Awh, now my head hurts!

Any insight you'll can offer will be greatly appreciated.

At this point I am once again thinking -- two trips. 1600 miles round trip each time. Being unsure of my towing range I feel safer towing less weight by making two trips. I'd rather spend a little more on gas for two trips than breakdown on the road with engine, transmission, or an axle failure, and with all that tractor stuff in tow, 6,500 lbs. worth, I'd have to pay somebody to tow it to the repair shop, and then I'd have to pay for my repairs, which I wouldn't be able to do anyway, unless the repair guy would take a tractor as payment cause all my spend-able cash is in this tractor deal, which would defeat the whole purpose of the trip since it was me who needed the tractor in the first place - not this mechanic. And even after being repaired, (providing I could pay for repairs and keep the tractor, which I already said I can't) I'd still be trying to pull a load that caused a breakdown in the first place, meaning I'd most likely breakdown again! Then I'd surly lose the tractor cause my wife would make me get rid of it for causing all this trouble.

How does one figure out a vehicle's towing capacity anyway?

I got out my owner's manual for my F250 but the more I read the less I understood. I don't think that's the way it's suppose to work.

So, using a chart from my owner's manual and following the directions given for gathering my vehicle information to determine load/towing capacity I am still not sure of my vehicle's towing capacity. I think it is 6,200 lbs., total. To me that means if the trailer weighs 2,000 lbs., I can put only 4,200 lbs on the trailer, even though the trailer is capable of holding 5,000 lbs.

Here's the relevant information:

1996 F250
5.8L V8 Gas Engine
4X4 Automatic Transmission
Regular Cab
Rear Axle Ratio 3.55
GVWR 8600
Actual Vehicle Weight 6,240

Trailer is a 7,000 lb 7'X 18' Beavertail, but it's load capability is limited to 5,000 lbs. Trailer's actual weight is 2,000 lbs.

According to my owners manual with the above information I should now be able to determine my vehicle's load/towing capacity. Boy I'm feeling dumb.

Initially I thought 6,200 lbs., cause the owners manual, Trailer Towing Table - page 239 - 4X4 Automatic Transmission section indicates a trailer weight range of 0 - 6,200 lbs. I thought that's pretty straight forward, but then I read, Vehicle Loading/Towing Information and came up with 7,360 lbs., but I got to thinking, I know I shouldn't do that cause my wife says that's were all our troubles start, but I thought, if I got a bigger trailer naturally I could tow more. But then I thought at what point would the bigger trailer theory exceed my trucks ability to pull. That started me thinking I got the 7,360 lb figure wrong.

Anyway regardless of what the tow vehicle can pull, which I can't seem to figure out - correctly, I can't put more than 5,000 lbs on the trailer, this is making me nuts!

However if I put 5,000 lbs. on the trailer then I'm pulling a total of 7,000 lbs., right? But that exceeds the Trailer Towing Table, page 239, 4X4 Automatic Transmission section indicating a trailer weight range of 0 - 6,200 lbs.

I should probably make two trips.

Of course I had to call a trailer sales place to speak with a mechanic knowledgeable in trailer and vehicle towing...

...the mechanic told me that you can actually tow 6,450 on a 7,000 lb trailer despite the 5,000 lb weight restriction stamped on the tongue! Wouldn't that make it an 8,450 lb trailer considering the trailer weighs 2,000 lbs with no load? But that doesn't matter anyway, I can't pull more than 6,200 lbs., total, meaning a load of only 4,200 lbs.

Now my head hurts.

Was this too much information?

There must be a better way to figure this out then reading the owners manual.

Seriously though, I think it should be two trips. Gas is cheaper than a tranny rebuild.

There should be a sticker inside your driver door frame telling you the max load you can put _on_ your pickup including passengers; and the total combined weight you can safely _haul_ including the pickup & contents & the trailer & contents.

Do _not_ exceed those numbers. DOT will be very upset.

Your pickup should be able to handle the load you mention, but it depends upon the hitch you are using, and so on. You have one wobbly leg to stand on if you abide by the total gross weight listed on the door frame.

--->Paul

The 15000 on the steers is if you have the tires to handle it.

With 11 X 22.5 or 11 X 24.5 max allowed is 12,000. That's federal. You can go up to 20,000 on a single axle if the bridge is correct and you have the correct size tires.

Rule of thumb is 1000# per inch of tire on singles.

I've "cheated" on weight (not big loads) when I've only been going done the road a few miles and probably didn't get over 30 MPH, but I wouldn't take to the highway with such loads.

I've seen guys on the road with loads I know aren't safe. I just try to steer clear (literally!).

Seems like my GCVWR is something like 24,250 on a 3/4 Dodge. That's plenty. I usually run around 20,000 (5500# of truck, me, fuel, and tools, and 14,000 of trailer, load, etc).

I'd make sure of the trailer, but I think the truck would be fine. Be sure to lock the OD off.