To the OP - what was the actual weight of that load? If you're going to the dump I'd assume you'd have a weight ticket. I'd be real curious to see what it was and what the tongue weight was if known. Also curious how much the truck squatted - I'd think it'd be pretty close to the bump stops. May be worth calibrating a bit so you can measure the squat and get some idea of load / tongue weight - I do this when I'd heavy with my flatbed.
Folks have a real tendency to get uptight about overloaded trailer, and for a decent reason - way too many idiots doing it without knowing what they're doing. I'm not as quick to judge, but there's some truth in what they say, particularly if it's a common thing and commercial work. I've run over 20k a few times with my rig, but it's few and far between and done very very carefully.... And of course critical to make sure that all your gear is up to spec and capable as there's little room for error as we have both discovered the hard way.
Worth looking into limitations for license classes too - here in CA the limit for anything but a class a commercial license is a 10k trailer. Now, I bet that gets regularly violated, and isn't too likely to be an issue for an occasional recreational trip, but if you're commercial it's another ball game.
I do carry the proper license for this load, and have had that class of license since 1980.
The landfill was closed at that time of day and it was all rock and dirt so the load was used for fill on a nearby project. Based on my seat feel of this load, I believe that it would have scaled at or around 20,000 pounds GVCW. The tongue weight was heavier than normal but not to the point of being of concern. I am aware of the dangers and cautious with every load that I pull, just a bit moreso with this one.
Bad things happen with even the best of intentions and equipment. I am aware of that but I do appreciate that we are not all created equal and some have more experience than others with respect to operator capabilities.
I have a policy and there are procedures in place for loads that I deem unsafe. If involves a roll back capable of hauling the load with appropriate back charges to the customer so I don't ever put myself in a situation that I feel is unsafe.
It is my opinion that the tongue weight was too great for the off road conditions leading to the fill site. It is my belief that this failure occurred in a somewhat controlled manner and serves mostly as a wake up call for me. I do this all the time and have been doing it for a long time and this was a situation that I have just never experienced before.
My apologies to the group for posting in the wrong section, although the little 6.9 with C6 had no issues whatsoever pulling the load. To those offended or that object to me sharing my real world experience with the group, I apologize as well.
It is my hearts desire that I , and perhaps others, can learn from this experience.
Thank you for your consideration.
Tim
and the six wheeler...that would be safe right guys? maybe 1200 lbs total???
