biggest tractor you can pull with a 1/2 ton truck?

flyingbrass

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L2350
Feb 6, 2016
54
0
6
Arkansas
biggest tractor you can pull with a 1/2 ton truck? What kind of trailer do you recommend also. 3500 lb axles I've ruled out but I've already them. How about 5000 7500, or something bigger?
 

MadMax31

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BX23S, 60" MMM
Nov 5, 2014
766
8
18
New York
Depends on truck. My F150 with 5.0 6 speed was rated for 7500#. With my B7610 fel, mmm coming home from New Hampster, that little 5.0 was singing and tranny slamming through most the gears. Not an optimal setup. My trailer is rated 7000# with brakes on lead axle, I think.

My current truck is a GMC VortecMax, 6.0 with 6 speed and pulls soo much better. Its rated for 10,100# but I wouldnt pull that for money...

Trailer makes a huge difference. Nice heavy trailer with brakes pulls soo much nicer than a landscape trailer that is flimsy and twisty.

My B is 1367#, 455# in rimgaurd, 700# for loader/bucket and MMM thats 380#. Flirting with 3,000 total. Imagine a Deere 5045e, loader, and loaded rears, shes at 6-8000# dressed for prom. Not a machine Id ever pull with a half-ton. But we have mountains and potholes bigger than a Prius up here....
 

Diydave

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L2202 tractor, L185f tractor
Oct 31, 2013
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Gambrills, MD USA
A goose neck trailer, even on a small truck will allow you to pull the most weight. More bang, for your buck...:D:D
 

June2016

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Jun 24, 2016
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VA
2015 F-150 5.0 V8 pulls my L2501 and PJ duel axel deck over trailer just fine. The trailer alone weighs right at 4,000lbs. Its a lot of load and you can tell
that you have a lot of weight behind you. Where I live the ground it mostly flat but the trailer has a lot to do with how well the truck will handle the load for sure.
 

mikes1165

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L3901DT, LA525FL, King Kutter 6' finishing mower, 5' Bush Hog Squealer,Box blade
Jul 30, 2015
107
2
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Mulga
My L3901 weighs in at 2700# 400# loaded rears. Loader 1000# so 4100# plus rear implement. With my ballast 5200#. Not much help truck wise, I pull mine with an F350 with no problem. Just an idea on tractor weight.
 

Central Joe

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B7100 Grading Blade Disc Roto Tiller Scarifer Rake 48" Finish Mower
Mar 26, 2015
40
1
0
South Carolina
I tend to worry more about stopping power than pulling power, most trucks will pull more than they can safely stop. Just a thought. joe
 
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RyeThomas

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Dec 23, 2015
56
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Northern Virginia
Can you pull a 50 or 60 hp tractor with bucket and heavy duty rotary cutter on a trailer with two 7,000 axles?
So let's just say a L5030
Weight about 4000lbs
6' rotary cutter 1000lbs
Loader just a guess to be safe 1000lbs

So you have 6k load with no ballast weight or anything added.

You have a 14k rated trailer. I would imagine you would need at min a 20' long trailer and I wouldn't be shocked if you needed a 24'. A trailer that length with 7k axles for a total capacity of 14k is going to weigh 3k ish. So you have 10-11k working weight, but now you need a truck that can tow a 14k trailer.


All the basic numbers are out there. For an operation the size you are talking your going to want a HD 3500 pick up truck.

A lot of smaller trucks in the 150 range/tundra etc have some pretty high towing ratings these days. Check the manual of your tow vehicle and see what it says. Make sure you have the exact numbers of your rear end ratio and note if you have any max tow type optional tow package. Then dig a little deeper and make sure it doesn't mention a load distribution hitch. With the smaller trucks it's not as easy as they make it seem to just hook up to 10-12k and go for a drive.
 
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Daren Todd

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May 18, 2014
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Look on the inside of your driver side door. Along the door frame is a sticker with the towing capacity for your truck.

My 04 f150 had a 6,000 lb towing capacity. My 09 gmc has a 7,200 lb towing capacity.

I have a 16ft dove tail landscape trailer with 3,500lb axles under it. With a 7,000 lb gvw.

Now you need to subtract the weight of the trailer from total gvw of the trailer. That gives you the weight you can haul on the trailer.

In this case, my trailer weighs 1,500lbs. So I can safely haul 5,500lbs on the trailer. Now your tires play a big part in the equation also. You need to make sure the tires are rated for the loads as well ;)

So, in my opinion. If you go with a trailer that has 7,000lb axles under it. It's gonna be a really heavy duty trailer. The heavier the trailer is, the less weight you can put on the deck before it eats up your towing capacity of the truck ;)
 

virginiavenom

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Jan 30, 2015
373
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Sherman, TX
wouldn't go larger than a smaller L series. depending on implements and ballast. I use my old D350 cummins dually to pull my 4060HST with loaded tires, brush cutter, pallet forks, bale spear, box blade, FEL, FEL mounted post hole auger. trailer is over it's technical max by about 200 lbs so I just put the auger in the bed of the dually since it is awkward anyway. I've pulled stupid heavy with my half ton. I wouldn't want to pull more than 7k through any kind of terrain in a half ton. but after you have towed with a dually, nothing much compares.
 
Oct 8, 2014
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oregon
D Todd gave the best answer so far but... the door sticker will also say GCVWR. In other words the more 'junk in the truck' the less you can tow. A GN just puts weight on the rear axle, not the bumper. GCVWR stays the same but the GN will pull much nicer.
 

white cloud

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Sep 15, 2016
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6
S.C.
A lot also depends on how large the hills are around you. This is especially true going down the hill. We tow in the S.C./N.C. mountains a lot. I draw the line at 6000LBS for a well equipped half ton under those conditions. In flat country things get a lot easier for you and the truck.
 

Caboose

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B2650HST
Aug 16, 2016
81
0
0
Washington State
Something to consider...
I don't know how the trailer or implements are situated on the trailer, but 1/2 tons often run into their payload limits before they hit their towing limits. Tongue weight of your loaded trailer needs to be considered. I can't remember the payload capacity of my Tundra, but it seems it's somewhere around 1200 - 1400 lbs. You can eat that up pretty quick with full tank of gas, hitch, stuff in the bed and any part of your tractor or implements forward of the front axle. With some of these dual-axle trailers, I would bet the empty trailer weight on the tongue is nothing to sneeze at. I haven't loaded and hauled tractors...maybe there is a great deal of weight behind the rear axle to lighten the tongue.

Bottom line would be, check your payload numbers on your truck and actually use a tongue scale to weigh the loaded trailer. You might be surprised how fast you need to go up to the payload capacity of a 3/4 or 1-ton truck.

Dean
 

hodge

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Central Joe hit the nail on the head. Not many accidents have happened because someone towed heavy with a truck that struggled to pull it. But, not being able to stop... that's where the problem, and liability, lay. And, as stated, it will depend a lot on whether it's bumper or gooseneck pull. Gooseneck distributes the weight better, you have more control, and it tows nicer.
I just saw photos recently where a guy towed a John Deere 5065E, loader and cab, in a tandem axle dump trailer and towing with a 1/2 ton extended cab Chevrolet. It can be done. But, have an accident, or draw the attention of the right LEO, and you may be in trouble.
You need to get the numbers off of your truck and trailer, and start doing the math.
 

NEPA Guy

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To further this thread, (hijack is such an ugly word) Definitely get your hands on an owner's manual of any truck you decide to go with. For instance when I got my Tundra it read 10,000 lbs towable and there's this little tiny asterisks that stated "properly equipped"

For the Tundra at least, several factors determine the actual towable weight, such as engine, 2wd or 4wd, and bed type (long or short.) The least expensive Tundra can only tow 6,400! The highest is 10,300. I only read the manual thoroughly enough just yesterday and realized mine maxes out at 9,400 AND I need a weight distribution hitch as all tundras require it after a 5,000 gross trailer weight. (I'll go and return the 10,000 lb ball I bought a week ago :eek:)

The stickers inside the door as mentioned before gives some important info. Mine states GVWR is 7200 lbs. My truck's unladen weight is 5,530 (as per the title) So that gives me a difference of 1670 lbs that I can load into the truck (correct me if I'm wrong) However, on the tire and loading information sticker it says the combined weight of occupants and cargo should never exceed 1,240 lbs. So there's a 430 lb difference. It's unclear if the weight is added in for gas weight (I have a 38 lb tank at approx 7lbs per gallon yielding 266 lbs in fuel) So does that mean 164 lbs are lost somewhere in extra equipment somewhere, did it not account for gas, or is that purely a restriction of the tires?

It's confusing because on the other sticker sticker it says the tire rating is 4,000 lbs for the front axle and 4,150 for the rear. So my max weight on the tires is 8,150 lbs great.

If my max towable weight is 9,400 pounds towable how much of that weight is transferred to the vehicle? Just tongue weight and only to the rear axle? Could I exceed my 4,150 rear axle tire rating by loading the tongue weight to the max?

If the 1,240 max weight of passengers and cargo is divided evenly over the two axles that means my max tongue weight can only be 620 lbs? So only 6,200 lb total trailer weight?

But then I have to figure my fat ass, a case of beer, and 3lbs of beef jerky...:D

I don't get it. :confused:

So many little rules and things to consider when choosing and utilizing a truck to tow with. To think I was being picky about the color...:eek:
 

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Boo

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MX5800; BH92, BB2572, Forks 3048
Jul 1, 2016
123
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18
HOLT, Florida
All of these considerations caused me to get rid of my 2001 F150. My tractor weighs 8000 lbs with the mounted implements and water in the tires. I had to get a truck that will tow 12,000 pounds. Now I need to sell my 7000 lb trailer and get a 12k.

To think that I just wanted a bigger tractor - this gets expensive quickly!
 

skeets

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BX 2360 /B2601
Oct 2, 2009
14,094
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SW Pa
Pulling is the easy part,,, its getting the beach stopped, that's the problem!
 

Boo

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MX5800; BH92, BB2572, Forks 3048
Jul 1, 2016
123
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18
HOLT, Florida
Pulling is the easy part,,, its getting the beach stopped, that's the problem!
Exactly. We have to have brakes on all axles of our trailers over 3500 pounds, and the right truck for pulling them will have really good brakes as well.
 

Daren Todd

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NEPA Guy, keep the ball. If your figuring 9,400 lbs, you want at least a 10,000lb ball. My weight distribution hitch is rated for 15,000lbs. The tri ball I have is also rated for 15,000 lbs on the 2 5/16 ball. 7,500lb on the 2" ball, and 3,500 on the 1 7/8" ball.
You can never have too heavy of a ball or hitch ;) It's just added insurance.

FYI, my 1500 gmc Sierra has the same 7200 gvwr since it's 4wd. If it was 2wd, I would have the 8,000 lb gvwr.

One other thing you need to double check and make sure of. And that's the towing capacity of the hitch installed on your truck. Most factory installed hitches are only rated for 8,000lbs. Even on your 3/4 ton and 1 ton trucks. So, if your hitch is only rated for 8,000lbs on your truck. That's all you can safely haul with it.

I found that out the hard way. I latched onto a 10,000lb piece of equipment with a new 1 ton dually. Had to do an emergency stop on the way to a location. Had a kid pull out in front of me. Got to where I was going and the receiver hitch was bent :eek: That's when I realized the hitch was only rated for 8,000lbs. Even though the truck had a 16,000lb towing capacity. That was a real eye opener ;) The very next day, the truck was back into the shop getting a 12,000lb rated reliever hitch installed on it, since the truck was only going to be towing 11,000 lbs and under
 
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NEPA Guy

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B2650HSDC, Spacers, FEL, BH, Snowblower, Snowplow, PBar, Forks
Nov 28, 2015
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Pennsyltucky
I will hold on to the ball, thanks. I'll have my dealer look it over but I can't find any info on the hitch rating. No stickers, stamps, nothing on the window sticker either. I could only assume it's class 4 and they would sell the appropriate hitch with the truck. But I'll double check for sure. I did some googling and found the stock tires will pull the max load fine. I did find tundra pro owners complain about sag, one guy said get the 1200 lb rated WDH to help. One guy said it's just the technique of hooking it up. Information overload. I'll get it sooner or later. Probably later. :)

All I plan to tow is the tractor with attachments being around 5K, plus trailer around 2K so I should be safe. The guy sold me on the 10K trailer because he said they have 10 inch brakes vs 8 inch on the 7K trailer. Better braking. Always best to have wiggle room and not learn the hard way!
 
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