6000 lbs 0n 7000lbs trailer?

[RickB]

i have NEVER seen DOT harrass a private citizen doing non-commercial things, unless they are doing something down-right dangerous, or illegal. i dont know why people think dot is gonna pull over a suburban you are not going to stop at weigh-stations, so what would cause them to even look at what he is doing? i do heavy-haul trucking, and have spent countless hours dealing with DOT....they are not concerned with, and are often annoyed by having harry homeowner pull his 1/2 ton chevy and car trailer into a weigh station. i personally own a 1 ton truck with a "service body" on it, and routinly tow tractors, a small dozer, bobcats, etc on it. the entire rig is privately owned, and the truck has passenger plates. while the truck appears to be a commercial vehicle, i have never been questioned, and i often drive through a DOT saftey checkpoint 5 miles from my house.

I would be most concerned with the fact you have a 1/2 ton, and a trailer with no brakes. that trailer w/out brakes will push that truck all over the road. if your trailer had brakes, i'd load it up ad go

I don't know where you live, but I wish it were like that here. Anyone in most of the Northeast with a pickup & two axle trailer is fair game for DOT. It would be impossible to get passenger plates on your truck in NY without committing fraud. Assuming that all other states regulate vehicles as yours apparently does is a gross misconception on your part.

 

[rimshot]

At risk of being eaten alive I am going to post my actual axle weight axle by axle. I have a Ford F150 pickup with a factory towing package and I'm aware it is the weakest link. My trailer is a 7000 lb.car trailer with brakes on one axle and emergency break away system. My CK 20 with FEL & BH weighs 3800 lbs, filled rears 350 lbs, trailer 1500 lbs., Let's round this number up to 6000 lbs to account for chains and binders and all the rest. These numbers above are estimates.

Here are the axle by actual axle weights when the rig is loaded:

Truck front axle 2700 lbs
truck rear axle 3500
Trailer front axle 3100 lbs
Trailer rear axle 2950 lbs

Looks like when this was weighed I should have backed the rig up a bit to balance the trailer tongue load better. The loaded trailer runs are limited to about five miles each way. That weight piles up in a hurry. I know, I can hear some of you turning on the calculators already and believe me I want to be as safe as possible but this is my rig good or bad.

rim

 

[Duffster]

At risk of being eaten alive I am going to post my actual axle weight axle by axle. I have a Ford F150 pickup with a factory towing package and I'm aware it is the weakest link. My trailer is a 7000 lb.car trailer with brakes on one axle and emergency break away system. My CK 20 with FEL & BH weighs 3800 lbs, filled rears 350 lbs, trailer 1500 lbs., Let's round this number up to 6000 lbs to account for chains and binders and all the rest. These numbers above are estimates.

Here are the axle by actual axle weights when the rig is loaded:

Truck front axle 2700 lbs
truck rear axle 3500
Trailer front axle 3100 lbs
Trailer rear axle 2950 lbs

Looks like when this was weighed I should have backed the rig up a bit to balance the trailer tongue load better. The loaded trailer runs are limited to about five miles each way. That weight piles up in a hurry. I know, I can hear some of you turning on the calculators already and believe me I want to be as safe as possible but this is my rig good or bad.

rim

That doesn't sound bad at all.

According to your numbers you have 0 tongue weight.

 

[rimshot]

<<That doesn't sound bad at all.

According to your numbers you have ) tongue weight.>> (Duffster)
__________________

Thanks Duffster. I have come to the conclusion that I could improve the weight distribution quite a bit if I move the tractor back maybe a couple inches when it's loaded with backhoe and front bucket attached. That should even up the axle weight on trailer yet still leave enough weight on trailer tongue.

I posted this information because I believe these weights are very similar to the original posters specs. Perhaps his tractor load is heavier.

rimshot

 

[Diamondpilot]

At risk of being eaten alive I am going to post my actual axle weight axle by axle. I have a Ford F150 pickup with a factory towing package and I'm aware it is the weakest link. My trailer is a 7000 lb.car trailer with brakes on one axle and emergency break away system. My CK 20 with FEL & BH weighs 3800 lbs, filled rears 350 lbs, trailer 1500 lbs., Let's round this number up to 6000 lbs to account for chains and binders and all the rest. These numbers above are estimates.

Here are the axle by actual axle weights when the rig is loaded:

Truck front axle 2700 lbs
truck rear axle 3500
Trailer front axle 3100 lbs
Trailer rear axle 2950 lbs

Looks like when this was weighed I should have backed the rig up a bit to balance the trailer tongue load better. The loaded trailer runs are limited to about five miles each way. That weight piles up in a hurry. I know, I can hear some of you turning on the calculators already and believe me I want to be as safe as possible but this is my rig good or bad.

rim

Sounds like you are loaded properly to me also. I do not understand why you say the F-150 is the weak link? Its a good towing platform and plenty of truck for your load. So many think you need a Cummins Dually to tow a 12' John Boat or a log splitter.

Chris

 

[rimshot]

<<Sounds like you are loaded properly to me also. I do not understand why you say the F-150 is the weak link? Its a good towing platform and plenty of truck for your load. So many think you need a Cummins Dually to tow a 12' John Boat or a log splitter.
=================

Having operated the rig (short trips) now for over two years I have to say the Ford F150 can do the job adequately. I know some here feel a 3/4 ton is the minimum that should be used. I had the tow package which I believe is actually a factory rated Reese type bar hitch at 6000 lbs or is it 7000? Anyway it was also wired for brakes and I have one axle braking. Glad to hear the opinions are favorable. This rig is quite similar to the original posters with a couple of exceptions.

Of course we could always do better but by the same token when is enough enough to reasonable folks?

rimshot

 

[JasG]

i have NEVER seen DOT harrass a private citizen doing non-commercial things, unless they are doing something down-right dangerous, or illegal. i dont know why people think dot is gonna pull over a suburban you are not going to stop at weigh-stations, so what would cause them to even look at what he is doing? i do heavy-haul trucking, and have spent countless hours dealing with DOT....they are not concerned with, and are often annoyed by having harry homeowner pull his 1/2 ton chevy and car trailer into a weigh station. i personally own a 1 ton truck with a "service body" on it, and routinly tow tractors, a small dozer, bobcats, etc on it. the entire rig is privately owned, and the truck has passenger plates. while the truck appears to be a commercial vehicle, i have never been questioned, and i often drive through a DOT saftey checkpoint 5 miles from my house.

I would be most concerned with the fact you have a 1/2 ton, and a trailer with no brakes. that trailer w/out brakes will push that truck all over the road. if your trailer had brakes, i'd load it up ad go

All I can say is you haven't been through NY, CT, or I think now PA. The state troopers pull over any vehicle that looks overloaded and checks them over. You may not have to go through a weight station. Here they will even red tag a load, and it will not move until the reason it was taged is corrected. In this case of this post (assuming the trailer weighs at least 1500 lbs) a truck with a larger trailer with working brakes. The 7000 lbs trailer I doubt they would let leave without a truck with a controller. 15-20 years ago this wasn't the case, but it is now. They even check tie downs and other things on pickups pulling loads.

 

[Dargo]

I haven't seen anyone mention it, but I've personally blown a tire on one of those 7k trailers when hauling near it's max. It would be extremely rare for anyone to sell such a trailer with any extra room, weight wise, in the tire capacity because it costs more. Everything is cost competitive. The only way I could keep the tires on my 7k trailer from feeling really, really hot after a bit of highway driving was to run them at a pressure at least 10 psi over their stated max pressure. Again, not a good idea. I can honestly say, been there, done that, wouldn't ever do it again. Those 7k car trailers are really designed to carry an average 3500 to 4500 pound car, not a 6000 tractor.

Oh, like the others have said, without working trailer brakes you're a danger to yourself and everyone else on the road if you tow like you mentioned. When I say 'been there, done that and wouldn't ever do it again', I'm talking about with working brakes on both axles but running at max weight.

 

[Skyco]

The only way I could keep the tires on my 7k trailer from feeling really, really hot after a bit of highway driving was to run them at a pressure at least 10 psi over their stated max pressure. Again, not a good idea.

Goodyear actually says to increase trailer tire pressure by 10 PSI even if it means going above maximum sidewall labeled pressure when exceeding 65 mph.

http://www.goodyear.com/rv/pdf/marathon_gen_info_032806.pdf

 

[Dargo]

Goodyear actually says to increase trailer tire pressure by 10 PSI even if it means going above maximum sidewall labeled pressure when exceeding 65 mph.

http://www.goodyear.com/rv/pdf/marathon_gen_info_032806.pdf

I did not know that. Um, see, see how smart I was.... LOL!