But its a ONE TON..

[Paystar]

Where is your Weight distribution hitch?

When I bought the trailer, dealer told me I could pull it with my 2 door Ford Explorer No thanks!

 

[JohnDeere4300]

Disagree. 95% of owners operators & DOT do not have the knowledge to determine what the weakest link actually is!! It's more than tires & axles. What if it's a frame, emergency brake, spring hanger, or other critical component is over stressed that's ready to fail?? Sure, we can all read a tire rating stamped on the side of a tire, a door pocket sticker with axle ratings, etc., but none of us know when a weld on a frame will give out or when a spring mount bracket will snap off.

GCWR figures from manufacturers are established after many miles of closed track testing, metalurgical formulas, moduluses of elasticities, etc. to find these weakest links which the average trucker or cop could never realize.

The guy in the Dodge is a fool, plain & simple. Someday when he's older at a point of lucidity, he will realize he was wrong and put himself and others in a great deal of danger. He got lucky, as many of us do when we do stupid things.

I say stay under the GCWR of your rig and play it safe. In the end, it will protect you when you finally do have an accident from injuring others or being sued if god-forbid you do.

I think we as more experienced owner/operators should encourage others to do the same. Obey the law and don't put my family or others at risk exceeding the limits of your vehicle's safe operation.

I see threads glorifying overloading trucks and telling others how to disable safety equipment on tractors and just shake my head in disbelief.

Agree 100% on all of it

 

[Duffster]

I mentioned earlier that BC doesn't recognize Gross Combined weight, which is as it should be. Thats a reccomendation from the factory to prevent damage and excess wear on your truck. That's not a safety issue. If you think it through, the important numbers are the ratings of the weakest component of the weight carrying parts of the truck. If you do not exceed the axle maximums, and assuming you have the correct tires and brake components to go with that axle, than the truck should be capable of suspending and stopping the load. Most people, including DOT can tell if a vehicle is overloaded by observing the tires and spring sag. If the trailer is too big for the truck, then the tongue weight will also be too high and the back of the truck will sag, as that Dodge is doing. After the weights are taken care of, then its up to the driver to drive safely and professionally. Thats where the problems arise, because people who pull big weight behind pickups are often not professionals, and do not have the experience to know when to drop gears on a hill, baby the brakes, slow down early for intersections etc. They think they can drive as if they are empty, which is of course not the case. I have driven professionally in BC for 25 years and I have seen enough to know that its never the weight thats the problem. Its the driver.

Very well said!

 

[bearmtnmartin]

Agree 100% on all of it

I always obey the law and I believe its there for a reason. My post simply pointed out that if that truck and trailer were mechanically sound, if all the axle weight limits were met, and the truck was driven in a professional manner, then it should be as safe as anything on the road. If any of the above is not true then its an accident waiting to happen. People see the size of the tow vehicle, compare it to the size of the trailer and base an opinion on that, but the two really have no bearing. I hauled building products in BC among other things, and the last job I had before I quit and got into digging holes was pulling super B trains. My Western Star weighed just under 18000 pounds, and I was pulling around 122,000 behind me. Thats a much bigger disparity than the Dodge would have.

 

[bearmtnmartin]

Of course the biggest reason for my logic is that I love a good arguement

 

[Duffster]

I always obey the law and I believe its there for a reason. My post simply pointed out that if that truck and trailer were mechanically sound, if all the axle weight limits were met, and the truck was driven in a professional manner, then it should be as safe as anything on the road. If any of the above is not true then its an accident waiting to happen. People see the size of the tow vehicle, compare it to the size of the trailer and base an opinion on that, but the two really have no bearing. I hauled building products in BC among other things, and the last job I had before I quit and got into digging holes was pulling super B trains. My Western Star weighed just under 18000 pounds, and I was pulling around 122,000 behind me. Thats a much bigger disparity than the Dodge would have.

Got any idea what the GCWR of that W Star was?

 

[JohnDeere4300]

I always obey the law and I believe its there for a reason. My post simply pointed out that if that truck and trailer were mechanically sound, if all the axle weight limits were met, and the truck was driven in a professional manner, then it should be as safe as anything on the road. If any of the above is not true then its an accident waiting to happen. People see the size of the tow vehicle, compare it to the size of the trailer and base an opinion on that, but the two really have no bearing. I hauled building products in BC among other things, and the last job I had before I quit and got into digging holes was pulling super B trains. My Western Star weighed just under 18000 pounds, and I was pulling around 122,000 behind me. Thats a much bigger disparity than the Dodge would have.

I obey the laws also..... and that ONE-TON is overloaded & a stupid decision for anyone to do that.

I have never drove a Western Star, I have only drove Kenworths & Peterbilts for TMC flatbed division through 21 states, and i have hauled all types of steel, pipe, tractors and many other things.

If TMC told me to overload your truck or you will be fired, then i would let them fire me so i wouldn't kill someone on the highway.... Or if they told me to cheat on my logbook to get a load to a place on time, then i would quit...But TMC don't do their employees like that.

I don't break no laws in a pickup either.

 

[JohnDeere4300]

Of course the biggest reason for my logic is that I love a good arguement

Did you read this when you become a member ?

TractorByNet.com - FAQ

 

[bearmtnmartin]

that truck may be overloaded. I have no way to tell, and I didn't take a position one way or the other. I followed your link, and thats a lot of reading, so you will need to be more specific.

 

[Duffster]

I obey the laws also..... and that ONE-TON is overloaded & a stupid decision for anyone to do that.

I have never drove a Western Star, I have only drove Kenworths & Peterbilts for TMC flatbed division through 21 states, and i have hauled all types of steel, pipe, tractors and many other things.

If TMC told me to overload your truck or you will be fired, then i would let them fire me so i wouldn't kill someone on the highway.... Or if they told me to cheat on my logbook to get a load to a place on time, then i would quit...But TMC don't do their employees like that.

I don't break no laws in a pickup either.

Are you trying to say that Bear's Western Star was overloaded?