Beefing up half-ton for gooseneck

[Highbeam]

I agree. Do not worry about braking since the trailer will have its own brakes. The trans and rear end will be the first to wear out under heavy towing, this will happen sooner than if you had used the truck as a commuter car.

If the rear end of your truck squats too much for your liking when loaded then I have used and highly recommend timbren overload springs. They are a rubber spring that replaces your stock bumpstops and I have never heard of anyone not loving them to pieces.

 

[Brahmus]

Get a tranny temp gauge and keep it under 180 degrees F. If you find your temps going over, get an auxillary cooler. Brakes on the trailer will save you, no need to upgrade pads and rotors. I personally think you can make it work. Is it as good as a larger truck, no, but in your case a larger truck would be overkill. Be slow and you'll be good.

 

[Negligence]

Thanks for the input guys. The truck already has a trans cooler (part of the tow package), and with electric brakes on both axles I think stopping will be no problem.

As I said before I will only be towing several times a year, so the wear on the truck will probably be minimal. If I start hauling more then I'll probably jump to a 3/4 or 1 ton, but for now, based on the responses I've seen here, I think I'm ok.

 

[Duffster]

Thanks for the input guys. The truck already has a trans cooler (part of the tow package), and with electric brakes on both axles I think stopping will be no problem.

As I said before I will only be towing several times a year, so the wear on the truck will probably be minimal. If I start hauling more then I'll probably jump to a 3/4 or 1 ton, but for now, based on the responses I've seen here, I think I'm ok.

Tranny cooler may still need to be upgraded, like I said before a gauge would be a good idea

Oh ya keep it out of OD

 

[radioman]

since you mentioned you have a tow package, is the trans cooler part of your main radaitor ? you might want to get a seperate cooler for the tranny alone, even when not towing , it will help your truck.

 

[jimainiac]

To the original poster, what is the tow rating and the payload capacity of your truck? It seems like a 27' long gooseneck trailer might have a pretty hefty tongue weight. I understand wanting to make do with what you have, but I can't help thinking it's going to put a lot of strain on a half ton truck. What's the terrain like where you'll be towing? Hilly or really flat? You can get away with a lot on flat going, but I wonder if a combination like that might draw the attention of the Man?

 

[jimainiac]

Just thought of something else - what are the tires like on the truck? A lot of half tons come with "P" rated tires. The P is for passenger, and is roughly equivalent to 4 ply rating. I think you would want D or E rated tires to handle the weight.

 

[JB4310]

What about tire rating?

Axles and bearings have a bit of a buffer for overloading, but I wouldn't mess with exceeding the tire rating. you could get a higher load range tire but I doubt the 1500 came with a very high load range stock.

EDIT: looks like I had the same thought as Jim but I'm a slow typer and didn't see his reply

JB.

 

[JB4310]

It really does come down to the tires, regardless of suspension issues, (you could weld the axle to the frame) the tires are what carry the load.

JB.

 

[wushaw]

If you don't have a owners manual then here is a list of what you can tow.
http://www.trailerlife.com/images/towratings/07towratings.pdf