Illegal / dangerous to pull 11,000 trailer rated 10,000 lbs?

[jerryrigged]

I had another thread recently talking about how to set this up.

Curt/DrawTite both sell a hitch that can be added to a Ford Econoline 1-ton van (e350), but someone told me it's not only illegal but dangeroous to pull something higher than manufacture specs.

http://www.curtmfg.com/HitchLookup/find?year=2011&make=Ford&model=E-Series

or

http://www.reese-hitches.com/products/,41945

Is it illegal / dangerous to use this hitch pull 11,000 trailer rated 10,000 lbs?

[misterpowertool]

BTW, my TH is at 7000 lbs loaded, 800lb TW, 1850lb payload, 9300lb tow capacity. Truck is level towing and WD hitch is set up correctly by me.

[misterpowertool]

SolidAxleDurango wrote:

misterpowertools wrote:
http://www.randolphwolf.com/blog/towing-liability-for-overweight-loads/
http://www.glamisdunes.com/invision/index.php?showtopic=24262
http://www.personalinjuryclaimsblawg.com/personal-vehicle-towing-liability-for-rvers/

Is that enough info? Enough for me. No good reason to tow overloaded.

Ironic/Interesting post by someone who presumable tows with a Titan.

No irony here. I DO tow with a Titan. I am under all weight limits (payload IS 1850lbs per door sticker). I go way into the Sierra Nevadas a dozen times a year with no issues towing sig trailer with a golf cart in it sometimes. Also, I don't hold up traffic like some of you HD lollygaggers!

[bid_time]

The guy in the story was a figment of someone's imagination. A story like that and more than one person would know about it, especially after 12 years.

[dodge_guy]

Ya, I'de like to know if the guy in the Story had a WD hitch!

[Community Alumni]

X2. I'm actually interested to see if anyone could produce such a thing or a law somewhere. In the second link it would be interesting to find out what the operator was actually charged with. "Hauling the trailer with a tow vehicle that was not rated for the weights of the trailer," doesn't sound like an actual charge. One interesting thing is that the OP states that the operator was, "improperly rigged." Hmmmm.

[bid_time]

misterpowertools wrote:
http://www.randolphwolf.com/blog/towing-liability-for-overweight-loads/
http://www.glamisdunes.com/invision/index.php?showtopic=24262
http://www.personalinjuryclaimsblawg.com/personal-vehicle-towing-liability-for-rvers/

Is that enough info? Enough for me. No good reason to tow overloaded.

It's enough hearsay, now show me one case filed in court.
I am not condoning towing over your weight limits. But making idle threats of impending gloom and doom is a total different ballgame. No one has ever posted a case that actually went to trial and was successful. Oh yes, stories abound (none one backed up with real names or court cases), threats are mounted, disaster is at hand; but real life, not so much. I haven't even seen anyone post a court case that was filed, let along successful. And lets be clear, we are not talking commercial drivers.

[SolidAxleDurang]

misterpowertools wrote:
http://www.randolphwolf.com/blog/towing-liability-for-overweight-loads/
http://www.glamisdunes.com/invision/index.php?showtopic=24262
http://www.personalinjuryclaimsblawg.com/personal-vehicle-towing-liability-for-rvers/

Is that enough info? Enough for me. No good reason to tow overloaded.

Ironic/Interesting post by someone who presumable tows with a Titan.

[misterpowertool]

http://www.randolphwolf.com/blog/towing-liability-for-overweight-loads/
http://www.glamisdunes.com/invision/index.php?showtopic=24262
http://www.personalinjuryclaimsblawg.com/personal-vehicle-towing-liability-for-rvers/

Is that enough info? Enough for me. No good reason to tow overloaded.

[Jayco-noslide]

Just another reason to not exceed any rated capacity. I would prefer to tow a load no heavier that 80 to 90% of capacity to get some "wiggle room". That is, in case you are wrong about how heavy your load is(very common) or mis-understood the capacity ratings. Be safe and reduce the stress on your vehicle.

[rbpru]

Jerem makes a good point, though add ons do not increase the towing ratings or the axle weight limits, they can add to riding comfort.

Much of towing is related to personal comfort and TV handling, nuances that vary with each person's perception.

[Gdetrailer]

SolidAxleDurango wrote:
popcorn

Here you go..



Help yourself..



Getting to the good part all the "armchair engineers" are warming up..

[gsutton]

i forgot to add psuedo engineers

[rbpru]

Some time back there was a post of what the legal size and wieght for a TV and TT combination for each State.

So what is true for Indiana may not be true in other States. Some States plate there TVs for a maximum weight others do not.

Anyone that farms or works construction knows that 1/2, 3/4 and 1 ton are just suggestions.

If you do not want to be sued stay home. If you want the ultimate in safety stay home. If you want to enjoy life and not beat your TV to death, keep within the TV and hitch ratings.

What is your hitch rated for?
What is your TV rated for?
Nothing mystical here. Either you are under, at or over the ratings. If you are over you need bigger.

Assuming a reasonable TV and TT combination towing has little to do with the numbers. I just finished coming back from AZ with head, tail and cross wind gusts up to 40+ mph. This would be white knuckle driving for some or just a minor annoyance for others.

To me it was just like a bunch of truck passing nudges with an occational shove, which resulted in my towing at 50 to 55 mph rather than 60 to 65 mph.

Advice is notheing more than opinions but the weight limits on your TV and TT are factory facts, developed by the people who designed them.

[jerem0621]

Tatest, great post and full of FACTS.

For the states that tax based on Gross Weight it is usually an option to pay more tax to up the Gross Weight of your rig.

Also, as has been said many times on this forum...the ratings do not account for modifications to the vehicle.

Adding airbags, customs hitches, transmission coolers, bigger radiators, LT tires, bigger or improved brakes, power adding devices, changing rear axle gear ratios.. etc...do nothing to the factory ratings (little stickers on the door) ...but people gloss over the fact that these modifications have changed capability of the vehicle significantly...

if you do not believe that mods change capabilities...don't talk to a Hot Rod owner who use to have a 6 cyl in his Mustang but now has a 400hp V8...despite the "Factory Rating of 165 hp" the rating that will never change...the car is much much more powerful because the owner increased the Capability of the car..

If we were to apply the same logic to Hot Rodding or Four Wheeling that we do on RV.net we would get laughed off the forum. Vehicle mods change (for better or worse...remember the guy who wanted to take a few leaves out of his 3500 series truck spring pack?) factory performance.

Thanks!

Jeremiah