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RE: [RC] shortbed vs long bed - David LeBlanc

Patty P asked: 
       

I remember hearing that...but what do I look for that can judge whether or

not it can stop the trailer?
        
You look for gross combined vehicle weight (GCVW), and gross vehicle weight
rating (GVWR). The first tells you how much the whole rig can weigh,
including horses, people, etc. The second is how much you can put on the
truck by itself.

Example 1: Say we're going out with our stock trailer. 4 horses, 4 people.
Truck weighs 6000#, trailer weighs 6000#, horses add another 4000#, people
and gear takes it up another 1000#. That's 17,000#, which is well within the
range of a heavy duty truck (F-250, 350 or equivlalent). These typically
have GCVW ratings of 20,000 to 22,000 lbs.

Example 2: Big LQ 4 horse trailer - trailer weighs 10,500# empty, and you
can carry another 1000# of water, more stuff, etc. Trailer, people, horses,
and water adds up to 16,500#, and we haven't added in the truck. If you have
a regular heavy duty truck, that's about 6000#, now you're at 22,500 - whups
- you're over and not safe. If you figure a really big truck, add another
3000#, now you're at 25,500#, and it has a GCVW of 26,000#, which can handle
that load. Above 26,000#, you're going to need a commercial driver's
license.

Where the CVWR comes in is it tells us how much can be put on the bed. I
think a good rule of thumb is that a gooseneck puts about 1/4 of the load on
the bed. So the stock trailer would put about 2500# on the bed, and again,
most heavy duty trucks will handle this. The big LQ trailer would put about
4000# on the bed, and again, it comes up as unsafe. It gets worse if you're
trying to stop downhill. Our Chevy would get the suspension overloaded and
the front wheels would shake back and forth violently.

Check the towing guide for YOUR vehicle. Do NOT go with 1/2 ton, 3/4 ton,
full ton. It's nonsense. Your typical heavy duty truck will handle anywhere
from 1.3 to 1.6 tons on the bed. A good commercial duty truck will handle
close to 5 tons.



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Replies
Re: [RC] shortbed vs long bed, Patty P