My Kioti-Hauler is Down for the Count

[JoelD]

How much weight is too much weight for a 3/4 ton truck's trailer hitch, approximately 13000 lbs, that's how much is too much. I got extreemly lucky that this failure occured at the base of my driveway. I blocked the road for about 15 minutes and then pulled the entire rig up my drive with the dozer. See, I told the wife that we needed a dozer. ****, I guess I need to get that 1 ton dump truck now, I hate it when that happens. Here are some pictures for those who like to watch nascar for the wrecks.

 

[rvaitor]

How much weight is too much weight for a 3/4 ton truck's trailer hitch, approximately 13000 lbs, that's how much is too much. I got extreemly lucky that this failure occured at the base of my driveway. I blocked the road for about 15 minutes and then pulled the entire rig up my drive with the dozer. See, I told the wife that we needed a dozer. ****, I guess I need to get that 1 ton dump truck now, I hate it when that happens. Here are some pictures for those who like to watch nascar for the wrecks.

I'm not sure what you thought you could pull with a 3/4 ton pick-up much less the bumper receiver hitch you rigged up but you are lucky, as are the folks along any route you take with that kind of load.

Besides what I would consider a judgement error, the truck and hitch rig, it seems to me, were ticking time bombs.

 

[MikeD74T]

You've got a lot of negative leverage built into your hitch but it looks like your rig can be easily fixed. Lower the ring on the trailer, move the pintle closer to the axle, and use EXTREME caution,....... or just get the right truck for the job.

I used to work with a contractor from Amherst that bragged about how well his 3/4T pickup would pull his JD350 until it pushed him off his driveway, 100' down the embankment, & left the dozer in the, now totalled, truckbed.

The Lord protects stupid people so HE was never in any danger. He bought a 5 ton dump to replace the pickup. MikeD74T

 

[JoelD]

I purchased the truck with a Reading box and the hitch as pictured. the Hitch was bolted to the frame and tied back to the frame with 1/2 by 3 inch flat rolled stock. Not sure what you mean by rigged up, most hitches I've seen are bolted to frame and tied back as mine was. I'm guessing mine was not "properly installed", first of the kind I've owned, therefore not certain how else it should've been attached. The bolts to the frame simply broke. Would be interested to see how many if anyone out there is "Totally to Code". In talking to a trucker friend he said, literally financially impossible to operate a business to code and turn a profit. Anyway, obviously I was over limit and hitch broke. Learned a lesson, will be purchasing 1 ton dump for the 5 or six times per year I use the big trailer to haul by Deere or Kioti. One last point, believe it or not I've actually seen rigs to "Code" go bad every once in while (I realize this does not justify and yes, I realized I was over where I should've been, won't make the same mistake twice).

 

[PAB_OH]

Joel, thanks for sharing.

I'm a bit surprised by the responses so far. I can't really tell how your hitch was attached to the truck and even if I could and didn't agree with it I think I would try be constructive.

Hopefully you get it corrected soon and back on the road or better yet, a new rig.

Good luck.

 

[PAB_OH]

Oh yea, BTW, glad YOU were okay!

 

[IXLR8]

Glad everybody is okay, vehicles can be fixed/replaced. This is why I am looking at a 2500 to pull my CK30. All the specs say a 1500 will do it... but there is no margin... I want some safety margin.

 

[JoelD]

Thank you PAB-OH, I agree, was a little taken back by attack, no matter how well deserved, and yes shared for the better good. I should've known better and was tempting fate. Glad when at work and someone comes to me with something that's gone wrong I don't start the conversation off with "well you are an idiot.....". Anyway, in the end I'm certain I'll get some good advice on next rig. Bummer, I just finished building the flatbed last weekend and my Ranger is need of an O2 sensor that I've been too lazy to replace.

 

[MikeD74T]

JoelD, I meant my reply to be constructive & sorry that you didn't receive it as such. Looking back it probably was harsh. The "stupid people" comment was deserved by the contractor but not aimed at you.
If you think about the torque generated by the total distance between your pintle ring and the broken bolts it's easy to see how the shear strength of the bolts was overcome, not to mention adverse weight shift off your steering tires. Before you repair your rig look at how short the hitch length is on bigger trucks. There is usually a plate bolted or welded to the frame immediately behind the axle and the pintle is bolted directly to the plate. Had the "bumper" section of your hitch been bolted to the bed steel along the frame the failure probably would not have happened.
I agree with your comment about "operating to code" but you have to know you're on the edge pulling that load with that truck. 6 1/2 tons vs 3/4 ton doesn't come close to a match. There's only a piece of #12 brake wire between you and consequential failure.
Fix your rig & take more trips with smaller loads. Now that you know the danger you're on your own. MikeD74T

 

[PAB_OH]

Glad everybody is okay, vehicles can be fixed/replaced. This is why I am looking at a 2500 to pull my CK30. All the specs say a 1500 will do it... but there is no margin... I want some safety margin.

DO IT!

I've got a K2500 Suburban I pull my CK30 HST with and it is great. A friend has a 1/2 ton and it is squirelly (sp?) at best. I used to haul my 'bota that was a bit lighter than my CK with a 1/2 ton Silverado and it did fine but I blew the rear diff going about 60 mph! Not fun! No one was hurt and the tractor/trailer had no damage either. When I replaced that truck I went with a min. 3/4 ton. I ended up getting a 8.1L with the 4L80E tranny and 3.73 gears. I'm good to 12K but have no intention of going that far (I like the saftey margin like you mentioned).