factory tow ratings do not take into consideration. If you haul for a living, yer' gonna' be over weight some where some how!





"NICK"

I guess I don't understand what you were saying. Are you talking about Gross Combined Weight Rating (GCWR) or Gross Vehicle Weight Rating GVWR? If you are talking about GVWR that's not correct. My Ram has a factory GVWR of 10,500#. With a full load of fuel, including the aux tank, it weighs around 8k# unloaded. That leaves only a 2500# capacity for the pin weight of a car hauler trailer on a dually. The rating is much less on a 2500 or 3500 with single rear wheels but the truck's unloaded weight is not significantly lower than that of a dually.



The highest factory GCWR offered by Dodge in 2001 was 21,500 # with a 3500 with Cummins HO, six speed, and 4. 10 gears. I think Patrick's signature indicates his truck is a 2500. I don't know what the factory GCWR on his truck is but it is certainly not 26k. He can register his truck for a Gross Combined weight of 26,000 pounds if he wishes. Mine is registered for that weight. The problem that can and often does arise is with a 3/4 ton truck towing heavy loads the pin weight of a loaded fifth wheel or gooseneck trailer will put him over the truck's GVWR and get him a citation and an out of service order from a DOT officer. If he doesn't have a CDL and the gross combined weight of truck, trailer, and load exceeds 26k, which is easy to do, he will also be in trouble.



Harvey

 

[NIsaacs]

Good morning Harvey! I was in your fine City and State last week and got messed up on the loop. I come in on "84" and tried to exit on "84" but it was closed.



I guess what I was trying to say, was that the GVW of the trailer in question needed to include the weight capacity of the tow vehicle. Some one said that with a trailer GVW of 16,000 lbs minus the empty weight of 6,000 lbs only allowed a net weight of 10,000 lbs. I said that with a net gvw of about 3,000 lbs for the tow truck raised the net weight of the combo to 13,000 lbs. I also said that you need to license for 26,000 lbs or the factory GCW of 21,000 lbs will not allow you enough net weight to make it pay with a truck and trailer that heavy. I also said that if ya haul for a living, you will be over weight some where, some how or something like that. I think without the bed on his pickup I was assuming it would be light enough to have a 3,000 lbs pay load for singles or 5,000 lbs if it was a dually. Reguardless of the factory GVW of the pickup, you almost haft'a use the rear axle GAW or the tire capacity as your limit or ya can't haul enough to make it work. Hence, license for a GCW of 26,000 lbs as the max weight and never mind some over weight here or there. I don't know what I was saying, I might haft'a start over





"NICK"



PS, I was amazed at the courtesy of the drivers on the road also people very helpful and friendly. I really enjoyed my short visit to Killeen. I have lot'sa questions about things I saw tho. Would you mind a PM?

 

[HBarlow]

Nick



Yeah, I know what you mean about the confusing exits on the loop around Lubbock. The construction has been going on for a couple of years and everytime I get home for a few days it has changed. I get lost or detoured against my will every time I try.



Not at all. I'm home for a few days resting and recuperating. I'll be happy to answer a PM.



Harvey

 

[KBalzuweit]

Good info. I was/am concerned about my payload but I guess you have to give some to get some.



My truck is going to run about 7000 all loaded up (2WD 2nd gen with no bed). I gotta get to the scales but it was 6900 with the bed and a bunch of other junk I've taken off.



Trailer at 5500 leaves 13500 payload...

Trailer at 6500 leaves 12500 payload...



Basically either way if I threw a 7000 pounder on there I could only put 1 other car on or I would be overweight.



God hope I never get my hands on a Ferrari... :-laf

Not really, if your goal is to stay under 26k for cdl or fuel tax, its gvw of truck and gvw of trailer for the total. They do not count actual weight. For example at the Wyoming port there was a couple guys caught over 26k when I was there. Not over on actual, but gvw. Trailers got unhooked, they headed back to Indiana and some CDL drivers finished there haul. Karl

 

[PatrickCampbell]

So they were over on the GVWR not the GVW. I don't intend on being over on either but I definitely won't be over on the GVWR.

 

[KBalzuweit]

My point was that when I bought my wedge a couple years ago I also was planning on staying under 26k. My truck was 10,500 gvw and all the longer trailers all had over a 15,500 gvw, so I would be over weight. Some that would be legal with a lower gvw did not offer enough capacity for the lenght. I ended up buying a Kaufman 2 car that was 12,000. If you are planning on running a non dually, they have really been watching out for that at the scales and checking axle weights.

 

[PatrickCampbell]

Getting down to the nitty gritty. Waiting back on a final quote from insurance, then picking between a couple trailers... then gotta re-instate the MC number, fill out SSR forms and some other fun stuff and I should be good to go.



I think I decided to stick to a wedge trailer for the moment, instead of a low profile. I'll get a wedge trailer with a king pin but I will have the ability to switch to a gooseneck if something comes up. Lots more tow vehicle options that way.

 

[PatrickCampbell]

#ad




I happened to see this thing on ebay so I said what the heck. For $2500 if it is all wrong, I will re-sell it. I'm sure if I actually provided the info about the trailer, more people would bid. Since the seller knew nothing about it, I think it was turning people off from bidding.



I figured that it is a Sun Valley trailer and it looks like it has torsion axles too . You can see that the tubes are slightly square which is common on the torsions. I figure its got to have GAWRs of at least 5000 lbs each which would be a little low but OK. It is more likely to be 6k or 7k each. They are 8 lug axles so...



Here it is:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=4602177941



If it works out OK this will be my new hauler.

 

[KBalzuweit]

Have him measure the width of the deck, I bets it 84 or 86. If the deck was 96 like the ad says. If it was 96 the wheels would be under the deck.

 

[PatrickCampbell]

Good point, it is probably an 84 or 86" . No huge deal there. I will not be hauling (or at least don't intend to) duallys. I actually already bought it so I will find out tomorrow when I go to pick it up. 2500 bucks... if it is all wrong I will just re-list it on eBay providing details like this seller was unable to do.