Spec’ing a Cargo Trailer

I currently have a 5th-wheel RV that I pull, and have done all the math and actual weights to see how I’m fitting within the door sticker load limits. I’m considering buying a bumper-pull cargo trailer, which I will use soon to move my daughter, and someday to possibly move myself after retirement. Not a lot of other use, possibly hauling my golf cart occasionally to the sporting clays range, occasional other odds and ends, etc. I’m trying to decide on an optimum trailer size, and get advice here based on people’s experience with “household moving” cargo trailer type hauling.

My daughter’s move will be from a one bedroom apartment, so not a lot of stuff. 800 miles empty pull plus 1,000 miles loaded pull. I can’t imaging needing anything bigger than a 7x12 trailer to handle that, and I know weight won’t be any issue.

My retirement move will be a big one, full 4 bedroom house. We’ve moved within my career, and basically filled an 18-wheeler professional mover trailer (of course they overdo it on item wrapping and boxing…). I’m thinking something like a 7x18 trailer would be the sweet spot, and likely to take 3 or 4 loads to get it all. That pull will be 900 miles loaded and 900 back empty.

I’ve done some rough math, and it looks like something around a loaded trailer weight of 15,000 lbs would be my max (with 13% on the hitch of 1,740 lbs). That basically maxes out my truck GVWR of 11,500 lbs, and rear axle GAWR of 7,230 lbs. I don’t think I could pack a 7x18 trailer densely enough to hit a loaded trailer weight of 15,000 lbs, but I have no experience in this space. (1,740 lbs on the hitch will lighten the front axle about 600 lbs but again I don’t think I could load that heavy anyway.)



So, what do you guys think?

 

Well, this really isn't the forum for this question, but...

I doubt you will find any cargo trailer of the size you are talking about that will have a GVWR of 15K, will be way lower, probably in the 11K range max, probably around 4K to 4.5K empty weight.

As to the tongue weight taking weight off the front end of your truck, that is what a weight distributing hitch is for.

 

This is an interesting and complex issue, for which I have no answers, but do have a few thoughts...

Let's say you retire in 10 years. At that time, will you still be physically up for breaking down and packing up 4 bedrooms and 50 years of accumulated memories, memorabilia, and tools? And be willing to do it four times?

Will the risen cost of fuel and vehicle maintenance to drive 6,300 miles (4 x 1,800 mile trips = 7,200, less 900 to erase the final return trip) pencil out favorably against the cost of professionals who can make the same move in only 1,800 miles of fuel and maintenance?

A cargo trailer, even the tandem axle models that you are likely considering, is like a teeter toter. When moving household goods, the tongue weight can be SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER than any of the rule of thumb percentages (typically quoted as between 10%-15%, so it is clear why you are using 13%) used to estimate tongue weight. Those rules of thumb work great for hauling cars in enclosed cargo trailers. But household goods can be packed randomly, densely, however they will fit, and however one item will not damage the adjacent item from rubbing against it along the journey. So here's what happens...

I was moving a good friend, in much the same manner as you propose. He was a retired engineer, she was a retiring physician, so both had a LOT of books. I like books, so I helped pack them carefully, and the low volume to heavy weight ratio of the books dictated that these dense boxes would best be loaded into my empty trailer first, on the floor, to maintain a low center of gravity for towing the trailer safer. I tried to plan ahead, using uniform boxes so that their tops would be at the same height, creating a "new" flat floor en masse upon which more oddly sized household goods of less density could be loaded over the top of. We even calculated the dimensions of the boxes for the most efficient placement to maximize the floor space and available cubic volume of the trailer.

The tow vehicle used at that time was a 3/4 ton SUV with 1,200 lb maximum tongue weight when using a weight distribution system. The trailer was my smallest, an 8'x16', with a 7,700 lb GVWR and tandem axles. Rule of thumb estimate of tongue weight would be between 770 lbs (10%) to 1,155 lbs (15%), but since this is all estimation at this point in the story, let's go with your estimation percentage of 13%, or a 1,001 lbs of tongue weight. I did have a WD hitch, with 1,200 lb rated spring bars, so 1,001 lbs of estimated tongue weight is well within the 1,200 lbs rated tongue weight capacity of the 3/4 ton tow vehicle and hitch apparatus.

The trailer was only 1/3 full, but I had to move it out of the way, and in so doing, felt a problem as I was engaging the spring bars, and as I towed the trailer for less than a city block.

I had no idea what the tongue weight was.

Percentage estimates do not mean squat.

And squat was very evident at the tongue.

So I took the trailer to level ground and busted out a tongue weight scale. Turns out, my tongue weight was over 1,600 lbs, with the trailer 2/3's empty.

All the boxes of books on the floor of the trailer were biased between the front wall and the trailer's first axle, as the plan was to fill the entire trailer's volume to make the most out of the fuel expended for the trip, and it was already known that the bulky furnishings that would quickly fill that volume wouldn't weight that much, compared to the books packed low on the bottom to maintain low center of gravity.

So I had to unpack the trailer, weigh each box of books (the friends house was on a steep incline, and thus the trailer tongue could not be weighed in situ as the trailer was being loaded) and redistribute the books on the floor of the trailer according to their weight, with the teeter toter math in mind (while still being careful not to put to much weight aft of the trailer axles, which is a well known cause of trailer fishtailing and uncontrollable sway).

OK. More truck. More trailer. More margin. More room for error. Less math. That's all fine and dandy, but once one considers towing a tag trailer that is over 10,000 lbs, (and you mentioned 15,000 lbs), more driver's license is required, lest the entire rig with one's household heirlooms be forced to be left on the side of the road until a properly licensed driver can come collect it.

 

Yep, what Ltngdrvr said. Even the ATC cargo trailer in that size has only a GVWR of 7700 lbs.

 

Rent a U-Haul trailer for your daughters move. Rent it one-way from your daughters location back to her destination. With a one-way rental, you only have the return trip with a loaded down trailer.
Professional movers provide a good service and in our 3 experiences worth the cost.

 

I would buy a cargo trailer for a business that I needed for daily use.

For what the OP describes I'd rent as needed. Might even get a U-haul truck as they are designed for the amateur mover with ramps and all that. I have often mused about getting an open "landscape" trailer, about 6x12, but I would use it so seldom it would just sit in the yard and decay. And I'd have to find a place in the yard to keep it. Plus tags. And someone might steal it while I'm out camping. So even at about $1150 I can't justify buying one. I just rent when I need.

 

This is where I was several years ago. I have always had 3/4 ton or bigger trucks, so I rarely needed a trailer. On the rare occasion that I did, I either borrowed one or rented one, depending on availability of my friends' trailers (I was the one with campers, and who fixed all their stuff).

It would probably still be this way if I hadn't bought a cabin adjacent to thousands of acres of state land, with hundreds of miles of ORV trails.

I now have a 22' flatbed, 7k rated because it's just quads, and the occasional heavier or larger object. But I use it 2-3 weekends a month in summer, so it's worth it to just have the thing.

So I echo the statement above. Unless you have a repetitive use for a trailer, I'd just rent one. It's a couple hundred bucks at most for the one time you'll need it, as opposed to several thousand for something you'll use a few times.

 

All good stuff, thanks.

-- Where is the "right" forum to post this?

-- No plans to tow 15k; I was just doing the math to see the top end of the limit.

-- I'm licensed Class A Non Commercial due to my heavy 5th Wheel

-- Uhaul Rentals are pretty small.

Again, thanks for the feedback!

 

This subforum was probably the place to post:
https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/forum286/

If the moderators feel the need, they'll move it for you. Don't start a new thread.

 

I'm perfectly fine with your thread being here where it is, otherwise I would have moved it already. We do have a subforum dedicated specifically to trailer towing, where you can pick the brains of FTE members who may not necessarily visit the 2017+ Super Duty subforum, because they drive older model years, or F-150s. That forum can be found here: Conventional (Bumper Pull) Towing; Travel Trailers & Pop-ups

Gotcha. A 10K GVWR (tandem 5,200 lb axles) to 12K GVWR (tandem 6K or 7K axles) enclosed tag trailer will typically weigh about 4K lbs empty, affording 6K to 8K load capacity. Triple (tridem) axles are hard on trailer tires when turning, and 8K axles reduce the width between wheel wells obnoxiously, preventing the re-purposing of the trailer as an enclosed race car hauler, which reduces the potential market and resale value of the trailer once you have moved and are done with it. If you get 7K axles, be sure and get the "wide" 102" versions, for the same reasons. And a ramp door is a must.

You're golden. And ahead of the game more than most.

Yes... especially enclosed trailers, limited to 6x12, with a reduced height that is impossible to stand up in.

U-Haul's selection of open trailers is larger, but then the time it takes to strap and tied down and keep from blowing in the wind is a factor.

An enclosed cargo trailer maintains a very high resale value if it is undamaged and leak free. Many folks buy a trailer, move, and sell the trailer when they arrive at their destination.

The issues extant (not for the daughter's move, which does not appear to be a big deal) for the move at retirement remains the number of repeat trips it will take to accomplish the move, the amount of time allotted at close of escrow if selling, the amount of energy needed to pack and unpack fast enough for the reuse of the trailer for the next trip, and the cost of fuel and maintenance to accomplish the number of repeat trips required to finish the task.

 

I would rent just so I didnt have to jack with storing it etc.

 

I own both a 7x12’ and a 26’ by 102” wide.

Just like a garage, you never have enough room.
The small trailer will haul a couple of motorcycles, or three pallets of stuff. Really, not a lot of room for anything bulky, and definitely too small for a move. You definitely want room to be able to load to where nothing will get damaged by overpacking and shifting cargo.

The larger one, well, we moved a friends daughter from her 2 bedroom apartment and it took two full trips. You really can’t appreciate how much stuff a person accumulates...until you move.
I wouldn’t waste time on anything smaller than 22-24’.

If you have to sell them down the road, they sell easily. I’ve had people ask me if they are for sale all the time. Personally, I’ll never sell them. Just too handy..

 

Well this is something I just did over the last few years. I ended up with an enclosed car hauler made by Untied a UXL series. It is 8 by 22 with an extended loading ramp so I could load my Shelby GT500. I had them put a door on the left so I could open the car door to get out instead of climbing though the window.

Not sure of the weight it can haul, but I did use my F150 and it pulled great.

I moved myself and my 4 bedroom home from Akron OH to Eastern TN. For my move I paid for the PODS moving containers and a crew to pack out the house. I also used a crew to unload them at my new house.

The trailer I used to bring my car along with me. I sold the car but kept the trailer to use as a shed. I can store stuff in it when needed and help haul tools to my kids house to help them rebuild something etc.

So this might be an option for you as well. I think it was 9K fully loaded with the car and other stuff in it.

 

When I moved from ND to AZ, I owned a 38’ enclosed gooseneck, triple axle, 18000 GVW trailer. I also had a lifetime’s worth of “stuff”. I made ONE trip, filled the trailer.......then called the auctioneers. Sold everything I could not get into the trailer. Great way to downsize, get rid of “stuff” that hasn’t been used for years. Remember, no one takes a trailer with them when they leave this world!After the move I really didn’t need the trailer any more,so it also got sold. Yes, a lot of things sold cheap, but I couldn’t move it for nothing either.

 

with your 26’ moving your friends daughter, any idea on your gross trailer weight and hitch weight? Do you use a load distributing hitch?