trailer selection advice
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Cross-Country
Joined: Sep 2007
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trailer selection advice
I am in need of a trailer to do some hauling. My question concerns what kind of trailer I could put with my current pickup. My truck is an 1986 Ford F150 with a 300 inline six, fourspeed overdrive transmission, axle code 18 (3.08 ratio) and a gvw of 4900lbs. I am wondering what my best choice for a trailer would be to haul various other cars and pickups and small tractors. I have heard goosenecks are the best and easiest to pull. I went to a dealer who had a 20ft gooseneck flatdeck we lowered on my truck and it didnt hardly squat the truck but that of course was empty. I really cant afford another truck right now and mine is in great shape so I hate to replace it, especially when I wouldnt be hauling the trailer alot just on occasion. So what do you guys think could my truck handle a 20ft gooseneck? or would I be better off with something else. Thanks
Fleet Mechanic
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From: patricia ab canada
is that 4 speed trans standard srod,if so ford doesn't recommend towing with it.if it's the aod get a trans cooler and filter and fluid change.
those rear end gears are kind of high for towing as well.
i have seen half tons pull goosenecks but don't recommend it should be a 3/4 minimum.your 8.8 rear might not be up to the task.there will be alot of weight sitting on the axle.
those rear end gears are kind of high for towing as well.
i have seen half tons pull goosenecks but don't recommend it should be a 3/4 minimum.your 8.8 rear might not be up to the task.there will be alot of weight sitting on the axle.
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A properly loaded trailer shouldn't put a huge amount of extra weight on the rear axle. There is a minimum ball weight required, from memory about 10% of total trailer/load weight. Any more than that and you need to redistribute your load.
Fleet Mechanic
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From: patricia ab canada
this is a gooseneck trailer .the trailer mounts in the truck box over the rear axle,you can have a lot of weight sitting on this point(half the weight of trailer and load).the 10% would be for a tow behind trailer.
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A couple more notes on trailer design that I would look for:
Low as possible bed, drop axles if acceptable to get the centre of gravity as low as you can.
Unless your load demands otherwise, you only really need support/ramps under your wheels. A trailer with a complete deck of treadplate is carrying around a lot of dead weight in the middle.
Movable front wheel stops to help balance load. I never rely solely on tie-downs to stop a load moving forward under heavy braking.
The trialer only really needs to be long enough to get the rear wheels of your car up there. Unless your local laws demand otherwise there's nothing wrong with the car overhanging the end of the trailer. Once again it's just extra weight you're lugging for no reason.
Removable ramps. The ramps on our trailer are stored in the gap between the 'decks' that the wheels sit on. Ramps that simply fold up can't be used if your load overhangs the rear and just become 'always on' air brake when the trailer is unloaded.
Provision for a winch - very handy. Also we have stands that we put down at the rear for loading/unloading. Allows a car to be loaded when not attached to the tow vehicle as well as takes the load off the tow ball if it is connected.
Larger: http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4040/...979213fd_o.jpg
Low as possible bed, drop axles if acceptable to get the centre of gravity as low as you can.
Unless your load demands otherwise, you only really need support/ramps under your wheels. A trailer with a complete deck of treadplate is carrying around a lot of dead weight in the middle.
Movable front wheel stops to help balance load. I never rely solely on tie-downs to stop a load moving forward under heavy braking.
The trialer only really needs to be long enough to get the rear wheels of your car up there. Unless your local laws demand otherwise there's nothing wrong with the car overhanging the end of the trailer. Once again it's just extra weight you're lugging for no reason.
Removable ramps. The ramps on our trailer are stored in the gap between the 'decks' that the wheels sit on. Ramps that simply fold up can't be used if your load overhangs the rear and just become 'always on' air brake when the trailer is unloaded.
Provision for a winch - very handy. Also we have stands that we put down at the rear for loading/unloading. Allows a car to be loaded when not attached to the tow vehicle as well as takes the load off the tow ball if it is connected.
Larger: http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4040/...979213fd_o.jpg
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We commonly call them 5th wheelers. What would be the benefit of them over a tow-behind? You lose all your tray space too.
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Fleet Mechanic
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From: patricia ab canada
ozstang65 that trailer in your picture would be more suitable for an f150 as opposed to a gooseneck design
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From: patricia ab canada
i prefer the 5th wheel design (5th wheel in bed(tray) .over gooseneck (ball and socket) designs.the benifit would be more gross combined vehicle weight.the weight is distributed over the trailer and truck as the tow behind most of the weight is on the trailer only.
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for the OP's purpose I vote that he finds an earlier ford 9 inch rear end (if his truck is 2wd) with 3.50 gears and he swaps that in to replace his high-geared 8.8. Also, take a couple leafs out of the rear leaf spring packs out of a donor truck and add them to his current leaf packs for less squat.
As for the trailer, I vote for a dual-axle bumper pull trailer, with at least a 6'x12' deck. you will be able to haul most cars and small tractors on a trailer like that, we even hauled my f250 on a trailer like that once. Make sure you have a trailer brake controller (if the trailer has electric brakes, which it should) and a good frame mounted hitch, and if you don't already have trailer wiring, it isn't that hard to wire up.
As for the trailer, I vote for a dual-axle bumper pull trailer, with at least a 6'x12' deck. you will be able to haul most cars and small tractors on a trailer like that, we even hauled my f250 on a trailer like that once. Make sure you have a trailer brake controller (if the trailer has electric brakes, which it should) and a good frame mounted hitch, and if you don't already have trailer wiring, it isn't that hard to wire up.
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From: Virginia
If you think about it, when you go to make a turn with the bumper pull trailer, the ball and tongue of the trailer actually go the opposite direction of the turn for a little bit till it finally swings around and follows the tow vehicle, just because it's so far behind the axle of the tow vehicle.
Back to the original poster's question. You are not going to be able to tow very well with that 3.08 gear. And if you go by your factory rating of 4900lbs, you will only be able to tow a very small car, because most trailers you get are going to weigh close to 2000 lbs. If you had 3.55's or 3.73 gears, the tow rating would be much higher, and there would be less strain on the transmission.
Fleet Mechanic
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From: patricia ab canada
the ball goes through the bed(tray)LOL.and bolts to the frame of the truck.or some sit ontop of the bed on a bracket and that bracket bolts to the frame.
