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Can the 6.5 pull 12,000lbs?

Michaeljp86

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Im thinking about buying small dozer that weights 12,400lbs. My trailer should be fine but will the truck handle it? I wouldnt have to haul it around alot but Id need to be able to move it around if I could make some money with it.
 
If it's fairly flat and with the right mods you can, these loads all weigh in excess of 12,000 lbs, the trailer is 7500 lbs.
 

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I have a HO water pump, new radiator, trailer brakes need work. I have a bumper pull trailer, not a 5th wheel.
 
I'd slap an HX40 on there to be sure it will pull it! Along with a decent LP around 14psi with the OPS relay mod of course. To give you power out to 4000rpm to get moving. Others have pulled as much before with the GMx turbo, but its not as nice for the engine.
 
If I buy it getting it home is the biggest thing. Id need to pull it like the truck is. The 6.5 is the biggest baddest pulling rig I have.
 
Well, I dont think youll have a power issue if you keep it in 3rd and go it slow, and might want to limit GM3 to about 12psi boost to keep some high rpm power in 2nd gear. I wouldnt use the TCC lock switch in at low speed, because TC is supposed to unlock when shifting to prevent breaking the transmission I gather. With that much weight, it might downshift to second with some serious torque.

The most important thing is knowing you'd be able to stop.

Technically over the weight limit for a tow bar ball hitch, you have a chassis mounted tow bar?
 
The trailer DOESN'T weigh nothing, so you'll be FAR over the legal & sensible limits for a bumper-pull trailer. Don't risk it. A TurnoverBall or UnaGoose are quick to install, and you can rent a trailer.
 
I dont think the trailer weights much, its a hurst, has a 2 5/16 ball. According to the tag on the trailer Id be at the max load for it. The only time Id really ever move it other then pulling it home is if I was to make some money with it. If that was the case Id soon have money to buy a better pulling truck. Id like to get a small single axle dump, like a IH 4700. We dont really have any hills here either.
 
Personally I'd either find an alternative to get this thing home, or don't bother. If you where going a mile down the road that runs parallel to your farm thats one thing, but this sounds like your interested in hauling it alot more than that. If the trailer is rated to take that much weight it probably weighs in excess of 3,000lbs. Whats the receiver hitches on these trucks held to the frame with? (6) 1/2" bolts?

Reality of it, like Steve83 said, its unsafe. Gooseneck or 5th wheel, as long as the brakes work properly I say go for it. But a bumper pull? No Way.
 
Personally I'd either find an alternative to get this thing home, or don't bother. If you where going a mile down the road that runs parallel to your farm thats one thing, but this sounds like your interested in hauling it alot more than that. If the trailer is rated to take that much weight it probably weighs in excess of 3,000lbs. Whats the receiver hitches on these trucks held to the frame with? (6) 1/2" bolts?

Reality of it, like Steve83 said, its unsafe. Gooseneck or 5th wheel, as long as the brakes work properly I say go for it. But a bumper pull? No Way.

Its almost a straight pull home, its right off 12, so Id just have to head down 12 about 8 miles and the head north on cleveland about 12 miles.

After it was home Id only pull it if I thought I was ok when I pulled it the forst time and that would only be if I could find some work. If not Id fix it and put it up forsale.

There is sometimes a tremendous difference between "can" and "should."
Ive done a lot of can and probably shouldnt have.


Im not set on buying it, just something Im rolling around the old nogin and thought Id get your guys opinion to help me decide. Theres a tractor behind a barn Im going after. If I cant get that then Id be looking into this crawler unless something like a mini excavator came up. And at the same time Im kinda thinking about finding another truck and he would have to come down on the price some more. Ive pulled 1/2 this load before almost like it wasnt there but Ive pulled loads this heavy before with different trucks and was worried the whole time.
 
There is sometimes a tremendous difference between "can" and "should."

Absolutely!
I already sent one hitch and the frame extender to the scrap yard. I also had to untweek the bends in the rear frame. This is from unloading the rear of the trailer as we delivered items and this caused the tongue weight get too high on bad road.

Bumper pull is limited to 10,000 LBS with the trailer weight and that is ignoring the engine. (I recall 11,000 LBS for the 454 and a 5th was the largest weight rating I could find anywhere for this body style.) The weakest rated component like the 5000 LB ball or 7500 LBS hitch is your actual limit.

http://www.campinglife.com/tow-ratings-database/

A 2005 Duramax is only rated to 12,000 LBS trailer and 22,000 GCWR. (12,000 LBS trailer and 23,500 GCWR 1 ton)

You need a bigger truck to do the job. I suggest you look at renting one and some places even sell you the rented truck should this venture be profitable for you.

Flip the truck, trailer, and dozer after something breaks towing it. Assuming no one gets hurt you are still out of business, out of a truck, trailer, and the dozer...
 
I towed heavy with a bumper pull one time when I had to move a piece of equipment and my goose-neck was already being used. That will be my last time using one. Your front tires of your truck wouldn't even be hardly on the ground with that weight behind it.
 
Lets say I did buy it, would I be OK with my truck with a gooseneck? I have a hitch just would need a trailer.
 
I've done 15-16k combined with mine and had no problems with power, but that's about as high as I'd want to go with it.
 
We used to pull our swathers on old bumper pull Combine trailers built on 3 trailer house axles. Ol Blue (in my sig) was used for pulling swathers (mine now is 18K not sure what the old ones were) and hauling hay grossing +30k on gooseneck since it was new. It CAN be done. We had a custom built bumper and hitch with heaviest ball available and never had any real issues.

Around here if we are obviously doing farm work and have everything strapped and chained decently then we get left alone.
You wont have a problem pulling it but stopping could get tricky. I could pull the load in my avatar at 60 and with trailer brakes it stopped OK but i keep to 50-55 when loaded heavy.
 
Well what Ill do is keep a eye out for a goodeneck that can haul it and add that to what I would have to spend if I decide to buy it. I can always hire someone to haul it home, its not that far. Then while Im working on it I can watch for a trailer. The guy said for 4k he would throw in a bumper pull trailer that he used to haul it but its a single axle monster. You would need a big truck.
 
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