I am begining to wonder. Just a few examples. My brother had a 87 F150 W/302 that he hauled 12KLBS on a gooseneck with it quite frequently and he still got 350K out of it. Another example. I have a 89 F150 that I quite regularly pull 7K with the bumper hitch. My brother also had a 89 S10 that he hauled 18KLBS with it on the Bumper hitch. He had no problems til he got in the driveway and lost traction on the ice. Had to use 4X4 low to get it moving though

 

S10 pulling 18,000 pounds? I don't think so. 1800 maybe.

 

Unless I miss counted.

Just in case I did let's review.

Two flat racks. 5 bales on the first. Two wide a two long plus one on top. 11 on the second, two wide 4 deep and 3 on top. 900LBS each. Okay I admit I screwwed up the math. It was only 14,500 LBS

 

Tow ratings are a combination of marketing and warranty. They are based on powertrain (engine, trans and gearing), NOT brakes, frames, tires, etc. as most people believe. You can pull as much as you want, until your transmission blows. On level terrain at or near sea-level most rigs will tow way over the rated load. Come up here to 6300 feet on a hot day and try and pull even just the rated amount up highway 330 and see how you do. The F-150 could barely pull itself up here with a camper 1200lb in the bed and no trailer at all.

Jim

 

You can tow just about anything with any vehicle for awhile but not necessarily safely.

Ever seen the video of that tiny, Euro car towing a trailer upa hill with some bike riders watching from the road side? Car goes up, smoking a bit, car comes back down, backwards, with lots of smoke.

I once pushed a 30 foot motor home up hill with my 1800cc Datsun Pickup truck, twice. Not far and didn't know any better.

There is an old old story back in the 60s of some kook towing a small trailer with his Honda, Motorcycle.

Any of this safe? No Way.

Besides the warranty and reliability issues, there are other things that affect the rating.


A heavy load requires GOOD BRAKES, engough tire capacity, Stable vehicle and enough Spring capacity.

Yeah sure I bet the S10 CAN pull 18,000 pounds, but I would not want to be in front of him for a panic stop, or in the mountains behind him, or in a cross wind beside him.

Something that far out of whack may attract the attention of the local mounties.

I would not want to be far over tow rating. Been there done the "Tail wagging the dog" trick and didn't like it.

Stick to under or at least not too far over tow rating for safetys sake. Who cares if you blow your engine, tranny , diff, axles etc. I just don't want you plowing into me.

Jim Henderson

 

You can tow just about anything with any vehicle for awhile but not necessarily safely.

Ever seen the video of that tiny, Euro car towing a trailer upa hill with some bike riders watching from the road side? Car goes up, smoking a bit, car comes back down, backwards, with lots of smoke.

I once pushed a 30 foot motor home up hill with my 1800cc Datsun Pickup truck, twice. Not far and didn't know any better.

There is an old old story back in the 60s of some kook towing a small trailer with his Honda, Motorcycle.

Any of this safe? No Way.

Besides the warranty and reliability issues, there are other things that affect the rating.


A heavy load requires GOOD BRAKES, engough tire capacity, Stable vehicle and enough Spring capacity.

Yeah sure I bet the S10 CAN pull 18,000 pounds, but I would not want to be in front of him for a panic stop, or in the mountains behind him, or in a cross wind beside him.

Something that far out of whack may attract the attention of the local mounties.

I would not want to be far over tow rating. Been there done the "Tail wagging the dog" trick and didn't like it.

Stick to under or at least not too far over tow rating for safetys sake. Who cares if you blow your engine, tranny , diff, axles etc. I just don't want you plowing into me.

Jim Henderson

 

I've seen a Ford Ranger hauling a 30 ft + 5th wheel camp trailer. So yea, its possible - however heres the biggie - CAN IT STOP THE LOAD?

I personally try to stick with the tow ratings for liability and safety reasons.

 

got a picture of it? I had a 96s10 w 4.3l v6 and it struggled a bit when I hooked a 4k lb sled trailer to it

 

Specialized folk like structural engineers are involved in these things. They know what metals the fasteners & components are made out of, and they know just how much load these fasteners & components can withstand before bending, shearing, etc.

Given the litigious nature of America, the motor companies have to find some balance between local & federal DOT laws, the "one-up wars" with competing motor companies, and the mechanical limitations inherent with the design and materials of the vehicle platform....while still maintaining a safety margin in order to err on the side of caution.


Vehicles are overloaded constantly. Unfortunately, this is much like playing Russian roullette. Even worse, the person(s) that get taken out may be in the car/truck in front of or beside the overloaded vehicle.

I keep seeing mentioning of brakes, but we all know (or common sense should indicate) that there is a LOT more at hand here. What about load rating of the vehicle's tires?!? What happens when a spring gives out? That could be bad at 30 MPH or so. But at highway speeds, that could lead to unbelievable levels of carnage.


Sure, you might be able to overload a vehicle a few times. But, sooner or later, the fickle finger of fate is going to come down & flick you like a booger. I just hope that it does not take out someone else.