Advice needed on a Tow
06-18-2009, 10:22 PM
#32
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First of all you must think of the width of the boat. YOU NEED PERMITS! Dont try it without permits because they will have you leave the trailer there where ever they catch you while you go to try and get a permit once you get caught. Then you have to drive only in daylight with some curfews in different areas. READ THE LAWS. If you can get the trailer repaired you need to take thought of the weight of the total vehicle and what it is registered for and the load. Your best choice is to pay the pro to haul it. If you hit something with the wide load and no permits or the class license it needs to haul it, You will loose the boat in fines and legal fights. Something that wide and size try to call a pro in Fl with a low boy and he might be able to tilt it and avoid the width.
06-21-2009, 08:12 AM
#33
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"The debate of tongue weight is simple, it works on a greater percentage of weight forward of the balance point(axles). The heavier the object, the more tongue weight you end up with. That's why 18 wheeler trailer axles are all the way back and the tractor can hold so much weight. It's always better to be safe than sorry!!!!"
This statement is a little off base - let's look at what the law allows for a big truck 80,000 lbs on the scales:
steer axle 12,000lbs
drive axle tractor 34,000 lbs
trailer axle 34,000 lbs
So, the law mandates that the weight on the tractor and trailer are equal and since the tractor weighs more than the trailer the trailer carries more of the weight. Also, the tandems on the trailers for the most part are able to slide.
You set them all the way back to make bridge formulas and somewhat better ride as long as the tractor can carry it nicely - air bags better so than springs. But if your at 80,000 it's almost impossible to scale out with the tandems all the way back, you need to slide them up and get some weight off the front of the trailer.
Throw in the fact that the fifth wheel slides back and forth to adjust weight on the steer axle as well!
Brakes, when you throw tractor trailer into this you couldn't be more off - the brake shoe sizes and numbers of brakes are the same on the trailer as the tandem of the tractor with exactly the same pressures - exactly. No 80% done in the front, don't understand that at all? The steer axle of the tractor has little brakes shoes with a pressure limiting valve so it gets 40% - 50% less pressure on the brakes applied. The reason is, if you lock the front brakes you have no control and can not keep a skidding truck and trailer straight - no steering means accident. Back in the day and ask any old trucker we used to take the front brakes completely off the tractor and that was DOT legal in the 70's and early 80's.
Here's my point, why aren't all you people who think this was so unsafe getting all upset about GLH and his new tow rig???? It has single tires on it therefore it must be unsafe. The fact that it is an F-650 makes no difference becasue all the arguments on here are based on single tires. His braking must also be no good for that big boat he's hauling because he has single tires - look at the pics of his truck are those just big tires or super singles?
Why is that imnportant, because super singles put hims into the 18 wheeler class, big tires means the guy that started this thread could have have BIG tires as well therefore contact with the road surface equals or exceeds that of a dually and all the arguemnts about s braking and whether he had single or dual tires goes away!!!
This statement is a little off base - let's look at what the law allows for a big truck 80,000 lbs on the scales:
steer axle 12,000lbs
drive axle tractor 34,000 lbs
trailer axle 34,000 lbs
So, the law mandates that the weight on the tractor and trailer are equal and since the tractor weighs more than the trailer the trailer carries more of the weight. Also, the tandems on the trailers for the most part are able to slide.
You set them all the way back to make bridge formulas and somewhat better ride as long as the tractor can carry it nicely - air bags better so than springs. But if your at 80,000 it's almost impossible to scale out with the tandems all the way back, you need to slide them up and get some weight off the front of the trailer.
Throw in the fact that the fifth wheel slides back and forth to adjust weight on the steer axle as well!
Brakes, when you throw tractor trailer into this you couldn't be more off - the brake shoe sizes and numbers of brakes are the same on the trailer as the tandem of the tractor with exactly the same pressures - exactly. No 80% done in the front, don't understand that at all? The steer axle of the tractor has little brakes shoes with a pressure limiting valve so it gets 40% - 50% less pressure on the brakes applied. The reason is, if you lock the front brakes you have no control and can not keep a skidding truck and trailer straight - no steering means accident. Back in the day and ask any old trucker we used to take the front brakes completely off the tractor and that was DOT legal in the 70's and early 80's.
Here's my point, why aren't all you people who think this was so unsafe getting all upset about GLH and his new tow rig???? It has single tires on it therefore it must be unsafe. The fact that it is an F-650 makes no difference becasue all the arguments on here are based on single tires. His braking must also be no good for that big boat he's hauling because he has single tires - look at the pics of his truck are those just big tires or super singles?
Why is that imnportant, because super singles put hims into the 18 wheeler class, big tires means the guy that started this thread could have have BIG tires as well therefore contact with the road surface equals or exceeds that of a dually and all the arguemnts about s braking and whether he had single or dual tires goes away!!!
