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Weight of 49 B1F & how to move


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Its been a while since I posted anything of even worked on my truck.  Been working over 60 hours a week for past 3  years now

and truck is 4 hours away. Been thinking about how to get it here and have also been talking about moving back to IA. So here

are my question. My title on the truck says weight 15,000 would this be the trucks actual weight or the GVWR? Need to figure out

if I can tow it with a dolly (not sure if rear wheels good enough to make long trip) or how big of trailer. I only have 78 d150 to pull with.

 I pulled one with no bed or engine from Kansas to IA with that truck and my car trailer, but it was really to much and a scary drive.

Any Ideas?

 

dm

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Not sure the weight, but I just towed my parts truck (b3) from above Seattle to below Portland (4hr each way) with a u-haul double axle. They don't list our old trucks, but can get close with other makes.... Need to tell them the wheel base and width.
drive safe and check the tie downs often.

Edited by Brent B3B
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See if the title lists a light weight.  I believe the 15000 is gross weight(truck and load).  Double check the wheelbase before you get a trailer.  I doubt a dolly will do the job, the truck will probably be too heavy and you need the braking power.  I can't answer for the truck but I'd err on the side of caution and say you need a bigger one.  You might find that the towed truck alone weighs more that that allowed towing weight of your pickup truck not counting the trailer.

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I hauled my B1F on the standard UHaul double axle car trailer no problem. Although if its original 152" wheelbase hadn't been cut down to 108" for its duties as a grape gondola hauler in California's Central Valley in the 50's and 60's, that wouldn't have worked! ;-)

You didn't mention your truck's wheelbase, but as long as it'll fit on the UHaul, you' should be ok on weight.

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i have a friend that works for U haul and i believe the tandem axle trailers they rent have a maximum weight of 5300 or 5500 lbs. something like that. basically a modern half ton truck is absolute max. the tow dollies are rated for even less. the vehicle towing also needs to be able to handle the load. they will be able to walk you through it. unfortunetly i dont know what your truck weights but ive got to think its under 5000lbs

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Thanks for the input. The 49 has 152" wheelbase so U-haul wont work. I have been looking at upgrading my trailer, currently 18' with 2 3500# axles, as I have a Ditch Witch that is really just a little to heavy for it also. Not sure if I sould upgrade axles and tires or just sell and buy a bigger one. Can not really afford either option and that is why I am also stuck using the truck I have to tow with (wanted to by a new 2500 way to much $$ right now). The main problem when I hauled the other one was the fact that the tongue weight was to much for the truck and if I rolled the load back to take weight off the tongue then it would start to sway if got to much speed. The tow dolly I have is built with 3500# axle also that is why I considered that for the short trip but just not sure if the rear tires on the 49 are good enough to make the trip? They dont seem to be dry rotted but have to be pretty old and dont have alot of tread.

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Here are the weights of a 1951 F series truck.

post-302-0-53654700-1395811195_thumb.jpg

Edited by Dodgeb4ya
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Hauling one of these or trucks alike is the only reason I don't have a yard full of 3 ton trucks :P. I found a beauty 66 3 ton Dodge, but it hadn't run for years, but with the duals its impossible to get on anything g but a deck over trailer and that requires a 3/4 ton + to pull. I'd look at the tow dolly myself, that should handle the front end weight ok, and just pull it slow and easy with the D shaft removed. Rolling resistance shouldn't bee as bad as tongue weight of pulling it on a trailer.

Good Luck!

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I'll suggest that if you cannot afford a 3/4T truck to properly tow the needed 10K trailer to haul the somewhat large load then.......

I fully understand being strapped for cash but I also understand the need to actually get a job done in a safe manner;  you are likely to scare the beejesus out of everyone else on the road as well as any passenger you might have with a ½T truck and a too-small trailer. A mechanical or structural failure would be less than 'fun'.

It is hard to imagine that you cannot find a decent, older, 3/4 for a reasonable price.

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I would think there is an old retired guy with a heavy flat bed trailer with a one ton that would haul for you for a very reasonable rate.  If there is Amish in your area ask them, they have things delivered all the time and they know who is the cheapest. 

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I would think you would be perfectly fine swapping out heavier axles. a lot of trailer manufactures will make 1 frame for a certain range of trailers and just put heavier axles under it depending on the customers GVW needs. a close friends dad recently bought a deck over goose neck trailer for his farm and the manufacturer told him that they use the same trailer deck from 14,000 lbs up to 20,000lbs. the only thing that changes are the axles underneath and the plate the coincides on the tongue of the trailer.

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Call me crazy, but I would not buy a truck and a trailer for a one-time move.  Shop around for tow companies with a roll-back that is capable of hauling your truck.  I had a 24 foot boat on a disabled trailer - friend of a friend had a roll back with an 8 foot wide deck, long enough for the whole rig.  He only charged me $300 for what turned into almost a full day's work to go to where the trailer broke down, load it and haul it back home.

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  • 2 weeks later...

I hauled my B3G 2 1/2 hours home with my half ton 4x4. It was scary to say the least. It was the 152 wheel base and it took up the whole 18 foot trailer.

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Its been a while since I posted anything of even worked on my truck.  Been working over 60 hours a week for past 3  years now

and truck is 4 hours away. Been thinking about how to get it here and have also been talking about moving back to IA. So here

are my question. My title on the truck says weight 15,000 would this be the trucks actual weight or the GVWR? Need to figure out

if I can tow it with a dolly (not sure if rear wheels good enough to make long trip) or how big of trailer. I only have 78 d150 to pull with.

 I pulled one with no bed or engine from Kansas to IA with that truck and my car trailer, but it was really to much and a scary drive.

Any Ideas?

 

dm

 

I moved my '50 B2F twice so far. First time was with a 1990 GM 3/4 ton pickup.  truck pulled it just fine on a 12K flatbed trailer.  Stopping was the issue. The trailer was doing 90% of the braking.  I learned a lot on that trip of towing. 

 

Never over load your vehicle when towing.  Make sure you have good brakes on your towing vehicle.  I'm thinking if you have a 318 or a 360 in your '78 pickup, you'll be fine to tow your B1F.  I'd believe 'DodgeB4ya' for the weights.  They might be old listings, but they will be in the ball park (rust may have made your truck 50 pounds lighter now  - or dirt and grime might have added 100 pounds. :-)  )

Tow dolly = NO !!!  Rent a good trailer if you can.  Borrow a friends trailer if you can.  I have an 18 foot flat bed.  I should have gotten a 20 footer, but that's in the past.  My 152 inch wheel base just fit on that 18 footer.  Drive the B1F on the trailer - don't back it on.  You won't have much chance of moving the tow weight around. 

 

Use a tow leveling system.  There are a few different ones on the market, but worth every nickel of the cost.  After the first tow of my B2F without leveling, I didn't want to tow again.  The first time I hit the brakes with the truck on the trailer, I swear the nose of my chevy was 12 inches off the ground.  Second tow was with a 2000 Ram 4x4 with a 360 - but I had the leveling system by then. The 8 or 9 mpg wasn't pretty, but it was a world of difference with the right equipment.  

 

Enjoy and be safe.  

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  • 3 weeks later...

41/53dodges: Thank you so much for posting your link to "The New Job-Rated Dodge" information. I am new to these forums and a pretty new owner of aB-1-JMA-161; I now know what I have. Anybody out there know where I can find a "Passenger side Inner Fender", please let me know. Thanks again.

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