Hauling with BX

[OregonTom]

I attached a 2" ball to the hole in what appears to me to be the hitch receiver of my BX and have been using it to haul my boats and my trailer around. It works great. I read something recently (can't recall where), however, which led me to wonder if what I was doing violated some time honored tractor safety rule.

Any thoughts?

OregonTom

 

[Bird]

You don't say what size that boat is or what the boat and trailer weigh, but if it isn't heavy enough to prevent you from stopping, so it doesn't run over you or push you into someplace you didn't want to be, then what you're doing is perfectly normal./w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif

 

[woodstock]

For wanabe haulers llike use a safe rule of thumb is to never tow anything heavier than the tow vehicle.

<font color=red>Winnipeg, Manitoba</font color=red>

2001 BX2200 (50 hrs)

 

[jwstewar]

That may hold true for tractors, but certainly not trucks. I tow an 8500# camper with my Chevy Silverado Z71, and last time I checked it didn't weigh 8500#, probably only around 5k. Duallies are also rated to tow 12 - 15k. They certainly don't weigh that much. Again your rule of thumb may be good for tractors but not trucks.

Still going for your Gold status heh/w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif? Keep going you'll get it. Maybe one day I'll make it to veteran.

Hope this didn't sound like I was bashing you, I'm not, just either clerifying what you said or disagreeing with you.

Jim

 

[Jeff396]

I think the weight issue is correct in that if the trailer weighs more than the towing vehicle you then need trailer brakes. The vehicle alone cannot stop it.

Jeff

 

[Bird]

Woodstock & Jeff, there's certainly nothing wrong with being overly cautious or conservative, but that's pretty extreme./w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif The manual says my B2710 weighs 1740 pounds, and the trailer weight limitation is 3300 pounds. And of course, I too have pulled a lot of trailers that weighed more than the towing vehicle. I haven't kept up with any changes in the past several years, but for on road trailering, there at least used to be a federal recommendation to require trailer brakes if the trailer weighed 40% or more of the weight on the towing vehicle.

 

[Jeff396]

I wasn't really referring to pulling trailers with our tractors. I was referring to Jim's reference of pulling trailers which are dramatically heavier than the towing vehicle on the road. I have a friend who happens to be an ex cop and he got into an accident. He was pulling his CASE loader backhoe and some moron ran a red light and my friend t-boned him. Seems pretty cut and dry until you get questions from the morons lawyer concerning what tire pressure you are running, weight rating of you towing vehicle, brake stopping rating on the trailer etc. I never really towed much in weight with my truck, but his story kinda has me erroring on the safe side.

Jeff

 

[Bird]

Jeff, I was responding to two people in one message and may not have made myself clear. I thought Woodstock was being overly conservative on weights that could be safely towed, but I was agreeing with you, and even go a little farther, on trailer weights before brakes are needed on the trailer. And of course, if we err, let's hope it's on the safe side./w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif Needless to say, I've seen plenty of trailers wrecked, including some that resulted in fatalities./w3tcompact/icons/frown.gif

 

[Egon]

Trailer Towing:
Trailer towing with trucks on public highways will be coverd by very definate regulations. Towing with a tractor is completly different as speeds are much slower and if on private land your own disgression may be the regulation in place. Tractor towing on public roads may be different from a legal standpoint.
Sure hope I can tow a lot more than the 6500 # my 3/4 ton truck weighs.
Egon

 

[Hogkeeper]

I can get a 10k trailer load in motion with my Toyota but, can I stop it???? use you brain man!