Posted by mark dingbaum on Friday, April 25, 2003 at 12:10PM :
In Reply to: Need some towing advice posted by G Q from Alberta on Thursday, April 24, 2003 at 11:22AM :
You are getting good advice here. Most of the cheaper tandem axle flat bed trailers around here use the 3500lb axles. You'll be at or over the 7000 gvw limit with truck and trailer. I'm sure the axles have some safety limit at the rating, but be careful with short turns and such as the axles can bend and then it'll eat tires. For that long a trip, make sure the bearings are in good shape (repack). I'd worry most about tires, make sure you have tires rated near 2000 lbs each at minimum. Load range D or E would be best but might be hard to find in your size. What wheels are you using? I've had problems on long trips with the wheels cracking and letting the air out which causes the tire to overheat and blow. Take along at least two good spares for the trailer. Make sure you have the equipment to change a flat also, like a cheap 6-8 ton hydraulic jack and some blocking as the trailer can sit very low with a flat.
good luck,
mark