How Heavy can I go?

[jrandol]

Hi All:



I am a new member to this board but been researching it for some time now, must say I am ecstatic we have this service available to us!



I am looking at starting a small hot shotting operation here in Colorado but the rig will travel between here and Texas weekly. The truck trailer combo will be a 1 ton 4x2 5 speed most likely around a 96 Model and a 48' Enclosed Car trailer with a GVWR or 20,000#. I see lots of guys tow this heavy all the time but would I be out of line to think this would be enough truck? Rig will see about 3,000 miles weekly.



Thanks in advance for your thoughts!

 

[SOOT]

97 or early 98 would be the best years for the 12V's, if you can get a cab/chassis that would be the way to go. You will have enough truck. What does the the trailer weigh empty?

 

[JyRO]

sticky sticky...

jrandol - You asked a seriously loaded question.



Do you wanna know how heavy you can go legally?



Or do you wanna know how heavy you can go?



It makes a difference. I've seen hot-shotters that there's no way in he11 they are under their GCWR.



Legally - Do not load your truck over your GVWR (Gross Vehicle Weight Rating), which is the weight the truck is putting to the ground.

Do not tow more than your GCWR (Gross Combined Weight Rating), which is all the weight you're towing down the road (truck, trailer, passengers, yada, yada, yada).



Or you can do it like some hot-shotters. Load it up until you've got all the trailer can carry.



Let us know which one you're talking about and these guys on here can help you out. There is gobs and gobs of info on this site.



- JyRO

 

[drees1]

'96 to '98 5 speed is what you need. Add a heavy duty clutch, some gages and a reasonable amount of additional power through fuel plate, AFC kit, GSK kit, intake and exhaust mods. The truck feels fine with 20k combined and accelerates well with a few mods. The clutch is a weak point in sustained heavy towing, especially at the lower rpms, 1500 - 1750. The 5th gear nut problem should also be addressed. My '96 3500 with the camper package is rated at 20,000 per the owners manual, but stickered at 19,500.



Legally, you need to be under your GCWR. But, practically, if do not exceed the tire, axle, Truck GVWR, trailer GVWR and are under 26,000 you probably will not be bothered. I assume the trailer would be a gooseneck.



Also, an air ride set up on the rear that is self leveling does wonders for the feel. just my $. 02.



Doug Rees

 

[jrandol]

Great info folks!

I am planning on pulling a 48' 5 wheel hitch enclosed cargo trailer rated @ 20k GVWR. Actual load weight is from 8k-12. 5k so I will be about 1,500# below GVWR for the trailer. This truck combo will se about 3,200 miles weekly and have a dedicated run so it will run 52 weeks out of the year.

These trucks are awesome but should I look at stepping up to something a little heavier like a fl60/fl70 or a pete 330?

New to the OTR trucking thing and have lots of questions.

Since I will be over 26,000 of course a CDL is necessary. Also I am assuming I will stop at weigh stations, will I have trouble since I will be over GCWR of a 1 ton? Truck combo will be traveling thru Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas.

 

[drees1]

If your over 26k GCWR and are dedicated run with the miles per week indicated, I would definitly step up to a FL-70, Ford 650, or GM top kick with a seven speed. Forget the little Pete or Kenworth. They are just too rare and you will sit at dealers for a long time waiting for service and parts. A short single axle tractor with a sleeper box would work out nice. Sterling makes a low pro with a tilt hood and 21,000 gvw on the truck. It is only a few thousand more than a F-550 19,500 gvw. Also, if you are going to keep the truck for more than 200 or 300 thou miles, consider the Cummins C or International DT 466 or versions there of. Those engines have replaceable wet liners allowing in frame overhaul. Resale on a high mileage truck with out replaceable liners is rock bottom dollar. Even if you do not do the overhaul, you will recover more than the investment in a wet linered engine. Just my $. 02

 

[jrandol]

drees1



Thanks for the advice, thats kind of what I have discovered is I need to step up to a class 6 or 7 truck. Lots of nice expeditor trucks for sale out there. Is the Cummins L10 and the 8. 3 both wet lined engines? How about the Cat 3126?

 

[drees1]

8. 3 is a pretty good engine and wet linered. L10 is older and now L11. It is a big engine physically and somewhat of a gutless slug. A lot of class 8 use them in fleet though and their fuel economy is very good. Wet linered too. The CAT 3126 is NOT wet linered. As a former CAT truckshop mgr, I can say the CAt is a good engine, but 450,000 miles is about it and it's shortblock or replacement engine time, OUCH$$$. Heui injection system is expensive too.



In a class 6 or 7 the engine choices are 8. 3 Cummins, 466 / 504 International, and ?? These are both excellent motors and wet linered.



5. 9 Cummins and 3126 CAT are not linered but common in 6 and 7.



CAT will have the C9 available in a year or so, and it will be wet linered to fill the expiditer market. Personally, I would want it out a year or more before I bought any new design.



The L10 is ok, as long as the weight won't bother you. I don't know how small a truck they put it in though. It is really a class 7 or 8 fleet engine, and competes with CAT C10, Detroit 60, and CAT C-12



If you really want the smallest step above the pickup cab, then look at that small low pro Sterling. You get a lot of big truck features and it sits just above the ford superdutys in gvw. I don't know if you can get 8. 3 in it though. Ford has no competition against the F-550 17,500 and 19,500 gvw. But because of the miles you will accumulate, I would not use the powerstroke (Ford) or any other non-linered engine.



The most common rigs you will see on the road are the Fl 60/70/80, Internationals, and GM topkick. But the topkick is CAT 3126 only as diesel, I believe.



The international is also a good established medium duty. A lot will boil down to price and your dealer reputation/ support. One thing about CAT or Cummins, is you can get engine service just about anywhere. For international, you need international.



I do not know what Mack is offering these days, but they used to be pretty good.



Ford's new 650 seems pretty good, too. And I know 8. 3 Cummins is available. It will go up against the GM Topkick very well. Definitely something to look at.



Doug Rees

 

[CumminsPuller]

jrandol........

I currently a hot-shot drive... ... . You can see in my signature what my setup is. I am licensed for 36,000lbs... ... Total combined truck, trailer and load. I was loaded at 33,500 when i crossed the scales the other day. the flagged me and ask me to report inside to look at my registration to see what I was licensed for. They weighed me at 33,500. Any other questions let me know and I will try to answer them for you.



Jason

 

[EricBu12]

you can get the new Ford F-650 with whatever engine you want. in the one I saw, it had a cat and a allison 6 sp. It has airride and is rated for the weight you specified. it also has a couple of storage boxes built in



here is the for site

http://www.commtruck.ford.com/ctw/default.asp



Also I saw this in a ad

http://www.carsunlimitedtrucksandtrailers.com/utrucks.html



<img src=https://www.turbodieselregister.com/user_gallery/sizeimage.php?&photoid=3058&width=2/src img>

 

[Turboman]

DOT don't give a crap about your GCVWR. As told to me by a TxDOT trooper, 1st thing they want is the tax dollars, ie what your registered for, For example almost all big trucks, the tractor is registered for 80k and the trailer not any. You pay the tax with the tractor and the trailer gets a $25 token tag. Or like my pickup, I'mm registered for 8800 lbs and the trailer I pull is registered for 20000lbs so I'm legal to 28800lbs, THEN they look to actual axle weight and the to what the tires are rated for. And then also when you are registered for over 26000 you must have CDL, Medical if cross state line, motorcarrier insurance, yada yada yada. To some it all up he said they don't care about anything other than the REgisterd weight ( the taxes)