Towing w/ My IDI

[gabbyr100rs]

Periodically, a neighbor of mine needs to borrow my truck to tow/move a construction waste grinding machine (10,000# w/ pintle hitch) when one of his trucks goes down, or he gets it into a muddy spot.

His 6.0 PowerStroke F350 4x4 auto with a dump bed is presently in dry dock with a broken rear axle--prolly from being repeatedly severely overloaded.

My truck, even with the 3.55 gears seems to pull his machine (mounted on a twin axle trailer) without much effort (low range when in loose stuff, or on a hill). My truck is in really nice shape, having been babied its whole life, and I'd like to keep it that way. My clutch is in good shape, as is my drive train.

Would any of you hesitate to tie onto 10,000# with my rig??

Thanks.

 

[shorthair]

did this tow one time only 7 loaded railcars about 500 yds avg #240,000 each, locked hubs low range 1st gear idle on a flat track that was a couple of years ago never needed to move that much again, I wouldn't make a habit of it but would do it the same way if it was needed.

 

[oldmisterbill]

In my experience when I see a broken it usually was driver error!! I think if you read your post you will have an answer to your question. Your truck will pull 10,000 anywhere reasonable. I have pulled over 25,000 gorss over the road many-many miles B4 I got my F350 wwith 4:10 gears.

 

[tonkadoctor]

I wouldn't hesitate to pull 10k with the IDI but I would hesitate letting somebody else use my truck on a construction site. I'd be a good neighbor and move it for him vs loaning the truck out.

I doubt he broke the axle from overloading it. I'd bet he was spinning in the mud and got traction while his foot was in the throttle. That's a recipe for disaster, especially with something like a sic-O powerstroke.

 

[The Warden]

I wouldn't hesitate to pull 10k with the IDI but I would hesitate letting somebody else use my truck on a construction site. I'd be a good neighbor and move it for him vs loaning the truck out.

I tend to agree with TonkaDoc...unless you completely trust your neighbor, I would be very hesitant to loan a truck to someone who I KNOW is going to put a 10K load on it. But, I'm a bit paranoid...I'll let someone use my truck if they're only putting some things in the bed, but any significant load, and I'd be worried about them abusing the truck, not watching the pyro, etc...so, while I'll usually lend the truck to them, I also "lend" myself...

 

[icanfixall]

Shorthair..... Gees man. How would you have stopped those rail cars...

 

[Exekiel69]

I pull over 10k almost every week and some times way over , but as Mr. Bill said it is all on the driver. Now about lending the truck to someone else... the only other person that has ever set foot on My truck was Mel at a rally and it was Him bc I know He is way better driver than I am.

 

[sle2115]

I wouldn't hesitate to pull 10k with the IDI but I would hesitate letting somebody else use my truck on a construction site. I'd be a good neighbor and move it for him vs loaning the truck out.

I doubt he broke the axle from overloading it. I'd bet he was spinning in the mud and got traction while his foot was in the throttle. That's a recipe for disaster, especially with something like a sic-O powerstroke.

+1 - I have WAY to much time and money invested to let someone else tear it up. I can remember as a kid, the neighbor asked my dad to use his chainsaw. Dad said no, so the neighbor went away mad. Two days later, this neighbor had someone's chainsaw, down in a ditch carving away on this stump. I said boy, you wan't to keep that blade out of the dirt if you can, that is ******* them (blade was covered in mud and there were big cuts in the dirt). Neighbor, Tom, said "oh well, it aint my saw!".

Since then, I don't loan much to anyone. I thought I knew this guy, hell, we had lived beside him 15 years, but to mistreat someone else's tools is truly a sin to me!

 

[dsblack]

my TT is 7600 dry. I have wife, and 4 girls from 14-8. Now 10K should not be an issue. I think my loads on a long vacation may rival that train car load...

 

[gabbyr100rs]

Thanks guys.

I was mostly worried about pushing the intrinsic towing capacity of the truck even though it just walks away with the load behind it.

My neighbor and friend seems to take good care of it, and brings it back shiney clean and full of diesel--and needs it only occasionally.

Thanks for the read on the broken axle on his 350--I know it get hideously overloaded--has a big tall dump bed on it. It is also plagued with sequential leaking injectors. His son drives it and prolly doesn't know that spinning the tires with a big load on is a prescription for broken axles.

My rig gets used by my friend as a tow motor with an empty bed other than my BF iron skidplate Ranchhand tool box full of toys--that prolly weighs 750# by itself!!

He's the only one that drives it other than me, and treats it better than his own stuff (thankfully). I understand the knucklehead risk on a construction site. He does appreciate what it is and treats it accordingly.

Thanks again for your advise. If I can figure out how to get a picture of the truck with few enough pixels to post, I will post it--it is nice for a '91--and I'd like to keep it that way.

 

[shorthair]

most railcars have working brakes so no problem getting them to stop.

 

[Compu Doc]

Let me show you what I towed from NJ to the adirondacks all on one load.

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Although these are not the actual machines they were similar. The milling machine was loaded on using a tree service boom truck and the boom was doing a lot of straining to pick this the milling machine up. The lathe was in the middle and on the tail end there was a 4inch x 8 foot x 4 foot steel plate. The trailer that I towed them with is my tilt bed car hauler with a 22 foot bed. The trailer itself weighs about 3000lbs. I am guessing the milling machine was 6000+ and the lathe 3000+ and around 1500 for the steel plate.

So the load alone was over 10K not including the trailer. I was going 45-50 up the mountains.

As others have said the truck will handle the load. But if you value your truck you will do the driving. If you don't value it then by all means let anyone drive it.

 

[jauguston]

My IDI is moving 15,000 pounds every time it is started and moves and never complains (-:

Jim

 

[towcat]

I have no problems loaning out my trucks to people who treat borrowed stuff better than their own AND have the means to repair or replace the truck if the unforseen ever does happen.
In my F450 carrier, 15k gross is daily, up to 18k is pretty normal, been to 21k gross a couple of times....that was on the scarry side. These motors can pull whatever you throw at it.....stopping is a whole other issue

 

[Camarogenius]

I've got to IDI's, both five speeds, one w/ 3.55's and one with 4.10's. The F-350 I'm going to plate for 35,000 and the F-300, I'm going to plate for 30,000.
The truck will handle it no problem. The loose nut behind the wheel is another story.