I completely understand where you're coming from.

The simplest way is to take your truck to a truck body company. Most sell other people's bodies and do the fabrication as needed. Others do theirs from scratch. To be blunt, it's Amish Engineering. They make this stuff so damn big and heavy, there's no possibility of it failing. You can use a pintle in a receiver but you're still limited by the hitch. Take a look sometime at the setups they use on tandem trailer rigs. How the pintle is mounted to the frame. That's what you need for pulling big weight.

The problem is that you need a medium or heavy duty to pull over 16K with a pintle. Even the f450 (which is marketed as a medium but really isn't) is limited to 16K standard towing. It only goes up to 24K with gooseneck or fifth wheel. It is by far the highest rated "1 ton" on the market and is matched with the appropriate receiver if used with a WD setup. I have changed my trailer setup to be legal and it tows very well. Part of the reason is the integrated trailer brake, commercial tires and a very good trailer. I admit I have towed it with the WD system I used to use when I towed with a Class 8 truck and it towed well, but I wouldn't do it on public roads because it simply isn't legal, with all the liability issues beaten to death on all the preceding threads.

I have researched this subject for a while as well. I contacted American Trailer Association and asked them flat out what kind of truck could legally pull my trailer (Myco 38 HTR) - no direct answer. I then called Myco and he started to give me the runaround and did not have an answer either. The max capacity for the trucks is sometimes listed as max weight and sometimes as max rating - big difference. I opted to make sure my truck could pull the actual weight in accordance with the manual and weights printed on the door sticker. The hook up I found is up to me and as of now, every component has a higher capacity than what the truck will ever tow. This game is out of control and I think the DOT/DMV wants to keep it that way.

ok also if the truck is say 14,000 on the tag and you put a 20,000 pound trailer on it you need a CDL your over 26001 your at 34 so check the combined weight

ok as far as i no the truck rating is not the sam as the hitch if the trailer is 10,000 then you need a hitch ratted 10,000 the truck GVW on the tag could be 9,000 so add 9,000 and 10,000 for the trailer your good for a gross load of 19,000 so again as long as your combined is less than 26,000 no CDL over 26 you need a CDL. So if the truck waighs 7000 the trailer say 3000 plus the load 10000 your at 20,000 you need a heaver truck thats good for 10,000 GVW so your not over your combined gross weight

To be legal and without concerns about insurance denying a claim, you need every component to meet or exceed limitations AND you need a CDL if combined weight is 26 K or over.

I couldn't find the receiver hitch weight but I think it's around 12,000lbs on my 2006 quad cab Dodge dually 4x2.

OK, the key phrase here was using air bags, a tuner and be extra careful??? These all sound like compensations for a truck that wasn't meant for the job in the first place. Would you want to pull a $300,000 boat down the road trying to be exxxxtra careful, so nothing bad happens...sounds like a pretty foolish risk with your investment and a salesman that was try'n to sell a lesser truck. IMO

Another good resource for GM vehicles:

http://www.drivetrain.com/GMtrkratio_posidata.html

2008 Towing Guide Link:

http://www.trailerlife.com/images/di...wGuide0801.pdf