RE: Are tire chains recommended?
Chuck&Gail and djgarcia, Love the comments. What are snowchains anyway? Drove a big truck and a pickup 23 million miles. Chained up 1 set of tires on Stevens Pass in WA because I was empty and it snowed 4 inches in 5 minutes. Snowflakes so big you could hear the SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS.
And folks wonder why I have tire chains in the rig! Snow here in the PNW is also a heck of a lot wetter than in the midwest. Once on the ground, it compacts with literally water coming out of it. Best to have chains at that point in time!
I'm also glad many of you have not, nor will pull in the snow. BUT, if one must, think about how you will do so, then try it and hope it works, if not, correct and move on, as long as one is not in a ditch!
Marty
RE: Are tire chains recommended?
Generally speaking, the laws state for trucks/trailer combo's of RV size, a set on the main drive axel of the TV, and at least on chain on the trailer. I personally have found it best to have two chains on the front axel and left the rears to them selves. I also prefered chain chains on the truck and trailer while using my TT as a ski hut in the winter at local ski area's. So the it is snowing I'll stay put does not work for some of us! Some of us purposely drive into the mtns etc in the winter. Be it to a ski area, pulling snow mobiles, use as a base for cross country skiing etc.
Like anything we do, better to be prepared than not and suffer the consequences.
Marty
Must be another former Boy Scout! We have had to tow in the snow a couple times. Never do bad we needed to throw on The Iron but had it just in case! I would rather have it and not need it than need it and not have it. Year round camping has it's surprises!
Yeah to the BS part.......then if you did weekends from mid dec to mid march as I did going to the mtns, you put on chains an ave of 1-2 times per winter. Mostly when I was coming down vs going up. Coming down is harder than the up part most of the time. Including a sheer ice on the road coming down from timberline with 40-60 mph winds! Overall, not to bad on that trip down, but the iron was what made it nice despite a 10% grade for 6 miles or there abouts!
My kids used to know as soon as I did if we needed the chains to go down the hill. They would have the truck/trailer axels dug out, so when I got back from teaching clinics sunday eve, all I had to do was change out of ski gear, put the chains on and we could leave. I even had to use chains once ALL the way home one sunday night. That was an interesting trip. Then near my house an a short steep grade, a number of cars were spun out, a bus on the side of the road, a cop stepped out to stop us, but I drove around him to the bottom, stopped, turned the 90 corner at the bottom only to have a chain break half a mile later, just at the bottom of the 10% grade up to my house! one drive chain, new tires, ala new truck and a posi, I was at the top a mile later! Properly setup, one can go just about anywhere!
Marty
RE: Are tire chains recommended?
Generally speaking, the laws state for trucks/trailer combo's of RV size, a set on the main drive axel of the TV, and at least on chain on the trailer. I personally have found it best to have two chains on the front axel and left the rears to them selves. I also prefered chain chains on the truck and trailer while using my TT as a ski hut in the winter at local ski area's. So the it is snowing I'll stay put does not work for some of us! Some of us purposely drive into the mtns etc in the winter. Be it to a ski area, pulling snow mobiles, use as a base for cross country skiing etc.
Like anything we do, better to be prepared than not and suffer the consequences.
Marty
RE: Are tire chains recommended?
If you are going to be above 6000' elevation any time of the year, I would carry chains. I had snow labor day weekend over 4th of july pass on I5, I've also seen snow in Yellowstone at the same time. I would put them in, hope I did not have to use them, and call it a day. BUT, if I did need them, trust me, I would be glad I had them!
Marty
RE: Gas engine and Diesel of same specs.Pull the same.
On vail pass, that 454 was down some 30% ion hp due to altitude! Along with the max a 454 was ever speced at was 295 in the 97-2000 years. So you had more hp to begin with! much less the altitude difference at 10K feet! My old 6.5td out pulled a 454 at 9K ft in yellowstone, with the SAME trailer, but total wt was 1000 lbs more! All because of the turbo on the diesel! yet it had 50 less hp. At sea level the 454 out did the 6.5 on a free way grade. But due to the auto behind the 454, a manual behind the 6.5, the low end, the 454 stalled out on 15-20% grades, where as the 6.5 kept going due to better gearing.
There is more than one way to skin a cat, and look at which rig will be the better one!
The army found, a turbine 2000hp motor with 400 lb ft of torque, would move a tank just as fast as a 2000hp diesel with 4000 lb ft of torque! BUT, one had to use a drive train that worked for the turbine, not a diesel type drive train. One has to do the same with gas vs diesel. other wise, which even has the correct drivetrain for its specs etc, will win the battle!
marty
marty
RE: Dually rear tire question. New tires steering sloppy.
Many new tires also need a break in per say of 2-3000 miles before they start to handle correctly.
Or the tread pattern is enough difference that handling is different too. HWYs usually pull better than AT style which pull better than mud/snow tires.
As noted, sidewall stiffness can also effect handling. OR as I have had in many cases.......first set of new tires also means I needed new shocks on the rig too! may not be a tire issue!
marty
RE: How over engineered are receivers?
One of the other things NOT being mentioned, is the ability of the pin in the receiver. many if not most 5/8" pins are rated to 10K of trailer. At least per a body builder that built the dump unit/hitch for my ihc. That is my limit on that rig. Granted I do pull my 12K trailer.....but he would recommend a 3/4" pin for that sized trailer. There is more than one factor involved into IF a hitch receiver etc will handle a given load.
An old rusty hitch may also be the wrong unit, as the rust may be all that is there vs solid metal also. If the op wants to use the hitch he has, great, if not, great.........
Marty
RE: How over engineered are receivers?
One can find hitches that are rated for more than a given rig is rated to tow! I had a 96 CC GM, I was pulling a 6500 TT with WD bars, and an equipment trailer with a pintle hitch that was dead wt attached! at around 9000 and 1000 lbs of hw. Went to Tork Lift which is down the road from me, told them the trailers I was pulling, put a hitch on it that will handle said loads! Oh yeah, the truck was only rated to 7500 lbs or some such goof ball thing! so any way, hitch did fine for 10 yrs and 200K miles, even when I added another piece of equipment ont he trailer that took me to 12K and 1500 hw!
I would also NOT weld to your trucks frame, many of the LDT trucks frames are not able to be welded on and retain structure. If you had an mdt or larger, then many of them are weldable. Going to a stronger larger diam bolt would be your best bet for some of what you need. The other is to figure out if the steel is thick enough or the proper type for what you want to do. Along with, it is what, 20 yrs old?!?!? it may be fried from use! I could be wrong on that one too.
I personally would not worry about what you are doing.
Along with, the insurance WILL pay out if something happens, just as it does with a DUI or equal!
marty
RE: Gas engine and Diesel of same specs.Pull the same.
The no replacement for displacement is probably still true......BUT, if you compare todays motors to yesterdays. yesterday getting .5 HP per ci was normal, 1hp per cube was great! Today it seems that 1HP per cube is the norm, and getting 1.5 to 2HP is great! Torque is also up to a degree from yesterday too.
So while the quote is good, if you compare a motors of the same vintage, to compare a today motor with yesterdays is not always a good way to look at things!
BUT, as noted, two motors of equal HP, SHOULD pull a load up a given hill at the same speed. This does assume you have a drivetrain that explotes that motors HP strengths! Putting a 6000 rpm 300hp gas rig in a drive train ment for a diesel doing 300hp at 3000 rpm or vice versa, would do neither any good as a comparison. But put the proper setup in ea, both should be about the same speeds up a hill etc.
Also as noted, one WILL use more gas than diesel, but if one compares the BTU's of the fuel used, they should equal the same! Being as gas has 1/3 less btu per gallon, you will use more gas to accomplish the same task, same comparing alcohol, you will use more alcohol that gas which uses more than diesel to get the same job down!
Marty
RE: F350 Supercab 7.3L Diesel Dually TV - Can it Pull it?
Just for comparison sake.
My 99 2wd V10 Gasser Crew Cab XL (no options but AC) weighs 7600 lbs scaled with a full tank of gas and a 500 lbs of people.
My truck has a GVWR of 11,200 lbs
Meaning that I have an available payload of 3600 lbs.
I think you need to scale your truck and find out where you really stand.
Thanks!
Then if one uses the total of the axels, 13500 less 7600 is around 6000 lbs of payload! if one really balances themselves out! Potentially, one has enough truck!
I would ask, which trans? the 5 sp torqueflight, go for it! the 4 sp auto.......oh dear oh me oh my! If it is rebuilt to some MUCH stronger specs you may do ok. But that is a much worst tranny to tow with vs the 5 sp torqueflights, or the manual option. First will be too tall for that total load on some grades, you will tear the trans apart, or overheat to death......... The rest of the truck will not have issues.
Marty
RE: Tire pressure on dually
80 lb on my dually is over 10K lbs of capacity. Even those with the heaviest rv trailer probably only need 60-65 lbs, which on my truck is 8500 lbs of capacity. I run 45-50 generally speaking when empty, with a big load, then I up the psi. Fronts I do run 80 all the time, gives me the best wear up there. Rears so far the last set of tires have gone 70 something thousand. so must be doing something right!
Marty
Marty,
We are on the same page. Either we are both right or our brains are water logged from all the NW WA rain!
Being as I have been here since day one, as were my parents. My brain is not tooooooo water logged............yet! But I do have gills to deal with said supposed great amounts of rain we have here. Better not tell those folks in Miami or Honolulu that they get 20 some odd inches of rain more than we do in Seattle.
I do run my dump truck at max all the time, but it is either empty, or fully loaded and then some!
80 hurts running empty in my rig. Now try 120 in the IHC with 6K on a 16K suspension!
marty
RE: Tire pressure on dually
80 lb on my dually is over 10K lbs of capacity. Even those with the heaviest rv trailer probably only need 60-65 lbs, which on my truck is 8500 lbs of capacity. I run 45-50 generally speaking when empty, with a big load, then I up the psi. Fronts I do run 80 all the time, gives me the best wear up there. Rears so far the last set of tires have gone 70 something thousand. so must be doing something right!
Marty
RE: Getting trailer from dealer home w/out WDH
I'd drive it home with out the WD part hooked up. WIth out thinking about it. You are wasting MORE time and energy worrying about this than getting the trailer home! As noted, it came to your dealer with out a WD hooked up, much less a sway system. Just like your 5w, if your trailer will not tow straight with out all these bars, you have an unsafe trailer being towed. I tow without bars, then hook the bars up as an added safety item.
There is NO law, liability etc to make someone tow with wd/anti sway bars. It may be highly recommended, but it is NOT a law or a requirement!
I towed my old TT some 300 miles home one time, when my WD bars literally fell off, less than a qtr of the way thru the trip! I had NO white knuckles, no worries, including the 30-40 mph side winds thru the columbia river gorge! If things are balanced correctly, your axels are not V'd, you are not loaded too much to one side. the trailer SHOULD pull straight. If not. return it! and have the issue fixed, especially if it is an alignment issue, ie V'd axels!
Marty
RE: How the pro RV transporters tow
Some of you need to remember when it comes to actual wts on the road......it literally is "the weight on the road" the an LEO/CVEO worries about. Your door sticker is NOT a legal wt requirement as far as a wt cop is concerned sitting in a scale shack on the side of the road. The wt limits they care about, is how much damage you are doing to the road. If you are overloaded for those limits, then you get an overwt ticket. There is not generally speaking, a single rv trailer that is over wt per those laws! There are a few class a possibly a class C motor home that the owner feels it is ok to run down the road at 20,001-25K lbs on a 25K rated axel. BUT< the law is clear as a bell, max wt per axel is 20K! they WILL get an overwt ticket if they are weighed, and are over 20001 lbs on a given axel!
I've been pulled over in my dumptruck numerous times OVER the manufactures ratings. NOT ONCE have I gotten an overwt ticket!
Now if you want to disCUSS what happens in a civil court suit. ALL bets are off, as ANYTHING goes in a civil court! Look at someone wrong and you can be sued. But an LEO/CVEO have to be able to prove in black and white that you are in violation of a law. Being over a gcwr where there is no door sticker etc, can not be proven that an axel ratio makes you safer etc.
Laws are there to make it such you can get a ticket if your trailer moves more than 12-18" side to side. If pulled over, you have to correct the issue before being allowed to move the trailer/towed rig. This can be done by correcting an incorrect hitch wt, lowering a tongue. correcting the side to side balance of a trailer etc. OR, yes one can put an anti sway bar or equal on. BUT, MY ISSUE with this is you still have a trailer that wants to sway. So if a bar pops off, breaks or equal, you WILL HAVE an uncontrolled trailer behind you! BEtter to have a trailer that can tow straight etc without bars, then put them on as extra precaution!
So for those still thinking, that being over a manufactures rating is against the law per the folks with blue lights on there rigs. guess again! The wt laws as they are enforced, have been around since before autos! They've been around since horse paths, cart paths etc in the late 1700's to early 1800 in the USA. In Wa st where I am, I can find wt laws back to the mid to late 1800's that generally speaking, are still enforced as they were back then, but with todays wordings!
Marty
RE: Cleaning Dually
Oh now that I had a bit o phun on the OP, yes a pressure washer, or a hose with lots of pressure sprayed on the inner rim will remove enough mud, manure, dirt, manure or equal to make them some what balanced again......folks wonder why I do not balance duals.........
Marty
RE: Two wheel drive or 4x4?
Then again, around these here parts on I90 in the winter, you see WAY more 4wds in the ditch, on there roof, side etc than 2wd's. I seem to recall getting in a wreck in mid january at denny creek. I was the first rwd to take out a 4wd per the leo at the scene!! Could not decide if that was a compliment, or a complaint!
Either way, 2wd works if one is careful, 4wd works if one is a bit less careful, but as sorta kinda mentioned, If you LOSE control, or get stuck, or other wise, your in a REALLY BIG world of hurt with 4wd vs 2wd! Then 2wd with a decent posi can be just about as good, or better depending upon circumstances than a 4wd with both diffs that are open. 4wd with a locking rear is better than 4wd with open diffs/rwd.........
as said, get what suits you. Not sure what my next truck will be.....4wd or rwd with a posi.......I've gone a lot of places with my current dually, previous sw 3500, both with the GM G80 locker that I could not go but in 4wd with my 88 no locking rear in rwd alone. Including a day up stevens pass where chains were required in 2wd, did the same on white pass one time too! Those are 4-6% grades IIRC to boot!
Marty
RE: Cleaning Dually
One is supposed to clean the inside duals?!?!?!? really, you must be kidding! your not! oh dear oh me oh my! I've been doing something wrong for 25 yrs and 3 different duallies......oh dear oh me or my!
Marty
Marty, Marty! it's ok buddy, no big deal, don't fret on this, let it go......you don't have to if you don't want to......:B
Jim let it go Marty drives in water puddles more than not so how can he need to wash the dual tires on the inside. He does have an older truck as I do but I live on the dry side of the state of Washington
chevman
it is OK that I do not warsh the inside duals! oh thank goodness....I was about to have a hart e tack! oh thank goodness........
Then all larry has to do, is cross that thar columbia river thing, and his inside duals will be warshed. I cross lake warshington upon occasion, maybe that is what keeps them clean.......or this sunday when I cross the salish sea....salt water is really good for cleaning from what I understand. rust's that dirt right off!
Marty
RE: Cleaning Dually
One is supposed to clean the inside duals?!?!?!? really, you must be kidding! your not! oh dear oh me oh my! I've been doing something wrong for 25 yrs and 3 different duallies......oh dear oh me or my!
Marty
RE: Two wheel drive or 4x4?
.........
What did your forebears or you do in the '40's, 50's and '60's before 4WD became common ?
traction tires, maybe a lim slip or locker, lots o wt in the asset end, along with tire chains! REAL chains, not them cable or plastic wanna be's!
Having pulled a trailer up the local mtns, more times than I care to admit in winter.....about 10-15 weekends per winter for 12 yrs......I have to admit, a rwd with a GOOD posi/lim slip, traction tires and a "GOOD operator" will get you up and into the parking lots just fine, so one can use their RV as a ski/snow mobile hut etc. There used to be upwards of 100 rv's of ALL shapes and sizes, drive trains etc on any given weekend. Chains were the operators BEST friend, be it rwd, or 4WD. As in many conditions, chains were required 4wd or not!
So with that in mind, I own 3 tow rigs, 2 are rwd, one is 4wd! Only because it is used in the snow days more than the other two, But they do fin generally speaking too, when tired and chained correctly! Including towing a 12K equipment trailer with a small bobcat and trackhoe!
marty
RE: Was it safe or not?
4" lift is max. And that is with replacement springs not spacer blocks on the rear axle. 8" towing a 5th wheel is just too much! Besides, how is he going to get it hooked up and level?
That's where the LIFTED 5er comes into play!
8" lift on a 5`er! plus the height of the larger tires on the truck?!!! your talking lifting the 5`er a total of 10"! that would be one top heavy setup!
This would make the trailer an issue because why? seems to me semi box trailers are higher yet! as are the trucks........granted different suspensions etc........
I do not see the total issue here.
Marty
