dodge man
Super Star Member
A lot of 1/2 ton trucks say a weight distribution hitch is required for anything over 5000 lbs trailer weight and 500 pounds hitch weight. What is the payload of you current truck.
Weight Distribution on Alumium Frame Trailers
- Thread starter lostcause
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3Ts
Elite Member
The aluminum frame is softer than a steel frame and is more likely to distort with a WDH. Also, be sure you check the weight of the aluminum trailer! Aluminum is not as strong as steel so they have to use more of it. I heard of one guy who wanted an aluminum truck bed so it'd be light. But to meet the structural requirements, it ended up heavier than a steel bed would have been.
Also, aluminum doesn't rust - ever! Rust is only ferrous metals, aluminum does corrode so trying to make it last a long time still requires maintenance. A repair to a steel trailer is much easier than an aluminum one and there are more welders that can do steel compared to aluminum.
Also, aluminum doesn't rust - ever! Rust is only ferrous metals, aluminum does corrode so trying to make it last a long time still requires maintenance. A repair to a steel trailer is much easier than an aluminum one and there are more welders that can do steel compared to aluminum.
skipmarcy
Veteran Member
My '99 F250 king cab short bed (6') handles my gooseneck just fine and I even have a toolbox across the bed. Very hilly around here and never had an issue with the hitch getting even close to the toolbox, much less the cab. Modern goosenecks are built to fit a wider variety of trucks and the hitches are more accommodating. I'm 6'4" and can actually walk under my hitch when attached to the truck. Load Trail car hauler gooseneck.
4570Man
Super Star Member
- Joined
- Apr 7, 2015
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- Crossville, TN
- Tractor
- Kubota M59, Kubota L3800, Grasshopper 428D, Topkick dump truck, 3500 dump truck, 10 ton trailer, more lighter trailers.
Cutting 5th wheel campers in the cab is a concern but I don’t think it would ever happen with a GN trailer without completely jackknifing it. I’ve pulled GN trailers with a 6’ bed truck and never had it happen. I’ve seen people getting the back corner of the bed into the trailer trying to cross ditches.
well, some of the online sites that sell trailering equipment there make mention that there are ones that do support wdh towing on their aluminum trailers. i'm just looking for more than anecdotal information, and potentially what brand(s) they happen to be.
i had it in the first post, but manual says no wdh required up to 7k. don't remember the payload, but 9300 lb towing, 930 lb max tongue weight i remember. payload must be somewhere in the 1700 range? 7200 gvw & call it 5500 for the truck - just guessing cause i don't have the numbers in front of me.
just checked and it's 5405 curb & 1795 payload
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1999 homemade 16' wood deck, 5" channel frame, 3" channel cross members, a-frame tongue, dual dexter mobile home style axles on 14.5" tires. Trailer is slightly narrower than normal due to the width of the axles. I have a set of 5th wheel take off torsion axles and 5 new 15" wheels and tires I got before I found the new tractor. trailer is slated for a rebuild that I hope to do this fall / winter, regardless of when I buy a new bigger trailer. It's been a great trailer for two decades and has hauled a lot of stuff a lot of miles, but it's just slightly smaller than what I should have. Back when I built it, all of the steel was bought at under $20/cwt and now it's about 5x that price, plus no deep discounts on takeoff axles and tires, so i don't find it cost effective to build a new one. $3899 for a 20' steel 10k is probably where i'll be headed when all is said and done.
