hauling and moving

[05blacktundra]

Hi everyone this is my first post, I have read hours upon hours of stuff on this great site it's so informative. I am writing to say hello and to ask a question about hauling and hitches. I have a 05 dbl cab 4x2 with the towing package. I am moving from Fayetteville Nc to San Antonio Tx and will be hauling a 71 camaro on a trailer that carries the whole car. I will also be transporting 2 stbernards(350more lbs) in the back of my truck. these are the specs for the trailer. I beleive the Tundra can handle 5000 lbs so I am safe in doing this right? Also it say that i need a class 3 hitch. Is that just the type that I can buy and connect to my truck or does my truck not allow this type of ball/hitch. thanks for the help.
specsfor trailer
Empty weight: 2,100 lbs.
Max load: 3,900 lbs.
Maximum Gross Weight (trailer plus load): 6,000 lbs.
Tow hitch required: Class 3 (5,000 lb. minimum weight-carrying rating)
Hitch ball: 1 7/8, 2 or 2 1/8, (5,000 lb. minimum)

[tomhole]

Might want to ask in the towing forum as there is a really, really smart guy there that can help you out with gobs of knowledge. Based on my limited experience, that looks like a workable load. If you have the tow package, you have a nice class IV hitch. I have that exact same truck and tow a 5000 lbs travel trailer with a 640 lbs hitch weight. I do use a weight distribution hitch, though.

So ask away in the towing forum and stanf by for RockyMtnRay (he's the really smart one).

Tom

[RockyMtnRay]

Originally Posted by 05blacktundra

Hi everyone this is my first post, I have read hours upon hours of stuff on this great site it's so informative. I am writing to say hello and to ask a question about hauling and hitches. I have a 05 dbl cab 4x2 with the towing package. I am moving from Fayetteville Nc to San Antonio Tx and will be hauling a 71 camaro on a trailer that carries the whole car. I will also be transporting 2 stbernards(350more lbs) in the back of my truck. these are the specs for the trailer. I beleive the Tundra can handle 5000 lbs so I am safe in doing this right? Also it say that i need a class 3 hitch. Is that just the type that I can buy and connect to my truck or does my truck not allow this type of ball/hitch. thanks for the help.
specsfor trailer
Empty weight: 2,100 lbs.
Max load: 3,900 lbs.
Maximum Gross Weight (trailer plus load): 6,000 lbs.
Tow hitch required: Class 3 (5,000 lb. minimum weight-carrying rating)
Hitch ball: 1 7/8, 2 or 2 1/8, (5,000 lb. minimum)

Originally Posted by tomhole

<snip> If you have the tow package, you have a nice class IV hitch. I have that exact same truck and tow a 5000 lbs travel trailer with a 640 lbs hitch weight. I do use a weight distribution hitch, though.

So ask away in the towing forum and stanf by for RockyMtnRay (he's the really smart one).

Tom

Here I am and thanks for the compliment, Tom.

For 05blacktundra...

As Tom notes, with the tow package, your truck is already equipped with a Class IV (better than Class III) hitch receiver. (A hitch receiver is the part that the actual hitch inserts into.) So you don't need to go buy a Class III "hitch".

You will still need to have some kind of a hitch (which will carry the hitch ball and insert into the trucks' receiver).

For a one time tow, you might get away with a simple drop hitch (basically nothing more than a steel shaft on end that slides into the truck's hitch receiver and a mount for the hitch ball on the other). You'll probably need one with about 3 to 4 inches of "drop" so the ball is at the right level. These drop hitches are quite inexpensive...typically only about $25 to $35. The problem of using a basic drop hitch is that all the tongue weight winds up on the rear suspension. And worse yet, because the tongue weight is applied well behind the truck axle, it causes an unweighting of the front suspension (making it rise and causing reduced front steering braking as well as very bouncy/floaty kind of front ride). And finally, the weight that gets taken off the front is transferred to the back making the rear suspension sag even more. So you have a floaty front end and a heavily loaded rear so your headlights will stab at the moon. Given a typically loaded car hauler, you'll probably wind up with about 800 lbs of additional load on your rear axle...which is pretty close to its GAWR limit, especially with the dogs and other "stuff" in the bed (you have about 1200 lbs of available load capacity on the rear axle with a completely empty truck).

Those of us who regularly tow (including Tom (as noted above) and myself) use a Weight Distributing Hitch (WDH). This type of hitch has spring bars which cause about a third of the tongue weight to go onto the front suspension (improving ride, steering, and braking) and reducing the weight on the rear to only about a third of the tongue weight. The result is the truck rides level (equal squat front and rear) and the total tongue load on the rear (in your case) will only be about 300 lbs. With that little a tongue load, there'll be no problem at all with hauling the dogs and lots of "stuff" in the truck bed. The only gotcha is even a basic WDH runs about $300 and many hitch shops charge a lot more.

So although it's a bit hard to justify a WDH for a one time tow, the difference in handling, safety, and load capacity with a WDH is just about night and day. And so I'd definitely recommend you try to buy a used WDH for this trip...it will allow you to safely haul a lot more in the truck bed and still have a relatively level truck that handles and stops well.

[05blacktundra]

Thanks for all the info. I am renting my equipment from uhaul. I beleive the car trailer has this wdh incorporated into it. I know that the hitch has some sort of spring system. THe web site doesnt mention that it has a wdh, but I guess i will have to call and find out. thanks so much for the insight. Here is a link to the trailer specs and a picture.

http://www.uhaul.com/guide/?equipment=autotransport

Thanks
Kam

[RockyMtnRay]

Originally Posted by 05blacktundra

Thanks for all the info. I am renting my equipment from uhaul. I beleive the car trailer has this wdh incorporated into it. I know that the hitch has some sort of spring system. THe web site doesnt mention that it has a wdh, but I guess i will have to call and find out. thanks so much for the insight. Here is a link to the trailer specs and a picture.

http://www.uhaul.com/guide/?equipment=autotransport

Thanks
Kam

I'm about 99% sure that a UHaul trailer won't have WDH built in. The spring system on the trailer tongue is most likely for its surge brakes (when you apply the truck's brakes, part of the trailer tongue telescopes against a spring; that telescoping action activates a brake cylinder mounted on the the tongue that in turn applies the trailer's brakes).

Without a WDH on the trailer, the best you can do is load the truck so that the weight is as close to the front tires as possible...and be sure that any cargo in the bed is ahead of the rear axle.

[cupidstoy]

oh, and a quick observation about the "surge brakes" on uhuals. don't count on them working or even being tested regularly. i've seen many cases where there isn't even fluid in the brake resevoir on these systems. it's a local dealer service issue and most aren't even aware of it and those that are don't take the time to do it. if there is fluid, then the chances of the brake shoes being adjusted correctly and not covered with grease and road grime are pretty low, too. just an fyi. adjust stopping distance accordingly.

[krodad]

Cupid is all too correct...surge brakes rarely work on those trailers...not because they are a bad design, but they do require some maintenance which uhaul rarely does. If you are renting a trailer from them, tell them you want the brakes checked out and functioning.
Surge brakes are not even legal in many states for commercial use because they rarely work when inspected...HOWEVER, they are a good system in theory because they give a degree of braking power on a trailer that is going to be hooked up to a million different cars and trucks. Electric brakes still require a functioning controller and wiring, which most people don't have, and those need maintenance as well.
I know the local uhaul people probably do not have any technicians that will check out the brakes and certify for you that they work, but it's worth a shot. Do your own inspection and check the fluid level, look for leaks around the rims and backside of the hubs, etc.
I think the surge coupler has a breakaway system as well...go ahead and activate the lever (probably has a light cable with a hook on one end for the tow vehicle, the other end attached to an arm coming out the top of the coupler) then try to move the trailer around...it should be locked up if everything is functional.

one other thing...do not load the trailer in a way that makes the tongue light! You will have a real bad day if the tongue is negative or even neutral loaded...for example, don't back up on the trailer with most of the weight behind the axles.