Can I safely tow a bobcat?

bebey · **Joined:** Fri Oct 22, 2010 3:08 pm **Posts:** 62

Stats: 2006 Liberty, Goodyear MTRs (forgot exact size but roughly equivelent to 31's, pretty sure they are heavy load roated), GDE full-torque eco tune and transmission tune.

I have a Bobcat 7753 that weighs 5450 lbs. I will get the lightest 2-axle trailer I can get that will support the weight of the cat but not sure what the trailer weighs.

I know the Liberty is rated at towing 5000 lbs. But considering the setup above, and if I got a trailer with electric brakes and had a brake controller, could I safely tow (at slower speeds approx 55mph or so) the Bobcat? Would an anti-sway bar help? One last thing: I'm guessing my hitch is a class 3. Is that going to be a problem if true?

Appreciate any help from the experienced haulers here.

Thanks!

Joe Romas · **Posted:** Thu Jul 14, 2011 2:00 pm

Jimstal will tell you it's rated to tow 7000# elsewhere in the world :BANANA:

You don't say if would be a one time thing or a daily occurance. If it's a daily occurence I would get a Ram Cummins 3/4 ton at least :2cents:

bebey · **Joined:** Fri Oct 22, 2010 3:08 pm **Posts:** 62

7000 metric?

It won't be daily or I would get something bigger. Maybe once or twice a month.

papaindigo · **Posted:** Thu Jul 14, 2011 2:16 pm

What type of terrain might matter too.

bebey · **Joined:** Fri Oct 22, 2010 3:08 pm **Posts:** 62

Paved roads and a small amount of gravel. Nothing to crazy. All flat and smooth.

Wobbly · **Posted:** Thu Jul 14, 2011 3:18 pm

Some factors to be considered are the tow vehicle GCVW rating of 11,100 pounds, the tow vehicle axle ratings, the tongue weight, and the receiver ratings. The European version has a tongue weight rating of 740 pounds, and tow weight rating of 7400 pounds. To see how I determined if our travel trailer was a safe load, see this thread: viewtopic.php?f=5&t=55845

warp2diesel · **Posted:** Thu Jul 14, 2011 7:09 pm

Another thing to consider is that your Bobcat has a lot less frontal area than a travel trailer. Both factor into the load the vehicle gets on the power train. When I hook up my 7K load, I have a tractor on a beaver tail trailer and the 1946 Farmal B has a lot less frontal area than even your Bobcat. Also I have the 12" electric brakes on all four wheels of the trailer and even loaded, they do stop. I would not consider towing the Bobcat with out an equalizer hitch and sway control.
If you have great brakes, your trailer wheels are aligned properly and it tows like a dream, you could go 65MPH on an Interstate. Other roads, you better go 55MPH or less and turn off the overdrive unless you are going 65MPH or faster.
Make sure you position the Bobcat on your trailer so it has the right tongue weight.

Good Luck

onthehunt · **Posted:** Fri Jul 15, 2011 12:26 am

Tow it? Yes.
Safely? No.

Your well into 3/4 ton territory.

Wobbly · **Posted:** Fri Jul 15, 2011 8:47 am

Another consideration is accident liability. If any of the towing requirements specified by the tow vehicle manufacturer are not followed, an insurance claim could be denied. If injuries or damage to other parties occurs under these conditions, the plaintiff's lawyer might have an easy case.

LibertyCRD · **Posted:** Fri Jul 15, 2011 9:02 am

onthehunt wrote:

Tow it? Yes.
Safely? No.

Your well into 3/4 ton territory.

I'm going to have to disagree with this. 1/2 ton trucks are getting 10,000 lb.+ towing ratings these days. 3/4 to 1 ton trucks are getting 15,000 to 20,000 lb. towing ratings. He's not even close to that.

I had the KJ CRD at almost 11,000 lbs. GCW multiple times and had ZERO issues. It would hold 5th gear at 65 MPH on the interstate going up a 5% grade with that load hooked on. There is not going to be a problem AT ALL for him with that bobcat on a tandem axle trailer.

The KEY is using trailer brakes, which he clearly indicated he would. I say go for it, and concentrate on what's going on around you in case you need to make a panic stop.

P.S. towing 7,000 lb. trailers around netted me 15 to 16 miles per gallon...which is more than a 3/4 ton truck would get running empty.

onthehunt · **Posted:** Fri Jul 15, 2011 9:50 am

Just because you can doesn't mean you should. A deisel rabbit could pull the trailer. Stopping it is a totally different ball game. Common sense needs to be applied here. Litigation concerns alone would stop me from doing this.

bebey · **Joined:** Fri Oct 22, 2010 3:08 pm **Posts:** 62

I really appreciate everyone's insights, both pros and cons.

I've ordered a trailer, specifically for the bobcat. The builder's advice for the trailer was to 1. Use extra heavy top channel 2. Use extra duty built in ramps 3. Run electrical through conduit to reduce risk of wiring issues 4. Use a shorter length trailer (14' in this case) to try and get as neutral (low tongue weight but still slightly forward) weight distribution as possible. 5. Electric brakes. So I've ordered this trailer and will use it whether I use the Liberty to pull it or use another vehicle. The trailer will weigh approx 1400 lbs. I will also be getting the Prodigy proportional brake controller, which also has a boost function to increase the percentage of the initial breaking by the trailer brakes (good for heavy loads I'm told.)

I also have a line on a rebuilt Ford F-350 with the 6.9 diesel. Quad cab, extended bed 1 ton. I know that will haul it if I have to go that route, but I'm hoping the Jeep can do it.

Thanks again everyone.

Bret

onthehunt · **Posted:** Fri Jul 15, 2011 11:15 am

You will want as much tongue weight as it will hold. Good luck.

bebey · **Joined:** Fri Oct 22, 2010 3:08 pm **Posts:** 62

Respectfully, I disagree with that last statement.

I believe that a mostly neutrally centered weight distribution with a 'small' tongue weight is the most stable solution for towing. I've towed heavy loads with too much tongue weight and it is scary as hell. The light front end of the tow vehicle in this situation is just as dangerous as the swaying caused from a tongue-negative/misloaded trailer. This is the reason I am getting a shorter trailer: To allow the bobcat to essentially sit over the axles and allows a mostly neutral balance (small amount of positive tongue weight).

I'm willing to listen to dissenting opinions if they can show some empirical evidence why the above is wrong. I'm still learning on these heavier loads.

Thanks again everyone.

Bret

TAHOE · **Posted:** Fri Jul 15, 2011 12:10 pm

Tongue weight should be around 10% of total trailer/load, 15% being max. That provides for stable trailer towing. The brakes are most important in this case as stated, also trailer should be as level as possible at the hitch. Good luck....we need pics if you do it :mrgreen:

I pulled a smaller skid steer with my old K5 blazer and rental guy loaded it for me, he had loader too far forward and like you stated, looked like blazer was doing a wheely. Glad I only had about 5 miles to pull it to home, I was white knuckled. When I took it back, I loaded properly moving loader back a bit with trailer taking the weight and it was sooo much safer to tow, at least it felt much better.

bebey · **Joined:** Fri Oct 22, 2010 3:08 pm **Posts:** 62

10% is a good amount to work with on lighter trailers, but I worry that 10-15% of tongue weight when it's 5-7k lbs is A LOT. I think if I plan on a tongue weight of 200-300 lbs on this heavy of a load, I should that I should be ok. 700+ tongue weight is a LOT of weight on a class 3 hitch on a unibody frame. (I am also getting weight distributing and anti-sway in addition to trailer brakes).

onthehunt · **Posted:** Fri Jul 15, 2011 2:15 pm

I pulled a neutral weighted trailer with a little over a cord of green oak. It was ok until I hit a dip in the road and all the weight came off the back end of the Jeep. Started fish-tailing and almost went directly in the ditch. Moved axle back 8 inches on the trailer and now it tows much better. The short wheelbase of the Liberty doesn't help. I have pulled the same load/trailer with a 1/2 ton pick up and it was night vs day. I also find the Liberty brakes to be marginal when towing heavy loads without trailer brakes. Pickup had no problems with this. Just my experience with towing. Even with conservative 10% tongue weight you are still looking at 700lbs which is why I recommended as much as it will hold. Plan on the rear axle springs sitting on the stops. I would also get a story ready in case you get pulled over.

bebey · **Joined:** Fri Oct 22, 2010 3:08 pm **Posts:** 62

I've never had a problem with the Liberty's brakes when towing, and I've towed with it a significant amount of times including fairly heavy loads of dirt (and didn't have trailer brakes).

I would absolutely not tow the bobcat without brakes (or load equalizer and anti-sway.)

After I set it up, I will drive around on country roads not too far from my homestead and experiment with the best tongue weight. As for the springs, I have an aftermarket Old Man Emu suspension which is MUCH (and stiffer) than stock, as well as load rated tires on both the Liberty and the trailer. If axle springs are sitting on the stops, you loaded the trailer wrong...

As for having a story ready: I don't live my life in fear, nor make up stories. It is what it is: I'm towing a bobcat.

Roostre · **Joined:** Sun Oct 24, 2010 3:57 pm **Posts:** 195

bebey wrote:

I really appreciate everyone's insights, both pros and cons.

I also have a line on a rebuilt Ford F-350 with the 6.9 diesel. Quad cab, extended bed 1 ton. I know that will haul it if I have to go that route, but I'm hoping the Jeep can do it.

I also have an F-350 with a 6.9L diesel. The wheelbase will help keep things straighter than the Liberty, but the motor and brakes are borderline anemic for a truck this large. Mine is turbo'd and has a performance pump and injectors. With all this it just might eek out 230HP and 400 ft/lbs. Because of its weight the motor feels much smaller. Very reliable and it gets about 16 MPG empty.

Whenever I have a choice I use my Liberty to pull with. I have done a few 500+ mile trips with near 5,000 lbs on a flatbed trailer and it does much better than you would think. It has the Tekonsha brake controller and I always adjust the trailer brakes up before a trip.

Now if I could just figure out how to hook the Liberty up to a 5th wheel... :jester:

LibertyCRD · **Posted:** Fri Jul 15, 2011 9:06 pm

The trailer I used weighed 2,200 lbs. alone. Truck that was on it around 4,000. Cargo a few hundred at least. Plus two men, fuel, and odds and ends.

You DON'T want as much tongue weight as you can put on it. The KJ from the factory has very short rear springs and very little travel before the bumpstops hit. You MUST evenly load the trailer.

It will pull like a dream. With trailer brakes it'll stop fine too. Just be careful (which you should do regardless).

Can I safely tow a bobcat?

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