Recomendation on towing?!
Temporarily Deactivated
Joined: Aug 2003
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I think with a gooseneck or 5th wheel hitch I could haul 20K with my truck, almost legally, but it is not a dually and I wouldn't make a habit of it. I have done it, as is, with a backhoe and pintle hitch backhoe trailer. The backhoe trailer has eight electric brakes and eight tires that hold 100psi pressure and will easily stop the whole rig. You need the dually because with SRW and 20K if you you blow a back tire you go upside down in a ditch with a backhoe and trailer on top of you before you know what happened.
F450/F550 dually with 19.5 inch tires would make me feel good about it but an old semi might be cheaper. An old medium duty truck with 20+ inch tires would probably be best. I would have trouble trusting an old automatic for this application.
Guys with dumptrucks try to simultaneously haul a load of dirt and tow heavy equipment to a job. It's easy to overload a medium duty truck like this.
F450/F550 dually with 19.5 inch tires would make me feel good about it but an old semi might be cheaper. An old medium duty truck with 20+ inch tires would probably be best. I would have trouble trusting an old automatic for this application.
Guys with dumptrucks try to simultaneously haul a load of dirt and tow heavy equipment to a job. It's easy to overload a medium duty truck like this.
Lead Driver
Joined: Feb 2013
Posts: 5,006
Likes: 72
From: Roseville, MN
Can someone successfully tow 20K with a '90 vintage Ford pickup? Almost certainly. Can they do it safely? Possibly, depending on the driver and the equipment being used. But personally I will never recommend that someone tow over the legal limit.
More Turbo
Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 516
Likes: 3
From: Michigan
What I find is somewhat silly is they are basically saying, make your tow vehicle the lightest it can be and you can tow the highest load. Sure there are limits but as light as the pick ups are in the rear end, (even with the tongue weight), it can get crazy very fast in just a quick stop. I have always tried to keep my tow load lower than my tow vehicle. Yes, I have cheated that, but when i do, I try to plan for even the crazy driver doing something really stupid. OK, the drivers that are doing something more stupid than what i'm doing.
Cargo Master
Joined: Mar 2010
Posts: 3,330
Likes: 292
From: Laramie, WY
What I find is somewhat silly is they are basically saying, make your tow vehicle the lightest it can be and you can tow the highest load. Sure there are limits but as light as the pick ups are in the rear end, (even with the tongue weight), it can get crazy very fast in just a quick stop. I have always tried to keep my tow load lower than my tow vehicle. Yes, I have cheated that, but when i do, I try to plan for even the crazy driver doing something really stupid. OK, the drivers that are doing something more stupid than what i'm doing.
Temporarily Deactivated
Joined: Aug 2003
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IIRC my owner's manual has a listing for a 1991 F250 and a weight of 18,500lbs. I have no idea how they arrived at that weight and am not sure I got the number right. I got it off the top of my head. But I did attempt to look it up before towing.
But anyway, the weight was not out of the question by any means. And it is not a question of using the smallest vehicle possible. It is about making do with what you have access to.
I had a contractor work on my place years ago and they moved a backhoe and bulldozer with a SRW F250. It was common practice, years ago. Not saying it was a good idea then and these trucks were just about new then. With a decades old truck, trying to tow more than it was designed, you would be asking for trouble.
Don't try this at home, kids. If you read my posts I said get a medium duty truck with 20+" wheels and still be careful to not overload it.
But anyway, the weight was not out of the question by any means. And it is not a question of using the smallest vehicle possible. It is about making do with what you have access to.
I had a contractor work on my place years ago and they moved a backhoe and bulldozer with a SRW F250. It was common practice, years ago. Not saying it was a good idea then and these trucks were just about new then. With a decades old truck, trying to tow more than it was designed, you would be asking for trouble.
Don't try this at home, kids. If you read my posts I said get a medium duty truck with 20+" wheels and still be careful to not overload it.
Fleet Owner
Joined: May 2009
Posts: 21,437
Likes: 76
From: Gilbert, PA
What I find is somewhat silly is they are basically saying, make your tow vehicle the lightest it can be and you can tow the highest load. Sure there are limits but as light as the pick ups are in the rear end, (even with the tongue weight), it can get crazy very fast in just a quick stop. I have always tried to keep my tow load lower than my tow vehicle. Yes, I have cheated that, but when i do, I try to plan for even the crazy driver doing something really stupid. OK, the drivers that are doing something more stupid than what i'm doing.
It all comes down to being setup for what you are towing. AKA, dont get a 90 f150 to tow 7,000lbs
Lead Driver
Joined: Feb 2013
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From: Roseville, MN
Hotshot
Joined: Nov 2008
Posts: 15,014
Likes: 35
From: Semper Fi tell I die!
anyone know what the listing are on my truck 89 f350 crew cab long bed single wheel 4x4 e40d diesel? just out of curosity
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