Towing heavy on a 1/2 ton

[bcp]

In WA you have to have brakes under 3000lbs if the trailer and load is over 40% of the tow vehicle weight.

Bruce

 

[dnw64]

OK, slightly different direction.

Title is :Towing heavy on a 1/2 ton

How much different is that than "Towing heavy on a 3/4 ton", "Towing heavy on a 1 ton", "Towing heavy on a 2 ton", etc.

My guess is that "1/2 tons" are most likely the most undersold using a "tonnage" rating versus actual carrying capacity ratio.

If you like research and math, prove me wrong. Or right. I really don't care - just throwing it out there.

And, happy December (oh, it's not December yet? Sure feels/looks like it!!!!

 

[RandyT]

Same thing here. 3k & up has to have brakes. Makes sense safety wise. I prefer brakes, just don't like having to get them inspected. Under 3k you don't have to.

In my state trailer inspection doesn't start until 5001# Brakes required at 3000# so that is the reason most single axle utility trailers have a GVWR of 2990# What scares me are the guys with tandem 16' trailers with no brakes and because of the no brakes can only be licensed at 3000#

If you want an adventure tow with a truck with 4 wheel anti locks, towing a trailer even a single axle no brake trailer with 3 mowers on the bed, so total weight of trailer and cargo is around 2700# and try stopping at a stop sign with loose gravel scattered around and see were you get stopped. The truck thinks it is locking the brakes so goes into antilock mode and the no brake trailer will push you through the stop sign and possibly all the way across the intersection.

that is the reason I went from a single axle 12 foot trailer for hauling mowers to a tandem axle 14 with brakes on both axles after purchasing my 2011 ram pickup. Nothing like getting pushed through a 4 way stop intersection. Got pushed around 80 feet at less than 5 mph at a stop intersection.

 

[timswi]

In my state trailer inspection doesn't start until 5001# Brakes required at 3000# so that is the reason most single axle utility trailers have a GVWR of 2990# What scares me are the guys with tandem 16' trailers with no brakes and because of the no brakes can only be licensed at 3000#

If you want an adventure tow with a truck with 4 wheel anti locks, towing a trailer even a single axle no brake trailer with 3 mowers on the bed, so total weight of trailer and cargo is around 2700# and try stopping at a stop sign with loose gravel scattered around and see were you get stopped. The truck thinks it is locking the brakes so goes into antilock mode and the no brake trailer will push you through the stop sign and possibly all the way across the intersection.

that is the reason I went from a single axle 12 foot trailer for hauling mowers to a tandem axle 14 with brakes on both axles after purchasing my 2011 ram pickup. Nothing like getting pushed through a 4 way stop intersection. Got pushed around 80 feet at less than 5 mph at a stop intersection.

I agree with you..My tandem (with brakes on both axles) is my go to trailer for anything heavy. I'll use my single axle utility (10') for my quad and stuff like that. I like trailer brakes.

 

[RandyT]

I agree with you..My tandem (with brakes on both axles) is my go to trailer for anything heavy. I'll use my single axle utility (10') for my quad and stuff like that. I like trailer brakes.

If I went back to a single axle, I probably would have the dealer order me one with brakes on it to.

 

[timswi]

If I went back to a single axle, I probably would have the dealer order me one with brakes on it to.

I suppose you could do that. I never load up my single axle enough to really worry about it.

As far as towing heavy with a 1/2 ton, I do it occasionally when I pull my 36' TT with my 2016 GMC All Terrain 1/2 ton. I use a WD with sway control and it travels and stops very well.
Truck is rated for 9100# and My trailer is nearly that..7800# empty, pbly close to 9k loaded. I should really have a 3/4 ton, but the prices of these things have me a little spooked at the moment...70k is a little heavy in my opinion. Almost impossible to find a gas Denali 3/4 4x4 around here.

 

[Reg]

The (so called) WDH is fairly popular with folk hauling 2 horse trailers, I figure most of them probably have close to 6,000 lbs gross weight back there.
This is a regular week-end thing for many of them during the show season and most of them that I know are going up to 100 miles each way to day shows, a couple of hours.

As to WHY it is the thing for them - well, despite my own lack of fondness for Wdh I have to admit that they DO take out a LOT of the fore/aft pitching that happens with tag along trailers, especially bad when you are running close to the max recommended tongue weight and the steering is kinda light.
They believe that it takes out a lot of that same fore/aft pitching for the horses too and they LUV their horses so much that they'll do more for the horse's comfort than for their own.


As to why I say it is "so called" - - the name is a misnomer, it doesn't distribute the WEIGHT, that stays exactly where it was,
it would be more correctly called a LOAD re-distributing hitch.

Anyway, if it is a LONG time since you tried one it may be worth re-visiting them.
In particular the ability to set an initial angle for the spring bars in some of them removes a lot of the fuss with getting ball height "PERFECT".
The thing that always bugged me was trying to get the right ball height with the right drop angle for the spring bars so that they had the right ground clearance - that was DECADES ago, I think you'll find them a lot more user friendly now.

At least I found that to be so with the most recent Reese hitch that I bought.

As far as geese go; sure I would rather pull my 40 ft horse goose trailer around than the iddy biddy little 2 horse trailer, it tucks in behind the truck better, is less prone to side winds, rides better and on a long haul uses slightly under 2% more fuel despite the added weight - I'm Not pushing two vehicles through the air resistance and at highway speeds that MATTERS for vehicles with the aerodynamics of a barn.