Is this right? I can tow MORE with a bumper pull than I can a Gooseneck?

[terryknight]

If you were to get pulled over, what do they go by? I would assume that if it isn't listed on the truck, all they can do is make sure your under the legal requirements for cdl territory, and be sure the hitch/trailer/GVWR aren't exceeded. ???

DOT doesn't care about GCWR. it is a factory rating not a legal one. though if you are in an accident and found at fault i wonder if a lawyer could use that rating???

as for you slushbox (never heard juice until this thread) it is a 4R100, BTS makes a great one, so does John woods. a chip with a custom tow tune (ie. not banks) will help, as will an upgraded cooler (lots of guys use a 6.0 cooler)

as for your math "legally" you maybe right, but i would rather be safer with a GN than "legal" with a bumper pull

 

[sld]

Here is a link to Ford's Trailer Towing Guide for model year 2000
https://www.fleet.ford.com/truckbbas/non-html/2000/BBCAMPER.PDF

Do you know where to get those for other years?

 

[texas42]

Do you know where to get those for other years?

Type in "2xxx ford trailer towing guide" and do a search on that. (Subsitute xxx for exact year)
Camper/Trailer Towing Guide - Ford Fleet will come up as result for what ever year you search on.

 

[husband_dad_engineer]

With a 14k 20' bumper pull behind my 2004 Chevy 2500HD, my limiting factor is GAWR. I have to watch the load on my rear axle. I have free access to scales and have verified this. So I use a WD hitch when hauling anything more than a car on this trailer. It not only keeps me legal but it can make a fully loaded trailer drag like I'm running empty. A little bit of time learning to us a WD hitch is easily worth it when you consider the value of your load and the value of every other person on the road.

 

[Piston]

What do people with dump trailers do?

A lot of times with a dump trailer, you have a heavy load on the tongue, then when you dump it you have very little, until you fill it up again.

So, would you guys that use WD hitches use them with a dump? And if so, do they need to be adjusted for the load, or is it one of those things that you set and forget, regardless of the load?

 

[lutt]

I don't, Piston. I have use of a rice 14' dump trailer I use for hauling various grades of chat and rock. Wet 3/4 minus is heavy! But the limestone quarry is just a few miles from the house. I've grossed as high as 26000, but try to keep it at around 22000. Yes, before the Saftey cops start. I know I'm over. Know I wouldn't want to head out on a long trip with that, but local I'm fine. I also run to the rent house and row crop farm which is 15 miles or so away. I don't have trouble with sway or the like running highway speeds. It's just something you got to figure. I know guys that haul campers with one tons that don't use them. I am thinking about purchasing one for our travel trailer which is around 33 foot. I'm gonna run it to the lake while home this time to see how this new truck handles it without. I pulled it with my old half ton with a equializer hitch. LUTT

 

[newbury]

DOT doesn't care about GCWR. it is a factory rating not a legal one. though if you are in an accident and found at fault i wonder if a lawyer could use that rating???

as for you slushbox (never heard juice until this thread) it is a 4R100, BTS makes a great one, so does John woods. a chip with a custom tow tune (ie. not banks) will help, as will an upgraded cooler (lots of guys use a 6.0 cooler)

as for your math "legally" you maybe right, but i would rather be safer with a GN than "legal" with a bumper pull

Along those lines it is apparently impossible determine what State DOT's require.

I'll save you a LOT of time. There is no unified set of rules concerning state transportation regulation. I am a member of MAASTO, an organization trying to harmonize state regulations for motor carriers. It is very difficult to achieve harmonization because some states regulations are legislated by statute and changing the rules literally means an act of congress is required.
Your question is particularly hard to answer because some state enforce differently than regulated. What this means is you could contact a state's DOT and have them tell you the actual law and what is required, then contact that states Vehicle Enforcement Division and they may tell you otherwise because they simply don't enforce this or that.

To further complicate this, you may have a trailer rated for less than the combined rating of the axles. My Stiger trailer is a perfect example. It has 7,000lb axles, but the trailer is only rated for 9,500lbs.

I would recommend contacting each states Vehicle Enforcement Division prior to traveling if you have any questions because they are the guys on the street enforcing the rules and the ones you are more likely to have to be explaining yourself to.

P.S. if you find a web link claiming to have each states regulations listed for motor carriers DO NOT TRUST IT. THEY ARE ALL WRONG! This is a fact.

from my thread http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/trailers-transportation/312236-tongue-weight-ii-states-regs.html

What do people with dump trailers do?

A lot of times with a dump trailer, you have a heavy load on the tongue, then when you dump it you have very little, until you fill it up again.

So, would you guys that use WD hitches use them with a dump? And if so, do they need to be adjusted for the load, or is it one of those things that you set and forget, regardless of the load?

Or what do YOU do when you haul a 9k load 900 miles and then deadhead back?
I swap out my Equalizer hitch (up to 14K) with a standard Reese w/6K ball.

 

[joshuabardwell]

So, would you guys that use WD hitches use them with a dump? And if so, do they need to be adjusted for the load, or is it one of those things that you set and forget, regardless of the load?

If the trailer is un-weighted, the WD hitch can make the back end of the tow vehicle light, compromising handling. There was an old TV commercial where they showed a car driving without its rear axle, just supported by the torque of a WD system to a trailer.

What I would do in that case would be to just remove the torsion bars. The WD head will work just fine as a ball mount without the bars. Once the trailer was loaded, I would put the bars back in.

 

[chad22]

Interesting thread. I always thought that you'd be able to pull more with a goose neck trailer.

Chad

 

[redprospector]

What do people with dump trailers do?

A lot of times with a dump trailer, you have a heavy load on the tongue, then when you dump it you have very little, until you fill it up again.

So, would you guys that use WD hitches use them with a dump? And if so, do they need to be adjusted for the load, or is it one of those things that you set and forget, regardless of the load?

My dump trailer is a 16' gooseneck. It pulls fine loaded or empty. :drink:

 

[Rustyiron]

Make sure all you're lights work.
Secure you're load properly.
Haul after 5pm or weekends.
Avoid the scales & truck routes.
If they want 'ya, they'll get ya. (if they see ya)
Don't worry, be happy :thumbsup:

 

[Rustyiron]

Make sure all you're lights work.
Secure you're load properly.
Haul after 5pm or weekends.
Avoid the scales & truck routes.
If they want 'ya, they'll get ya. (if they see ya)
Don't worry, be happy :thumbsup:

 

[CJONE]

What do people with dump trailers do?

A lot of times with a dump trailer, you have a heavy load on the tongue, then when you dump it you have very little, until you fill it up again.

So, would you guys that use WD hitches use them with a dump? And if so, do they need to be adjusted for the load, or is it one of those things that you set and forget, regardless of the load?

I have a 14' dump and never use a W/D hitch. If a trailer is loaded correctly there is no need for a W/D hitch. Like Lutt I have crossed scales at 27400 gross but I try to keep it at 25k. As long as I am not over on my tires and axles I am good with the DOT "so far" Obviously it depends on the officer. I know of a gentleman that was towing a D4 cat with a 3 axle pintle hitch on a 1 ton that the DOT had him go across the scales 3 times because they could not believe he was legal. Axle and tire weight checked out, told him to have a nice day. So I guess if I was towing a camper I would have a W/D hitch anything else I'll load the trailer correctly and get a hitch to match the load I am towing. CJ

 

[joshuabardwell]

I have a 14' dump and never use a W/D hitch. If a trailer is loaded correctly there is no need for a W/D hitch.

Just so nobody who's reading gets the wrong idea, this may be true in your case, but it depends entirely on the rating of the receiver hitch. Some receivers are rated to their full tongue weight without a WD system. Others aren't.

 

[CJONE]

Just so nobody who's reading gets the wrong idea, this may be true in your case, but it depends entirely on the rating of the receiver hitch. Some receivers are rated to their full tongue weight without a WD system. Others aren't.

Yep you are 100% correct, that is why it says "get a hitch to match the load I am towing".

 

[Piston]

Just so nobody who's reading gets the wrong idea, this may be true in your case, but it depends entirely on the rating of the receiver hitch. Some receivers are rated to their full tongue weight without a WD system. Others aren't.

That is a good point.

Good news for me is, my new hitch and brake controller shipped today, so for the first time in years I'll actually have working brakes on my trailer, as well as a proper hitch. I'm pretty excited to see what it's like to be able to stop. :laughing:

 

[texas42]

Interesting thread. I always thought that you'd be able to pull more with a goose neck trailer.

Chad

Before making a blank statement like this a review of the ratings for a particular tow vehicle need to be reviewed.
As you go towards the newer models and SRW vs DRW, the ratings for pulling a gooseneck vs a bumper pull become increasingly further apart.
A couple of examples. (all figures from Ford RV & Trailer Towing Guide)
In 2006 an F-350 SRW is rated for max. bumper pull of 12,500 and a DRW at 15,000 both with WDH.
The same year, an F-350 SRW is rated for a gooseneck between 15,500 and 16,500 and the DRW is rated for 15,600 to 16,600 depending on Cab configuration and whether 4x2 or 4x4.
Now fast forward to a 2013 model.
Again all figures from Ford RV & Trailer Towing Guide.
For a bumper pull, an 2013 F-350 SRW Reg. Cab is rated for 12,500 whereas a Supercab and Crew Cab are rated for 14,000 all with a WDH. The DRW models are rated for a Bumper pull up to 15,000 for Reg. Cab, 15,000 for Supercab and 18,500 for Crew Cab again with a WDH.
The same vehicles for gooseneck towing are rated SRW at 16,300 to 16,800 for Reg. cag depending on axle ratio and 4x2 or 4x4 and the DRW models are rated 23,200 to 22,200 again depending on whether 4x2 or 4x4 and whether Supercab or Crew Cab.
So, the point here is it makes a big difference as to the tow vehicle configuration and when using the newer DRW models the gooseneck hitch can, according to the manufacturer, handle a significantly higher load.

 

[Wnc3]

Interesting thread. I always thought that you'd be able to pull more with a goose neck trailer.

Chad

This thread has gone all over the map....
A gooseneck can handle more weight and safer than a bumper pull, period. Even with all the number crunching, the way it connects a places the weight over the rear axle is superior. (Same trailer ,same axles, even though the neck on GN weighs more. IMHO

But I totally understand the lost bed space and ease of hook up

 

[joshuabardwell]

This thread has gone all over the map....
A gooseneck can handle more weight and safer than a bumper pull, period.

Not if you intend to stay under the GVWR of some trucks. The facts are in the thread.

 

[Wnc3]

Not if you intend to stay under the GVWR of some trucks. The facts are in the thread.

A lot of us don't intend to stay under....that was my point. Back in the 80's all the hot shots with 1tons were way over, but they did it.Those days are gone. Yes I see all the calculations....all in all, IMHO, a gooseneck is safer. Put another way, I would rather pull an over loaded GN with an underrated than a overloaded BP with an underrated truck.