Hauling 13k with a 3/4 ton truck & trailer?

[Jeff244]

Thanks for the replies,

I was getting info off my trailer and I noticed that the safety sticker expired in April. I think I will take that as a sign not to use it for the dozer. I calculated that I would be about 2000 or 3000 lbs. overweight anyway. 10 or 15 years ago I would of just gone ahead and hauled it without a second thought but I seem to be getting conservative in my old age. Also, since I have a CDL, I probably wouldn't get away with the "ignorance" defense.

Curly Dave, "If you can afford the dozer, you can afford the delivery cost." Thats exactly what my wife said. I was just trying to save some money since I am going about 7k over our agreed upon budget for a dozer. For only another 19k I can get one with a cab and an ac, but I don't think that will happen


Jeff

 

[Crash101]

I wouldn't think twice about it. Your equipment will pull it fine. Have a spare tire and jack, keep the speed below 65 and if possible take secondary roads. Your trailer and load may be as much as 16,500 maybe 17,000 pounds. Perhaps 2500 or so will be tongue weight, leaving around what, 3625 pounds on each of your 3500 pound rated tires and wheels? Forgive me if I seem careless in suggesting I would not hesitate to make this one time necessary trip.

 

[CurlyDave]

Curly Dave, "If you can afford the dozer, you can afford the delivery cost." Thats exactly what my wife said.

Our wives must be in cahoots. That is exactly what mine would have said to me.

 

[LoneCowboy]

Thanks for the replies,
Also, since I have a CDL, I probably wouldn't get away with the "ignorance" defense.

Jeff

Yeah, that's a key point. If it's just you, non-commercial, you'll get a lecture, but they'll probably let it slide
with CDL, no, probably not, hold you to a higher standard and all.

 

[nathan812]

I take this dozer is for your personal use on your own property. If so do you have farm tags on truck and trailer? If you do I wouldn't worry about it. Just hook up and go. Most of the dot will probably not even notice you. Single rear wheel truck pulling a little dozer on a gooseneck trailer is not what they are looking for most of the time. If they do stop you, you are farm tagged and do have a CDL probably send you on your way. That is if you even see a cop much less a DOT officer.

 

[biggerten]

I guess I'm just plain old cuckoo. I wouldn't be worried at all about the truck being able to pull this rig. Or about getting a fine for doing it.

I'd be worried about stopping it if a school bus suddenly dynamited the brakes ahead of me, or coming down a hill to a stop sign, or any number of things that probably won't happen, but when they do happen seem to happen at the worst possible moment.

 

[Builder]

I recently got permission to buy a dozer . The machine I am looking at weighs approx. 13,000 lbs. We have a Chevy 3/4HD truck with the diesel and Allison transmission. The trailer is a goose neck rated at 14,000 lbs. Now I know that the weight is more than the trailer and truck are rated for. But the machine is about 60 miles away and I would imagine I am looking at at least $300.00 to $400.00 to get it delivered. The roads are flat up until the last 10 miles or so. What does anyone think? I used to regularly pull tag trailer with about 10,000 lbs. behind a 1 ton truck. To me, the tag trailer behind a 1 ton is more dangerous than the overloaded goose neck behind the 3/4 ton.


Jeff

Coming from a CDL licenced driver, I wouldn't do it.

It's not that the truck won't pull it, it's that the trailer is grossly overloaded and the fine would be severe. You'll be put out of service if you're pulled over, then end up paying a fine and paying someone to haul it for you.

If the total trip is 120 miles and you get 10/mpg, then you'll use 12 gallons of diesel at 5/gallon, you'll spend at least $60 on fuel. Subtract that from the hauler's cost of $300-$400 and now you're down to $240-$340. I bet you can get a local guy with a rollback to do it for under $250.

Why take the risk? You're over on trailer weight by a lot, you're over on PIN weight, too. You may not (or you might) have the right size chain & binders for it, either.

Not trying to be too preachy here, but by doing this you're just encouraging illegal unsafe behavior and encouraging more folks to take unecessary risks.

 

[Jeff244]

Thanks for the replies,

Over the last few days (with good advice from forum members)I've come to the conclusion that I will need a larger dozer, probably in the 20k lbs. range so my trailer is now out of the question.

Thanks again for the advice.

Jeff