I have a '14 SCrew XLT with the 5.0. My question is as it sits right now, no mods except the addition of the trailer brake control next week, will my truck haul a 6k# tractor on a 2,200k# flat bed trailer 1,150 miles west without the max tow package ? If not how much is the package/what comes with the max tow package from the dealer? Does it involve replacing the hitch or does the factory hitch still work with the max tow package? Any help would be awesome. Thanks Fellas.

 

So you're at 8,200 lbs ? That's a lot. What rear-end do you have ? What is your payload ? Are you going to use a WD hitch ?
Need a lot more info to answer the question, but for a one time haul, it will probably make it if you go slow and you load the tractor right over the axles.

 

Get your self a weight distribution hitch, load the tractor correctly, tie the load correctly and drive accordingly, you will be fine.

 

You are close to max but keep the tractor on the axles and use a wd hitch and you should be fine. How close to max depends on 2wd or 4wd and the rear end gear set. Payload will be touchy but that is more about the wd and tough weight set up.

 

Didn't know the dealer had a MAX Tow Package? What's that. Dumbo mirrors with it? Max tow gets a 1150lb hitch vs a 1050 on the rest from the factory in 2014.
As others have said keep the hitch weight below rating. Don't exceed Payload. If the trailer allows keep the tractor in the right spot to achieve the above. Hopefully the trailer is better than the typical 7K car hauler specials out there which will be overtaxed with your tractor and wheel bearings get burned up quick in those cases.

 

The truck itself will definitely tow it but you are towing a lot of weight. If the truck has a 3.55 diffy than you will be over the legal tow limit of 7500lb if it has the 3.73 diffy than you will be legal since its limit is 9200lb. You may also have to watch the weight on the truck itself. The truck should take about 1400lb so if the trailer puts 1000 lb on the truck than you may only be allowed 400lbs for passengers and cargo (gas is except). I normally advise that you are better with a safe set up than a legal one so again, the truck can tow the weight but you may not be legal.


Here is my best advice. Learn what GVWR and GCWR means and study it, learn about this stuff. Look on the drivers door of your truck and learn about your truck. Learn about proper hitching and how to set it up. Learn about the classes of receiver and get the numbers for your receiver which are on a sticker under your hitch. Once you have learned all of this and crunched some numbers than ask something like 'Who makes a good quality WDH' instead of 'Do I need a hitch WDH'. You re going on a long trip with a lot of weight and a little education is going to go a long way.


"Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime." is a Chinese proverb and I mean this in the best possible way. Learning about towing is a lot better than being told how to do it.


Once you are satisfied with what you have learned and with the WDH that you purchased and how you set it up than I strongly recommend a test tow. Hook it all up and go for a 2-3 hour pull to see how your rig behaves. Try it a few times just to satisfy yourself that not only is your rig ready to go but you are too.

 

Ok so the truck has 3.55 years and is rated at 9,700k# for towing. It is a 4x4. The hitch is rated according to the numbers on it at 10,500k#. I do have a Reese wdh. Talked to my dad who is an over the road trucker and he told me based on what he has seen on my truck with a wdh I should be ok. My only concern is pulling it over the mountains in TN. Any thoughts now that I have given all the info lol. Sorry for the delay guys and thanks for the advice so far.

 

Actually with those gears it's 7700 towing. You should be fine with a good wd set up good positioning of the tractor. It will do fine in TN.

 

I would tow it if I was you. If it shift in and out of 6th, lock out 6th.

 

I think you'll do just fine with a good hitch and a little patience. Oh, and a deep wallet for gas
Watch your rear axle weight and load the tractor correctly. Take it easy, especially on grades. Try to maintain RPM going up at a reasonable speed. Nobody says you have to keep the speed limit or higher with your tach bouncing off the redline, but don't be the slowpoke blocking traffic. Coming down- use your transmission and engine braking effectively. That much weight can burn up your brakes pretty quickly. Tow/haul is your friend