Cargo Trailer to duex

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ittigger said:
Be careful here .. if you mean modify the existing truck, this is a fallacy. Without modifying structural components, you will not change the GVWR/GCWR. Any aftermarket items you see are 'helper' items, they don't change or modify the MFR ratings.
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I think he means get a new one at some point.
 
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In your original thread when you were asking for opinions you had said you had outgrown your minivan so I made the assumption that you had bought the tow vehicle as well as the trailer.
 
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alum and steel will cause a galvanic reaction and corrode - like a battery cable sorta thing.
The alum will turn white and eventually dissolve..since it can't rust.

You've probably see this if you have alum wheels on your car and do your own brakes or tire rotations - the hub on the car is steel and you remove the lug nuts and the alum wheel is 'stuck' to the hub - you have to kick it to get it let go.
Anodizing World: Corrosion between anodized aluminum and steel

Dissimilar Metals in Contact | American Galvanizers Association
DJStevieRay said:
Please explain further. I'm not completely following.
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Yes..and no.
If the empty trailer is 2200lbs, you add shelving and then yoru gear - what, 1500 lbs? 2000lbs?
So you're trailer is pushing 4000 lbs loaded.

You need 10-15% of that as tongue weight on the truck - so 500-600 lbs.
Your truck weight, assuming you weighed it as it is now, is accurate you have 1312 lbs cargo capacity- 500-600 is going to be used up carrying the trailer tongue.

So now you've got 700lbs left - my neighbor and me together weigh in at 520 lbs... (240/280)..one more normal sized adult and bingo, the truck is overloaded.

And I asked if you actually weighed the truck. Bed liners, tonneau/caps, running boards, hitch, weight distro /anti sway, bumper guards, etc add weight that many don't consider but it easily hit 150lbs if not more.

DJStevieRay said:
Good thing the trailer weights around 2200lbs, I can still gain a few hundred myself before making my truck unsafe :) lol
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ittigger said:
Be careful here .. if you mean modify the existing truck, this is a fallacy. Without modifying structural components, you will not change the GVWR/GCWR. Any aftermarket items you see are 'helper' items, they don't change or modify the MFR ratings.
Click to expand...
Yes by upgrade I meant, purchase a bigger truck, probably a Ram 2500 series.

I know with me and 3 crew members we are around 700lbs, so you are saying I couldn't have 2000 lbs of gear?
I would have thought 2000+2200+7000= 4900 I thought it was safe. I didn't weigh the truck, I got that off the manufacturer sticker, which came with the bedlinen, and window guards. The leer cap was aftermarket.
 
the two figures..

GVWR- total loaded weight of the truck - includes weight of truck ready to roll, passengers and toungue weight of trailer. It seems you are near the max on this figure.

GCWR - the total weight of everything rolling down the road - the 10,500 figure. 4700lb truck, 700lb people, 2200 lb trailer, 2000 cargo in trailer - 9900 lbs.

Things to consider - wear and tear on the truck - you'll have more of it. If you two 80% of the miles you put on the truck you'll be sorry..transmission and maybe other issues (warping rotors, killing shocks, more freq oil changes, etc).
If you tow 3000 miles a year out of 18,000 driven it may not be very noticeable.

Safety..mid july on kansas at noon ... ideal conditions. At night on a mountain road in the rain? Different story.

Sure you can pick up a sub. It's lighter on the way to the gig that after. And while you can carry it across the ballroom up the stairs is a bit harder. same for your truck.

Now the question that few can answer...what makes my 1500 silverado rated GCWR at 14,400 and anotehr that look sthe same at 1/2 that? Damned if I know!

Bigger brakes and tires sure, springs maybe, transmission cooler, perhaps I have a beefier drive shaft and uJoints? Rear gears can make a big difference too.

Cooling is usually the biggest issue - engine and transmission and brakes.
 
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Thanks for the tips. I know mine has the transmission cooler. Second radiator, and cam stock with the tow package. It has the 4.7L V8 Magnum engine which was the largest motor for the vehicle. I assumed since it said it's tow capacity was 5850lbs, I figured I would be good to go at 4200lbs. Thanks for helping clear up the math better, and confusing me a little as well. Lol.
 
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I'm glad to see you got what you wanted. I have van of course. Never considered a trailer because I couldn't afford both. You got what you wanted and I got what I wanted. That's what counts the most. Very nice looking indeed.
 
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DJStevieRay said:
Yes by upgrade I meant, purchase a bigger truck, probably a Ram 2500 series.

I know with me and 3 crew members we are around 700lbs, so you are saying I couldn't have 2000 lbs of gear?
I would have thought 2000+2200+7000= 4900 I thought it was safe. I didn't weigh the truck, I got that off the manufacturer sticker, which came with the bedlinen, and window guards. The leer cap was aftermarket.
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Anything added to the truck removes from what you can carry. Example, the Leer cap reduces your GVWR / GCWR by whatever the cap weighs. A Ram 2500 would put you in 3/4 ton territory. The Dakota is compact class I believe - not quite a 1/2 ton. Usually, the best tow vehicles are the single cab pickups in each class. No weight in the cab, barely any weight in the bed and all the weight in the trailer. +1 about towing packages (bigger coolers, etc)

3,602-700 lbs of flesh = 2,902 remaining.

Some people don't do the hauling / towing math right .. and some don't care and tow improperly and unsafely.

Alot of it comes down to what the frame, axles, wheels, tires, shocks, brakes, etc, are rated for and can safely take. The GVWR and GCWR are the numbers to keep you in the green and safe. Can your truck actually pull that trailer fully loaded? Most likely. The problem at that point is that it is heavily overloaded and unsafe. The truck was never built for this duty.
 
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You got the right rig to do all that you need! Now go out there and play some music,,,, that truck and trailer is all that you need to get the job done safely! I have seen a lot of people do a lot more with way less that that great rig that you put toghether!

Good luck bro!
Your rig looks like a professional dj with nice equipment! I would hire you if I saw that rig!

Just don't let the wife put rocks in the trailer while on vacation like Lucy Ricardo!
 
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DJStevieRay said:
Thanks. I'll see if I can find a weigh station, to get an actual weight on the truck, and the trailer and the load. Thanks for the tips.
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Our landfill's weigh you going in and coming out - if yours have them, maybe it's time for a trip to the dump? You should get a truck only weight and a truck trailer weight. From there, you can figure out the trailer pretty easily.
 
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DJKLEEN said:
Man,,,, that truck will pull a 5,000'lb total weight trailer with no problem! Tandem axles and electric brakes can give you a lot of room to cheat those numbers even higher! I'll bet your gear doesn't weigh 3,000 lbs !!!!!!

Just load up as to not to put too much tongue weight on your truck ,,,,about 200 to 400 lbs tongue weight. Too much will put big load load on rear axle,,,,,, That trailer will be fine loaded behind that truck! My good friend has that same truck to pull his lawn equipment in an 18 foot tandem with no brakes! His trailer is 2400 and his gear is about 4,000. He is at least 6,ooo. He has been pulling for 8'years now every day. With 4 of his fat ass workers in it,,,,, Manufacture warning is always way too conservative in their favor!

You got the right rig to do all that you need! Now go out there and play some music,,,, that truck and trailer is all that you need to get the job done safely! I have seen a lot of people do a lot more with way less that that great rig that you put toghether!

Good luck bro!
Your rig looks like a professional dj with nice equipment! I would hire you if I saw that rig!
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10% of the trailer weight should be on the tongue. Overloading = unsafe for the vehicle, for the occupants and for the others that are on the road with you. If you tow outside of MFR numbers, you may be held liable for damages incurred. Tandems and electric brakes don't allow you to cheat numbers, they are additional pieces needed to keep things within spec and safe.

Using the numbers you supplied, your friend is 1900 lbs overweight. If your friend has to stop quick, the truck now has an additional uncontrolled 6400 lbs load to stop - and that may come careening through the truck and/or into other vehicles. If others lives are involved, it may be seen as negligent. The numbers are there - ignorance to them doesn't change it. Most of the rules and numbers around towing / hauling have to do with safety. If you want to injure yourself, that's your problem - the law has a problem when you want to injure others. This is no different for big rigs - except they get weighed often and the drivers pay big fines if their loads are not right.
 
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IceBurghDJ said:
the two figures..

GVWR- total loaded weight of the truck - includes weight of truck ready to roll, passengers and toungue weight of trailer. It seems you are near the max on this figure.

GCWR - the total weight of everything rolling down the road - the 10,500 figure. 4700lb truck, 700lb people, 2200 lb trailer, 2000 cargo in trailer - 9900 lbs.

Things to consider - wear and tear on the truck - you'll have more of it. If you two 80% of the miles you put on the truck you'll be sorry..transmission and maybe other issues (warping rotors, killing shocks, more freq oil changes, etc).
If you tow 3000 miles a year out of 18,000 driven it may not be very noticeable.

Safety..mid july on kansas at noon ... ideal conditions. At night on a mountain road in the rain? Different story.

Sure you can pick up a sub. It's lighter on the way to the gig that after. And while you can carry it across the ballroom up the stairs is a bit harder. same for your truck.

Now the question that few can answer...what makes my 1500 silverado rated GCWR at 14,400 and anotehr that look sthe same at 1/2 that? Damned if I know!

Bigger brakes and tires sure, springs maybe, transmission cooler, perhaps I have a beefier drive shaft and uJoints? Rear gears can make a big difference too.

Cooling is usually the biggest issue - engine and transmission and brakes.
Click to expand...
Transmission cooling and brakes! That is the difference in safe and reliable towing capacity! All vehicles are rated with no trailer brakes!! Trailer brakes and transmission coolers extend the safe towing capacity to 100% of the maximum! These dealer options can increase the sagety of the GVWR of the manufacturer ratings! Trailer breaks can also skew the Towing capacity of a vehicle which also increases the GVWR safety of 100%of a vehicle rating. Just know that it does increase the safety of the towing capacity! So with the two options in conjunction,,,, the manufacturer cannot tell you the GVWR is increased,,,,,, just know that it is safer to go closer to the maximum ,,,, I worked for U-haul at the Breaux Bridge Shell station off of interstate 10 exit 116. We had to know these things for rental purposes. We rented trailers with hitch breaks and were allowed to extend the towing capacity of the vehicle to that of the maximum of the trailer. That is how it was stated,,,, I am in no way saying that breaks and coolers raise the GVWR,,, just make it safer to get to the maximum!

Load your trailer and take it down the road,,,,,,stop and accelerate,,,,you will see that it will handle fine! set your trailer breaks to your liking, and all will be well!

You will know after a short while of driving,,wheather or not it will perform ok in a bind!
 
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ittigger said:
10% of the trailer weight should be on the tongue. Overloading = unsafe for the vehicle, for the occupants and for the others that are on the road with you. If you tow outside of MFR numbers, you may be held liable for damages incurred. Tandems and electric brakes don't allow you to cheat numbers, they are additional pieces needed to keep things within spec and safe.

Using the numbers you supplied, your friend is 1900 lbs overweight. If your friend has to stop quick, the truck now has an additional 6400 lbs load to stop - and that may come careening through the truck and/or into other vehicles. If others lives are involved, it may be seen as negligent. The numbers are there - ignorance to them doesn't change it. Most of the rules and numbers around towing / hauling have to do with safety. If you want to injure yourself, that's your problem - the law has a problem when you want to injure others. This is no different for big rigs - except they get weighed often and the drivers pay big fines if their loads are not right.
Click to expand...

I agree my friend is not the safest vehicle on the road! And at best should have breaks to keep him out of someone's back seat! I am in no way wanting to endorse his behavior!
 
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Heat is the enemy of any transmission and is one of the two factors responsible for it's longevity.

The other is the constant hunting for gears (which also generates excessive heat), which tends to happen when a vehicle and/or trailer combination is heavily loaded which causes an automatic transmission to constantly drop in and out of drive or overdrive to maintain vehicle speed.
If you find your transmission is constantly doing this when under load, you would be advised to manually leave the transmission in the next lower gear it can maintain speed in. Some vehicles have a tow mode which basically allows you to turn overdrive off all together.

Fuel mileage will suffer a bit but your tranny and your wallet will thank you down the road. :)
 
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+1 with what TJ said. On newer trucks, Tow Mode alters the transmission shift points. If you have an autostick, Tow Mode only works while in D and is disabled if you use the 'manual shift'.
 
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