Okay so with the lack of rain this year we had no hay. Nor did half the country....
Anyways...

We are forced to haul hay like last year(barn fire year before?,little rain)
Well we have a 1997 dodge ram 3500 extended cab diesel. We recently got a new gooseneck trailer to haul hay. Its a 25 foot(20ft flat ft tail) and it has 2 12,000 dual wheel axles for a total of 8 wheels. They are 16.5 inch ones and are wide.

We added another section on top of the neck part to place two more round bales. We made a thing out of large angle iron for the 5ft drop down to make it flat. Its heavy but not to heavy as two people slide it in and out.

We get 20 bales to a load with the 6x5 bales. Height is little over 14ft loaded. We had to measure so we knew if we could get under the bridges.

Each bale is +- 850lbs for a total of 17,000lbs bale weight.

I am unsure of the trailer weight but am I correct in guessing its somewhere around 7,000lbs?

Give or take 21,000 pounds with trailer tow weight. Now we have a auto transmission. Let me tell you the story.

We are pulling these bales from past Camden SC about 160 miles one way. Down the freeway. My dad holds the petal all the way down all the way home and down hill we may get a bit over 75 if its a large hill. Going up each hill we will drop from about 70 to 40-50mph. It bogs down badly and we have to kick overdrive out manually quicker so it can cut in and help pull uphill before the auto would kick it out.

Well it pulls okay when you first leave the field but when you drive a while and it warms up if you go to take off its like a snail. I mean it is when you first leave the field too only its worse. My dad said its because its hot. I think he is a little worried about the AUTO trans overheating.

Do we have reason to worry? I read on msn autos that our truck is meant to tow just 13,500 and the newer ones are meant for a lot more. They have double the torque. We have 8 more trips to go at least up there. I worry we could ruin a transmission and end up with a lot of money loss. Would it be better to just go get a newer one thats able to haul more? Transmission costs are high are they not?

I don't know if any of you know about this stuff. I may get my dad to call the dodge dealers to talk to them about it.

Thats a load isnt it at 21,000 pounds?

I will have to upload a picture tomorrow.

Few things to take into consideration.

1)What is the transmission? Is it a Dodge brand transmission? (Some HD trucks offer an Allision or Eaton Automatic) If its a Dodge replace it with one of those options or increase the Pan Size (the Dodge Transmissions are notorious for having too little fluid, so when put in a steep climb for an extended period they literally starve themselves of oil)

2)Don't use overdrive when towing. It increases the amount of times it has to shift under load and overheats the transmission

3) Does it have a Transmission cooler installed? If not install one you will save your transmission by doing this. If it already has one look at installing a bigger one

4)Install a temperature sensor and gauge (not the dummy light Dodge supplied) to actually watch the temps in the transmission.

5) Finally, Use a class 6 truck to haul these loads and not a class 5 (Your bound to have a C60 or similar dumptruck with a hitch on it). You are overloading the truck no class 5 truck can handle that stress for too long. (Class 5 is up to 18000 lbs, class 6 requires a CDL put tows a whole lot more) Class 6 generally starts with the 5500 trucks.

Automatic transmissions aren't really very good for towing heavy loads. When you need to replace that one, find out how much it'll cost to switch to a standard.

I would worry about forcing the transmission into a higher gear by driving that fast and for that long a time. From what I see here on the country roads no one attempts to go that fast, and most outfits have no more than 12-14 or so of those huge round bales, even for a local trip.
Z

What he said I'm sure if you look in your owners manual it will tell you not to use the overdrive when towing , the gauge is a necessity if you 're doing heavy towing, overheating the fluid only once, it loses most of capability's and can cause trans failure in a very short time.
found theses links , the first one has a nice vid at the bottom. A 4500/5500 Quad Cab (4x2 or 4x4) with a flatbed would be really handy for y'all it sounds to me.
http://www.allpar.com/trucks/chassis-cab.html
http://www.allpar.com/model/ram/medium-duty.html
then there is these Guy's (and others like them)
http://www.bankspower.com/

CGM3 - you all are running at 25% if not 33% overloaded.

Your guesstimate of round bale weights is very problematic due to % of moisture per bale, etc.

One should weigh both the the vehicle and trailer at a certified scale. Separately as well, so you know the base weights you are working with, and can then better calculate the load you can safely haul home.

If you all are loading up to the 13'6" height level, then you're also having to overcome the dynamic forces of winds, etc.
This can add another 1/3 or more weight levels if not properly loaded and tarpped.

Two 12K axles on the trailer doesn't mean you can haul 24K.

Based upon this old hay hauler's experience from decades ago.... 16 round bales is the max for your rig if it in fine shape and well maintained. Sometimes much less.

Have to or else you are running at very high rpms and it would overheat in a moment.

Oh by the way my dad said it was two 10k axles.



Very dry bales I would say. They are corn stalks bales not much moisture. We weighed them in at 850lbs for the one bale we weighed.

Do we or can we check weight of the load on a regular truck stop weigh in on the freeway?

We read the new dodge 3500 trucks can tow up to 23,000lbs GHRW or something. They have double the power of ours now as far as FT/lbs goes.

We were thinking of getting one of those. We know the weight of the truck but not the trailer. Or we can find the weight of the truck. We have been through a scale with our truck and cattle trailer unloaded.

Do we need a CDL for towing? We used to not have to but a local farmer went to the DMV recently and was told he needed one to haul big loads. The rules must have changed. Does a CDL cost? We do not want a fine thats for sure.

Yes its a long ride. 160 miles one way in total about 6 hours for loading and drive time. I cannot get a picture as my dad just went to unload it and I forgot to take one. Oh well use the imagination.

Very High RPMs???? That Engine should not be able to exceed 2000 RPMs max!!! It will give birth at 2200 for an extended period of time (As did its big brothers the C series, the L10 and the N14). For an inexperienced driver (ie- one who doesnt do this everyday) 55MPH is the fastest you should go (With 4.10 gears thats about 1800 RPMs in Drive. Which is the optimum power output of that engine)

Find a CAT Scales and have them weigh you before you pick up a load. Get a weight on each axle (Steer, Drive, Forward Tow, Rear Tow). Then again after picking up a load. CAT scales have big Yellow signs with the face of a Cat on them in Black, Can be found at almost every TA (Travel Centers Of America), or Pilot Truck Stop. Just Watch out for the Lot Lizzards. (You'll know 'em when you see 'em). CAT scales are guaranteed correct or they will pay your fines.

You dont need a 1 Ton (Ford 350, Chevy/Dodge 3500) truck to haul theses loads. You need a 1.5 ton (650/6500) minimum. You should get it with a manual transmission as well, however if you or your Dad cannot operate a Non-synchronized manual transmission (most small cars and truck up to 1 ton are synchronized) then get an Allison Automatic, or Eaton World transmission with a Driveline Brake and Exhaust Brake installed (your probably riding the brakes downhill which can cause brake fade and no more CGM3, if you get the picture).

You need a Class B CDL for Vehicles whose GVRW (weight capacity) exceeds 16,000. You need a Class A for towing anything exceeding 16,000 or vehicles exceeding 24,000 lbs capacity. The rules havent changed in 20 years.

In VA a CDL will run you approximately $50 you must be 18 for an intrastate one (instate only) and 21 for the Interstate (anywhere you want to go). The fine if caught is the least of your issues. (DOT last I checked was $10 per lb overweight. Which adds up quick.) The night in jail, the impounding of your truck and trailer, and possible loss of license (if gross negligence is proved) are what I worry about.



I deal with the DOT everyday and they DO NOT play around. If they even think your unsafe they will pull you over and shut you down. Your overweight and a safety hazard to those around you. You're lucky not to have been caught or have an accident yet.

We used to have a lot of Canucks come in for loads of paper, and they rarely left not overloaded. And they all asked if it was OK fir them to park on the back road out of the yard and sleep 'til it came time that they could leave and be sure that the scales at the border would be closed when they got there.

A truck driver that sleeps?? I rarely run across those. Unless ,like you said, they are waiting for the scales to close.

Really CGM3 ignorance is no excuse when carrying overweight loads on the roads and potentionally endangering other peoples lives.All the information you are seeking is readily available on the net.
BlackSpyder is right. If you intend long hauls,even within weight limits for the vehicle,fit an oil temp guage,deep pan sump and an oil cooler,and never run in Overdrive.These meazures are just insurance to get maximum life out of your Auto Transmission.
I have fitted litterally hundreds to cars over the years,when customers tow Caravans long distance.Or two axle trailers.
Here overweight means your Insurance Policy, is null and Void, if you have an accident and found to be overweight even by the smallest margin.
If I drive a truck for example for a Company and the Truck is pulled over at portable weigh Stations, The Driver gets a 2000 dollar on the spot fine and the Company cops a 10,000 dollar on the spot fine,which is being raised to 20K's.
Inexperienced Drivers with overweight loads on our roads are just inviting accidents to happen,and possily kill some innocent motorist. More trips with less weight is the safest for everybody concerned including yourself.

I'd like to know if the DOT is going to enforce the regulations with the Mexican drivers that are being turned loose to roam our country at will. Hell, will they even be required to be licensed to drive in this country.

I've seen some Mexican rigs, on trips to Mexico. Scary.

From what the little DOT birdies tell me. All non-American Drivers and trucks must conform to our Rules and Regulations (Canadians already do) before being allowed across the boarder. I can assure you that DOT will most likely do a better job of patrolling the boarder than the current staff already does. Again, DOT Does Not play around. They might let you slide on a boarder line issue (say a broken Chicken light, those are the ones on the visor and air cleaners), but logs, overweight, bad tires and brakes they will nail your ___ to the wall. No jokes about it, I spend more time fixing the miniaturist DOT violations then doing the hard labor of transmission and engine work.


BTW MattV this would make a great topic why dont you start it.

This post has been edited by blackspyder: Nov 4 2007, 11:40 PM

We hold the petal to the floor all the way home and never?(hardly?) touch the brakes.

Yes when we disable overdrive it will hold about(2700-2800) 3000 rpms steady and the truck only has 4000 rpms to give.



A scale brand?



Endangering others I think not.? This trailer has brakes on each wheel set which is four HUGE brakes.I mean bigger than the dodges already oversized brake hubs. We took two of them off the other day and even though I did not pick one up I was told it was very heavy. We cleaned it with some cleaner and replaces a seal and something else. It will stop quite fast at our slow 55(maybe 60 at times).

I am not biting back I guess you would say to your comment but please explain what makes it unsafe on the freeway so we can know and how its safer with a 6500 truck.

Getting a cdl does not change the fact of the heaviness of the load we are hauling. If thats what your getting at. We try to be as safe as possible.

Are we illegal other than the CDL part? Not overloading the trailer thats for sure. The truck yes.....