Is this trailer worth $300.00?;

[patrick_g]

holttrailers.com

This is Holt Trailers. They make really good trailers at good prices. I have bought two trailers from them. Special orders do not upset them. They can modify one of their stock designs to accommodate you.

I have a heavy duty cat hauler with diamond plate deck and fenders. It has a pair of 6000 lb axles and good electric brakes with a breakaway brake accessory for just in case. It measures 18ft 3 in on deck and has a semi-dovetail to compromise between ease of loading and unloading wheeled equipment and off road clearance.

When I load my little Kubota L-4610 with FEL and brush hog I overhang at both ends. It easily handles the load but a couple feet more length would be OK too. I have hauled cars, logs, and various miscellany with ease.

I typically tow it with a HD Dodge/Cummins 1 ton and it works fine but without good electric brakes it would be dangerous. I personally think I wold not want to tow a trailer loaded with a tractor and implements with any 1/2 ton pickup I have ever driven. There may be a half ton safely up to the task (I don't know all that much about 1/2 ton pickups) I just haven't seen one that I knew of.

I'm in the market for a new truck and have been researching the specs and ratings and I started out thinking half ton. I got over that when I saw the specs and ratings. I am now looking for a 3/4 ton as it has to be able to tow a decent load. If I missed something, let me know. I have no ego attachment to a 3/4 ton, just couldn't find a 1/2 ton that could tow much.

Oh, and by the way... don't scrimp on brake controllers either. A good one isn't all that much more expensive than a cheap one!

Pat

 

[workinallthetime]

gm ford and toyota are all boasting about towing over 10k with their new 1/2 tons

 

[gemini5362]

gm ford and toyota are all boasting about towing over 10k with their new 1/2 tons

Yeah they are. Unfortunatly we will be on the roads driving with people that actually believe that.

 

[workinallthetime]

Yeah they are. Unfortunatly we will be on the roads driving with people that actually believe that.

i get scared when i see a 1 ton or 3/4 ton pulling a case or cat backhoe

the first time i see a toy pulling 10k im going to let him get far far ahead of me so i can pull up and see the wreck not be the one he lost control and hit or couldnt stop and hit.
my 07 half ton is rated at 10,500 but pulling a 18 foot car hauler style trailer and my b3030 is a load. i had to do a panic stop the other day and it was doing the abs thing as hard as it could. made me think "i wonder what 10,5 would do behind this baby" i dont want to find out!!!
i will say it has more power than my ole 99 3/4 ton with a 6.0.

 

[patrick_g]

gm ford and toyota are all boasting about towing over 10k with their new 1/2 tons

I'm not from Missouri but I guess I would have to be shown that a half ton can SAFELY tow 10K+ lbs.

Ahh, rebels, risking the wrath of the folks lurking here who love to BRAG on how much they pull with how little, like who can do the dumbest thing and not quite get in a wreck.

I recently had my second Dodge tranny rebuilt and the 4th gear vendors aux OD installed (warranty) in my 1 ton Cummins powered '97 with less than 75K miles. I wonder what the repair/longevity expectations are for one of the 1/2 tons pulling 10K+ lbs. I wonder if it is like crossing the street without looking for traffic, you can do it but if you stay at it you should expect a problem.

Pat

 

[workinallthetime]

I'm not from Missouri but I guess I would have to be shown that a half ton can SAFELY tow 10K+ lbs.

Ahh, rebels, risking the wrath of the folks lurking here who love to BRAG on how much they pull with how little, like who can do the dumbest thing and not quite get in a wreck.

I recently had my second Dodge tranny rebuilt and the 4th gear vendors aux OD installed (warranty) in my 1 ton Cummins powered '97 with less than 75K miles. I wonder what the repair/longevity expectations are for one of the 1/2 tons pulling 10K+ lbs. I wonder if it is like crossing the street without looking for traffic, you can do it but if you stay at it you should expect a problem.

Pat

5 years 100k warranty from gm including engine, trans, rear diff, and drive shaft.
i know mine will be sold at 4 years 8 months or 95k which ever comes first.

 

[patrick_g]

5 years 100k warranty from gm including engine, trans, rear diff, and drive shaft.
i know mine will be sold at 4 years 8 months or 95k which ever comes first.

Workinallthetime, by the way my safety comment was not aimed at you.

I guess I need to do more extensive research, I run into things like this:

Even a compact pickup like a Ford Ranger or Chevy S-10 is going to tow better than just about any car. For heavier loads (say more than 4,000 pounds) a half-ton truck like a Ford F-150 or Chevy Silverado will meet the needs of just about any of the trailer-towing basics we're discussing here. But even among half-ton trucks, towing ability can vary. For example, an F-150 with a 5.4-liter V8 will have a much easier time towing a 5,000-pound load than one with a 4.6-liter V8 because it simply has more horsepower and torque. Furthermore, the engine isn't the only thing that can handle a heavier load. The transmission, brakes and rear axle are also upgraded, along with the larger engine. Beyond a typical half-ton truck, a three-quarter (such as an F-250) or one-ton (F-350) can handle loads well beyond 5,000 pounds. For example, an F-250 with a 5.4-liter V8 and 3.73 gears is rated to tow 8,100 pounds. Properly equipped, an F-150 is rated to tow 7,200 pounds with a 5.4-liter V8, an automatic transmission and 3.55 gears.

Seems all this "CONVENTIONAL WISDOM" may likely be out of date as per your comments. Thanks for giving me a dose of reality. I may (not a sure thing) be satisfied with a 1/2 ton after all. I will be doing some more investigating. I want a 4 door truck (wife's input) and the ability to tow over 10,000 lbs. I thought a HD 3/4 ton would be required to do it with a safety margin but will look closely at the specs and warranties.

Thanks again,

Pat

 

[workinallthetime]

hey pat wasnt tryin to rag on ya
i saw this interesting article where gm wants sae to come up with a standard testing procedure for towing capabilities. i guess there is non right now so pretty much anyone can say it can tow whatever they want to.
like you im worried about all these 1/2 ton trucks pulling 10k +, thats great when they are new but what about someone like me who pulls around a trailer just about everyday? i know the rear diff can handle it(looks to be a 9 1/2 instead of the old 8 1/2) the engine will do great (6.0 375 ft lbs torque) brakes should be fine ( same size as my old 3/4 ton) BUT the suspension i doubt will take it and i have serious doubts the trans will make it past 100k.
but who cares the trans is under warranty till 100k and suspension stuff doesnt cost that much.
with a 100k warranty from the factory on all 07 trucks i dont know why anyone would drive anything but a gm, the resale value has got to go up when a 70k mile truck is still under powertrain warranty from the factory.
i ordered my truck with the MAX package, thats the only way you get the 10,500 lb towing ability.
oh ya that article i saw was due to gm is mad because ford's new 1 ton duelly is supose to tow up to 22k lbs, now thats scarry!!!!
have fun man, and i wasnt directing anything to you.
happy truck shoping thats always a good time

 

[gemini5362]

I find it interesting reading about the capabilities of the drive train when it comes to towing heavy load. Perhaps I am incorrect but I worry about the size of the truck itself. I cannot see taking a mini pickup and towing a heavy trailer with a tractor on it. I likewise am not comfortable towing 10,000 pounds with a half ton pickup. the times I have used a half ton truck for hauling heavy loads it just felt like the load controlled the truck more than the other way around. I like having 6000 pounds of mass around me when I am hauling my tractor around. That might be a feeling from the stone age but there is a lot to be said for peace of mind when you do things.

 

[bx23barry]

I'm no engineer but there are short wheelbase two axle cabovers pulling triples across nevada all the time. I'm pretty sure the weight ratio of tow rig to towed trailers is way less on those rigs than a 1/2 ton truck pulling a 10,000 lb trailer. I understand the bigger/heaver the tow rig the less the trailer will push it around but that doesn't mean a properly setup and driven smaller truck can't do the job safely. It is amazing how every one of these threads turns in everyone needs a turbo diesel dually. My shor wheelbase 1/2 ton gasser does me just fine thank you. I can put a ton of hay in it and tow my 28' toy hauler. Heck I flat towed my jeep all over the west with a little ranger 2wd without any trouble.