New Utility Trailer + Wimpy Truck

[4570Man]

Isn't any loaded tandem with brakes heavier than the truck, even a one ton dually? I see the statement you made repeated a lot and unless I'm misunderstanding it, it doesn't make sense. A half ton isn't all that much lighter than a one ton.

For the OP, the Ridgeline with its unibody construction and IRS is meant for hailing stuff like camping gear and maybe a small 5x10 utility trailer. A 18-20' trailer with a 10k gross rating is going to weigh ~2500lbs. Your gcwr is only ~10k, tow rating ~5k, and payload ~1500. Considering the trailer weight alone, you can't haul a couple medium duty implements, much less the tractor they're attached to.

Even knocking off half a ton of weight by going aluminum, you'll still be exceeding your tow rating.

My big trailer out weighs the diesel dually by more than double loaded to capacity.

 

[robertsa]

My big trailer out weighs the diesel dually by more than double loaded to capacity.

Exactly. My father's newest trailer empty weighs more than his 2016 crew cab, diesel F350 dually.

 

[mercdv]

I'll chime in on this one cause I tried to do the same thing. When I was younger I had a wimpy truck and tried to haul a tandem with brakes. I only drove it around locally and I knew I was over my towing capacity some times but not by that much. It was always really short trips which were never more than 10 miles at most at a time. Long story short, I'll just say new ABS sensors, new rear axle bearings, new seals, and new rear brake pads all because of the leaking grease made me realize that it was a bad idea in the long run. I do not know your financial situation but mine wasn't great at the time either. I decided to go truck first then save up again for a trailer because I can rent any size trailer when I needed one. Yes, took me longer to get the truck than it would have the trailer but I am glad I went that route. I rented a smaller trailer when I had the smaller truck and just made a couple of trips instead of one and then rented larger trailers when I got the bigger truck.

 

[vvanders]

My big trailer out weighs the diesel dually by more than double loaded to capacity.

I can't speak to much experience towing stuff over 10k but I'm going to assume that's not a bumper pull trailer? The other thing with the half-tons is you can't get a lot of weight on the rear tires. Once you get up around the 7-8k mark you'll be well under 15% of the trailer weight on the tongue which I think also leads a bit to the "tail wagging the dog" comment.

My intuition of physics that having the pivot point being inside the wheelbase vs outside and acting as a lever would make something like a gooseneck/semi much more stable with a heavier trailer but would love to hear from people who know a bit more in that area.

 

[4570Man]

No it’s a GN. I wouldn’t have a bumper pull trailer over 10k behind my DRW tons. They suck.

 

[robertsa]

I can't speak to much experience towing stuff over 10k but I'm going to assume that's not a bumper pull trailer? The other thing with the half-tons is you can't get a lot of weight on the rear tires. Once you get up around the 7-8k mark you'll be well under 15% of the trailer weight on the tongue which I think also leads a bit to the "tail wagging the dog" comment.

My intuition of physics that having the pivot point being inside the wheelbase vs outside and acting as a lever would make something like a gooseneck/semi much more stable with a heavier trailer but would love to hear from people who know a bit more in that area.

You can get heavy duty trailers in a BP, but I prefer GN for several reasons, one of them being stability. It also shortens the overall combined vehicle length and makes turning/backing easier. You can get GN hitches for half tons as well; my F150 has a B&W Turnoverball in it.

 

[3930dave]

My intuition of physics that having the pivot point being inside the wheelbase vs outside and acting as a lever would make something like a gooseneck/semi much more stable with a heavier trailer but would love to hear from people who know a bit more in that area.

5th wheels have advantages for pulling heavy. And, not just with big trucks...

▶ 1974 Volkswagen pulls fifth wheel travel trailer! - YouTube

For bumper pull, if you talk to people who have actually used Weight Distributing hitches, you'll find that they like the ability to distribute the rear axle load across both axles. You still have to stay within spec'd tow limits though.

Equalizer Hitch - Weight Distribution - American RV Center, Evansville, IN - YouTube

^ Picked that vid, just because it's short. With WD hitches you are basically putting a torsion bar (2) between the truck and trailer, to do the load balancing across the axles. 5th wheels accomplish this by moving the hitch vertical loading point closer to the center of the truck.

IIRC it was Reese who had a WDistr. ad way back that used a Toronado hooked to a trailer with a WD hitch, driven with the Toronado rear wheels removed. Today, they've probably had their legal department chase the image off the 'net.... it's not easy to find anymore.....

Rgds, D.

 

[NoTrespassing]

I'm no expert when it comes to towing so someone correct me if I'm wrong here. I believe the shorter the wheelbase of the tow vehicle, the more likely it will be to tail whip. I used to tow a steel two horse trailer loaded with 2 horses and hay with a 93 Ford Bronco. In order to make the rig stable, I bought a weight distributing hitch with anti-sway bar. Loading the trailer correctly is important too but with a horse trailer you're stuck with the weight being where the horses are standing. They tend to move around and shake the back end of the truck too.

BTW, does the Ridgeline have a tow package on it? I remember adding a transmission cooler to the Bronco when I added the hitch.

Like Mercdv suggested, I'd go truck first.

Kevin

 

[Jchonline]

It all depends on how much weight you want to safely tow, and what your overall weight ratings are on the Ridgeline.
Now about that towing.... you will need to figure out the final weight of the tractor+implements your truck can pull. It might seem easy but there are multiple weights and ratios to consider.

1. GVWR - you have 2 vehicles to consider. So you will have a GVWR for the truck (curb weight + cargo+passengers). Then a GVWR for the trailer (trailer weight + all cargo). Make sure these are within limits.
2. Tow weight - be sure your hitch can pull the GVWR of your trailer (trailer weight + all cargo loaded)
3. GCWR - Gross Combined weight ratio. GVWR of truck + GVWR of trailer loaded. Your truck will have a rating for this.
4. Max tongue weight - usually this is 10% or so of the max tow weight. Just dont get more trailer than you can tow.

The surprise here is that a new F150 V8 gas with a 9900GVWR trailer can really only tow a total GVWR trailer of 9100 lbs. If the trailer is 2500 lbs, you are down to 6600 lbs of load on the trailer. It is VERY easy to get a tractor over that weight once you add the loader, rear tire ballast/weights, and rear implements. My dad was surprised at how little he could safely tow. Others may have more experience, this was just based on my napkin math.

 

[RyeThomas]

If you have a smaller truck the extra money in a lightweight trailer (especially aluminum) is really worth its weight in gold.
Bumper pulls/ tag alongs are fine, the big issue with wag is get a trailer a few feet longer than you need so you have the ability to center the load as needed.
I have had larger tag along bumper pull and gooseneck trailers, they both have there pros and cons.

Spend the money, save the weight and add some length and you will be fine with your truck. Best of luck


Or we can spend your money and you can get a 3500 DRW Crew Cab, 6000lb gooseneck deckover trailer and need a CDL to drag anything around. Lol.