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I am guessing the OP must be parking the trailer for the season. Otherwise, not having a tow vehicle that can haul it would be overly inconvenient.
The solution for the OP is a portable dump tank as suggested earlier. Especially if he parks for the season. Why would anyone want to tow the whole rig to the dump station every few days over a season if they could spend a couple bucks on the portable tank instead?
Then, the issue of his pickup's tow rating won't matter and he can rent a tow vehicle at the end of the season to take the thing trailer to storage.
I'm amazed at how this thread has grown. I looked at it when it had one response, figured it had covered it and went on. Nope. Geez, we even had one respondent who says it needs a 1-ton. Nowhere does it say how heavy the trailer is, only that it's a ton heavier than his truck is rated to pull.
The first response had it right. Tow ratings cover towing at highway speeds all day long -- tires get hot, brakes get hot, springs take a hit over chuck holes, etc., etc., etc. OP wants to pull his trailer across a campground to dump the tanks. I'd guess we're talking about 5-10 mph for less than a mile.
NO PROBLEM! Just take it real easy.
However, the tote that was posted up topic and mentioned in the post above this one would be ideal if this is going to be parked in a campground for the season. It'll save you a lot of time and trouble no matter what size your truck. I've used one. Very simple, much easier than moving the whole trailer back and forth. Some can be towed by your truck, smaller ones can just be pulled by hand like a Radio Flyer. I've seen them advertised for under $100. Personally, I'd try to get one big enough to empty your full tanks into, but the one I used was smaller. Just be careful that you don't overfill it or you could end up with a major mess!!!!
Have you asked if there's a honey wagon service? Some extended-stay campgrounds offer this if there's no sewer hookups for all/some of the sites.
I dunno what to make of this thread. Have you people never towed/hauled a heavy load with a pickup? Ya'll really think the frame's gonna buckle and the world will come crashing down if he exceeds the towing capacity by 2000 pounds just go do dump the **** tank?
Please.
Ya'll should see some of the loads I've hauled/towed with a half ton pickup. And old/rusty one to boot. I'm not saying it's a good idea... just saying that it's not going to damage the truck as long as you operate with some common sense.
Towing this trailer around the campground will cause *zero* problems. Now it may not tow particularly well on the highway. Could be a serious liability issue if you get into a wreck and it's noticed that you're towing significantly above capacity. But mechanically, as long as you're not bottoming out the rear suspension or going over a pass in the rockies, it's not a big deal.
A lot of the people here seem to get their towing info from car salesmen and travel magazines. Tow hitches have a huge safety margin because they are designed for dynamic loading, like going over bumps at highway speeds or making panic stops. If you are towing an over-weight trailer, just don't get in a hurry and you will be fine.
There are limits. I once pulled the Barden bumper off of a 1974 Chev half ton. The freaking dealer used mild steel bolts to install it. I replaced the bolts with grade 8 bolts and never had another problem. Before you tow anything with a receiver hitch, it's a good idea to crawl under there and make sure the installer used graded bolts.
OP said the dump station is n the campground. It’s probably the no sewer hook up type of campground and you dump before you leave to go home. If op is basically tooling around the campground to dump and go back to his spot he would be fine. It’s slow walking type speeds. Now if he has to go on the road to dump and go back....even then he could very likely physically move the trailer there and going back depending on the truck size but would be illegally towing and if he gets in a wreck he could be held liable.
I personally would move up to a truck that can tow the trailer safely on the road.
^ this. I've even used my small side by side no problem. Walking speeds are fine.
It does look funny though with this little side by side and a big trailer.
I dunno what to make of this thread. Have you people never towed/hauled a heavy load with a pickup? Ya'll really think the frame's gonna buckle and the world will come crashing down if he exceeds the towing capacity by 2000 pounds just go do dump the **** tank?
Please.
Ya'll should see some of the loads I've hauled/towed with a half ton pickup. And old/rusty one to boot. I'm not saying it's a good idea... just saying that it's not going to damage the truck as long as you operate with some common sense.
Towing this trailer around the campground will cause *zero* problems. Now it may not tow particularly well on the highway. Could be a serious liability issue if you get into a wreck and it's noticed that you're towing significantly above capacity. But mechanically, as long as you're not bottoming out the rear suspension or going over a pass in the rockies, it's not a big deal.
A friend of mine's Dad tows a flatbed trailer with a bulldozer on it, 12,000 pounds total, with a V6 F150 1/2 ton pickup. This is around his ranch. When asked about the potential for the truck to break, he said "I only paid $1200 for the truck, and have had it two years, so who cares if breaks"
A friend of mine's Dad tows a flatbed trailer with a bulldozer on it, 12,000 pounds total, with a V6 F150 1/2 ton pickup. This is around his ranch. When asked about the potential for the truck to break, he said "I only paid $1200 for the truck, and have had it two years, so who cares if breaks"
Trucks can actually tow ALOT more than they are rated for, those GVW numbers factor in more than the strength or ability of the truck, some of it comes down to braking power and stability on the road with such a heavy load.
I remember lots of guys in the late 80s, early 90s, that paid no attention to their GVWR, if they 'thought' they could tow it...they COULD tow it!! LOL Of course, everyone being safety conscious today, they want to stay within the manufacturer ratings.
I guess if there's any place to test if your truck will pull more than it's rated for, that place is off public roads. Probably not much better place than a low-speed, off-road, sparsely populated area.
This is assuming the camp sites aren't squashed together.
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