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tag trailer behind truck

nickkendall

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Mar 18, 2011
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48
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n.d.
i am looking at purchasing a 25 ton triple axle tag trailer it is located 5 hours away i was wondering if it is possible to legally pull this trailer with a truck? it would be empty just pulling it home with the truck i have a dump truck but not wanting to take it that far
 

JDOFMEMI

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Jan 3, 2007
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SoCal
I hope you don't mean pick up truck. The empty weight of a 25 ton tag may be OK to pull with a good sixed truck, but a 25 ton tag will very likely have air brakes. Unless you have a way to work the brakes with your pick up I would not attempt it. It is WAAAAAY too much weight to pull with no brakes.

Also, a three axle dual wheel trailer is going to push your light weight pick up straight off the road on a good corner, with its tendancy to not turn, and minimum weight in a pick up to force it.

You would be an accident waiting for a place to happen, IMHO
 

06Pete

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Jan 29, 2012
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174
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MD
I am guessing you mean a pick-up truck and I assume the trailer has air brakes. No way that is going to fly that trailer empty is at least 10,000 # good luck stopping with no brakes. Just take the dump truck or have it delivered much safer and a lot cheeper than a visit from a DOT officer. Good luck
 

superdigger

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May 29, 2009
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Ontario
I tell you this much, I will be using my pickup truck to pickup my trailer next week for the same reason you want to. I have a 4.5hr drive and like you, I really don't want to drive my dump that far if I don't have to. That being said my trailer is a tandem dually 15ton with electric brakes. I would say as long as the trailer has electric brakes then you are good to go! 10,000lbs is an easy day work for a HD pickup.
 

KSSS

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Idaho
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excavation
Yea thats not going to work. But what might work is pulling a HD gooseneck trailer and load the triaxle on the gooseneck. You would have to back the brakes off as they will be locked up without air but this could be an option if you have access to a large enough gooseneck.
 

CM1995

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Running what I brung and taking what I win
That being said my trailer is a tandem dually 15ton with electric brakes. I would say as long as the trailer has electric brakes then you are good to go! 10,000lbs is an easy day work for a HD pickup.

There is a big difference between a 15ton electric tandem brake tag and a 25ton air brake tri-axle tag (which I bet $1 that it's air braked like Jerry said). That 25ton triple axle will push a pickup where ever it wants to go regardless of where you want to go.

I have a 55K tandem tag, air braked and it is such a heavy trailer that I would never attempt to pull it with a pickup even if I could half ass an air brake system to operate the trailer brakes.:cool2

I would follow KSSS's advice and put it on a heavy duty gooseneck.
 

superdigger

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Ontario
I agree, all I'm saying is: lets assume this guy is smart enough to know not to pull a trailer without brakes. I know you can get 25ton trailers in electric brakes, they are not common but they are around. In that case I think a heavy duty pickup would do just fine.
 

DGODGR

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Dec 18, 2009
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S/W CO
Nick,
I'm sure you are seeing the consensus here. I own a 25T (payload weight) tri-axle and weighs 11,000# empty. I like the idea of putting it on the gooseneck too. I would think you would need to hoist it on and off though. I'm thinking the tail of the trailer would hang up if you try to load/unload by rolling.
 

DGODGR

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Dec 18, 2009
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S/W CO
I agree, all I'm saying is: lets assume this guy is smart enough to know not to pull a trailer without brakes. I know you can get 25ton trailers in electric brakes, they are not common but they are around. In that case I think a heavy duty pickup would do just fine.

If the trailer had electric brakes, and I could set the hitch to get the trailer reasonably level, when hooked to the truck, I would not be afraid of pulling it (the empty trailer) with a P/U. If the trailer is not loaded I don't think it would offer too much resistance to turning unless you are turning very sharp and that would have to be done at low speeds anyway.
 
Last edited:

tuney443

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Mar 19, 2006
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Dutchess County,NY
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excavating contractor
I agree, all I'm saying is: lets assume this guy is smart enough to know not to pull a trailer without brakes. I know you can get 25ton trailers in electric brakes, they are not common but they are around. In that case I think a heavy duty pickup would do just fine.

A 2011 or 2012 GM 2500 or 3500 properly equipped can pull a 20K trailer so I agree that an empty 25 ton trailer that weighs app. 10K can be pulled fine EXCEPT for the braking problem.I've never seen any trailer past 15 tons that has electric brakes so this one for sure has air brakes.We're all speculating here anyway as the OP just said ''truck''.We have no idea what he really means by that,for all we know it can be a small air equipped truck.For what it's worth my 2006 3500 Dmax pulls my 10 ton trailer which weighs 6K lbs empty with a car or light truck on it from time to time and it handles it just fine and braking[electric] is also no problem.
 

nickkendall

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Mar 18, 2011
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48
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n.d.
what would it take to pull a tag trailer pintle hitch behind a semi? i will not be chancing it with the pickup after all these replies thanks for the help
 

DGODGR

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S/W CO
That depends. If trailer has air brakes you need a pintle hitch, air, and electrical hook ups at the back of the semi (if you are pulling the trailer on the ground).
 

nickkendall

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Mar 18, 2011
Messages
48
Location
n.d.
yes i would be pulling it on the ground ..it is air brakes so its looking like taking the dump truck will b the most efficient way for me to get this
 

CRAFT

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100 M H,BC,Canada
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http://www.trucker.com/TrailerDetail...ompanyID=32876

not trying to start anything, but like i said they are around...

Hate to break it to you .....but..... 45,000#'s is not 25ton .... I think if my math is correct, that's 22.5 ton .... lol ..... just fun'n ..... unless a guy is totally crazy to pull a tridem empty, no tongue weight behind a 2500/3500 single tired (non-dually) p/u is an accident waiting for a place to happen ..... I have a single axle L-8000 tractor on air and I WOULD NOT pull that behind it because of the three axles trying to steer, it's NOT the weight, it's the tracking of the trailer..... but what do I know 3,500,000 miles with big rigs .....

tuney443 : I think you are baseing pulling 20k as gross combined weight and not dead weight pull safely ... if you take the 20k + 9,000lbs for the tare weight of the p/u thats 29k lbs ....., THAT's a retarded amount of weight to ask of a 3/4 ton p/u over a great distance legally/safely ...... I did pull my Trail-king T/A TKT40 empty behind my p/u a few years ago (empty) ... don't ask how I kept the air brakes released .... it was a 2mile tow .... AND NEVER NEVER AGAIN .... braking was not the issue but turning, now that was another story .... it wanted to pick up the rear of the p/u in the turn and shove it straight ahead .... THANK God for 4x4 engaged point the front wheels and GIVE IT S**T .... NEVER NEVER NEVER AGAIN .... stupid stupid stupid ...LOL ..... but what do I know

BUT as he now has settled the dipute here nickendall has finally returned with the info on the trailer, it's air-brake equiped and he's seeking a semi to tow it safely home .... BRAVO !
 
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