Trailer weight

PaulL

Well-known member

Equipment
B2601
Jul 17, 2017
2,098
1,105
113
NZ
Wherever you live I don't want to be in front of you and have to stop quickly because you won't.
Surely if the trailer has brakes then the trailer is doing most of the braking of the load? It shouldn't be putting a lot of extra load on the truck's brakes, certainly not enough that it's going to be pushing out braking distances more than a slightly smaller load.

I'm in NZ (mostly same vehicles as Aus). Our Ford Ranger (not the same as a US Ford Ranger) has 3500kg tow rating. No weight distribution hitch or other magic, you just need trailer brakes. 3500kg is 7-8,000 lbs. An F150 can definitely tow more than a Ford Ranger, it'd be a good 20-30% heavier and larger, and substantially more powerful.

As for the trailer, on paper the excavator weighs less than the maximum capacity of the trailer. If you need a bit of extra gear you'd be over, but if you don't, then it works. Whilst going with the heavier trailer gives you more headroom in trailer capacity, the extra trailer weight eats into your GCVW. So that's the tradeoff I guess - more headroom on the trailer, less headroom on your all up package. I think I'd probably go with the larger trailer, just because I'd probably rather be over my GCVW than over my trailer capacity, but it's your choice.
 
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Bulldog

Well-known member

Equipment
M 9000 DTC, L 3000 DT
Mar 30, 2010
5,440
73
48
Rocky Face, Georgia
This brings to mind my buddy that said he had plenty of power to pull a car trailer with his new Avalanche. He went to the drag strip which was only about 8 miles from his house. Had a great night and headed home. Crossed a bridge and took one wrong bounce. Lost control, went sideways rolling truck and trailer. In short, totaled truck, trailer and new race car.


1/2 ton trucks just aren't made for that kind of work. I have a F150 and won't even hook my big trailer to it empty much less with my mini x. It's not about the fact of whether it might do the job. It's all about the fact of what will happen if it fails at the job and you kill some innocent family.


Not worth the risk in my book for any reason.
 

Billstr

Member

Equipment
Kx033-4g
Oct 20, 2018
34
0
6
North Sydney
Ill be towing close to 11k by the time you add a toolbox, chains and binders. I will also be using a weight distribution hitch. Both axles on the trailer have electric brakes. I bought my f150 for this purpose - max duty tow package - class IV receiver hitch. Opted with 3.5l GTDI heavy frame crew cabs only with the heavy wheels and LT tires.

Driving a coach with family and loved ones on board does relate, it demands your attention to the road, safe following distances, and speed. As a professional driver, pre-trip inspections are required, one must know there machine.

How many owners here have 250s 350s and up, do you tow more than 11000lbs, yes you do, how much heavier is your 250 over the 150. You think Ford Engineers dont know what there doing, I think they do and Im not ignorant about driving a heavy piece of equipment.

Most accidents happen because of speed, people being tired, and of course using their cell while driving. If you dont know the road slow down, slow down for all weather conditions. Seriously, with 10800 on the back, Ill be taking my time, I probably wont breach 90klms on the highway, no matter if driving a 450 you should drive 10klms less. Tour buses are different, there one piece and designed to keep up with traffic speed, always keep a safe following distance. Your rear view mirror can be your best friend. When you stop at the lights in your car, do you have enough room for escape in case some maniac behind you in a f150 with and excavator on board cant stop cause he looking at the women in the red dress.
 
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Billstr

Member

Equipment
Kx033-4g
Oct 20, 2018
34
0
6
North Sydney
I should mention my moving the X around is minimal, and highway driving is also minimal for me. If I was on a fast track highways like the I95 in the US and travelled them all the time, I would have gone with a f350 and a gooseneck hitch for over 10k.
 
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Daren Todd

Well-known member
Lifetime Member

Equipment
Massey Ferguson 1825E, Kubota Z121S, Box blade, Rotary Cutter
May 18, 2014
8,961
4,327
113
Vilonia, Arkansas
I snapped this picture yesterday in Benton Arkansas. The camper is probably around 8500 lbs. Weight distribution hitch was used. Not sure if they used sway bars or not. They used the break over chain style hitch.

Looks like he got squirrelly. Then it went over.



Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk
 

Billstr

Member

Equipment
Kx033-4g
Oct 20, 2018
34
0
6
North Sydney
Looks like a 2500hd, not sure. The truck isn’t on its side, maybe the hulk pushed it over. An f250 with the 6.2 gives you an extra 1000lbs, but it’s harder on fuel.
 

MadMax31

Member

Equipment
BX23S, 60" MMM
Nov 5, 2014
766
8
18
New York
I had an 11 F150 with the 5.0, tow package, crew cab, short box.

I towed my B7610 home from New Hampster over the mountains on 7. My trailer is a tandem axle with brakes.

I would never do that again in that truck. That Coyote was screaming 5500 rpms most of the way. I had the gain up pretty good.

My 09 Sierra 6.0 was better at it, but still wouldnt trust more than 7500 pounds behind a half ton truck, motor be damned.
 

Billstr

Member

Equipment
Kx033-4g
Oct 20, 2018
34
0
6
North Sydney
2011 and 2018 are different trucks. 3.5 eco 5.0 different engines. I towed a 7500lbs trailer with my previous 2014 f150 ecoboost, worked fine for me, it was rated at 9200 towing with 331 rear gears. The trailer had a tongue weight of 850, I used sway control hitch.

A balanced load with the proper hitch is the difference. I do believe the f250 handles the weight better, it’s a heavier truck, I only want a heavier truck 15% of the time, if it was 50 maybe I would have gone 250,time will tell.
 

Billstr

Member

Equipment
Kx033-4g
Oct 20, 2018
34
0
6
North Sydney
Combined weight on the scale was 7500kg/16500lbs. 400lbs worth the buckets in the bed toward the cab, excavator on trailer. No issues, no sway, no problems. Drove on the highway 105klms, also down an 80 zone road with lots of dips and bumps. Very happy with the f150 heavy payload and 371 gears. Glad I didn’t get the f250.
 

shootem604

Member
Lifetime Member

Equipment
L245DT with Kubota (Arps Model 22) FEL and Kubota B/L4520B (Woods 650) BH
Apr 23, 2018
875
18
18
British Columbia
I was looking to replace my Chevy 1500 with a nice 2500, but found a 3500 dually for the right price and bought it. Massive difference in towing capability, control, braking, etc. Putting my tandem axle trailer behind it on the bumper hitch, with the tractor on it, and it barely effects the rear end.
 

Cathy Liebchen

Active member

Equipment
KUBOTA L3901, MX5800, MULE PRO FX, MULE PRO FXT
I would not tow a 5k excavator with a half ton truck.

We do tow our L3901 on a 20 foot 10k tandem trailer with our Tundra all the time but still use caution, run 65 mph or under, leave gap. With loaded tires, bucket and mower its probably close to 5k?
 

KennysNewFarm

Member

Equipment
MX5800
Dec 28, 2017
220
13
18
Missouri
Combined weight on the scale was 7500kg/16500lbs. 400lbs worth the buckets in the bed toward the cab, excavator on trailer. No issues, no sway, no problems. Drove on the highway 105klms, also down an 80 zone road with lots of dips and bumps. Very happy with the f150 heavy payload and 371 gears. Glad I didn’t get the f250.
What tags do you have on your half ton? Probably don’t have 18k tags do you? Wait until you get pulled over for being overweight. How about rating of tires on your truck? Are they mushrooming under the load? Obviously you didn’t really need anyone’s opinion, you purchased what you wanted anyway. Hope no one gets hurt around your load.
 

Billstr

Member

Equipment
Kx033-4g
Oct 20, 2018
34
0
6
North Sydney
Trailer weight with excavator comes in at 10500, truck at 5400, one 12” bucket and one 36” bucket loaded on the bed of truck. Truck was full of fuel so was the excavator. Stopped at scale weighed 7500kg, 16500lbs. Max gross combined weight for truck is 17100. Fully legal. It drives perfect at 100klms, 0 sway, dual axle brakes on trailer, weight distribution hitch installed. 100% legal. My 9900gvwr trailer has sway because it’s a big sale. If your thinking of the f150 with the heavy payload, it works. Oh ya, LT tires are standard on the heavy payload package, running 50psi, they hit a little harder but required.
 

BigG

Well-known member

Equipment
l2501, FEL, BB, Rotary cutter, rake,spreader, roller, etc. New Holland TL80 A
Sep 14, 2018
1,950
774
113
West Central,FL
How Big A Travel Trailer Can An F-150 Pull?
November 11, 2019 Pickup Trucks 47 Comments
What size travel trailer can a Ford F-150 tow?Eager to get on the road and experience the travel trailer lifestyle but can***8217;t afford a heavy-duty pickup to tow a travel trailer with? You may be wondering about the real towing capacity of a light-duty truck like the Ford F-150.

Is the F-150 be a good option for towing a travel trailer? And if so, what size travel camper should you be shooting for?

The F-150 can tow up to 13,200 lbs with the right trim level and tow package. However, when it comes to towing a camper, most (but not all) F-150 models can safely pull a travel trailer that***8217;s under 6,000 lbs. Depending on a few factors that we***8217;ll get into later, some F-150s can safely tow a travel trailer that weighs up to 7,000 pounds.

Have you heard higher figures thrown around by a salesperson? Don***8217;t be fooled.

In theory, an F-150 with the Supercrew Cab (i.e. heavier and longer) coupled with a Max Trailer Tow Package, has a maximum towing capacity of 13,200 lbs. However, that would mean towing with an empty truck ***8211; with no passengers (other than the driver) or any gear.

The Ford F-150 ***8211; magnificent as it is ***8211; has a limited towing capacity in the real world. If you***8217;re planning on getting a trailer that weighs over 6,000 lbs (gear included), you should consider getting a larger truck that has a higher payload capacity.

This post was originally posted in July 2018. We***8217;ve updated it and revised the information to match the 2020 Ford F-150 versions.




I have no skin in this game but I have over 750,000 miles dragging a trailer with a GMC 2500 HD and a GMC 3500.

It did not take but a few seconds to find this article. Yes the numbers say that you can pull the trailer and ex however that is at or near the max of your truck. If you put any miles on the truck you will find the wear and tear will catch up to you quickly.

You state that your trailer weights 2080 pounds. That is an underweight trailer for a gross of 9900 pounds. Be aware to check the welds on the frame. The ex is a very dense so the weight is concentrated on just a few cross members of the trailer. After loading and unloading I bet you will soon see the ramps start to bend. Also check the spring and equalizer bolts often.

On the tires double check the weight ratings on the tires and the rims. I purchased a new Big Tex trailer and the gross on the trailer was higher then what the tires could hold. The steel rims were not heavy enough either. Big Tex ended up sending me 5 new tires and rims. Check yourself do not trust the sales info.

I was running 10 ply tires on the truck and trailer by the numbers I was good but I repeatedly had blowouts on the trailer. I switched to 14 ply tires and no longer have the blow outs. But the 10 plys were RATED to carry the weight.

You do not have to make long trips with the truck to have an accident. Do yourself, and maybe someone else, a favor get a heavier truck so that you can prevent an accident.
 

GreensvilleJay

Well-known member

Equipment
BX23-S,57 A-C D-14,58 A-C D-14, 57 A-C D-14,tiller,cults,Millcreek 25G spreader,
Apr 2, 2019
9,669
3,916
113
Greensville,Ontario,Canada
re: You state that your trailer weights 2080 pounds. That is an underweight trailer for a gross of 9900 pounds.

got me curious about the ones I've built over the past 3 decades, so I did some quik math. MY 7K tandems have less than 500# in 'running gear' and no way there's 1500# of steel in them( my back WOULD tell me.) Upping to 12k( 2x 6k axles/tires) is still less than 700#, and no more steel needed. mind you these are basic haulers, no fancy options or bling.

Yes, hauling a 7K trailer maxed out behind my '97 F150 RCSB 4.6V8 is actually OK. No jackrabbit starts off the line,have to plan lane changes,think about stopping...all COMMON SENSE stuff drivers SHOULD be doing though.
What's bad are the ADS of pickups pulling huge loads where you can't read the ity,bitty disclaimer text that might say special pkgs reqd, special licenses, etc.


re: On the tires double check the weight ratings on the tires and the rims

yeah... do that on the BX23S fronts ! Anyone else have them blow out ??

Jay
 

BigG

Well-known member

Equipment
l2501, FEL, BB, Rotary cutter, rake,spreader, roller, etc. New Holland TL80 A
Sep 14, 2018
1,950
774
113
West Central,FL
Length Estimated Base Weight†
16***8242; 2320 lbs. / 1055 kg
18***8242; 2420 lbs. / 1100 kg
20***8242; 2540 lbs. / 1155 kg
22***8242; 2650 lbs. / 1205 kg

9,899 lbs. GVWR
5,200 lb. x (2) G.A.W.R.
5/16" Grade 70 Safety Chain w/Clevis hook (2 each)
Top Wind Drop Leg Jack (7,000 lb.)
2 - 5,200# (Dexter) Electric Axle
6-Leaf Slipper Spring Suspension
15" White Spoke Wheels
ST225/75R15 Radial Tires (2,540 lbs.)
3-5/8" x 1-1/2" (ID) Stake Pockets
9" x 72" Treadplate Aluminum Fenders
5" Channel Tongue
3" Channel Crossmembers on 16" Centers
2" Treated Pine Lumber Deck
83" Wide Deck
All-Weather Wiring Harness (7-way RV)
Powdercoat
5 year Dexter Axle Warranty

This information is from a PJ trailer web site.


My argument is not that it can not be done but that pushing the limits removes the safety margins that could make a difference in the OP having a good or bad day.

For example check out the tires that are supplied on the PJ.
4 x 2,540 = 10,160 pounds.
10,160 - 9,899 = 261 pounds of safety, this is way to small IMHO

The OP stated that his trailer was 2080 pounds. From the PJ info you can see that the trailer is on the lighter side of the scale. I think that the rating on his trailer is ok when it is new. With the lighter trailer how does it hold up after a few years of setting out in the weather?

I watch the people in my area buy these light weight lawn mower trailers made with angle iron and an expanded frame above the deck. Used for what they are built for, hauling a mower and related equipment, they do the job well. Now when I sat in a rental yard and watch them load a small 2500 pound roller on one of those framed trailers and you could watch the frame flex. They loaded the roller all the way to the front of the trailer, overloading the tongue of trailer. You could see that this was not the first time hauling that weight on the bent and flexed trailer. Was it legal, yes. Did it exceed the weight rating on the trailer, no. Did they get away with hauling it? I would guess, yes. Was it safe? NO, hell no but they got away with it.

The OP may haul his ex for years and not have a problem. But if something goes wrong i.e. hits a pot hole and breaks a spring or bends an axle, someone pulls out in front of him and stops short, many people do this as they do not want to be behind the slower truck trailer combination. #hit happens every day, every mile and it would be better to have a stronger trailer and a heavier truck.
 

GreensvilleJay

Well-known member

Equipment
BX23-S,57 A-C D-14,58 A-C D-14, 57 A-C D-14,tiller,cults,Millcreek 25G spreader,
Apr 2, 2019
9,669
3,916
113
Greensville,Ontario,Canada
I agree having a GOOD safety factor goes along to having a GOOD day. It did get me thinking though wha my trailers weigh.
Up here, the mfrs use 3500# axles on single axle units but advertise 2990# ! If you dig ,deeply, into the law..EVERY trailer sold over 2990# HAS to have brakes. Trying to find out the laws for small tailers is next to impossible. I did find out that I do NOT have to use ST tires on trailers though I've yet to find the 2990 law.
 

BigG

Well-known member

Equipment
l2501, FEL, BB, Rotary cutter, rake,spreader, roller, etc. New Holland TL80 A
Sep 14, 2018
1,950
774
113
West Central,FL
Big Tex trailer 14GN 7000 pound axle. Rating on the trailer 15,000, empty weight 5600 pounds with 8700 pounds payload covering 24 foot of the 30 foot deck. The load was with at least 1300 pounds transfer to the hitch. One small pot hole at the edge of a bridge bent the axle broke 1 u-bolt and bent 2 more u-bolts. In addition to 1 $200 14 ply tire. This has cost me at least 2 days of work. The cost of the new axle is unknown yet. [ $511.00 and will not be shipped until Jan. 2020]
 

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Billstr

Member

Equipment
Kx033-4g
Oct 20, 2018
34
0
6
North Sydney
I left some information out. I did not go with the 9900gvwr trailer, I was referring to my camper in my last post. I went with a 14000gvwr equipment trailer weighs in at 2863lbs max load is 11137lbs. Total I weighed in at 16500lbs. Truck/equipment trailer/excavator/buckets/full of fuel, a few thing in the cab including me. Will only travel with one extra bucket most of the time, just had to get everything to final destination. Sorry about the confusion my bad. I am happy with the setup I have, only negative is having to always use weight dist/sway bars. Majority of the time I will be weighing in at 16100, close to 1000lbs to spare, can bring other passengers if need be. Edit, trailer is 18 feet, including 2 foot beaver tail, spring loaded attached ramps, can lift up with two fingers. I have 3500lbs to spare on trailer load, but can only tow 11500. I would tow anymore than 11000 with my truck.
 
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Billstr

Member

Equipment
Kx033-4g
Oct 20, 2018
34
0
6
North Sydney
Most if not all trailer empty weight specs posted online differ than the sticker weight on the trailer itself. Like mine the final weight on sticker was greater than the posted weight from Canadiantrailers online, they have a download with all the specs, there equivalent to pj trailers which I considered. My new trailer was 6500 plus tax Canadian, it’s solid.