Needed to haul some rock before winter, Rather than get my 4th gen all dirty I Grabbed my fuel efficent 1995 12 valve single cab with its (second) Dana 70 rear axle and rented a 14" dump trailer, the trailer was heavy even empty but I didnt think much of it- hit the quarry- 4 yards- both truck and trailer was 22,500 pounds and the truck struggled big time on the hills, 3rd locked @ 3/4 throttle barley made it up some of the hills. Sent a pict to a friend and he freaked out worried id break the truck in half (light frame rust) so, is he right? I see new toy haulers weighting that much alone. What is the safe max trailer weight?

 

Mfr's tow ratings are wishy-washy. Let your hitch and tire/axle ratings decide. You were probably exceeding one or more of them.