How "safe" to be a little overweight?

[ampsucker]

here are the "facts" for the 2008 ridgeline. imagine other model years are similar.

Maximum GCWR 10,085 lbs. GCWR
Max Trailer Weight 5,000 lbs. towing capacity (braked)
Rear Gross Axle Weight Rating 3,252 lbs. rear GAWR
Gross Vehicle Weight Rating 6,050 lbs. GVWR
P245/65SR17.0BSW AS tires (assume about 1800 lbs per tire?)
Vehicle curb weight 4500
Max payload 1550

soooo..... some things to consider:

max payload includes tongue weight of the trailer on the hitch which is usually 10%. should you attach a trailer of max weight properly loaded, that gives you 500 lbs on the hitch and leaves 1050 pounds for riders, fuel, luggage, etc. four full size humans could easily consume that budget without any gear or fuel whatsoever.

a ridgeline with max weight on the truck actually has a towing capacity of (10085 GCWR - 6050GVWR) 4035 lbs for the trailer plus load. most folks don't consider this but that trumps the bumper hitch rating. the hitch rating is best attained with a truck empty except for the driver and fuel.

will you get into trouble if you do it? you get to make that call.

to those considering adding load levelers or helper springs or bags to their tow vehicle, this does NOT increase your towing or hauling capacity. it only levels the load. capacities are set by things like axle strength, axle bearing load bearing capacity, tire capacity, braking capacity, etc. you can still snap an axle even with a level load.

if your load makes the truck ride badly without helper springs or bags, it is probably too heavy for the tow vehicle to handle safely.

armed with the facts, you make the decision that's best for you....

fyi, i tow a bx23 with a tundra that has a GCVWR of 11800 pounds all day. i wouldn't put much more behind it and when i do, my white knuckles take all the fun out of the drive. i believe your tractor is heavier and your gcvwr less. i have upgraded to E rated tires on the tow vehicle (2200 lbs each). you may not have. do the math....

amp

 

[burkehill]

Well, here in Washington County, Maine, we don't have authorities. And if we find one, he is our neighbor, so we don't worry about what they might do. We all try to get along. I have found that a good rule of thumb is to multiply the rating by 2.5, and that is what you can actually do, providing that you are careful. There are exceptions o this rule, of course, as I regularly haul 12000 lb in my one ton truck....

 

[texasjohn]

Lots of advice here....mine is as follows, considering you are wishing to have a hurricane escape rig and need to stay with the pickup you already have.
This means the only flexibility is in what kind of trailer you get... and admittedly you will be pushing the limits. Thus, in the emergency situation you are projecting, you need the trailer to give you as much margin for error as possible.

This means the trailer must:
be a gooseneck (much more stable/safe than bumper pull)
have good brakes on both axles
have a brake controller in the pickup
have good lights
have numerous tie down points with available chains and boomers
have good tires rated beyond the minimum required
have two independent axles (you don't want 1 flat to stop you)
a savy and careful driver in the pickup (get experience before the storm)
ramps for loading the tractor
have sufficient length to allow proper weight/load balance..maybe 2 feet longer than the length of your tractor and implements.


Nothing you can do will make things 100% safe... but these will each increase the probability that you will make the trip OK under emergency conditions.

Sure, it's important to focus on weight limits,etc... but you MUST also understand why I've listed each of the above items...I consider each essential to make your safe haven objective as safely as possible.

 

[Ramairfreak98ss]

Honda transmissions are already considered weak by many and I can promise you a Ridgeline one will be WAY more than $2000
Ignoring the safety aspects for a moment-
*IF* the tractor will be hauled *only* in the event of an approaching hurricane I'd not be as concerned about transmission longevity, and I would change the expensive proprietary Honda trans fluid right after any such haul. I would also only use a trailer with brakes. Figure you will need them in the stop and go traffic fleeing an approaching hurricane.

Do ya' know anyone with a truck to borrow or a place to rent one in case of such need? Hire a rollback?

Yeah you beat me to most of that Not to knock other guys trucks or even some bigger SUVs, but ive seen ridgelines pull stuff down the road and ive seen ones overloaded with "popup" campers and even saw one with a garden tractor john deere on it a few weeks ago, 54" mower deck and a plow attachment on the front of the 12' single axle trailer, the hondah wasnt having fun with that already.

Are you serious they rate the honda ridgeline to tow 5k? That would mean you could hookup my 24' enclosed trailer EMPTY and have room to spare, i doubt it. My 91 f150 is manhandled with 5-7k. and thats a 5k long bed extended cab truck with nice bridgestone tires on it. Cant trade that thing in and find a truck based SUV? Id say id feel better with a v6 2003+ ford explorer than a ridgeline good luck man.

 

[Skyco]

The Honda Ridgeline is based on the Accord if memory serves me correctly. The transmissions are most definitely not considered weak and statistics back up that statement very well.

The Ridgeline is loosely based on the Pilot. Don't know where your statistics come from but Honda's transmissions IMO have always been probably their weakest point. They use a completely different method than 99% of the other automatics* to operate and have had many problems over time, to their credit they have offered free extended warranties on many of their more troublesome transmissions. I have a 2003 Honda Pilot- it already has had a recall on it to install an oil jet because Honda didn't properly lubricate/cool second gear causing many failures. Dad has a 2002 Odyssey, same issue. Used to have a 2000 Accord, Honda extended the warranty on them because the trans were dropping like flies...the list goes on. Google "Honda Transmission Failures" and read some of the 132,000 hits on their problems Don't get me wrong- overall Honda makes an excellent vehicle, I just don't think they quite have the legendary Honda prowess in the transmission department. I will state I haven't heard about Ridgeline transmissions being particularly troublesome, or good for that matter...
Unfortunately lots of vehicles seem to have poor transmissions, engines hold up pretty well nowadays but they seem to have trouble designing reliable transmissions that will last as long as the engine- maybe a beancounter issue?

*They came up with their own design to avoid paying license fees to Borg Warner, who owns many patents on the way most automatic transmissions work.

 

[Dargo]

The Ridgeline is loosely based on the Pilot.

I believe that is correct as the Pilot is also based on the Accord platform.

Don't know where your statistics come from but Honda's transmissions...

You can sort of say that I'm in the business. I see and make calculated decisions based on the actual breakdown statistics of thousands and thousands of vehicles as part of my occupation. On a national basis, there most certainly is no problem with any Honda transmission that I've seen except for the obvious abuse cases where the teenage kids have watched too many reruns of that second rate movie "Fast and Furious". They do break under abuse and they are expensive to repair. It's just not really a good idea to constantly hold the emergency brake and floor the cars to smoke the front tires. But, there again, I don't think we're talking about that kind of breakdown anyway. Perhaps pulling a trailer loaded to the maximum rated weight, or over, with hard acceleration would fit that scenario.

 

[em14]

Dargo - Of course there will be exceptions to you "stats" because my Daughter and Son in Law own an Odyssey which is on its second transmission and it appears based on their driving to have been a bad transmission which Honda replaced! And the general consensus of all involved is they don't tend to be a long term item but have now been improved after so much trouble.
Leo

 

[craigNC]

Thanks to all for your replies -- too many to address individual points. I know I have several options to move the tractor with my Ridgeline (for which, by the way, I traded in a much more "capable" F150 because a couple years ago I didn't expect to be towing more than 3000 pounds, especially on my 52-mile daily commute to the office day job ). The Ridge handles my 5x10 trailer just great for everything that I have hauled, including (too much) firewood. What disturbed me was to have a salesman directly suggest that I overload a trailer for its primary intended load, namely the tractor (anytime I'm hauling the stuff I usually carry around in my utility trailer, I know I'd be fine). What I sense from the forum members is that for a rare overweight trip, things would probably be fine but that word "probably" has a big asterisk next to it. I'll be taking a look at aluminum trailers and see how the math comes out.

OK, only semi-serious here: Maybe I should 1) leave the rotary cutter or box blade in the workshop up on blocks to shave a few pounds or 2) just leave the tractor where it is and figure, shoot, homeowner's and flood insurance covers it as long as it's on my property (or on my trailer behind my insured vehicle).... yes, has been verified with my insurance company ....

 

[KeithInSpace]

Perhaps mirroring other thoughts, but my concern does not lie with the truck. I have no doubts it can tow 5,000# without drama. Nor with your hitch. Obviously, you need trailer brakes for that weight.

My personal concern would be a lawsuit if you got into an accident. In today's society, you could get slammed broadside by a red-light runner, but if YOU have a beer in you, it suddenly becomes all your fault.

If someone else runs a red light and YOU hit them with an overloaded rig, YOU are then liable for damages inflicted by YOUR actions. Really stinky way for the world to work, that's for sure, but I wouldn't take the chance.

 

[crashz]

The aluminum trailer may save you some weight, and so will dropping equiment that you don't "need". I assume you are moving your tractor off of your property in case of flood damage. The box blade will see only cosmetic damage, and same with the mowing deck as long as you grease it well before using.

Even with the loader, removing implements must drop the weight of the tractor down to around 2500 - 3000 lbs. That, coupled with a dual axle aluminum trailer may get you below the GCWR of the vehicle combination. Remember that regardless of what anyone says here, the law will not consider anything above the legal limits (that goes for GCWR, GVWR, GTWR, and maximum towing limits) to be safe.

Plus the additional benefits of driving with a lighter load will much easier on everything, especially you, the driver. I find towing with my 1/2 ton, to be a just an awful expereince even though I've never towed anything above half the maximum capacity. Braking is weaker, the suspension is soggy, the truck wallows in the corners and quick manuvering is absorbed by soft P (car rated) tires. The next tire will most definately be D or E load rated. Just some more info to chew on...