Please don't be this guy(pics inside)

[HORNETD]

it is close but not at or over. some are scared, others point fingers, while yet others actually figure the load weight and capacity of the tow vehicle. nevermind. its a lost cause.

Please don't give up! I want to know how to "actually figure the load weight and capacity of the tow vehicle." I want to put an S250 on a trailer to use as a mobile radio room. If it is practical I would like to use the space under the shelter on each side to carry an AB-952 antenna mast and a MK-1009 extension kit for that mast.

Here then is the question. What size tow vehicle would be needed to tow that kind of load. I can look up the weight of the shelter, mast, extension kit, small generator, and incidentals but how do I guess at the additional weight of the radio equipment and my personal kit and supplies? Once I have the total weight how do I figure out the tongue weight? Given those two pieces of information how do I then select a tow vehicle? I am in the electrical business. I operate a cargo van that is coming up on replacement. I would love to be able to select a replacement vehicle that would carry the stuff I need for work and still be able to serve as a tow vehicle for the trailer mounted S250.

Is there such a thing as a tutorial for selecting a vehicle to tow a given load?

--
Tom Horne

 

[73m819]

I sure would like to watch a EMG. stop, bet that would be a fun vid, then throw in some wet road for a bit more fun.

Just because something is rated for something with IDEAL conditions, does not mean it is safe in all conditions, then with cut trailer brake lines would suggest NO trailer brakes. I would guess the safe max towed load would mean WITH brakes so just maybe you could stop if need be in a hurry, I would really can not believe that the max. towed would be speced WITHOUT trailer brakes. ON top of a heavily loaded trailer with NO brakes, the truck is heavily loaded, so that is MORE braking that the truck needs to do. SO with all that said, I would say that was a event waiting to happen, it just didn't, God not luck was riding with you

 

[Welder Sam]

ahhhh... jumping to conclusions! lights and wiring are there and hooked up. worked fine too. lets look at 1 picture and ASSuME that we can tell the whole story. brakes??? guess you would require brakes on a 4x8 with a lawnmower on board too? needless to say, im within the law. nuff said. no further arguement required.

 

[BuckRyp]

hm, if he is picking it up with that car what is he going to do if he has a load on that trailer?

 

[Welder Sam]

guess i shouldve taken a 10 ton after that .

 

[USAFSS-ColdWarrior]

it is close but not at or over. some are scared, others point fingers, while yet others actually figure the load weight and capacity of the tow vehicle. nevermind. its a lost cause.

While I respect your comment and opinion, the visual evidence you present would indicate that your GROSS WEIGHTS "MIGHT" be within limits, but the rear axle on your tow vehicle may be carrying a disproprotionate percentage of the load. Your combined pick-up payload and the excessive tongue weight (load distribution/hitching angle/balance factor) could be beyond manufacturers limits. The effect this would have on steering, cornering, and braking would be a huge NEGATIVE safety factor.

(TEXAS specific commentary: )
Since you did not state that you checked axle loading, I'm rather confident that you would have been ticketed if a Tx DPS Weights Compliance Trooper did a roadside inspection. I understand that there is legislation in the works in several states to IMPOUND non-commercial vehicles that are improperly or over-loaded. There are statistics supporting this increased legislation, and I would personally SUPPORT it.

As a side note: With the apparent load you hauled, I beleive that FUNCTIONAL trailer brakes were probably also REQUIRED.

 

[Welder Sam]

possibly in tx. no matter how it is broken down, it is done. would i do it again, no. but then again, i wont deal with that place again either.

 

[73m819]

Also with the truck sitting low to the rear, a lot of weight is off the front brakes, so even LESS braking is AVALIBLE.

With a setup like this and something goes wrong with somebody getting hurt or killed, I am sure "WELL I WAS WITHIN THE LAW" is not going to help much

You may not have been within the law, with the loaded trailer weight, brakes may have been required

If you don;t want to here it DO NOT post CRAP like this and you wont,

 

[Welder Sam]

it doesnt matter whats posted, its always something to some

 

[Goose2448]

Safety is key. But sometimes you guys take it a bit too far. If your with in the rated limits your fine. Take these pictures for example. That is my C20 on a trailer behind a K1500 Burban.

Burban=about 6000
Truck=time of accident, 4800
Trailer=3000
Total=13800
GVW Towed=14000

The picture of the weigh in was after I stripped the truck down.

 

[rideni]

Disabling the brakes on a trailer is a bad idea.
Brakes are required on all trailers with a GVW of 3000lbs or more, in Maryland, and I bet your state has the same requirement
Also with your rear end that low to the ground and weight lifted on the front end you have lost most of your emergency braking capability.
Maybe I take safety too seriously but I don't like the idea of paying tickets or having an accident, or endangering the traveling public

 

[KsM715]

ahhhh... jumping to conclusions! lights and wiring are there and hooked up. worked fine too. lets look at 1 picture and ASSuME that we can tell the whole story. brakes??? guess you would require brakes on a 4x8 with a lawnmower on board too? needless to say, im within the law. nuff said. no further arguement required.

Well lets quit assuming things from pictures. How many tires? How many and what type of rims?

possibly in tx. no matter how it is broken down, it is done. would i do it again, no. but then again, i wont deal with that place again either.

That should tell you something right there.

 

[littlebob]

The more I mature, the more I think before doing. The last stupid thing I did could have gone wrong and my dumb ass brought the kids along for the ride. The towing capacity of the 1/2 ton Suburban is around 7700LB, with a weight distributing hitch and trailer brakes and I had neither.
The M51 weighs over 4K from what understand Add to that the weight in the vehicle of the two 150lb spare tire/wheels I brought, the tool box on the roof, other tools and the tongue weight and and angle(even with a lifted hitch) would not be something I would try again. Yes I got away with it in dry conditions and didn't have to make a panic stop because some other idiot couldn't figure out ahead of time what lane they should've been in. My son asked me a question(16), can you "drift" with a trailer? I told him yes I can, but not on purpose, I think God was helping hold the wheel that time.
http://www.steelsoldiers.com/trailers/9760-my-newest-adventure.html

 

[KsM715]

I HAVE had to make an emerg. stop while towing equipment. Happy to report the k-boom lift I was towing stayed right where it was chained down and with the trailer brakes I managed to bring everything to a stop before hitting the idiots that decided it was ok to cross at the light without looking and without crossing with traffic. It amazes me the amount of small equip. haulers (skid loaders and mini escavators) that run from jobsite to jobsite without chaining down. When questioned about it they always say "Done it a hundred times and it hasn't fallen off yet, its not gonna go anywhere just going down the road".

 

[rikinwyoming]

That just shows either the lack of common sense or the pure stupidity of some people...I grew up just a little bit away from Ft. Dix in the Pemberton area, I am suprised the local pd didn't end up pulling them over on that one.

 

[dodgedougak]

I still have nightmares about a trailer I hauled when I was young and dumb! Had a Ford 450 pulling a three axle trailer with a 350 dozer on it. I didn't get the dozer far enough forward on the trailer, so didn't have enough weight on the tongue. Of course the trailer had anemic electric brakes. I took off up a very steep hill. The drivers started spinning, the whole rig started slipping backwards (even though the wheels were driving forward). So, I hit the brakes and it still went backwards down the hill. The good Lord was with me that day and I didn't hit anyone or go off the road. The next day I bought a 5 yard dump with air brakes and a tilt-bed Miller trailer with air brakes! Some folks don't get a free lesson and people can get killed. I was lucky once, I won't push the envelope again.

 

[AMGeneral]

Dodge brought up and interesting memory,

Several years ago,when I still had the 816,I got a call from a local fellow that did small grading projects for people as a side job. He owned 2 IH dozers(a TD9 and a TD14) and a No.12 Cat grader. He called wondering if I could come help him with a small "oops" he had.

Upon arrival with the 816 I noticed the TD14 at the bottom of a fairly long hill laying on it's top,with the 10 ton trailer it was loaded on sitting in the ditch next to it.

After talking with the fellow,he stated that the engine in the truck(Ford F600 single axle dump,330 gas engine,air brakes) flamed out at the crest of the hill,the truck brakes weren't enough to hold the loaded trailer(trailer brakes didn't work,electric) it dragged the truck almost 1/8 of a mile down the hill,till the trailer jack knifed and ripped the hitch loose from the truck.

Unless I am mistaken,I'm pretty sure an older IH TD14 dozer weighs about 28,000lbs,so the trailer was overloaded to start with,and was only chained with 2 ea 3/8 chains,which snapped when the trailer/dozer over turned.

After a short discussion of how he could have done things more safely,we used the 816's rear winch to upright the dozer and after a short checkover ,start it and move the trailer on up the hill to the jobsite.

 

[Bighurt]

Dodge brought up and interesting memory,

Several years ago,when I still had the 816,I got a call from a local fellow that did small grading projects for people as a side job. He owned 2 IH dozers(a TD9 and a TD14) and a No.12 Cat grader. He called wondering if I could come help him with a small "oops" he had.

Upon arrival with the 816 I noticed the TD14 at the bottom of a fairly long hill laying on it's top,with the 10 ton trailer it was loaded on sitting in the ditch next to it.

After talking with the fellow,he stated that the engine in the truck(Ford F600 single axle dump,330 gas engine,air brakes) flamed out at the crest of the hill,the truck brakes weren't enough to hold the loaded trailer(trailer brakes didn't work,electric) it dragged the truck almost 1/8 of a mile down the hill,till the trailer jack knifed and ripped the hitch loose from the truck.

Unless I am mistaken,I'm pretty sure an older IH TD14 dozer weighs about 28,000lbs,so the trailer was overloaded to start with,and was only chained with 2 ea 3/8 chains,which snapped when the trailer/dozer over turned.

After a short discussion of how he could have done things more safely,we used the 816's rear winch to upright the dozer and after a short checkover ,start it and move the trailer on up the hill to the jobsite.

Hope people take that to heart. That feller was lucky to live through the ordeal. Although a devils advocate may bring up the fact that had the chains not broke the trailer would have drug the Ford with it.

 

[Atwater]

doing the job right = a good nights sleep
before i owned a trailer and had to borrow one i bought my own chains + binders so as to insure i would always have enough.

 

[tigger]

You just cant fix stupid! and stupid always thinks he is right!