Big towing with a 3/4 ton truck

[Mtngoat]

A friend has a 2003 4x4 3/4 ton 4 door short bed diesel truck. He does some hotshotting. He thinking about buying a 50 foot or so wedge trailer to haul up to 3 cars or 2 big (1 tons) trucks on. Is this too much for a single rear wheel truck?? What are the problems with this if there are any?



Robin

 

[RustyJC]

Ask him what his pin (hitch) weight is likely to be. Figure that against the truck's GVWR. Then, of course, his "all up" loaded rig weight against his GCWR has to be considered as well.



GCWR - actual truck curb weight = maximum allowable loaded trailer weight.



GVWR - actual truck curb weight = maximum allowable loaded trailer pin (hitch) weight.



In these equations, actual truck curb weight is the weight of the truck with driver, passengers, cargo, hitch, fuel, options and accessories, etc.



If you run the numbers, you'll find that the 3500 duallies like mine are running overloaded with a fully-loaded triple car hauler. If that doesn't matter to him, hey, hitch it up and go!



Rusty

 

[dresslered]

Even if the GCWR's are in line, I sure would want a dually for this kind of hauling just for the safety aspect. I have heard of too many terrible jackknife stories that resulted from a rear blowout. Otherwise, the Cummins will have no problem moving it.

 

[Whitmore]

Go to the 19. 5 wheels and they are good for 6400# each.



If he is comercial he will have trouble at the ports.



Cheers, Kevin

 

[KBalzuweit]

He needs a dually. He will spend all kinds of time with the DOT on the side of the road with that 3/4. Plus think of this a windy day, a loaded trailer, a short truck and you get a scary and dangerous ride. I haul for a living and the DOT and every other agency is just getting harder and harder on us.

 

[y-knot]

A 50' wedge trailer hauling 3 cars/trucks with a 3/4 ton truck,short bed. Ok, this guy is stupid!... People will continue to do "dumb,stupid" things , I am not sure if it is a lack of intelligence, a non-appreciation for mechanics, no respect for the fellow motorist, lack of laws governing such acts, or some combination of them all. But I have to think most, normal people can look at this and think "something is wrong here". That seems a little to much for a 3/4 ton truck.

 

[Mtngoat]

Y-Knot-



Gotta be honest, I resent that a little, you don't know the guy. He is not stupid, he is one of the rare kinds of mechanics, 95% of so called mechanics these days are parts changers, and the other 5% can diagnose and repair, he belongs in the 5% group. Look at the dealership complaints we have here. He is a very intelligent guy that is a heavy thinker and thinks things over before he does it. He has not bought a 50 foot trailer and I doubt if he will, but he is thinking about the pros and cons. And he could make it work, well, he is one of these guys that could take any car out of a salvage yard, throw a battery and gas in it and drive coast to coast with no problems. You know guys like that. Anyway, he will eventually realize it could be a problem, and he'll buy a dually. I am just looking for some info to help him along. It all started when someone told him it can't be done, and that is the wrong thing to tell him... So, please lighten up on someone you don't know.



Respectfully,

Robin

 

[hoverlover]

Trainning Wheels!

Along the same lines I just bought a bigger 5th wheel, 33ft. old one 25ft. , and I'm a little concerned about the jack knife factor! The new trailer weighs almost 10,000 lbs empty and gross just over 13K. Also it is much taller than the old one!



Question is... Has anyone converted a 2500 to a dually? If so are there kits out there or do I have to change the rear end and bed?



Thank in advance!

 

[clem]

Trainning wheels

Have seen a couple. What they did was put 3500 rear end and fenders on, and added DOT lights. It looks strange with 2500 logos on the side,but it worked for them

 

[y-knot]

Your right, he is not STUPID, I am sorry. He is still in the "THINKING" stage, and I will give him credit for at least having the ability to ponder the ideal. And conceptualize the over all plan, I would hope that he has the "GOOD SENSE" to see the many negative aspects of the ideal.

 

[tgrfan2]

SRW

'Goat, I think he would be OK with the setup, if the pin weight is reasonable. The DOT issue is a big problem since he will have to stop at weigh stations I presume. As far as SRW vs DRW safety is concerned, I guess I have been lucky with tires. The only time I have lost a rear tire was on a dually and the failure took out both tires. I did get a little warning between "pops" though.

 

[Mtngoat]

Y-Knot,



Not to worry, I dont think it will happen. Hes just one a those guys that when told it cant be done, he trys to figer a way to do it. I do appreciate your input, it is too much for a 3/4 ton. .



Robin

 

[C. Harlan]

Y-knot. . I am sure this person is attempting to make a living, trying to get by with what he has. . not everyone can afford a perfect setup, so dont knock people like that.



As far as towing. . it should not be a problem... I haul way more cows than I should, with no problems (knock on wood). . All you have to do is make sure tire pressure is good. . Training wheels will keep the @ss end from swaying when pulling a load, but if you load it down right, it really wont sway... my $. 02 worth.



-Chris-

 

[Fireman]

I saw a 3/4 ton set up like that the other day, with 3 cars on it. My wife asked, "Is that safe?". What does that tell you? I see alot of guys around here do it, but I wouldn't. With one car directly over the trucks axle it has to be overloaded.



No facts here, just a little common sense.

Fireman

 

[Snow man]

with a 2500 4x4 quad cab 3rd gen,an empty gooseneck on the truck is pushing it. Those things have under 2000 usable payload,add the hitch,driver,trailer 's empty pin wieght,and you can only put one car over the trailer axles and stay within the legal limits. I think it is safe to tow 2 med sized cars with one if the pin weight is kept below 2800 or so,even though its over the legal limit.

 

[BV]

After seeing the local here with a 3500 and wedge trailer loaded with 2 cars and an f150 - No way would I go with singles rear wheels. In fact - I would order a real truck for that kind of work.

 

[kbarlow]

What is a wedge trailer?

Thanks Ken

 

[y-knot]

now, now..... we have to be more sensitive...