Towing MM Jet Star with half ton

sodly

Member
This is all just a hypothetical but thought I would get the opinion of the community. Would a new Silverado 1500 (extended cab) 5.3 comfortably tow a MM Jet Star tractor on a 14,000 lb, two axle trailer? Tractordata claims the JS3 weights 3,630 lbs which seems a bit on the light side to me but what do I know. I don't own any of this stuff, just wondering about borrowing some of it and whether I'm barking up the wrong tree or not with this truck/trailer combo. Thanks.
 
Find out whether the rear tires are
ballasts and whether there are any
weights installed. Weights can be
removed. If the rear tires are ballasted
(loaded) you might need a chart showing
tire size and additional weight added by
ballast. I hauled a jetstar III on a 5
ton rated trailer behind a 3/4 ton pickup
with no problem. You should be careful
not to exceed your trucks tow rating.
Tearing out your automatic because of
trying to pull too much weight is a real
thing , BTDT.
 

jacks, tearing out the tranny towing something too heavy is insignificant compared to not being able to stop when a little old lady pulls out right in front of you.
 
I understand what you're all saying guys. I just don't have the pickup data plate in front of me nor have I ever hauled a tractor of this size with this setup. I thought possibly someone here had. I think it's within the weight limits of the 1500 and trailer, assuming it's not weighted much. Just wondered if anyone had been there, done that.
 

You need to add the weight of the trailer which I'm guessing will be around 2,000 to 3,000 pounds. I think a 1/2 ton truck is going to be overloaded.
 
We have been hauling two different loads behind our Ram 1500. One is our 35' Camper 10,000lbs, the other pulling tractor on 14k deckover 11'000lbs. No problems what so ever. The main thing is take it easy, very important, make sure the trailer brakes are working and adjusted. Truck transmission will work fine if you do not abuse it. Our last truck did it for 13 yrs. When we traded it in the dealer was amazed how nice the truck was.
 
I've hauled a 4Star wide front, no tire ballast with an 05 Silverado 2 wheel drive on a PJ heavy duty car hauler bumper pull. 4Star is similar to Jet Star and weighed about 4500 plus tie down chains and binders. Trailer was 3K empty. I also used a load leveling hitch.

Will yours do it? probably But when you add "comfortably" that changes the question. It depends a lot on the terrain and distance you will be traveling. I was on relatively flat pulls, no mountains and short trips. The question with hills is not so much how steep but how long
 
It should do just fine unless you live in the mountains...The transmission would have tow mode..
Todays 1/2 ton pickups are bigger than the 3/4 ton pickups of years ago..You should see some
of the loads that were pulled by them..
 
All "half-tons" are not created equal and can vary widely in their towing capacity so you'd need to dig into the specs on your truck to see what it is rated for. Note that to get above
about 5000 lbs trailer weight you need to use a weight distributing hitch. I can vouch for the benefit of this type of hitch. This summer I pulled a Unimog on a tandem axle trailer 400
miles with my 2012 F-150 and it was my first experience with a weight distributing hitch. The 16,000 combined weight was well within the documented ratings of truck, trailer, and hitch.
The truck handled the load easily and due to the good trailer brakes with properly set gain the rig stopped as well as it does without a trailer.
 
I have a Jet Star and have hauled it on my 7000 pound rated
Hudson 2 axle equipment trailer behind a 2010 1/2 ton Chevy
reg cab 8? box 4wd with 4.8 v8 and it handles it just fine and
within all truck and trailer specs/ capacity. Working trailer
brakes are important.
 
My 14,000lb rated trailer with a 16ft deck and 3ft beavertail has a tare weight of 3300lbs to give you a rough idea of where you're starting.

Tractordata gives you the "dry" weight of the tractor, meaning no fluids, no options, no weights. You need to add for all these.

This tractor probably weighs significantly more than the 3630 you researched. If the tires aren't filled with fluid, it could still weigh 4500-5000lbs. That would give you 7800-8500lbs total weight for the load. That's within the "tow rating" of most half ton trucks made in the last 15 years or so.

Weight is only part of the issue. Some people have no business towing a snowmobile trailer with a one ton dually. Some people can handle a fully loaded 14,000lb gooseneck behind a half ton.

What is your towing experience? First time? Been doing it for years with a 3/4 or 1 ton?

How far are you going? What is the terrain like? Most here would agree the shorter the trip and the flatter the terrain, the more you can get away with as far as hauling heavy or even "overloaded." Some will tell you that 1lb overweight will have you cartwheeling into the oncoming lane in a giant death fireball, straight into a string of buses carrying hundreds of nuns and orphans...

Really a lot of it has to do with what you are comfortable with. Good brakes and tires all around, secure the load well, and you will be as safe as can be expected.
 

Thanks for this reply. This is basically what I was looking for. Yes, I realize experience plays a large role here too.
 
(quoted from post at 08:06:17 11/14/19)
Thanks for this reply. This is basically what I was looking for. Yes, I realize experience plays a large role here too.

Sodly, I hope that you will not go by your comfort level, but instead by how much are you willing to risk if something beyond your control goes very wrong and you have to face consequences if you are not legal. I advise you to go by the law.
 
Jet 3 weigh 4260 without weights or fluid in tires. Not more than most cars
made in 60's. 1/2 ton ext cab should handle.
 

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