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WILL MY TRUCK PULL THIS

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skipll
Join Date: Feb 2011
Posts: 184 Robbisville NC USA
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2011-07-13          179389

I would like a trailer for my excavator----It weighs bout 3000#---so I know I need a double Axel one--
My truck is a Toyota Tacoma 4 Cly..
Wonder if anyone can tell me---will this truck pull trailer & excavator up my gravel rd.---as to how steep my rd. is---that is hard to say----I would say medium--( I did make one of those grade meters---but not sure exactly how to use it---but it reads 11%---oh well)

I'm thinking I will just have to try pulling it up ( with my friends 4X4 big farm tractor with winch ,in front---case I can't make it )

Any thoughts on this greatly appreciated---Thanks


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earthwrks
Join Date: Dec 2003
Posts: 3853 Home Office in Flat Rock, Michigan
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2011-07-13          179390

What does your owner's manual say? I used to write them and the joke around the office was we got paid very well to produce something no one reads. ....

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kthompson
Join Date: Oct 2005
Posts: 5275 South Carolina
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2011-07-13          179391

The grade and gravel make me not sure but if traction is not an issue and unless a very steep grade should be fine. You are talking about 2 tons or so unless you get a real heavy trailer or load other stuff on the trailer. Then you should read the owners manual for braking might be your trouble spot. ....

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skipll
Join Date: Feb 2011
Posts: 184 Robbisville NC USA
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2011-07-14          179397

Aaaaa---The owners MANUAL----Ya mean the thing no one reads.
I found it & read it----
Says----Towing Capacity = 3500lb
So I'm thinkin a double axle trailer will weigh at least 500lb ( or more ).
So that puts me at ( or over ) the max. towing capacity.
I will go look at a trailer today & talk to the fellow who sells them----see what he has to say bout it----
But I am very doubtful that my little truck ( 4cyl) will pull the load up our gravel road---

I think I need a BIGGER TRUCK with a V8 ( till then my friend down below will pull it)

Thanks for your replies ....

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auerbach
Join Date: Sep 2007
Posts: 2168 West of Toronto
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2011-07-14          179399

There are several aspects to your question.

1. It's not just the tow vehicle but also the hitch and the tongue weight.

2. Ability to pull and stop is mostly a function of driver skills. A vehicle can tow twice the rated weight if everything's right -- unless there's not enough traction to go up a long gravel slope.

3. If something happens when you're over the rated weight, you can expect the police to lay charges and your insurer to deny any claims. ....

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kthompson
Join Date: Oct 2005
Posts: 5275 South Carolina
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2011-07-14          179402

Some how I wanted to think you had one of the new Tacoma and it would be four wheel drive. For that towing capacity is it one of the older smaller and then even 2 wheel drive pickups? I have a 2004 Tundra with the extended cab. The newer Tacoma is almost the same size as my Tundra. Now no gravel drives and not much grade here but this Saturday hooked up to a heavy trailer that has to weigh a ton am sure, loaded my 9,500 pound excavator and pulled it home. No problem. Now the fine print..it was a half mile move all on paved road or hard dirt and max speed was probably 25 miles an hour. Would never have pulled out on major road or a real run like that.

Which does get me to a thought, just how often will you need to do this? What kind of trips are you making, short local ones or frequent ones across town doing work with the machine. I seldom move mine and then have not over 4 miles. It is no problem for me to borry even pickup and trailer or to have a family member to move if need be. At same time if you don't need to move it often even if far more than likely you can find someone who will do for less than buying the trailer will cost for many a move. ....

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skipll
Join Date: Feb 2011
Posts: 184 Robbisville NC USA
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2011-07-14          179403

Well KT---My Toyota Tacoma is a 2006 Extended cab ( 4cyl. ). Also have a 2000 model.
One of the reasons that I want a trailer is my excavotor travels at the speed of 1.3 mph ( but think a bit slower up hill )-----
Now then----If I want to move it down the road bout a mile ( which I maintain)it would take bout a hour---More than that to get back. Not only is there a time issue but wear & tear on the machine.
It will probably never go any place besides our 1 3/4 mile gravel road. Except to get it worked on----But then if it is not running I don't know how I would get it on a trailer.
I do have a good friend at the bottom of the mountain who will gladly hook a trailer to his Ford 150 pick up and move my machine-----he will also let me keep the trailer at his place. He used his truck to pick up my new Kubota tractor a while back----but his trailer is only a single axle trailer.
So at this point I really don't need a truck----but think I could use a trailer cause I took my machine way down the road once before & swore I would never do that again.

Thanks for your input:) ....

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Murf
Join Date: Dec 1999
Posts: 7249 Toronto Area, Ontario, Canada
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2011-07-14          179405

There's a HUGE difference between "pulling" as in going down the Interstate at 65mph and pulling it at 30mph around town.

We have an older (1997?) Toyota Tacoma 4X4 up at our summer place as a UTV. The factory box was replaced with a flatbed. It is our main utility buggy now. When cutting firewood we routinely put 2,000 pounds of wood on the truck and double that behind in a trailer.

It has absolutely no problem pulling it.

You want to be gentle on the steering and brakes, but it does it no problem.


Best of luck. ....

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kthompson
Join Date: Oct 2005
Posts: 5275 South Carolina
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2011-07-14          179406

Skip, I agree on your thoughts about that hour plus drive, boring and yes the wear. I also agree with Murf think you will be fine if that is all you will be doing. Also think you will probably be fine with single axle for that IF rated capacity is sufficient and you pay attention to balancing the load. Have another thought but have some concerns there and that is use your tractor to pull the trailer. Don't know it is heavy enough to be as safe as the pickup is. Read the manual on it also but if you do use fixed draw bar, only safe way to pull a trailer.

BTW, how is your thumb working for you? ....

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skipll
Join Date: Feb 2011
Posts: 184 Robbisville NC USA
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2011-07-14          179407

Quote:
Originally Posted by kthompson | view 179406
Skip, I agree on your thoughts about that hour plus drive, boring and yes the wear. I also agree with Murf think you will be fine if that is all you will be doing. Also think you will probably be fine with single axle for that IF rated capacity is sufficient and you pay attention to balancing the load. Have another thought but have some concerns there and that is use your tractor to pull the trailer. Don't know it is heavy enough to be as safe as the pickup is. Read the manual on it also but if you do use fixed draw bar, only safe way to pull a trailer. BTW, how is your thumb working for you?


KT---Good thought bout the tractor pulling the excavator on the trailer------But is is a CUT ( think they call it that) tractor---A Kubota B2320 4X4---it weighs only 1500 lbs---doubtful it would do it. However I did buy a drawbar 2 weeks ago for dragging logs.

As for the thumb---WOW---What a great add on----I have been using it a lot---absolutly LOVE it!

Thanks Tractor point--& members----great forum. ....

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Murf
Join Date: Dec 1999
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2011-07-15          179413

Skip,

We use a single axle trailer, around here called a "low-boy" that is commonly used by paving companies to move their small rollers with (See picture below) to move our mini-ex around. They are almost always equipped with a 5,000 pound axle.

The same single axle trailer trait that is normally a hindrance to a small tow vehicle, that it acts as a pivot, is a boon for what you're doing. By adjusting the mini-ex fore & aft you can very precisely adjust the tongue weight.

For maximum traction you can put more weight on the rear drive tires by moving the unit forward towards the tongue.

Since we use a tractor to tow it around sites the same way often, this makes it really handy. Besides, a single axle doesn't rip up the ground when you turn it tight backing up like a tandem does.


Best of luck. ....

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skipll
Join Date: Feb 2011
Posts: 184 Robbisville NC USA
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2011-07-15          179415

Thanks for that Murf ....

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skipll
Join Date: Feb 2011
Posts: 184 Robbisville NC USA
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2011-07-15          179416

OK---I'm bak with questions---
My good buddy down the hill has a pretty new trailer. We awhile bak thought it would not haul my 3000# excavator---But I took a closer look ( with my glasses on)---Here's what it say's on the info plate--
GVWR 2900 lbs.
GAWR
REAR 3500 lbs.

It is is 6'X 10' single axle/ 5X15 rim

OK---I'm not sure what GVWR & GAWR means---but I'm thinkin that trailer will haul my 3000# excavator.
So what do ya think---will it do it?
Any replies appreciated ....

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earthwrks
Join Date: Dec 2003
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2011-07-15          179418

Put yer glasses back on and look for GVW (gross vehicle weight)---that is how much the empty trailer weighs. Now, subtract that number from the GVWR----that number is how much weight you can carry. BUT, LEGALLY---it is the tires that determine the weight if there is no tag to confirm GVW, etc. If the tires say they are rated at 3000 lb total and the trailer weighs 800 you can only carry 2200 lb. ....

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skipll
Join Date: Feb 2011
Posts: 184 Robbisville NC USA
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2011-07-17          179430

Here is a photo of the info tag on the trailer. As I read it it states the trailer will carry 2900lbs. & the total weight of trailer & load is 3500lbs----So I'm thinkin it will haul my 3000lb excavator---Am I correct here---or am I reading this tag wrong?
Also on the tires is stamped 1850 lbs..

So besides control problems----what happens when a trailer is overloaded? Wheel bearing wear---tire wear---? ....

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Murf
Join Date: Dec 1999
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2011-07-18          179443

Skip,

GVWR (Gross Vehicle Weight Rating) is what the trailer is rated to carry. In other words the maximum the trailer should weigh fully loaded.

GAWR (Gross Axle Weight Rating) is what the axle is designed to carry.

In this case it appears they have reduced the GVWR by the empty (Tare) weight of the trailer so that you can't overload the axle.

You are correct though, the trailer can carry 2,900 pounds.

Note however I said "rated" to carry. These limits are artificially lowered to account for things like the shock load of potholes at highway speeds, etc., etc.

At barely over walking speeds on your driveway, the risk is almost non-existent and you can safely add 25% to maybe as much as 50% to that 2,900 pounds depending on the rest of the trailers construction.

Your ideas about premature wear are bang on, but again, at walking speed, not likely to occur ever.

Don't forget, there is also the issue of 'tongue weight', on a standard setup like that trailer, about 10-15% of the total weight of the trailer is on the tongue. So, if the excavator weighs 3,000 pounds, 300 of that is transferred to the tow vehicle so it only weighs 2,700 pounds to the trailer axle. In an earlier post I mentioned loading heavy to the front to increase tow vehicle traction, doing so you could easily put 25% on the tongue, then the excavator would only exert 2,250 pounds on the axle, the other 750 ponds would be on the back of the tow vehicle.


Best of luck. ....

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skipll
Join Date: Feb 2011
Posts: 184 Robbisville NC USA
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2011-07-18          179446

Murf----you explained that very, very well----

Thank you very much for taking the time to post that info---I realy do appreciate it. :) ....

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Oldestguy
Join Date: Sep 2012
Posts: 18 Portage, WI
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2012-09-30          185060

I would not give up. However, can't that machine go up that grade by itself. The main risk as I see it is the grade and the resulting tilt backward of the traier will shift some of the load off the hitch, so you might want to be heavy on the hitch. You need weight on driving axles on gravel or you spin.

Anyhow once I had a real big load behind a Chevy 1/2 ton up a long hill in hot weather and overheating was present. In order to get a very low range gear, I put it in 4WD low range and it worked.

As to trailers, my home made single axle trailer has an axle rating of 6,000#. There might be others out there like that. ....

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