Tall Tow-Rig Tire Tech

[2xtreme]

Yes, My question was facetious, but not entirely. I am well aware of what I believe the issues are with lifted trucks (both towing and not towing). On the other hand I believe there are MANY other issues with vehicles as a whole that are probably much more significant. I will list a few of the more diverse issues just to provide an opinion:

1. Vehicles driving on the street with loads not contained (including speakers, groceries, etc).
2. Vehicles driving with children, dogs, birds, newspapers, make-up in the drivers lap.
3. Drivers drinking coffee, talking on the cell phone, putting on make-up all at the same time.
4. Vehicles that weight less than the trailer they are towing.
5. Vehicles that are towing more than the recommended amount alowed by the vehicle.
6. Towing with no brake controler.
7. Unsecured or inadaquate secured loads on trailers.
8. Driving on donut spare tires or with bald tires.
9. re-tread tires on large trucks.
10. Drivers who simply are not paying attention to driving.

While I agree that driving a lifted (or any modified) vehicle could be considered more dangerous than a stock vehicle, I would argue that there is a much longer list of other items that should be considered far more dangerous that towing with a lifted truck. My vehicles are equiped well to tow, I never tow more than they are rated for (including tires), they are well maintained, and I drive in a manor appropriate for the vehicle I am driving. Accidents can always happen, and I am not perfect, but I see things on the road all the time that scare me to death and lifted tow rigs is not at the top of that list.

Sorry it isnt the highest quality pic, I will take some more later.

Michael

 

[2xtreme]

Torque.... The longer the drop hitch, the more multiplied the torque onto receiver. I know a guy that had a problem with this....his Jeep cartwheeled down Main Street in Puyallup, IIRC.

Yes, I have made it a point to inspect all of my receivers on a routine basis since that insident. I have also doubled up the tow straps and locations that hold the Jeep on the trailer, and continue to check tire pressure in both vehicles. eace:

Michael

 

[oldskooldubbin]

So out of curiosity what would be unsafe about towing with a lifted rig anyway?

Michael

How about brakes? Big wheels and tires are much more heavy and you factory brakes just were not meant to handle all that extra weight.

 

[2xtreme]

How about brakes? Big wheels and tires are much more heavy and you factory brakes just were not meant to handle all that extra weight.

As a general rule, this would be my major concern with most lifted vehicles also.

I have not yet had the breaks apart on this truck and so I don't know if they are stock or not. However, SD brakes are designed for towing from the factory and in comparison to MANY other vehicles that I have driven with stock sized tires, this thing stops on a dime with or without the trailer (with trailer brakes). In fact, the stopping distance with my Ex on 38's compared to my Older Suburban on 31's is about 1/2 the distance!! (this was a hard but not emergency stop in an uncontrolled test).

Michael

 

[bmfm64]

i tow all the time in my 4 door long bed superduty with 12 inches and 39.5 boggers.... no problems and i tow a 10k dune hauler and a bobcat 325 on a 5k trailer on a regular basis... like you said it's about setting the truck up right and not being an idiot behind the wheel.

 

[Avanteone]

i tow all the time in my 4 door long bed superduty with 12 inches and 39.5 boggers.... no problems and i tow a 10k dune hauler and a bobcat 325 on a 5k trailer on a regular basis... like you said it's about setting the truck up right and not being an idiot behind the wheel.

Yeah, but you are a jackass.

 

[bmfm64]

Yeah, but you are a jackass.

and good at it! :wave1:

 

[Avanteone]

and good at it! :wave1:

You coming to our Meet and Greet?

 

[bmfm64]

ya we be up there saturday mornin just for the day though.

 

[Motornoggin]

I don't necessarily believe that a lifted tow rig is really any more dangerous than a stock rig, I just don't see any advantage to doing it, but I see many disadvantages. First, it's expensive for no or little performance gain on a street rig, but your COG goes up, and more is better, right? Secondly most of the time, people retain the stock gearing yet put on oversize tires. Now, I know diesels make lots of torque etc. and can generally handle it, but it still, it makes the engine and trans work harder, and is harder on bearings etc. Third, the oversize tires have a taller sidewall which allows for more deflection and distortion and general overall squirrelyness. Fourth, the vehicle is now punching a larger hole through the air, running larger diameter tires and has more weight and rolling resistance which = poor fuel mileage, but you aren't really sure about that because your speedometer is probably off. Finally, you need a longer drop hitch, which has more flex and probably a smaller towing capacity. To counter that, you can do an axle flip on the trailer, but now we are back at that pesky COG thing again.
Don't get me wrong, i like the looks of a lifted CC as much as the next guy, but my tow rig mods are all about comfort and towing performance. A lift and large tires doesn't fit the bill.

 

[Phil]

I like how the one in front of the trailer is on 40s, and the one on top of the trailer is on 33s.

My only question is, did Superlift spend as much time designing the suspension for towing as Ford did?

 

[chpmnsws6]

Reasons not to tow with a lifted truck-

-CG is way off
-Brakes not designed for the added load the tires add
-Drop hitch is just a leverage point to toss your truck around
-Even with your massive drop hitch, from the picture it still looks like your trailer is riding on the back tires
-In most sates, the height you are at is illegal..... and for a reason

We owned a horse trailer sale/rental business and saw this kind of thing all too often.


Now that I'm getting off my stump...

Good looking 7.3! You wouldn't happen to be on Diesel Bombers would you?

 

[mr_wallace]

Yeah your tires could have a good load rating. But what about your rims? And load ratings on tires usually gets higher as the rim gets larger, not just the tires alone. In your picture it looks as if you should drop your ball mount one more notch, your trailer should sit level unloaded, not slightly higher to make up for tongue weight. But its true, it all boils down to the driver.

 

[2xtreme]

The photos are not taken on level ground. It sits level on level ground.
Yes, the wheels have a higher load rating than the tires. I have never compared the load rating of different size wheels, I didn't know they changed significantly with size. I do know that they change with different brands, and manufacturing processes.

Michael

 

[noutlawjeeper]

Have you ever meet Michael? If you did you wouldn't be questioning him like he's an idiot.