Velocity Vector

iTrader: (4)

From experience, I hauled a 35' cruiser 12' beam for 900 miles and during the trip, I can't tell you how many times I said to myself "your so stupid". I even had a f-650 and a goose trailer. By the time I got home I could of paid someone else to hauled it 1800 miles and saved money. I have been known to spend a dollar to save a dime and this is one of them.

HabanaJoe

My thoughts - unless you like driving like I do and don't mind the worry that something can always happen put it on a flatbed and fix the trailer when it comes home.

Me, I would pull it back myself because that is what I like to do.

As far as your single wheel truck goes, if you balance the load well it makes no difference what so ever single wheel, dual wheel, 250, 350, 450 - I adjust my boat on the trailer to fit the tongue weight that I want.

I feel it's the brakes on the trailer that make the difference - you need good trailer braking that is equal to the truck braking and it will stop well - the truck itself can not stop the whole rig safely.

I set the boat back and if it too lite on the nose and I get a little sway I move it up a little. Sway is not enough weight on the tongue. Never needed a scale to tell me what the truck likes on it's ass weight wise - the truck tells you once you pull it a couple miles at cruising speed.

bowtie

If you're getting permits many states require dual rear wheels for an over width permit. I have towed with both single and dual wheel, and with a heavy load there really is a big difference regardless of how it's balanced although the load should be balanced properly. Dual rear wheels carry more weight safely.

HabanaJoe

Bowtie - let me ask you to explain how the weight of the trailer would make any difference as compared to the tongue weight when it comes to single or dual? Take ratings from manufactures out of it because that is based more on truck braking capacity and ability to carry weight whether it is in or leveraged onto the truck.

ie our test is a 20,000 boat and trailer set-up:
#1 has 1,500 tonque weight
#2 has 3,000 tonque weight

Let's look at braking, #1 with dual rear wheels has so little weight on the rear wheels that if you stepped hard on the brakes because the truck rear wheels would then to lock-up and go into a skid mode which is unsafe

#1 with single wheel has more PSI of road contact and less apt to lock-up therefore safer on hard braking.

I can on and on about all this but I'd like your techinical explainations as to why you believe what you said.

PS not trying to be a smart ass here, and I agree with big boats usally are nose heavy and the single wheels are not enough to support the tonque weight but that is much different than the weight of the trailer being too heavy for single wheels - please let's debate - it's cloudy as hell today and my wife is saying "it's to nasty to go on the boat today" so I'm cranky! (LOL)

pookie

The dual rear wheels are good if you have a rear flat or lose trailer brakes (more surface area to stop a heavy load).

wannabe

mild thunder:

Your issue is the trailer will need a complete overhaul in Florida unless you ship it on a flat bed. The brakes will need a complete go through. If they are surge brakes plan on completely replacing them along with the master cylinder. This will not be cheap in time or money. If you do plan on trailering it I would ask on the board here for recommendations of trailer service shops in Fla. near to the location of the boat. I fooled around with my surge brakes for a whole winter then gave up and had it converted to electric brakes by a trailer shop near me. I am much happier with functioning brakes now.

You will probably be near the limit of the SRW truck with that 40 ft cat. Having a 11' 6 width means driving only in daytime hours figure at least 2+ days of driving sun up to dusk.

Wannabe

HabanaJoe

pookie,

More surface area to stop a load? Under that theory when you bobtail with a tractor and there are 8 tires in the back why when you step on the brake hard will the wheels lock up and skid?

If you had 16 tires (not factoring in the extra weight of the 8 tires) then it should not skid or skid less - right? The fact is it will skid even easier because each tire has less ground pressure and will skid easier.

The more pressure on the contact area of the tire the harder to make it skid the better to stop providing your brakes can apply ample pressure and you don't spin the tire on the rim with that much resistance.

All that being said - ratty old trailer, small truck, doubtfulness of repairs to trailer put it on a flatbed and bring it home.

pookie

I have a tandem dually and the weight is over the axles. It stops hard and doesn't skid. The brake actuator needs to be adjusted well. Even with good equipment, it doesn't have the redundancy like a big rig with air brakes. All it takes is a fuse to blow to lose trailer brakes. I agree that with poor traction ( i.e. Wet pavement) weight on the tires factors in but in most conditions, surface area in contact is the limiting factor.

bowtie

First off, the reason a bobtail skids when trying to stop is there is not enough weight on the tires. As far as the dually, I never even mentioned tounge weight. The dual wheels give more stability, less chance of roll over. You don't feel the side to side rocking with a dually you that is there with a single wheel truck when towing. That's why the states require dual rear wheels. I don't think the gross combined weight rating is any higher with the dual wheels, but if you've ever towed with both, there is a big difference.

HabanaJoe

Yes there is big difference, a dually doesn't fit in the track the big trucks make, they sway much more, I have them at the generator shop and would tow with a single wheel anyday over a dually around the NJ/NY area.

I say my vs your personal perfernce in towing.

What do you mean by roll over? Tire sidewall type of failure or the truck rolling over?

What states require dual rear wheels for towing unless it's for above an overall gross weight?