hehe... Hi again all!<br><br>Well, let me start by saying that I have a experience towing large boats, big truck behind small trucks, and driving stake bed trucks with as much as 18,000 lbs on the bed (as much as the truck weighed). <br><br>Honestly, I've overloaded a few things, but I've always tried to be safe with my load.<br><br>Now I have my '99 3500 TD and I'd like to know just what I can put behind it?<br><br>I've never towed a gooseneck, nor *owned* a deisel (although I've driven larger types a few thousand miles).<br><br>What I would like to know is what it *can* tow, what I can do to it to make it tow more, and what I can *casually* tow in either case?<br><br>Since I&quot;m a macinery dealer, my forklift (which I would like to take to load the rest of the trailer) already weighs in at 9k.<br>Machines I purchase often weigh between 4-10,000lbs.<br><br>I have the &quot;flip-over&quot; ball type hitch and well.... it doesn't inspire tons of confidence in me... is there a better way?<br><br>Oh yeah... and could someone tell me the difference between gooseneck and 5th wheel?<br><br>The trailer I hope to buy will be a 30-40' heavy equipment flatbed.<br><br>I know this sounds a little strange..... I'm used to moving big-time cast iron around, but I bought the to truck fill in the spots between the SUV/trailer combo and the hiring of the full-on Line truck (big rig).<br><br>Any thoughts? (I'll assume the standard disclaimers)<br><br>Many Thanks<br>Sean

 

Looking around to see if the load ****'s are watching.<br><br>How does 32,500lbs sound?<br><br>I've hauled that once and used to haul 28,500lbs regularly.<br><br>I'm don't haul much any more, as we bought a small road tractor to use on the farm. 8)<br><br>The little 5.9 is rated to pull 50,000lbs but the truck will by no means handle that. You can pull a house with these trucks but you can't stop it. That is by far the limiting factor with these trucks is the breaks. And it seems that people really like to pull out in front of you once you have a load in tow. &gt; <br><br>To help with the load you could always add a set of air bags or heavier springs but mine did just fine for the short trips that I used it for. You can even put a air set up on the trailer brakes to help with the braking but that's pretty expensive.<br><br>Darrell

 

&quot;Load ****'s&quot; hahaha! <br><br>30Kish eh?... Ok.<br><br>That's with electric trailer brakes?<br><br>Seems like there would be some brake upgrades out there by now for these trucks...no?<br><br>Since I've never had a gooseneck, what's the deal if I load forward on the trailer? 2000lbs max over the axle? (gawd that seems so &quot;woosie* compared to some trucks I drive where I've got 10K over the axle)<br><br>Seems like it would be hard to load 30k without quite a bit more than that on the truck's hitch (unless you had 3 axles pretty far forward on the trailer. Do your dual's fall off at 3000lbs? <br><br>I see air-assist bags that claim around 4-5k in load capacity increase, but I wonder about the strength of the ball-type hitch, the frame, and the axles.<br><br>Wow, this spot between hauling 6K on a car trailer and 65k on a drop-deck is definately new territory to me.<br><br>I know it's hard to give advice on this sort of thing being that there are so many variables involved. I really appreciate it!<br><br>Sean

 

Yep that's with electric brakes.<br><br>The only brake upgrades for these trucks that I know of is rear discs for us drum guys.<br><br>I never weighed each axle but I'm quite sure I've been well over 2K on the rear axle. The goose neck trailer I've pulled these loads on is a 25k trailer with dual tandams and a deck over on the goose neck. the deck over probable weighs close to 2K. : Police and DOT officers are getting alot strickter around here, and it's worse if your doing the hauling for profit and not for farm use. <br><br>The goose neck hitch I use is rated to 30k and I think the rear axle is rated a 8k and each tire is rated to 3k or more.<br><br>Oh Ya, I forgot to say I have a 2500 not a 3500, no duals here. <br><br>There will be more repleys in the morning. I think there is a few guys hauling for a living that could tell you more about the laws and such. 8)<br><br>Happy hauling.<br><br>Darrell<br><br>

 

Let me just add one tidbit in addition since I'm up late....<br><br>Part of what led me to this dually/gooseneck combo is that I had planned to buy an Isuzu/GMC NPR style stakebed truck for hauling. A fellow dealer who has one said that if he were to do it again, he'd go the HD truck/ trailer route as he wouldn't need to stop at the scales.<br>Is this true (or true in your state?)<br><br>....and now for the humor question of the night....<br><br>If you put a NPR on your gooseneck, *THEN* do you need to stop at the scales?

 

&quot;Towing forum&quot;... geee, why didn't *I* think of that?! :<br><br>Tough being a lost newbie :-)<br><br>Sean

 

I have pulled up to 26000 with mine on a few ocassions and I have a friend that has pulled over 32000 with his from Tennesee to Virginia. The truck will move just about anything you can hook to it but stopping it is the problem.

 

dont exhaust brakes help when stopping??

 

Yes, I'm glad we all signed the disclaimer when we started talking about towing in the 30K range.... ???<br><br>Anyway, as far as weight on the truck is concerned, we have been known to load 8800 lbs on the bed of a flatbed 3500 ctd. (bagged dry fertilizer) plus 4 hardwood skids. Never had an axle problem or tire problem (keep lots of air in 'em though!!) <br>What's the rear axle weight actually rated at? I'm not sure but it will be more than 2000. (just cause they call it a one tonne, don't mean it'll only haul a tonne)<br><br>Remember too that some weight of your trailer will be transfered to the front axle as well. (but not that much)<br>

 

I've had the Jacobs brake for over three years now and my front brake pads are just like new. They definately help.

 

Oh man, and I thought this would be easy [undecided]<br><br>I've been browsing around now and there doesn't seem to be any conclusive info on what brand of aux' brake to use, or which CDL is appropriate....etc.<br><br>My truck is an automatic and I'm getting the impression that exhaust brakes wont really work.<br><br>The truck already seems a bit sluggish in the braking department (compared to my Lotus Esprit anyway )<br><br>Maybe I should change this topic to &quot;How would *you* tow?&quot;<br><br>Let me tell you about what I need to accomplish and attack this from a different angle.<br><br>As a machinery dealer, I purchase used machines and haul them to the shop and sell them. On any given day, you never know what you will be buying, or the location of the item, so basically no load is ever the same, and you don't know before you leave how much you will buy.<br><br>There is a point while purchasing, when you have to decide to either rent a flatbed truck, or a full line truck.<br>My intent was to extend this line out a bit because these rentals are not only expensive, but often require extra days of stay at a location.<br><br>Now sometimes you will only be hauling the trailer itself (if the location has a forklift), or you will be hauling a 9klbs lift truck.<br>Of course you need a trailer that can load/unload the forklift, and the forklift has to be the *last* thing loaded.<br><br>Although I don't plan on overloading the rig, when you are dealing in basically cast iron, things can get heavy fast, and I would like to plan on having the best rig I can put together for those times when I am &quot;not quite&quot; at an obvious &quot;hire it out&quot; load<br><br>Sooo....<br>If you had a '99 TD dually AT with a flip-over ball, what would you add/change/remove to it, and please include the trailer type and options you would choose (since I've yet to buy the trailer, but am in the market).<br><br>Keep in mind that this rig will not haul daily, but when it does, it may need to be pushed. Comfort, price, etc...are not nearly as important and safety and capacity in this case.<br><br>I can purchase, add, and modify, but I cannot change trucks... I'm pretty much stuck with this one (hopefully not literally).<br><br>So, what should my heavy hauler checklist include?<br><br>Many Thanks!<br>Sean<br><br>P.S. I am not only a dealer, but have a full-sized machine shop, so fabrication of almost any kind is not a problem.

 

Since you feel you need extra braking for these loads, I agree you do, consider the following. Investigate the possibility of a trailer equipped with electric disk brakes. These have advantage of drum brakes as you well know. The maintenance is easier, they are more consistent in their braking. They are made to retrofit and replace drum brakes. <br><br>Was just looking at a catalog from Northern Tool and Equipment. http://www.northerntool.com/<br>They have a listing 12&quot; Disk Brake Assembly. <br><br>If you have good trailer brakes it will diminish the need for extra truck braking. There are other sources for trailer disk brakes. This will give you a start.

 

dtt tranny or ats tranny....beef it up and modify the engine. as far as gooseneck or 5th wheel...i believe that gooseneck ball is better..anyone else...i am no expert.

 

Sean all the questions you asked are addressed in this thread. It is many pages long. Take some time and shuffle back through the pages. On one I have a pic of a scale ticket near 30,000 with about 8000 on the drive axle. On your other thread, a big rig trailer will not clear the pickup bed. Without it you could easily run a full fifth wheel (big rig) and put the lighter axles under the trailer. I am planning a conversion of a Raven in the near future. Just remember that you need 25% of the weight on the hitch.

 

Sean,<br><br>So far I see a bunch of good info. I'll just try to throw in a few extra cents worth...<br><br>I have pulled 24,000+ lbs. (load weight, not counting trailer) on a 30' gooseneck with my '96. Electric brakes are a must. An exhaust brake would be most helpful, especially the heavier you go with loads. I plan on installing one soon. The one I bought is an older used in-line style BD. It is similar to the PacBrake. There may be pros and cons to in-line vs turbo elbow mounted systems. I also have a BD Torque Loc to control lock up during braking, additionally I bought a BD Pressure Loc to hold a higher line pressure while locked up and braking. These items should help the tranny survive the ordeal.<br><br>You will need to beef up the tranny one way or another- a valve body kit such as the TransGo I have should be considered a minimum. I would also recommend a deep tranny pan- either the Mopar Perf. or MagHytec- for the extra capacity and cooling when travelling down the road.<br><br>I haven't seen it mentioned yet, so here goes- YOU MUST HAVE GAUGES so you can keep an eye on everything- especially EGTs and trans temp, but you'll want to see your boost pressure too.<br><br>I have a 12 valver, so mine is a little different, but you'll also want a fueling box like an Edge EZ, and/or maybe bigger injectors to make some more power to pull those heavy loads. Then your EGTs will go up, so you will look at ways to make more boost and a 4&quot; exhaust system... Somewhere you can achieve your goal of being ready for unknown loads, within reason, depending on the mods you have.<br><br>I have the flip-up ball in the bed, but the previous owner just put it in using a plate (about 5/8&quot to span across the frame rails. That's not heavy enough, it's sagging. You need something more like structural square tubing, or at least heavy angle under there to support it. I've probably had at least 4,000 tongue weight (maybe more) on mine- I have the optional heavy duty helper springs- they handle it just fine, but are very harsh on bumpy roads. I am going to replace them with a heavy duty AirLift system in hopes of smoothing the ride.<br><br>Hope that helps, if you're not already, browse through some of the 24V performance threads. And have fun! ;D