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Tongue Weight/Harley/Pop-up Toy Hauler

Discussion in 'Towing' started by juddandjoan, Sep 9, 2011.

  1. Sep 9, 2011 at 8:10 PM
    #1
    juddandjoan

    juddandjoan [OP] Member

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    Does anyone have any experience with hauling a 700 lb. Harley or something similar on a Palomino Banshee B-5 front deck? I'd like to pull it with an '07 Taco PreRunner V6 Double Cab that doesn't have the towing package.
     
  2. Sep 10, 2011 at 10:57 AM
    #2
    S.B.

    S.B. Well-Known Member

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    It's your truck. we can't stop u.

    Get a hitch rated correctly and keep feeling your tranny and it if starts getting too warm stop and let it cool down (feel the carpet).
     
  3. Sep 10, 2011 at 10:59 AM
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    S.B.

    S.B. Well-Known Member

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    oh ya, make sure the trailer has brakes if it over like 3k.
     
  4. Sep 10, 2011 at 2:42 PM
    #4
    skytower

    skytower Well-Known Member

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    Hitch and wiring, aux back-up light, rear strobe lights, radio and underseat sub.
    You should get a trans oil cooler and the upgraded clutch fan. If the trailer and cargo is over 1k lbs, you need trailer brakes. You should be good otherwise.
    Take the loaded rig to the scales to verify you are not overweight on the tongue or axle.
    Happy towing!
     
  5. Sep 11, 2011 at 6:35 AM
    #5
    juddandjoan

    juddandjoan [OP] Member

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    Thanks for the replies. We're still in the trailer purchase/setup phase and want to do this right, so we'll follow your advice. "Happy towing" is what we're shootin' for!
     
  6. Sep 11, 2011 at 7:46 AM
    #6
    sechsgang

    sechsgang Well-Known Member

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    "Happy Towing" will not happen with that load. I estimate your tongue weight to be more than 800 lbs with that setup. Even with the factory tow package, you'd be significantly over the limit.
    With your truck, you will be over about every limit there is.
    This is not a good idea with the truck you have. Get a full size truck for this, or don't do it.

    Skytower, how could he possibly be not over the limit? The trailer has a dry hitch weight of 318 lbs. After adding a battery he is looking at 370+ lbs. Then, more than half of that Harley would be on the tongue, as it would sit more towards the tongue than the trailer axle. > 400 lbs. right there. > 400 + > 360 = > 760. Add a WDH at 80-100 lbs.
    So the OP wants to put more than 850 lbs pressing down on that tongue, and that would be the number with NOTHING else in the trailer. His max tongue load rating is 350 lbs without the factory hitch.
    He will be over his GVWR also, most likely, unless he takes nothing else, and here is no gas in the Harley.
     
  7. Sep 11, 2011 at 2:41 PM
    #7
    juddandjoan

    juddandjoan [OP] Member

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    Wow! And I guess there's no way that the 12,000 lb Equalizer Hitch that the camper salesman recommended can make up for the heavy tongue weight?
     
  8. Sep 11, 2011 at 5:09 PM
    #8
    Goober

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    I agree with sechsgang. Too much tongue weight. I've got that 12,000lb. wd hitch and it weigh 110lbs.
     
  9. Sep 11, 2011 at 5:12 PM
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    sechsgang

    sechsgang Well-Known Member

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    No. You would lift the rear wheels off the ground and break the front wheels off, or the shocks would poke through the hood, LOL! :D
    The salesman recommended a 12,000lbs Equalizer hitch for a Tacoma? LOL. That thing is made for a 1,200lbs tongue weight. It would probably be able to bend your frame. :eek: You should not use an Equalizer hitch bigger than the 6,000 / 600 lbs model on the Tacoma. If you need to, then you tow too much.

    A WDH hitch does not change the tongue weight, it just distributes it between the axles. The limit is 350lbs for your truck, 650lbs if you would have the factory tow package. That already assumes weight distribution. You are trying to put 800+ lbs (probably more than 900 lbs) on that hitch, possibly approaching 1,000 lbs. That's why the salesman recommends a hitch rated at 1,200 lbs tongue weight. He does not seem to care what you would tow with.

    No, this is nothing you'll want to do with a Tacoma. You'd be at 3x the legal tongue weight for your truck.
     
  10. Sep 12, 2011 at 3:01 PM
    #10
    skytower

    skytower Well-Known Member

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    I must be missing something...
    What is the empty tongue weight of the trailer?
    Unless the bike is completely in front of the axle, a portion of the weight will be on the trailer's axle.
    I guess I just don't know what trailer he it talking about and how much he plans on towing with it, other than the bike.
    *If the tongue weight, GWVR, GCWR, axle weight ratings are not exceeded, and the truck is properly equipped, he's golden.

    I missed a part of the OP's post...

    Mount nothing larger than the A-frame on the front of the trailer, or you'll have problems cornering/backing. I thought you were using a differant trailer. The set-up will cause you nothing but UNhappy towing.

    Sorry for any confusion. I will stick to my "*" statement, though
     
  11. Sep 12, 2011 at 7:13 PM
    #11
    sechsgang

    sechsgang Well-Known Member

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    skytower, the trailer in question is something like this:
    http://www.rvguide.com/specs/palomino/toy-hauler/2011/banshee/b-5.html

    [​IMG]

    the Harley would be sitting on that front deck I think, and that is closer to the hitch ball than the trailer axle, meaning that > 50% of it's weight would be on the ball. The dry hitch weight is like 320 lbs, and that does not include a battery normally, so 370+ lbs easily. That's how I came up with north of 800-900 lbs on the hitch. Not a good idea. This trailer is by design made to have a huge tongue weight. It holds toys on the A frame near the hitch with a 3,700 lbs payload capacity. Most (if not all) of that payload would be sitting forward of the trailer axle by design. :eek:
    Yes, your * comment is true. :)

    If you were to really load say 3,700 lbs into that tent trailers front deck, and then use a 12,000 lbs Equalizer hitch to try to distribute that tongue weight, you'd end up with one of the following, I am pretty sure: bent truck frame, truck rear wheels in the air (LOL), front wheels falling off, or a combination of those things. That's why I said that in my previous post. You may actually not even have time to apply weight distribution because as soon as you couple the trailer, I could see the front wheels lose ground contact. :D
     
  12. Sep 12, 2011 at 8:30 PM
    #12
    Goober

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    This is the B-5 he's talking about, it has more than 3,000lb cargo capacity :eek: Could you imagine putting 3k on the front of this thing?

    images.jpg
     
  13. Sep 13, 2011 at 4:57 AM
    #13
    skytower

    skytower Well-Known Member

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    Not on our trucks, the axle is too far back. It would be fine if it was a gooseneck, maybe.
     
  14. Sep 14, 2011 at 5:34 PM
    #14
    juddandjoan

    juddandjoan [OP] Member

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    Goober, that pop-up in your post has two axles. If that for sure is a B-5 then that makes it a game-changer for us....looks much more likely to be able to haul our projected 870 lbs on the deck. Can you tell us where you found that photo?
     
  15. Sep 14, 2011 at 6:19 PM
    #15
    skytower

    skytower Well-Known Member

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    Still too much weight on the tongue...extra axle or not.
     
  16. Sep 14, 2011 at 6:25 PM
    #16
    sechsgang

    sechsgang Well-Known Member

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    Exactly.
    Goobers photo I think is not the B-5, but similar. My photo above I think is the B-5.
    You do not want to hitch anything to a Tacoma that has 870 lbs extra sitting on the tongue, do yourself a favour and believe us. You'd be pushing the limits of some half tons with a 1,000 lbs tongue weight.
    That B-5 is a nice popup though, but not behind a Tacoma with a heavy load on that deck.
     
  17. Sep 15, 2011 at 7:26 AM
    #17
    Goober

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  18. Sep 15, 2011 at 10:51 AM
    #18
    sechsgang

    sechsgang Well-Known Member

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    Goober, I think you are right.
    Makes it worse even. That thing is not made for a Tacoma.
     
  19. Sep 15, 2011 at 5:07 PM
    #19
    juddandjoan

    juddandjoan [OP] Member

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    You guys are great. Thanks for your help. Couldn't find Goobers photo in the link, so I'm going to contact Palomino directly and get the exact specs on this puppy.
     
  20. Sep 15, 2011 at 6:40 PM
    #20
    Goober

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    I found that photo on Google images. I was surprised Palomino didn't have a shot on their website.
     

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