I have a friend that pulls a 40' toy hauler with a 4 place trailer behind loaded with 4 wheelers, with a 3/4 ton Chevy. He is right at the legal length of 75' overall. I don't know what the whole combination weighs but I'm sure it's heavy.

 

It's a pretty old reference to when trucks were sold by the "half ton", "3/4 ton" and "1 ton" designations, I'm fairly sure.

 

I said earlier it varies by state. Reason I said that is I used to live in Greenville, SC, and when I traveled to NC on occasion there would be spots where the state troopers there would set up check points and direct non-commercial drivers with TT's and other trailers to pull in for weight checks. Tickets were issued in the hundreds of dollars depending on how overweight you were.

That's just one example. Living in CO the last 10 years and traveling extensively around the state, to KS, WY, NE, MT, ID, and UT..... I have yet to see the same thing or even be pulled over myself for a weight check.

 

Is there a way to find a record of this? The reason I ask is I have heard similar dozens of times, North Dakota, Arizona, etc., but each time I tried to track it down, no one knew what I was talking about and there was no record of it. We live in Upper East Tennessee and have been towing through North Carolina for over two decades on a frequent basis and have never seen it.

I can't find any mention of it on the Internet, but I may be searching using the wrong terms. I can find a report of boaters being pulled over for not have the correct weight tag for the weigh of the boat and trailer, but that looks to me like it was a money issue for the state registration.

 

No idea. I guess you'd have to ask local law enforcement or be really good at digging through state statutes. But honestly I have no clue how to find that.

 

I live in north GA and work in Greenville SC. I commute 120 miles a day and have never seen a RV check point, but that does not mean it doesn't happen. On all of my travels across the country, I too have only seen boaters/boat trailers being directed to stop.

My wife and I have decided that despite the mechanical capabilities of the truck, we are going to stay at or below the 13K 5th wheel rating of the truck. The difference was just between a few trailers anyway, so the rating helps us decide.

This will not only provide us peace of mind concerning the DOT, but the truck will be happy and extend the life of the parts and truck itself by keeping the truck within its rated weights.

 

The interesting thing is that if it was actually dangerous they would not just give out a fine and let you leave.
They would make you unhook the trailer and leave it there.
By letting you continue to drive they proved it is not actually dangerous, just a money grab.

 

Post up what you get Sous. Man is it good camping weather right now. Hold off til next season and maybe get a deal on 2015.
I highly recommend NorthgateRV up here in Ringgold.
Check em out on the web. Very good people.

 

Check out this link:
http://changingears.com/Ford-2001-To...de-Partial.pdf

Tow and payload ratings are determined by a deductive method. Meaning, the manufacturer determines the Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (payload) and Gross Combined Vehicle Weight Rating (tow). From that number, you deduct the actual weight of the truck to determine the payload and tow rating.

Note that the F-550 automatic trans can tow up to 22,100 lbs when equipped with the High Capacity Trailer Tow Package. Not sure what that is but it's only available on the automatic models. My guess is it has something do do with cooling and/or the parking brake. Yes, I said 'parking brake'. A tow rating is not about how much weight the truck can move...it's how much weight it can control.

Without the special package listed above, the F-450 can actually tow 100 lbs more than the F-550 all else being equal. This is because both models have the same GCVWR and since the F-550 weighs more, it has less capacity left to tow with. In this case, the limiting factor is the weight of the truck itself.

Big drop in GCVWR from F-450/550 to F-250/350. What is the difference? Brakes, axle ratio and frame strength. Mostly the brakes.

Big factors in determining GCVWR: Chassis strength, Brakes, Axle Ratio, Transmission, Cooling and Engine.

Hope this helps. It's not a simple answer since there are so many factors involved.

 

The weight station was open yesterday so I stopped in and had an interesting conversation.
The rules I posted above have to do with brakes. Trailers over 3000 lbs require brakes. The 40% rule applies to lighter tow vehicles and cars. For example; If you tow a loaded trailer weighing more than 2000 lbs behind a vehicle weighing 5000 lbs, the trailer must have brakes.
As for weight limits, they are the same as for big rigs. He said when they get a Hot Shot loaded heavy, they will look at the tires to be sure they are rated for the weight. Farm and RV are exempt.

 

Slightly...okay well off topic....but sort of about the same thing.
I have frequently towed jetskis behind 3 Mustangs.
Not the tiny and light stand up stgle either.
The big 3 seater mamoth type of jetski.
My Kawasaki Ultra with full fuel and some extras i always carry, plus the trailer is about 1350 pounds.
I don't notice it bothering my braking at all and no it doesn't have trailer brakes.
It just follows around behind the car without issue.
I have towed it a ridiculous amount of miles over many years.
Only problem is slippery boat launches as the rear wheels in the water if the ramp has algae or slime can make pulling out of the water tricky.
And remembering to keep speeds low enough on trips to not blow trailer tires.