there are several that are high pressure, and target you for one big sale. I’ve known used lots that send buyers all over the country to buy the last flood, hurricane, hail, or tornado-damaged vehicles at auctions, and ship them home to be repainted and rebuilt. Ever wonder how used lots have the latest model year vehicles? Manufacturers also sell the lemons they can’t fix at those auctions. Watch out for the newer models with low miles, thinking there is still factory warranty left. They don’t all have it.
I’ve known a lot of car salesman in my ten years of being in the business. They make more money working for the used lots. The problem with new lots, the big ones with the most inventory, is that they have the most “new green pea salespeople” who naturally don’t know much about trucks. What do you do? I suggest you do your own homework. Go to the manufacturer’s websites. New dealers have the manufacturer behind them on new, and also usually on the used inventory. With the factory-certified mechanics close by, it’s easier to have the vehicle checked out. If the vehicle you are looking at is the same brand they sell new, it can be traced on the factory computer for recalls and repair history. And you can find out if there really is factory warranty left!
Used lots of ill repute will watch you drive away hoping to not see you again. They will not be your friend when the truck breaks down. If the new dealer is well-established, they have considerably more invested in their franchise than the used lot with a two year lease on their property. The better auctions that sell the factory program cars from the manufactories, lease returns, and executive cars, usually sell these vehicles to the franchise dealers first at special monthly auctions. Guess who the auctions sell the lemons and worn-out trade-ins to? We know that there are both good and bad new and used vehicle dealers. But, since prices are usually comparable between the two, you need to decide which one gets your future sales and service business? If you find unbelievable deals somewhere, what does common sense say?
A TRUCK AND A TRAILER
GET HITCHED
The number one cause of trailer accidents is the wrong size ball. I know you guys reading this know how big your balls are. Pickup truck and trailer compatibility is in your control. What guidelines make the union between your truck and trailer long-lasting and safe for your family?
Rules for towing and trailers in general are less-regulated in the US. In Canada, you have to have your trailer inspected each year, and your brake-away system uses a full size battery. In Europe, trailers have to be tested on a track before they can be sold. In Australia, trailers over 10,000 pounds are required to have air brakes on the trailer and all goosenecks use three inch balls which were implemented in the US on 30,001 pound trailers and larger in the last five years.
The SAE makes up the requirements for trailers but has no enforcement authority. The DOT (Department of Transportation) has a few trailer requirements but mostly it governs semi-trailers. For example, since 1991 over-the-road semi-trailers have been required to have an ABS (anti lock braking system) and a side light to tell you if the trailer ABS is working. On your horse trailer, RV, or car trailer, you still aren’t required to have ABS brakes. DOT, EPA, and SAE have an extreme impact on your truck’s manufacturing requirements.
Gather all the information you can on your truck’s capacity. Most trailer towing, payload, tongue weight, and axle weight ratings will be on the truck manufacturer’s website, but you have to dig into the websites. First, you have to know your truck configuration. The more options on your truck, the lower the payload and trailer capacity. So a stripped down 4x2 single cab truck with a gas engine will have a higher payload than a 4x4 crew-cab long-bed diesel, even though we all know a typical diesel engine has more power and torque to tow trailers than a gas engine. Don’t forget braking, including the diesel exhaust brake. The extra weight of a loaded diesel truck can be better at controlling a trailer. So what do you do: buy a less powerful gas truck that fits the requirements including insurance and warranty, or buy a diesel that will make it to the top of the mountain with ease? Here are the rules, and you can decide.
If you’re buying a new truck, get the trailer tow package, including: integrated trailer brake controller, receiver hitch, larger radiator, and transmission cooler. If you bought a used truck, take the VIN number to that brand’s service center to see what options the truck came with. Some of the codes are on the door of the glove box, and the Truck Safety Compliance Certification is on the inside of the driver’s side door with codes for axle ratio, limited slip, as well as the tire pressure recommended by the truck manufacturer. Confused yet? Don’t worry, that’s why we’re “truck nuts.” We will help you with the “truth about trucks and trailers.”
GCWR is a truck plus loaded trailer for a maximum rating. Truck manufacturers subtrac the truck’s curb weight from GCWR for an approximation of the truck’s maximum towing capacity. The real world formula is GCWR minus what your truck really weighs with the cargo it carries, passengers, and fuel for the real allowable maximum trailer weight. The weight will work for static loads in your trailer like hay or cars or gold. For animals like horses, my rule of thumb is 15 percent less trailer load. Big animals move around swatting flies with their tails, and have a higher center of gravity.
Now that you know your maximum trailer weight, next is your payload. Payload isn’t just what goes in your truck bed, it’s also the trailer tongue weight, passengers, the 45 cal. under your seat, and tools in your box. Payload is important, and many trucks have too low of a max payload capacity to use its maximum trailer weight. Payload is important for towing trailers. Bumpers that pull trailers over 5,000 pounds at 10 percent tongue weight need Weight Distributing Hitches with built-in sway control. Newer duallys have more payload capability, which allows heavier trailers. Too many trucks don’t have enough payload capacity. The simple formula for payload is GVWR minus CW (curb weight) equals PL (payload).
It is important to remember that after you figure what your trailer weighs loaded, generally a bumper pull tongue weight will be 10 to 15 percent on a balanced trailer and 15 to 25 percent for a gooseneck/mini 5th-wheel tongue weight. The catch is the tongue weight comes off your truck’s payload. Now with that number, do you have enough left for passengers? Sometimes not, which seems to be a trend with truck manufacturers. New trucks will have a high trailer weight capacity, but with a tongue weight that won’t let you ever reach that big trailer number. Unless, of course, you don’t have passengers and the driver only weighs 100 pounds. My left leg weighs 100 pounds.
Weigh-Safe tongue weight scale
Tongue weight: do you know yours? Did you weigh your truck and trailer? After you know what your loaded trailer weighs, now what’s the tongue weight? Weigh-Safe has a billet aluminum adjustable receiver hitch, but it has a built-in scale. Now you can know your tongue weight each time you tow.
Enter the SAE J2807 (Society of Automotive Engineers) to save us. The SAE J2807 standard started in 2008 to help judge real truck capacity instead of marketing with all the extreme ads. But like Congress, a good idea doesn’t make it without being diluted to a useless guideline. It is not a totally useless SAE standard, but watered down in favor of truck manufacturers who make up the committee that votes on it. Some trailer manufacturers and hitch companies are also on the committee, but the most influence is from the truck side; like the fox put in charge of the hen house. I agreed with most of the initial J2807 guidelines, with 20 percent tongue weight for gooseneck/fifth wheel trailers. Then it was changed
