The Dreaded 1/2 Ton Towing Question

SoundGuy wrote:


Oh look, there's a guy in a red suit with a big white beard riding in a sleigh towed by reindeer. Geez, looks like fun, I think I'll do that too! Hey, why not? ... it obviously works for him so there's no reason it won't work for me! :B

Yeah, that's logical ... talk about a good chuckle! :S

....hmmm, well ok sound guy. The difference between your analogy and mine is that red suit/beard/sleigh and reindeer is fantasy.

My analogy is based on reality.

Hook that trailer up to your chevy truck and come on down here to Arizona. We'll find a spot for you here in the resort. I've got a cold beer waiting for you, we'll sit in the warm sun and discuss it. I promise I won't roll my eyes or face palm. Your half ton truck will fit right in here.

EDIT: and my problem with the whole weight police thing around here is that there is a small dedicated group that, you might say, "worship at the alter of the almighty payload number" on the sticker.

Then it gets followed by absurd statements like "an F150 is just car on steroids". Which leads to things like, "a diesel F250 can't carry as much as a gas engine F250, because the diesel version has a lower payload number on the door sticker"

.....and other such statements that have very little bearing on how things are done in the real world.

I say it again boys, hook those trailers up and come on down. Out here where the rubber meets the road, you just might see it's at least a "slightly" different world than internet lore.
The beer is cold, the lawn chairs are out....come on by.

EDIT TWO: here is another suggestion to the OP. Hook the trailer in question up to your truck. Get the WD hitch set up "correctly"....and I mean really get it right. By the book right.

Now, take the combined rig back to the CAT scale. Tell us what the actual weight is on the drive axle. Actual real world weight, expressed in pounds.
Not some made up fantasy number based on a guess extrapolated from whatever the trailer's GVW "rating" is.... we want to see a real number. How many pounds is pushing down on the rear axle of the truck ?

How does that number compare to the number on the door sticker regarding GAWRR ( gross axle weight rating, rear ).
This is an important step in helping to determine whether you will have a good handling, safe set up, and by extension, whether you "have enough truck".