My dad has just bought a 50 horse Kubota Tractor, that ways about 6000lbs. We currently have a 16 foot trailer, but are considering upgrading to a 20 foot trailer so he can haul both the tractor and the brush hog at the same time.
Here is the problem. He has a 2006 F150 Supercrew 5.5 bed,20 inch tires,3.73 gears, 5.4 motor, prodigy brake contoller, firestone ride rite air bag system. After talking to many about trailer options everyone is recommending him get a gooseneck trailer to pull this load instead of a hitch style. The gooseneck would weigh 4750 lbs. They were saying that the gooseneck would handle the load better, which may be true, but can it be paired up to my dad's truck.
I have done some searching in the forums, but only with limited success. Can anyone give any advice or has any background with gooseneck trailers. Please do not recommend to buy a new truck.
You need 7k worth of hauling capacity.
A goose neck trailer capable of carrying 7k plus the trailer weight means you will need a 18-20' Highboy with 4' dove and flip over ramps. The trailer weight will be about 4500#'s empty and most likely with 6-7k tandem axle.
The Highboy trailers get a little squirrely(sp?) when you load them with tractors on only 6-7k axle trailers so I highly recommend an 8-9k axle trailer. the problem is when you get the 8-9k axle reputable trailers the frame goes from 6-8" double C-channel to 14# I-beam construction... the weight goes up about 1k more. So now you have 7k worth of tractor and 5500#'s of trailer for a combined weight of 12,500#s. You are deep into territory that was not meant for any F150.... Most people would not be happy with anything less than a 1 ton diesel truck.
But...
B&W does make a goose neck hitch for your truck. I have installed them for owners that wanted to pull a 3400# 2 horse trailer that has a 7k maximum capacity.
One last thought..
Get an extra 2-4' of deck lengh more than you think you need. It makes placement on the trailer of the tractor and mower positionable. Meaning you can move it forward or back to get your load balance better. A lot of time if you get the trailer the same length as the load you can never balance the load on the trailer correctly and the trailer can and will fish-tail or sway during towing.
your smoking crack and need to be elimanted from the gen pool if you think you can haul a tractor and bushog on a 150...there is no way in heck that is ever going to work.
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^dirtyd88 is the man^
1999 F150 4x4 5.4, T3 front end replacement (the cow killer), T3 straight rear bumper 8" drop, Skyjacker AAL, T-bar maxed, Toyo Open Country, AT 285/70/17, Flowmaster true dual exhaust, Kobalt skinny truck box, Icom IC-V8000, Cobra CB radio, tint, Yeah that about covers it...
your smoking crack and need to be elimanted from the gen pool if you think you can haul a tractor and bushog on a 150...there is no way in heck that is ever going to work.
Thanks for the helpful comment!! Believe me when it comes to safety, that is the overiding priority. My dad and I would never try to put anything on the road that could be dangerous. I wish people on this forum would grow up. I am 22 years old and have more respect for people than most on here ever will. We all belong to this forum so we can get together to chat about our great Ford trucks and help each other when a problem arises. Let's get back to the basics guys. I hear enough negativity everyday, I don't want to hear it when I come home everyday and get on here.
I'll post the pics when everything is more finalized.
I was in a similar situation this spring when I had to tow a John Deere skid steer and attatchment with my truck and it was over the GCVW. That combo was about 10,000#. I was lucky enough that I have a friend that owns a Ford dealer and he let me borrow a 3/4 ton V10 F250 to tow that load. I towed the load 100 miles round trip and I am glad I didnt attempt it with my truck other wise I would have probably broken something. The trailer was a bumper pull and I should have had a weight distirbuting hitch becaus I know I had a lot of tounge weight. All in all I would have your dad buy an F250 to tow that load around he will be happier with the experince towing that much weight.
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2004 F150 FX4 Scab
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Hitches in beds do not work for 1/2 ton trucks. There are exceptions, but generally, neither the truck or trailers are designed for it.
So, our dad tows about 8k pounds now, wants to add 750 more and at least 1k heavier trailer? It'll cost him either a Featherlight trailer premium or a new truck.
6k pounds is the happy limit for 1/2 tons on a regular basis.
Hitches in beds do not work for 1/2 ton trucks. There are exceptions, but generally, neither the truck or trailers are designed for it.
So, our dad tows about 8k pounds now, wants to add 750 more and at least 1k heavier trailer? It'll cost him either a Featherlight trailer premium or a new truck.
6k pounds is the happy limit for 1/2 tons on a regular basis.
If this is true then why do the inbed hitches come with instructions for mounting them in F150's, 1500...etc.
If they weren't designed for this wouldn't it make them (the companies) liable if something happened?
On the original post though that is to much wieght for a 150.
Why? Money. There are a lot of stupid people there that buy them. Why would these companies limit their market? Why would the companies be liable for someone using their products within the product's weight limits, even though it exceeds the trucks limits?
jrb, you saw my reply in the other thread.
For a once a month short tow, your dad's truck will do fine, especially with the airbags. If he is really that worried about it, I will tow it for him for fuel $$$ (assuming he has a trailer).
On an unrelated note: Haven't seen your truck parked at school where it normally is...? Gimme a call soon. Gary and I have been fishing a few times this week. Haven't caught much, except for a buzz.
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Originally Posted by RockPick
Having fun as a kid is one thing... being an absolute toolbox is another. You're the latter of that comparison.
I think that half of you need to go buy a damn Toyota truck (all they do is ride around in them) cause it sounds like you have no clue what an F-150 of capable of pulling (safely) if you have half a head on your shoulder. I have a 2003 regular cab FX4 with the 5.4 in it, 3.55's, and 285/70/17s on it - in other words I am not gonna be winning any races with it, but it has plenty of power to do all I have ever needed to do. I have drug a 24' Pace enclosed trailer with cabinets, generater, with a 2982 lb Mustang in it all over the Southeast to ORSCA, NMRA, and Fun Ford events with NO problems, I used the Equilizer hitch and took my time. I have since sold it and use an open trailer becasue the gas mileage truly sucked, but it handled OK. I will admit OD was never an option. A Prodigy brake controller is the best $$ I ever spent. I have hauled a 43HP John Deere tractor with a front bucket and a heavy ass Massy Frerg. tiller on back of the tractor and a box blade loaded on the front of a 20' steel deck trailer and could run down the interstate at 80 with no problems at all. I came back from Mobile, AL to Atlanta with my wifes new Volvo XC 90 on a 20' steel deck trailer and it handles the load better than my 03 V10 Excursion I had (not power wise but I am talking about actually handling the load with no sway). I stopped for gas and notcied they has certified CAT scales, weighed the trailer and Volvo and it came in at 8,520. I pulled, from Atlanta to Huntsville, AL, the HEAVIEST load I have ever experienced with this truck, enough geo decking to do a 12'X42' deck, that when loaded it took 2 4 ton floor jacks to jack up one side of the trailer to fix a flat that I had on it- I have no clue as to what the traler weighed but it was WAAAAAY over the limit. Did 50 mph practically the whole way with NO problems. I never use any sway control or load leveling devices with my open trailer and I have pulled some heavy stuff on it for somewhat long distances. I do not have to deal with any mountains here in the South, I base my speed on the situation at hand,and I do not use it every day to tow real heavy stuff with - but I do use it at least twice a month to pull right at 8,000 lbs and it has no problem doing that. I have found that weight is not as bad as wind drag on these trucks - those of you that pull enlcosed trailers and campers know whatI am talking about. Sory for the rant, but damn,it seems like every other day I read about how you need an F-250 to pull anyhting over 3,000 lbs.
My opinion, and you what they say about those, get a 20' tag trailer with heavy duty axlesand brakes on both axles, a gooseneck trailer like you described will be too heavy like someone else mentioned above and you will good to go unless you plan on pulling the thing everyday or for really long distances. The longer the trailer, the better you can properly distribute the weight to where you need it and you will be able to tell within the first 2 miles of towing if it is where it needs to be.
You should really read more carefully. The OP's dad currently tows something that is near or over the rated limits of his truck and is considering adding to it. How can one recommend doing this in today's litigus society? We are talking about towing 8500-11k pounds with a gooseneck pounds, not 3000 pounds.
500 pound heavier trailer (20' bumper pull) + another 750 for the brush hog in addition to the 7500-8000 pounds he already tows is questionable for 1/2 ton duty. Gooseneck, no way.
OEM tow ratings are almost never limited by power.
jrb, you saw my reply in the other thread.
For a once a month short tow, your dad's truck will do fine, especially with the airbags. If he is really that worried about it, I will tow it for him for fuel $$$ (assuming he has a trailer).
On an unrelated note: Haven't seen your truck parked at school where it normally is...? Gimme a call soon. Gary and I have been fishing a few times this week. Haven't caught much, except for a buzz.
I'm around, I am just hiding my truck until I can get it cleaned up. Filthy!! I am going to be at the farm this weekend working on my hunting cabin and planting food plots. Maybe we can meet up sometime next week. Where have you guys been fishing?
Went to some little lake (Little Prairie?) down behind Love's (RA Highway I think) on Monday. Didn't catch a thing. Went down by Newburg yesterday. Caught a few small things. Water felt good though.
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