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Old 03-10-2012, 10:49 PM   #27 (permalink)
dem45133
Outside the Box
 
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: SW Ohio, Highland County
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trailers and towing

Thank you and I appreciate your effort, I really do, but a lot of the published stuff is borderline at best in my experienced opinion. This is something I really do know about.

I've been towing trailers of all types for 45 years. The boat trailer is a pull behind on a 2 5/16 10,000 lb socket, 10,000 lb ball and a 14,000 lb receiver hitch if on the 1 ton, 10,000 lb if on the 3/4. Tongue weight is about 800 to a 1000 based on the drop when hitched to the 3/4 ton (I've been towing with that truck for 17 years, so I know what it takes to drop 1 1/2" on the frame at the bumper (on that truck BTW, not necessarily yours).

I built the trailer. Its a 6" C channel frame at 32 ft each side if include the wrapped in 7 ft tongue. The C Channel butt joint is dove tailed 24" and welded on all sides... actually all the welds everywhere are 360 and duble sided. There are also stiffeners on the top of the 6"C channel on each side (25ft) with 2"x1/2" strap suspended over 3 inch high 2x2 1/8" wall risers every 16" . These were welded on the ends and then tensioned with the spacers before welding. Cross members are 3" C channel every 16", sliding triple sub frame sits under the 6" Cs with mount holes every 6", for a total adjustment travel of about 6 feet. Bow pole is 4x4 1/4 wall tied into the tongue's frame system.

Both the 14000 and the 10000 hitches have higher than typical dead weight capacity (tongue) at 1500 and 1200 respectively. I got rid of the light duty 7500 lb factory hitches a long time ago, and the very first thing I did on the 1 ton when I got it home was buy the 14000 lb hitch and replace its factory light duty 7500. Even the 3/4 was a heavy 3/4 with almost a 1 ton rear end and springs (8800 lb gross as compared to 7500 gross for the typical 3/4, as a matter of fact I have to go to a 93 1 ton parts book for its rear end and spring parts as this axle is not list in the 94 book).

All of my tandems or triples are running e brakes on all axles and a fully adjustable automatic controller that's over-ridable with a hand lever when wanted/needed. I always wire in a switch on one axle so I can disconnect it if by chance I get into winter road conditions... and then its just long enough to get somewhere and park. These aren't semis.

As yet I haven't pulled the boat with the 1 ton yet, but its pulled the 9000 lb stock trailer and the 12k flatbed fully loaded as if they weren't there (compared to the gas 3/4). There is NO WAY I'd recommend 9000 lbs behind a typical soft tired 1/2 ton... be all over the road and a real ***** to handle especially down long grades with 1/2 ton brakes and such light tongue weights it would have to have. Dangerous sway and bounce/rock conditions can setup that you may not recover from! I've seen it get away from several 1/2 ton based SUVs that are pulling more than they are really designed for but the book said they were. One was friends at the lake... totaled both, and almost killed them even with the so called anti-sway and load leveling bars. They help on level interstate but not hills, long downgrades, and curves. Don't tow heavy on any balloony over-sized low pressure Load range C radial tire... you can easily have 2" of side travel simply due to side wall flex. Load range D or Es or don't tow.

THIS IS Important! A half ton is really just a car with a pickup bed in a lot of ways. Same with the SUVs. A lot of people get away with over loaded 1/2 tons... but many do not! Even a light 7500 typical factory utility (like a car hauler, or 16ft inside the tires flatbed) may be too much depending on your tire type... and NEVER on a 3500 or 5000 lb bumper hitch like so many do! I just couldn't believe how badly some of the 7500 lb units were built when I went looking! Wouldn't have one, so I built my own 12000 lb capacity over the tires flatbed with the features I wanted and basically emulated a commercial semi flatbed, just smaller... in fact the side rails can use the same strap winches. Its hauled as much as 15000 and never once have I had issues with it. Weighs in at 2700 empty... but that's what it takes. The boat trailer weighs in a 2500 lbs empty... but has a 13,500 lb capacity. This boat is light for it. I designed it to go up to a 32 foot, 10 ft beam 11,000 lb boat. I could care less if it needs a wide load permit, it'll have one if I need it.

Please take a lot of what those published recommendations say with a few grains of salt... they are for the ideal condition that only rarely exists.

Thanks... Dave.
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