Recommended Trailer Type/Model for Hauling Coal

Post by **coaledsweat** » Thu. Dec. 11, 2014 9:24 pm

The full floater uses two, usually timken style tapered bearings. Should the axle break, you lose the ability to drive the truck but the wheel remains in place secured to the axle housing. Just like the really big trucks. The semi floating generally has one, usually ball bearing and should you break an axle, your wheel falls off. Another good reason not to push your luck overloading a half ton pickup.

windyhill4.2 · Post by **windyhill4.2** » Thu. Dec. 11, 2014 9:39 pm

Like I posted earlier when I was short on time,some 3/4 ton trucks had the semi-floating axle. The 1986 Dodge D250 that we got rid of in 2009 had the semi-floaters With the 8 lugs. Coaledsweat,thanks for the good info on the semi vs full floaters, I could have, should have & would have,but you did a better job explaining it anyway.

smokeyCityTeacher · Post by **smokeyCityTeacher** » Thu. Dec. 11, 2014 11:58 pm

coaledsweat wrote:The full floater uses two, usually timken style tapered bearings. Should the axle break, you lose the ability to drive the truck but the wheel remains in place secured to the axle housing. Just like the really big trucks. The semi floating generally has one, usually ball bearing and should you break an axle, your wheel falls off. Another good reason not to push your luck overloading a half ton pickup.

sounds like a case for a getting a 3/4 or 1 ton just to get the full floater axle
well, nah maybe not.. i'll just quit overloading my 1500

davidmcbeth3 · Post by **davidmcbeth3** » Fri. Dec. 12, 2014 2:59 am

I don't think you are overloading myself ... but 70 MPH ... you are the man . an emergency stop and you would have a coal funeral lol

I guess age has to be taken into account too (not you, your truck ~ of course it is a chevy, it should self destruct soon, right lol)

Keep on trucking !

VigIIPeaBurner · Post by **VigIIPeaBurner** » Fri. Dec. 12, 2014 6:45 am

smokeyCityTeacher wrote:
coaledsweat wrote:The full floater uses two, usually timken style tapered bearings. Should the axle break, you lose the ability to drive the truck but the wheel remains in place secured to the axle housing. Just like the really big trucks. The semi floating generally has one, usually ball bearing and should you break an axle, your wheel falls off. Another good reason not to push your luck overloading a half ton pickup.
sounds like a case for a getting a 3/4 or 1 ton just to get the full floater axle
well, nah maybe not.. i'll just quit overloading my 1500

... or get a trailer of some sort!

These are some of the reasons I got a dump trailer - either buy a bigger more expensive pickup with larger daily operating costs, or buy a 10k dump trailer, save money over time, and leave the big axles at home when I don't need them. Just make sure you're going to use it safely on a regular basis and it's not a lawn ornament like a previous poster said, or you might as well rent one.

Post by **coaledsweat** » Fri. Dec. 12, 2014 8:33 am

davidmcbeth3 wrote:I don't think you are overloading myself ...

The axle and tires each have their own rating and were overloaded in this case. Sure, you can overload and get away with it many, many times without failure. When these things fail, they don't send you a notice prior to it. Never mind the costs to repair the failure and possible damage to the vehicle, what do you do if you kill someone? Manufacturers put ratings on things because of their liability and your safety. Choosing to ignore them is..... well it is just plain stupid. I drove wrecker for over 25 years and have seen the results. I may sound anal retentive, just don't want anyone here to experience the things I have seen.

windyhill4.2 · Post by **windyhill4.2** » Fri. Dec. 12, 2014 9:08 am

I wish I was still 25 but with my 57 yr old knowledge bank. When I was young & dumb,i was crop farming 400 + acres,i owned a 1978 Dodge D150 that I beefed up the springs all around,i hauled HEAVY,pulled fertilizer spreaders that by themselves fully loaded weighed 14,000 #,i didn't tow them for more than 25-30 miles one way. The odometer had 54,000 miles on when the Torqueflite 727 wore out,i had a professional rebuild it with commercial grade parts,which meant that he bored out & installed oversize wherever he could,a top notch shift package And the trans was up to whatever this truck was doing.Rear axle bearings,several rear axle asm's,The differential gears would wear out ,brakes,tires....

P235/75R-15,max PSI -35psi,loading 1+ tons on the bed would flatten the tires,more air pressure was the cure !...45-50 psi,passenger car rated tires. I got away with it ,but looking back & then looking at the liabilities of today,s world I shudder,wreck today with that situation,someone dies in the wreck ,Jail time.It ain't worth it. Thank God I got to make it thru that & lived long enough to be smarter than I was back then.

Post by **franco b** » Fri. Dec. 12, 2014 12:09 pm

windyhill4.2 wrote:Thank God I got to make it thru that & lived long enough to be smarter than I was back then.

"The young man gathers his material to build a bridge to the moon; the middle aged man decides to build a woodshed out of it"---Hemingway

Ve get too soon oldt and too late schmart.

windyhill4.2 · Post by **windyhill4.2** » Fri. Dec. 12, 2014 12:47 pm

franco b wrote:
windyhill4.2 wrote:Thank God I got to make it thru that & lived long enough to be smarter than I was back then.
"The young man gathers his material to build a bridge to the moon; the middle aged man decides to build a woodshed out of it"---Hemingway

Ve get too soon oldt and too late schmart.

I've heard that last quote many times in my life,i thought it was from the Pa. dutch folks but maybe a carry over from the german folks ??

smokeyCityTeacher · Post by **smokeyCityTeacher** » Fri. Dec. 12, 2014 1:19 pm

If I rent a trailer for my 1500 then I can only legally tow 7500#.
Assuming I could find a trailer that only weighs 1500# empty and load it with 3 tons of coal there would be no advantage over borrowing my buddy's dump and bringing home 3 tons.

All the other stuff I use my 1500 Siverado for is stuff I can do in the bed of the truck - hauling chopped up trees for firewood, lawnmowers and other such DIY landscaping equipment. I just can;t tow enough in that 1500 truck to make it worth the trouble.

VigIIPeaBurner wrote:... or get a trailer of some sort! These are some of the reasons I got a dump trailer - either buy a bigger more expensive pickup with larger daily operating costs, or buy a 10k dump trailer, save money over time, and leave the big axles at home when I don't need them. Just make sure you're going to use it safely on a regular basis and it's not a lawn ornament like a previous poster said, or you might as well rent one.