Golden_HVAC wrote:
The best solution is a 3500 series truck with larger disk brakes, capable of stopping the whole truck and trailer rig in a slightly longer than normal distance in the event that the trailer brakes short out and fail completely!
It is not that unusual for a magnet to short out, and fail. It is not a "Once in a 20 year event", but more like sometime you might have a brake failure.
A driver of a new 1 ton diesel truck said he noticed that the truck was not slowing like normal while getting off the freeway. When he got home, he noticed that the lights where off on the trailer, and that the cord had come undone.
With a 1500 pickup, he might not have stopped getting off the freeway offramp, especially if it was a downhill ramp. Check with Autozone. Look up your brake pad size, and some 1 ton of the same year. There is a difference. . .
With my 1975 F-350, the rear brakes where 3" wide and 12" diameter, thus the need for larger diameter 16.5" rims. While the 1/2 ton had 1.5" wide brakes with 10" diameter drums on the back. This is about 1/3 of the brake surface area. You can wrap those with 15" car tires.
Sure air bags will level it, but not make the brakes work well if the trailer brakes ever fail.
Fred.
Well golden, we don't all need a one ton to tow with in limits. The fiver the OP is talking about is not huge, and having been around a while one would assume that he knows if he is within limits.
As for breaking, brake failure is not that common, and even newer 1/2 tons have enough brake to stop both the TV and 5er.
That said, I don't use my service breaks even on 6% and 7% down grades, I simply let the Pacbrake slow me.
But the commissioner of Weight, has spoken, we all need to trade in our 150/1500's, 250/2500's and get 350/3500's with DRW to tow safely!!
I keep expecting the Commissioner to come after me as i tow over my stated GVWR, but well within Axle and tire, as they were never adjusted for the Camper package factory installed on the truck.
