How to haul a truck or big SUV
Pickups, lifted trucks, duallies and full-size SUVs are heavier and wider than a car. Here's how to pick the right trailer and haul them safely.
Know what your truck weighs
A half-ton pickup is around 5,000 to 5,500 lb. A 3/4-ton or 1-ton can run 7,000 lb or more, before you add a bed full of stuff. Our 20' car haulers carry up to 10,963 lb and the deckover carries up to 9,550 lb. Look up the curb weight on your door sticker or in the manual.
Pick a trailer that fits
The drive-over is our go-to for trucks. The fenders sit low so wide tires roll right over them, and you get the full 8.5' deck. Duallies and wide trucks fit on the drive-over or the deckover. The gravity tilt's 7' deck is best for cars and smaller SUVs.
Pickups and lifted trucks: drive-over
Duallies: drive-over or deckover
Cars and small SUVs: gravity tilt
Put the heavy end forward
Most trucks carry their weight over the front axle, so drive on nose first and stop with the engine a little ahead of the trailer's wheels. You want about 10 to 15% of the total weight pressing down on your hitch. Too little and the trailer sways. Too much and your steering gets light.
Strap every tire, then recheck
Use the included straps over all four tires and hook them to the trailer's tie-down points, never the bumper or suspension. Heavy trucks settle into the straps more than cars do, so pull over within the first 5 to 10 miles and tighten everything again.
Drive slower than you think
With a truck on the trailer you could be pulling 12,000+ lb. Stay under 65, leave twice your normal following distance, and start braking early. On long downhill grades like I-80 over the Sierra, drop a gear and let the engine help.
Make sure your tow truck is big enough
Add the trailer (around 2,500 to 3,000 lb empty) to the truck you're hauling. If that total is close to your tow rating, use a 3/4-ton or bigger. Your tow rating is on the driver's door sticker or in the owner's manual.
Questions
What people ask us before hauling a truck.
Yes. Book the drive-over. Its pull-out ramps and low fenders make loading a lifted truck straightforward. Check that the truck's weight plus anything in the bed stays under 10,950 lb.
Yes, on the drive-over or the deckover. Both give you the full 8.5' width. A dually won't fit on the gravity tilt.
Look at the sticker inside the driver's door or search your year, make and model plus "curb weight." If it's modified or loaded up, a CAT scale at a truck stop gives you the real number for a few bucks.
Over the tires with the included straps, hooked to the trailer's tie-down points. Don't hook to bumpers, running boards or suspension parts.
Yes, as much as you can. Anything left in the bed adds weight at the back of the trailer, which is exactly where you don't want it. Tie down or remove anything loose.
Still have questions?
Call or text 775-487-5144 and tell us what you're hauling. We'll point you to the right trailer.