Towing a heavy trailer

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Donald

Donald

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I have commented in the past that I am glad I have a 3/4 ton pickup to pull my boat trailer that I believe to weigh 6000 to 7000 lbs. I realize many 1/2 ton pickups are rated for this weight. But my trailer pushes the 3/4 ton pickup around some. It was worse when I towed with a 1/2 ton Suburban.

Keep in mind my boat trailer has surge brakes which are never that great.
 
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Make sure the brakes are properly working and adjusted the fluid has been bled and the M/C and the wheel cylinders are in top shape and make sure the boat is properly placed on the trailer to achieve proper tongue weight.
 
I will say it all depends on how the weight is situated and how the trailer is made. I run a 22' trailer with a 52" V-nose so around 30' hitch to rear. My 2.7L Ecoboost pulls it no problem and the truck feels secure at 70 mph even with 20+ mph cross-winds. GCVW loaded is around 12k. Now I have a Resse weight distribution and anti-sway system that works wonders. But I did pull the trailer back empty for 1000 miles without the setup when I bought it.

Would I tow a boat with surge brakes with my truck...... no way. 3/4+ ton is definitely the way to go. Above all else don't pull anything the driver isn't comfortable with.

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For some $$$ I can get a electric to hydraulic controller that replaces the surge master cylinder. I did upgrade to disc brakes (brakes are only on one axle).
 
Hi Don.

I have towed with half ton's across the country without issue, towing my 5200-5500 lb. Wrangler (big axles, big tires, winch, full cage, etc.) on a 1800-2000 lb trailer.
Going down Rt70 in the Colorado Rockies was a piece of cake. I turned the gain up a bit and barely touched the brakes.

Late model brake/towing "packages" are really awesome. I currently drive Fords, but had a Z71 Silverado that also towed very well. I would go so far as to say today's half ton is yesterday's 3/4 or even 1 ton.

All that said, the only few times I was looking for more "truck" was when I would pick up a really big load of wood (I heat with wood in winter). During a few local pick up's, I had around two cord of green oak on my trailer and a bed full. Not even going to guess on that one.
 
09_GXP I bought a 2.7 Super Crew last year for my daughter to used if My wifes Superduty breaks when she has a schedules horse show to go to. It Seems like it will tow well, The trailer is close to yours in size,4800 lbs empty and with 1 horse about 1400 lbs + tack, water, hay etc so it will work well!!! . More horses the wide and daughter have 3 total. the Super duty will be the tow vehicle.
 
Originally Posted By: Donald
For some $$$ I can get a electric to hydraulic controller that replaces the surge master cylinder. I did upgrade to disc brakes (brakes are only on one axle).


You're in a pickle on that one. I would look into adding disk to the rear axle or replacing the coupler with a fixed unit and converting to electric. My big trailer used to have surge brakes and I replaced the backing plates with electric units from ETrailer. The hydro drums worked with the electric brakes (Dexter axles) and my factory brake controller is dialed in perfectly.
 
Yeah, just noticed that (must have been the couple of cocktails...)

Cequent performance products sells marine grade electric, but I think your best bet is adding brakes to your second axle.
 
Originally Posted By: 09_GXP
Now I have a Resse weight distribution and anti-sway system that works wonders.


To me this is the key element in happy towing with heavier loads.

A weight-distribution hitch does -just as he says - wonders for heavy towing. It gets both tow and trailer suspensions working correctly, stabilizes the trailer so it doesn't "push" the two vehicle, and it greatly improves braking efficiency of both (more even axle load, not tail-heavy).

I would not like towing that much with surge brakes, but a weight distribution hitch will likely make you a lot happier (and safer).
 
I tow 2500 pounds with my truck and I have to press the brakes a good bit harder to get it to stop compared to not towing anything. I don't tow heavy with my truck, so I don't know what it's like towing 12,000 pounds, but I don't think it would be fun.
 
Proper set up along with weight distribution hitches and sway bars are key. I pull my RV trailer which is about 8,000lbs with my Sierra Denali half ton (6.0L engine) and there is no hint that the trailer is back there. It pulls smooth and safe and the truck is level. On the other hand, I've seen trucks just hitched up w/o sway bars and WD hitches and they sag in the back and seem to weave in their lanes. It's not a 3/4 ton vs 1/2 ton issues when talking loads designed for the truck.
 
You don't typically use WD hitches with surge brakes. The WD setup will not allow the coupler to function and apply the brakes.

There are a few specialized WD setups (Reese I think) that make a funky system.
 
So are we in agreement that with a heavy boat trailer and surge brakes that your likely to need (or feel better with) a 3/4 or 1 ton pickup?

I am confident I can tow and stop my boat trailer even if the trailer brakes don't work
 
I tow that weight regularly with my F150 and it goes & stops just fine. I don't need a 3/4 ton or bigger.
My rig is dialed in very well though. My trailer never sways. When I load my Jeep, the truck and trailer sit level and drive smooth.

I think setting up correctly will do wonders over just getting a bigger truck.
 
Originally Posted By: Zaedock
I tow that weight regularly with my F150 and it goes & stops just fine. I don't need a 3/4 ton or bigger.
My rig is dialed in very well though. My trailer never sways. When I load my Jeep, the truck and trailer sit level and drive smooth.

I think setting up correctly will do wonders over just getting a bigger truck.



I think the trailer is setup reasonably well as far as tongue weight. I cannot really change where my boat sits on the trailer.

Again, I have surge brakes.
 
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