weight of trailer, tractor and truck

[heehaw]

the trailer is 6'8" wide, i don't know what GM has done to the new trucks, but they rate them at 10,000 pound now?? i need to check an see what the difference is? i have 1 really tough hill, going south out of Mtn View, Ar: what i am pullin is about all my truck wants gettin to the top of that one: then theres a slightly lesser hill further down the road thats pretty tough! twice a year is about what i pull the tractor that far: the rest is very local if at all. a new trailer like the one i have is @ $1700: thats with brakes on both axles and a new spare tire. even if i got $1200 for mine i still have to come up with another $1800: so i figure i'll wait an watch auctions etc for a while..
heehaw

 

[RobS]

Don't forget, the real test of pulling isn't going uphill, it's down the other side. The tow ratings of vehicles are based on braking as much as accelerating.

 

[RollTideRam]

You should have at least 10% of your trailer weight on the tongue. That would be 700# more on your truck and off of your trailer. If you can't upgrade trailers, at least move up to a higher load range on your tires. JC

 

[Highbeam]

Your trailer is too small and your truck is too small, or your tractor is too big. This will be expensive to make right and legal within ratings.

My trailer is a 10k model with a pair of dexter 5200 lb axles. It weighs 2500 lbs empty with 250 of that weight on the ball for a very near perfect 10% split. I have a similar pickup.

The tow rating is not based on braking. It is based on GCWR which is a performance measure and drivetrain durability measure. The trailer has brakes which are required after a certain weight of trailer.

 

[heehaw]

nice looking trailer: looks a lot like mine: i have brakes on both axles of the trailer, so stopping hasn't been a problem: is the GCWR listed on the truck somewhere?
heehaw

 

[Highbeam]

The GCWR is often VERY difficult to find. It is not listed on the truck and only sometimes listed in the owner's manual. Sometimes the only way to get it is to call the manufacturer with the VIN# and get the real GCWR. The ratings are all recorded with the VIN which is another reason that adding things like bigger axles and springs does not get you a legally increased rating.

The tow rating is a very lame marketing# and assumes lots of things. You are fortunate in that you can and have actually weighed your setup so you can use the real ratings to determine the real "tow" rating and not what's in the manual.

 

[RobS]

The GCWR is often VERY difficult to find. It is not listed on the truck and only sometimes listed in the owner's manual. Sometimes the only way to get it is to call the manufacturer with the VIN# and get the real GCWR. The ratings are all recorded with the VIN which is another reason that adding things like bigger axles and springs does not get you a legally increased rating.

The tow rating is a very lame marketing# and assumes lots of things. You are fortunate in that you can and have actually weighed your setup so you can use the real ratings to determine the real "tow" rating and not what's in the manual.

That is an absolutely true statement Highbeam, but something trailer towers need to find none-the-less. On my truck, I have to know the axle code from the tag on the axle, then use a chart in the owners manual based on engine/transmisison/axle code to find the GCWR. A good dealer should be able to help as well. Important info to know!

 

[JB4310]

Your trailer is too small and your truck is too small, or your tractor is too big. This will be expensive to make right and legal within ratings.

I still don't see how he's illegal yet, trucks rated to pull 7000, the loaded trailer weighs 7820, if you use the 10% tongue weight rule that puts 780 lbs on the truck, that leaves just 40 pounds over for the axles, that seems to be splitting hairs you could make up for that by removing the spare tire from the trailer or not filling the fuel tank on the tractor. then you have an extra 780 lbs on the truck, not even knowing the CGWR it couldn't be over cause a capacity trailer is figured into the CGWR with "some" allowance for cargo in the truck.
I might be missing something here and it wouldn't be the first time, it is assuming the trailer is rated at 7000 lbs and you can deduct the tongue weight from the total trailers weight to stay within the axles capacity.
BTW, I like your trailer Highbeam, it's exactly what I'm looking for, just been too cheap to shell out the money, was at a very large trailer dealer today, they had a 1 year used 18 foot x 6'8" 5 ton for $3200. new for the same model is $4000.+ the prices keep going up, could have gotten a new one for less than $3,000. a couple of years ago!

 

[KAB]

I have been reading the post about tongue weight removing weight from the trailer, how does that remove weight from the trailer?

The way that I see it. If I look at the trailer weight rating on the tag on the trailer and it says 7000#. If I add the weight of the tractor, trailer and all other items on the trailer, I get the total of 7820# how does that weight go from being on the trailer to being placed on the truck? Does the weight of the trailer decrease 820# by simply hooking it up to the truck? The last time that I checked it does not, unless you unload weight from the trailer and physically move it to the truck.

Also, remember that the tow capacities listed by the manf. assume the factory curb weight of the truck + 150# driver. Any added weight will reduce the towing capacity by the same amount.

If you look on the drivers door jamb there should be a tire label showing the tire pressures and sizes. Somewhere on that label it should list the payload of your truck as equipped from the factory. This is total payload, it includes no added weight (that includes the driver). You also want to make sure that you do not overload the rear axle rating of the truck. That rating is usually on the door sticker. You will have to be weighed to make sure that is not the case but if you use a weight distributing hich and stay within the payload parameters you will probably be ok. If you use a 15% tongue weight that would mean about 1175# of payload in the truck.

As Highbeam said "Your trailer is too small and your truck is too small, or your tractor is too big. This will be expensive to make right and legal within ratings."

Kurt

 

[George2615]

Quote "I still don't see how he's illegal yet, trucks rated to pull 7000, the loaded trailer weighs 7820, if you use the 10% tongue weight rule that puts 780 lbs on the truck, that leaves just 40 pounds over for the axles, that seems to be splitting hairs you could make up for that by removing the spare tire from the trailer or not filling the fuel tank on the tractor."


If his truck is rated to tow 7000 and his loaded trailer is 7820 then he is 820 lbs overweight. It doesn't matter if he has 10, 30, 100, 400, or 1000 lbs of tongue weight he's still pulling 820 lb more than the 7K his truck is rated for. Moving weight to the tongue doesn't change the total weight being towed it only shifts its position on the trailer.