Equipment Towing Capacity

archibaldtuttle

I'm trying to decide between a traditional Dodge 3500 style dump and a cabover Hino/Isuzu/Mitsubishi type approach. I'm usually pulling smaller stuff 3 or 4 ton equipment plus the trailer but occassionally I pull an 8 ton excavator on a tri axle tag trailer.

the triaxle helps with tongue weight and all 3 axles have brakes so I'm mostly concerned with whether the drivetrains can handle it.

The Dodge 3500 with the Cummins diesel at least in some configurations is rated a little over 20,000 towing capacity. The older cummins dodge's didn't really have much more HP than the 4 cyl turbo diesels in this cabovers. So common wisdom is that the Dodge's are made to pull and the cabovers are made to carry load. But I have seen a number of UD's made into pretty heavy Tow trucks and that got me wondering.

Maybe my googling is just not what it used to be, but I just can't come up with a comparison chart of recommended towing limits for heavy light trucks or light medium weight trucks -- e.g. 14,000 to 16,000 GVW.

Any links or thoughts appreciated.

Brian

Vinny

I can only give you my opinion based on my past experience so anyone reading this, its not meant to be a pissing match as to which truck is better. I'm just talking from first hand experience.

I owned a cab over 20K gvw UD and a simalar capacity Isuzu. I used them as tool cariers and they both towed rollers.

All in all my experience was not good. In the end the weak link is the clutch and body parts. The clutch's needed replacement often and the bodies just rust right off the frame.

On a positive note though the engines run forever. But even the UD dealer told me the weak spot in all the Japaniese cab overs is the clutch

Another problem is the parts always need to be bought from the dealer which came at a considerable high cost and they never have what you need.

We now own GMC and IHC. The parts can be bought at any Fleetpride and the transimisions are automatic Allisons

I also owned a dodge P/U with cummins diesle, auto. Again all bad. That truck is on its 4th transmission for 150K miles. Its a 1996 but I am to understand they've solved this issue.

We all have our preferences and for me its an Allison auto trans

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The Right Way Driveway Company
If you say you cant, your a loser. If you say you wont, your a quiter. Which one do you want to be?

archibaldtuttle

Vinny,

you're so right about that

Aaaallison.

Wish you could get the Dodge with an Allison. I've driven some 36,000 lb dumps with Allison transmissions. Flawless.

I heard the dodge transmissions are the weak link already. I'm weighing whether to look for a manual instead although my neighborhood of dodge boys takes 'em in and out before breakfast and keeps an extra on the shelf and my normal use is probably not as heavy as yours.

But thanks a lot for passing on your experience.

Brian

FJRFencer

I have 2 chevy 3500s
one is a gas burner 8.1 it israted at 14,900

the other is a turbo diesel. rated at 16,100

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ConstSvcs

I say go with a UD, Hino, Isuzu cabover as long as you don't expect to spend a lot of time moving within rough graded job sites. I'll never go back to a conventional cab truck in the medium duty class. I own a 02 Isuzu FRR with 472 cu 200hp turbo Izuzu and six speed standard trans. It has been a great truck and turns on a dime. (19,500 gvw)

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Vinny

Very Nice rig CS

And I should have pointed out the advantage to the Jap cab over truck is the turning radius. I will admit no American made unit can compete on that basis.

__________________
Roccies Asphalt Paving
The Right Way Driveway Company
If you say you cant, your a loser. If you say you wont, your a quiter. Which one do you want to be?

Vinny

As I have been replacing and up gradeing the fleet I have switched to automatic on everything. I recently bought a 2006 Mack triaxle with auto and all my new tool trucks area auto.

I was trained on mack 18 speed quad box tranies. You cant beat the durability of that sh!t but no one knows how to drive stuff like that and even an 8LL give some of these new guys a tail spin.

I have nightmares of drivers rolling backwards into some mom in a mini van , so its automatic for everything now

__________________
Roccies Asphalt Paving
The Right Way Driveway Company
If you say you cant, your a loser. If you say you wont, your a quiter. Which one do you want to be?

Big Chris

I see quite a few used single axle dumps going pretty cheap lately. That might be another option.

I've got a 1990 IHC 4900 33k single axle dump with a 245hp DT466 and it does a great job pulling my backhoe. It is not considered a powerhouse by most but it will pull 20k 55-60 mph with power to spare. Might be able to get a 5 yard truck cheaper than a cabover and have a lot more truck when it is all said and done.

bearmtnmartin

I just found this thread and I am really interested in what you decide. I have been chewing over the same thing. I have a Hino FB, with a 175 hp turbo 4. Mine has a heavy 3 speed automatic. Its in the paint shop now, but when it gets out I want to use it to pull the trailer my Chev with a 6.9TD pulls now. Its a 12K frameover with a mini skid and some attachments. Total weight of trailer and load is around 7k. I would also like to occaisionally pull a bigger machine which would double that weight. I know it would be slow, but I'm in no hurry. Trouble is I have never found anyone who has pulled a trailer with one of these little cabovers, so I don't know what to expect. I do know that gradability at max GVW is over 50 per cent, so that should tell the story right there. Still, I wouldn't mind listening to a voice of experience. I hate being first.......