The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area General Truck Talk Hauling a 1 1/2 ton-suggestions please

Looking to haul a 41 1 1/2 ton GMC with what's left of a flat bed on it.I have access to a big enough trailer but would be using my f-150 to pull it. It would be most likely a 5 1/2 hour trip with no major climbs, the worst is sea level to 1300ft in one shot then another about the same. After that only flats and small rolling hills. No brakes on trailer. Am I crazy for even thinking about doing this, the cheapest estimate I've got is about 650$, highest so far 1000$. Dave

The short answer is, yes. You would be crazy to try it with a 1/2-ton, heavy or not. Most especially on a trailer with no brakes. Even if it was loaded so perfectly that you could lift the tongue by hand, the tires and brakes on the towing vehicle just are not up to a random moose encounter, for example.

I have to agree.

Your F-150 isn't big enough for this job. It won't do it safely based on the brakes, and those pulls up hill may challenge the truck. I'd be worried about the transmission and the cooling system.

Can you rent a bigger pickup for less money?

Yes

That's way too long of a trip with a trailer that has no brakes. You mentioned that you have access to it, which tells me that it's not yours, and that you're probably not used to pulling it. You could very easily find yourself in serious trouble, if you got into a panic stop situation, for example.
My trailer had no brakes for many years, and I did a lot of hauling with it. But I knew what I had, and drove it accordingly. Still, I realized I was taking a chance, every time I left the yard with it.
I'd never have taken it on the trip you're describing.

I was sort of thinking what you guys are saying,I also was worried about my transmission, my truck is pretty light and it has the 4.6 v8, I've hauled my 52 pickup with it and my boat which must weigh almost as much or more than the GMC but I only do it around town or to my shop which is about 15 miles away. It might be cheapest in the long run to have someone haul it and save wear and tare on my pickup and my nerves and health. If I did damage to my pickup it would make the whole trip a huge espense that I don't need. Dave

Besides I think towing a GMC with a Ford is an automatic 14-day banishment from stovebolt.com

I guess that seals the deal, I won't tow it myself, don't want any kind of banishment here. Maybe we can forget I towed my 52 chevy with it, it was only about 15 miles, so I don't think that counts. Dave

I tow my 34 dump truck with a tandem axle 4 brake trailer with anti-sway bar and load leveling hitch with my 2001 S-10 extended cab pickup. Pickup has trailer tow trans. cooler (auto trans) and 4.3 V-6 engine. I have no problem towing and to be very conservative I don't tow over 50 mph. Weight distribution has more effect on towing then anything along with speed.

I don't agree, 35. An S-10 doesn't have the tire sidewalls, track width or wheelbase to safely move 3 tons, even with brakes. In a panic situation, too much weight would come off the steering when the trailer brakes were applied hard, and loss of control would be a very real possibility unless everything could be kept lined up straight. Without brakes, Homer52 would just be begging for a violent jackknife if he tried to avoid a fast-moving moose. You can take it easy on the drive train, but if the shyte hits the ardent supporter of sports, bad things can happen very quickly indeed.

Flat country and short, gentle grades are one thing. Alaska is another.

Agree about the S-10. I tried towing my '70 Chevelle SS ragtop with my S-10 Blazer many years ago. The Road was swift and severe in teaching me the errors of my ways. As long as everything was smooth, it was okay. We hit an extremis situation and all that weight very quickly overpowered the S-10 and around and around we went! It was a scary road moment that I wish never to repeat.

I know some folks tow with 3/4-tons, but in John's world, nothing less than a 1-ton with duals is adequate for hauling old iron around (and a tandem axle deck over gooseneck trailer with 4-wheel electric brakes). You might say this is overkill, but I'd rather have too much truck and trailer than not enough.



John

I would HIGHLY recommend a DOT/FMCSA compliant Motor Carrier. In the long run that is almost always your best option. A compliant MC will know his truck and trailer and have the experience required in most any situation as well as having INSURANCE that will cover not only his own equipment, but also the LOAD (your truck). Please make sure to ask for DOT and MC numbers and check them at www.safersys.org/companysnapshot.aspx and also ask for a "Certificate of Insurance" that will come directly from the MC's insurance AGENT and will list YOU as a certificate holder! For more information about these numbers and how to check them feel free to visit my website www.kinetichotshot.com and run my numbers through safersys so that you will know what you should be looking for.
Laterz,
Gator
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I absolutely agree! I don't insist on a dually 1-ton as my tow vehicle, but I can sure tell the difference between the 1-ton I used to have and using the 3/4-ton I replaced it with.

The 1-ton weighed 1,000 pounds more than the 3/4- and gave a much better feeling of control and confidence. The duals in the rear would add more stability and I'm sure help a lot.

I've pulled a loaded trailer with a light truck and no trailer brakes. Worst that has happened to me has been cleaning my shorts after running a red light because I could not stop. I now insist on a truck fully rated to do the job and a trailer with good working brakes.

Been towing a lot with the S-10 and back in the old days with a 1949 Chev. 1/2 ton and regular tube tires and trailers without brakes and didn't have trouble then. Main thing is to keep your speed under 55 mph. The S-10 has heavier load rear tires and overload springs and anti-lock brakes, trailer has auto as well as manual override brake application.

this summer i bought my 2003 2500hd, i have pulled tons of hay, tractors, trucks, farm stuff without a problem, i also have add-a-leafs to mount under it, this will give me another 2500 lbs. i have no beef with a real heavy 3/4 ton it has pulled super fine, but i guess the 2500hd is actually a 3500, just titled as 3/4 from what i understand.

You don't say what is the weight of the truck and trailer combo. I have a 22ft rv with a dry weight of 4700 lbs. Loaded it is approaching 7000lbs which is below the 8000 lb tow rating of my f150. You will definitely need brakes on the trailer. I have made three round trips from Austin to Red River , NM pulling my trailer. I do have the towing package extra cooling for the automatic transmission. Even with that, the transmission temp exceeds 200 deg for a minute or so on a couple of the mountain pulls. Without the extra transmision cooling you might lose your transmission.
Have you thought of renting a 3/4 to diesel truck and a trailer with electric brakes?
If you are interested in seeing a short video of somebody doing exactly what you are considering doing, take a look at this link http://break.com/index/truck-nearly-tips-on-highway.html The driver narrowly escaped losing it after an abrupt lane change. He is carrying a truck , possibly a 1 1/2 ton , on a trailer and towing it with either an f150 or f250. I suspect he had nightmares for at least two weeks. I also expect he had to drive by a car wash and wash out the set of his truck.

Burned up a transmission and blew a radiator towing with a F-150 with too much weight. The F-150 transmission is not designed to tow real heavy stuff a long way. That's why I now drive a F-250 diesel. I wonder if you might rent a truck and trailer (local return where you got it) shouldn't be as much as the freight company would charge.

5 hour trip sounds like anchorage to homer on a non- tourist day! i don't know what was worse the year i worked in homer(coal point trading co.) the moose or the tourist. ir your refering to 5 hours total even from kenia would be a long tow.

Another thing to consider is cross winds. I pulled home two 1 1/2 tons, one at a time with my '02 3/4 ton Silverado. The 41 was on a trailer, and the 42 with a tow bar. The trip was from Western Nebraska, about 310 miles each way (both from the same location).

No way, would I ever put a big bolt on a trailer without brakes, let alone pull it with anything less than a 3/4 ton truck. As far as handling goes, I had a lot better luck with the tow bar. The '42 was driveable, but all the braking had to come from my Silverado. Even though Nebraska is mostly a flat state, it was still pretty risky.

With the '41 on the trailer, it was white knuckle driving all the way (brand new heavy duty trailer with brakes on both axles). Their was a heck of a North-South cross wind, and I was headed East. Going down hills was the worst, it really wanted to get squirrely. The 41 didn't have an engine or tranny, and it filled up the whole trailer, so I couldn't get the weight distributed right. In hindsight, I probably would have been better off loading it backwards.

I agree, a one ton or bigger dually would have been a much better tow vehicle.

I wouldn't do it, especially with a 1/2 ton.

John

My best buddy totalled his 67 Ford 1/2 ton when he was hauling a very large commercial generator. He got in a position to have to get on the brakes, the trailer got ahead of him, and then everything flipped over about 3 times. He was thrown out of the cab (no seatbelt) and my dog was thrown out the back. They both lucked out and suffered only a few bruises. Did I mention he had no trailer brakes? The really sad part is that he inherited the truck in low mile, pristine condition from his Grandpa who bought it new. The morale of the story is... Make sure you at least have trailer brakes. I would personally be more comfy with a truck made for towing i.e. heavy duty suspension, tranny cooler, etc...

When is there NOT a north/south crosswind in NB? Or IA or pretty much anywhere on I-80? I'm a trucker and I hate that section!! I have seen more cars/trucks/whatever blown off the road/tipped over on that section than prolly anywhere else!
Laterz,
Gator
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I have pulled 2 AD Big Bolts home from Kansas in the last year
With a 3/4 ton Duramax on a 20 ft bumper pull trailer with brakes and had no problems. I got startled a couple of times when I would forget I was towing and look in the mirror and see that big grille almost in the back window.My wife laghed everytime I got home and backed in the drive. She said it looks like the truck on the trailer should be towing the pickup.
Cleon

Alright folks, quit worrying, I'm not going to tow it myself, I'll let you know how it goes if I get it. Thanks, Dave

The 3/4-ton Duramax and the 2500HD models are likely equipped and rated to pull a heavy load. My own 2500 is rated to pull 9,500 while the 3500 it replaced was rated for 10,000. My co-workers 2500HD is rated for even more using a class 5 hitch. I don't recall the exact figure but it is something like 13,000 or 14,000.

The capacity of the truck is only part of the equation. Knowing the hitch capacity is another, my 10,000 pound rated truck had a 6,000 rated hitch when I bought it. The 9,500 pound rated truck came with a 10,000 rated hitch.

If the truck is equipped to deal with the load, the 'class' of the truck doesn't really matter. I'm skeptical any 1/2-ton, even a heavy half like the F150 would really be a good safe option for pulling a 5,000 pound truck on a 1,700 to 2,000 pound trailer. It certainly would have no margin for error. And I don't even want to think about using an S-10...

We use a 64 chev 3/4 ton for our hauling. We have a 20 ft tilt top trailer with no brakes.I brought in a 1961 c60 grain truck on the trailer with no problems but it would have been iffy in a panic stop situation. We now have a homemade wrecker boom and sling with a armstrong winch on it. We brought a school bus 50 miles from the hills in missouri worked great. If you pull heavy loads you need a 4 speed automatics will overheat and you dont have the gear ratio that you get with a granny low. Old Wolf

I agree, and when you factor in about 9-10 mpg with that load you are not saving much.