I have some questions...

[Muddin]

I need a tow rig. I want to get a '90-'93 dodge cummins 5pd. But, I'm not real sure if I need a one ton or if I can get away with a 3/4 ton. Oh...will be an ext cab also.

It'll be towing a full size blazer. Est weight 6000 lbs? I've got a trailer that can tow it, but Nick (de hubby) wants to get a trailer that we can put the blazer and a runner on it (4runner we will have in the future). The blazer is about 15ft long. I don't know how long a 4 runner is. But Nick wants the ability to be able to haul two full sizes...like my blazer + possibly a pickup. Now that's getting into a 40ft trailer, isn't it? Will the highway patrol be all over a trailer that size? Also, with that much weight, I think we really need a dually...but Nick thinks that a 3/4ton would do it. If my blazer wasn't a full size, then yeah I think a 3/4 ton would be fine...but with a full size..possibly two full sizes.....?? IMO, that'd be a tipsy load....

What would y'all do?

[That Mick]

if you are going to haul two ANYTHINGS (exept maybe a Zuk) you will want the 1 ton, and probably a goosneck trailer. Duals are very good idea w/ the goose, OTOH, they are a pain to park when you aren't towing.

The dodge is an excellent choice.

Are you sure your blazer is that heavy?? I'd estimate between 4500-5500, depending on what you did.

[Eskimo]

In those years, I think availability will dictate 3/4 or 1 ton.

I'd go with a dually, especially with the gooseneck...

[TEX]

Haulin' 2 of them, you'll want the dually. Buddy of mine has a newer Cummins SRW, longbed/X-cab and he towed a 36' enclosed trailer in the Interstate across state. Even with just one rig inside, he said he could definitely feel that the lack of duals hurt his stability when he'd get a crosswind.

TEX

[Muddin]

Originally posted by The Mick
if you are going to haul two ANYTHINGS (exept maybe a Zuk) you will want the 1 ton, and probably a goosneck trailer. Duals are very good idea w/ the goose, OTOH, they are a pain to park when you aren't towing.

The dodge is an excellent choice.

Are you sure your blazer is that heavy?? I'd estimate between 4500-5500, depending on what you did.


Well, I'm over estimating prolly. I think stock it was around 4500lbs. Just the wheels and tires on it add 500lbs, plus larger axles and rock sliders and bumpers etc. I'd rather guess too much than too little and overload the truck.

The plan would be to make it a western hauler. So, I could get a truck that had a utility bed for all I care.

Now, what about the trailer? Is a 40ft gooseneck with the ability to haul 2 fullsizes going to need dual wheels? What trailer would be good for what I'm going to do without getting the cops to swarm all over me looking for license requirments. State troopers are bad about that around here!
I've been picked on just for hauling the 16ft car hauler :eek:

[That Mick]

The BIG problem will be this:

Any trailer over 12,000 lbs requires you to have a CDL. 6,000 lbs Blazer + 3500 lbs for the runner, leaves 2500 lbs for trailer. Two 6000 lbs fullsizes has you at the limit right there.
Aint no way you gonna get a trailer that big that light, unless you go AL. Might not make it then.

A 32' trailer would fit those rigs, if you parked B2B and don't have much hanging off the ends of the rigs.

[70~K5]

In sep. of '95 I was looking for a new truck. I looked at the Dodge's and for some reason the 3/4 ton pickups were rated to haul a heavier trailer than the 1 tons. They both had the same motor and axles. I think it was because the 3/4 ton was lighter to start with. I ended up buying a '95 Chevy C3500 dually with 10,000 mile on it for a good price instead.

[Capn Insano]

I was in the same dillemma about 3 months ago and after searching for weeks, I finally bit the bullet and bought new. I got an '02 Dodge Cummins 6 speed quad cab SWB. I think it's a pretty good compromise between cost, maneuverability and towing. I pulled LKJR's Blazer 500 miles with it already for a trailer weight of around 8K total. Couldn't even really tell it was back there. Now in the future, I do plan on hauling 2 rigs but for now I cant tell you how that'll be. My dream truck would have been a quad cab 1 ton 4x4, but cash dictates everything right now and I bought what I could afford. Someday. The reason I bought new is everything I found used had over 100K and wasn't that much cheaper. If you wanted to buy new, the next few months is the time to do it since the new dodge trucks are coming out and the old ones will be at rock bottom bargain prices. I got mine right at 27K, $400 over invoice, ordered in with the options I wanted. But you could probably do better now right off the lot.

Another thing, if you do decide to do the dually western hauler type thing, I know where there's a heavy duty welding type truck bed in a junkyard here in sherman. Dont think it'd fit my truck though.

And one last thing. I'm sure you know about it, but just to make your research easier, try tdr. I'm a member over there, so if you'd like me to post a question for you or something I'll do it. Shoot me a PM on ck5 if so.

www.turbodieselregister.com

One more thing, if you decide to to a western hauler bed, go for a cab and chassis. They're designed to take a truck bed and most heavy duty beds are designed around a c&c. Plus you wont have such a fat pig sticking out making it difficult to park. The duals on a cab and chassis are quite a bit narrower. And if you want a really badass truck bed for that, let me know...I'll shoot you a quote on one of ours. And our beds outlast the trucks 2 or 3X.

Bryan

[MattS]

I can fit 2 rigs on my 28 ft. The 4runner is bobbed and the other runner we put on it fit with room to spare. I'm not sure about the laws in your state but I went with a tandem axel single wheel trailer because one with duals requires a CDL and mine does not.

[Muddin]

I'm confused about the fat pig sticking out thing :confused:

I was under the impression that the only difference on a cab and chassis is they didn't come with a bed. The duals are narrower? But the point to a dually is the extra width, right? :confused:

I plan on making my own bed

I want the 1st gen truck. Even if I had the money to buy a new dodge (which I don't ), I'd still want the 1st gen with the cummins. I used to live in west texas where the ranchers were beating the snot out of their trucks. They all liked the older trucks. The newer ones were falling apart. I've also got some freinds with newer trucks who have never seen a dirt road and those trucks have got some horrific rattles. IMO, they're not as tough as the earlier body style. So, dats the one I want :D

[That Mick]

Originally posted by Muddin

I was under the impression that the only difference on a cab and chassis is they didn't come with a bed. The duals are narrower? But the point to a dually is the extra width, right? :confused:


The duallies are narrower as measured from WBC to WBC, but wider because of the extra tire.

[AGGIECJ-7]

Originally posted by Muddin

Now, what about the trailer? Is a 40ft gooseneck with the ability to haul 2 fullsizes going to need dual wheels? What trailer would be good for what I'm going to do without getting the cops to swarm all over me looking for license requirments. State troopers are bad about that around here!
I've been picked on just for hauling the 16ft car hauler :eek:

im not sure what part of texas your from, but we have never been hasseled in the dallas area or down here. my cousin has a 40' gooseneck that is 102" wide(max you can go), dual wheel, tandam axle. we have never been pulled over or anything. no cops even looking at us suspeciously.

also if your looking at a trailer this big i would definatly want the dually.

[70~K5]

If you're looking at pullin' a 40' GN, then you need more than a 1 ton. You need to be lookin' at a F550 or 650.

[AGGIECJ-7]

Originally posted by 70~K5
If you're looking at pullin' a 40' GN, then you need more than a 1 ton. You need to be lookin' at a F550 or 650.


how do you figure.....my cousin has a f250 that pulls his just fine....

[70~K5]

Simple a 40' GN The tare of the trailer plus the net weight of the load. Will put a 1 ton over its max CGVWR, and over its axle rating too. Its the same thing as with 5th wheelers RVs. Yes you see some pulling 34'+ with a 1 ton but many are going to heavier tow rigs cause it tears up the lighter ones. Has your cousin ever axle weighted his F250 when loaded down? I know the F350 dually I had 10 years ago with a 10.5' CO camper and all our camping gear was almost 2,000 lbs over its GVWR and I wasn't pullin' a trailer. That truck was rated at 10,000 gross. How much does a 40' GN flatbed weight empty. I bet it's close to 8,000 and proably more than that. Then ad two 4x4s and what ever else you're taking. You may be within the rating of the truck or not. Even if you're under the max rating of the truck, its going to wear out a lot fast working it that hard. Its better to start with something bigger and not work it as hard.

[YELLER BLAZER]

I have a 96 Dodge 1 ton c&c that has over 200,000 miles on it and rarely moves out of the yard without grossing 27k-30k and has been worked hard. Still runs great and have had no major problems. So its a matter of luck and deciding what you want to do but I have no problem pulling 2 very full size trucks (blazer and suburban) on a 30' goose neck.

[CSP]

Man there sure is a lot of BS info passed around here. First of all no 40' trailer would be necessary. Neither the Blazer or 4Runner is close to 20' each. Get the tape measure out and figure it out!

Second, a CDL is only necessary when the combined Gross Vehicle Weight Rating of the tow vehicle (truck) and towed vehicle (trailer) exceed 26,000 pounds. Your average dually has a GVWR of 10k-11k, so that leaves another 15-16k for the trailer. Pay attention that this is the weight rating, not the actual weight of the vehicles. Most dual wheeled gooseneck trailers are rated at around 19k-20k or more so they would put you over the limit for needing a CDL if pulled by a 3/4 ton or larger. I pull two CJ's on a 30' gooseneck with a GVWR of 14k and my F250 is rated at 8800. I don't need a CDL to pull this even though I have one. People need to remember that it's the combined weight of both vehicles that dictate CDL, not just the truck or just the trailer. If you pull a trailer that has a rating of 19k with a truck with a rating of 6k (not realistic, but an example) you don't need a CDL even if the trailer has duals.

A dually pickup's only advantage over a single wheel (with both being one tons) is stability. The weight carrying capacity is no higher. Whether or not to get a dually depends on what kind of load you have, what kind of roads you're towing on, how far you tow, and how often you tow. A dually would be advantagous in twisty, mountain roads but if your highways are pretty straight and don't have lots of wind the single wheel would be fine.

[Travis Waldher]

Originally posted by AGGIECJ-7



how do you figure.....my cousin has a f250 that pulls his just fine....

Yeah.. take a 2003 Dually 3500 dodge, quad cab, long bed, 4x4.

Its trailer capacity is 14,300lbs, GCVWR is 21,500lbs. figure the truck weighs in at 6500lbs, that leaves 15,000lbs for a trailer.

40' gooseneck would haul 2 extended cab short bed trucks. (mine is 19' long.) so.. realistically you can probably do with less. But, I bet you can do a 40' gooseneck for under 5,000lbs empty. I looked at building a 30' one and think I can do it for 3,000lbs.

[EMIEVEL]

My Ford V10 Duallie has been towing my 50 foot goose with 16k pounds on top of it for 55k miles (32000 lbs combined). I agree that much wieght is over-loading it. But towing a 40 footer with only two rigs on it is definately NOT over-loading it. Don't be mislead, you could tow that with a 1 ton single rear wheeled truck, as long as it has some airbag helpers for the rear suspension. I would recommend airbags even on a duallie. Duals do help in the wind and turns, like the other guy said. And get some low gearing. I'm running 4:30's.

BTW, it makes those Moab trips from Cali real cheap when I have 4 rigs on the trailer!

[Capn Insano]

lara,

a cab and chassis is specifically designed to be a work truck. The frame is narrower and the axle is as well. A standard cab and chassis body will NOT fit on a dually pickup. Most people dont know this. The cab and chassis is about 4" narrower and a little bit longer in the cab to axle measurement. A dually truck is a bit lighter duty. It is also a standard one ton pickup with fenderettes and the same width rear axle as a SRW. Either would work for your application. Just wanted you to know that the price and availability of any type of bed will be more expensive for a dually since the demand is not anywhere near as high.

Bryan