So, saw on Craigslist free river rock, and turned out to be a bit more than I expected, especially weight as there was quite a few larger ones. I wasn't being careful how the help was loading the trailer, and pretty much bottomed out. Anyone know where that point is weight wise?

Anything I need to check for damage?

Thank you all in advance!

Attached Thumbnails

 

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Current fleet:

1985 Mercedes-Benz 280TE - Waiting for heart surgery.

1985 Mercedes-Benz 300TDT - Rear ended 23 September 2016 and now looking for a new home.

1979 Mercedes-Benz 300TD - Parted out.

1964 Volkswgen Beetle - Vater's since September 1968 and undergoing a restoration.

1971 Volkswagen Sunroof Squareback with F.I. - in need of full restoration.

1971 Volkswagen Squareback automatic with F.I. - Vacationing with her caretaker until he is in better health.

Are you looking for damnage to the car or trailer?

Check the trailer for a bowed axle if you went over its weight limit,

Not sure what the 300TD limit is but placed to check would be:
-hitch mounting points
-the hitch itself
-make sure everything is still square
-SLS hoses
-change the transmission fluid and filter THIS ONE IS IMPORTANT

__________________
2004 F150 4.6L -My Daily
2007 Volvo XC70 -Wife's Daily
1998 Ford F150 -Rear ended
1989 J-spec 420SEL -passed onto its new keeper
1982 BMW 733i -fixed and traded for the 420SEL
2003 Volvo V70 5 Speed -scrapped
1997 E290 Turbo Diesel Wagon -traded for above
1992 BMW 525i -traded in
1990 Silver 300TE -hated the M103
1985 Grey 380SE Diesel Conversion, 2.47 rear end, ABS -Sold, really should have kept this one
1979 Silver 300D "The Silver Slug" -Sold

does the SLS work in the wagon?
that's a LOT of stone in that wagon. likely 8000 lbs or more. not safe to drive with that much in there. you will have difficulty stopping, and starting, and steering... that's if the trailer tires don't fail...

I would unload at least 2/3 of that load, and make several trips... if you get it moving, I would not exceed 20mph...

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John HAUL AWAY, OR CRUSHED CARS!!! HELP ME keep the cars out of the crusher! A/C Thread
"as I ride with my a/c on... I have fond memories of sweaty oily saturdays and spewing R12 into the air. THANKS for all you do!

My drivers:
1987 190D 2.5Turbo
1987 560SL convertible
1987 190D 2.5-5SPEED!!!

1987 300TD
2005 Dodge Sprinter 2500 158"WB
1994GMC 2500 6.5Turbo truck... I had to put the ladder somewhere!

Yeah that's a large unbraked load.... but by the sounds of his post he's already completed his trip...

__________________
2004 F150 4.6L -My Daily
2007 Volvo XC70 -Wife's Daily
1998 Ford F150 -Rear ended
1989 J-spec 420SEL -passed onto its new keeper
1982 BMW 733i -fixed and traded for the 420SEL
2003 Volvo V70 5 Speed -scrapped
1997 E290 Turbo Diesel Wagon -traded for above
1992 BMW 525i -traded in
1990 Silver 300TE -hated the M103
1985 Grey 380SE Diesel Conversion, 2.47 rear end, ABS -Sold, really should have kept this one
1979 Silver 300D "The Silver Slug" -Sold

oh, and if you do get that much rock moving in that trailer, be sure you don't drive faster than the dog attached to the trailer can run!

__________________
John HAUL AWAY, OR CRUSHED CARS!!! HELP ME keep the cars out of the crusher! A/C Thread
"as I ride with my a/c on... I have fond memories of sweaty oily saturdays and spewing R12 into the air. THANKS for all you do!

My drivers:
1987 190D 2.5Turbo
1987 560SL convertible
1987 190D 2.5-5SPEED!!!

1987 300TD
2005 Dodge Sprinter 2500 158"WB
1994GMC 2500 6.5Turbo truck... I had to put the ladder somewhere!

Thank you all!

More to the wagen, but hadn't considered the trailer. Already bent the arm a couple loads back using the wheel. Just bent it back... I would like to find someone with a welder and one of us box in both the sections. After today's mishap, really like to redo the whole thing, including the wire nutted lights!

John, S.L.S. was saved me from fully bottoming out, though did take a bit to get some lift.

You really think it is that much? I have done about twice that, but was light river rock and hardly affected the suspension height. How does one know what the weight is of a load?

This is taken in my front yard. Drove 35 M.P.H. for good 10 to 15 miles home. I didn't really feel the load at all, even braking. She was a dream ride except a bit of nose lift and occasional rocking that a bit of throttle corrected.

__________________
Current fleet:

1985 Mercedes-Benz 280TE - Waiting for heart surgery.

1985 Mercedes-Benz 300TDT - Rear ended 23 September 2016 and now looking for a new home.

1979 Mercedes-Benz 300TD - Parted out.

1964 Volkswgen Beetle - Vater's since September 1968 and undergoing a restoration.

1971 Volkswagen Sunroof Squareback with F.I. - in need of full restoration.

1971 Volkswagen Squareback automatic with F.I. - Vacationing with her caretaker until he is in better health.

We all made it home, and apparently with the help of an angel!



We drove by her boyfriends, so Ember was going to take off without letting me unhitch. Every time I get a bit smarter and faster, so done soon enough to get a play date in.

__________________
Current fleet:

1985 Mercedes-Benz 280TE - Waiting for heart surgery.

1985 Mercedes-Benz 300TDT - Rear ended 23 September 2016 and now looking for a new home.

1979 Mercedes-Benz 300TD - Parted out.

1964 Volkswgen Beetle - Vater's since September 1968 and undergoing a restoration.

1971 Volkswagen Sunroof Squareback with F.I. - in need of full restoration.

1971 Volkswagen Squareback automatic with F.I. - Vacationing with her caretaker until he is in better health.

The weight of most types of rock is somewhere between 160 and 200 lbs./CF. If your trailer is a 4x8 bed, then (based on the photo) 8K lb is a rough, but reasonable estimate for that load. You had it loaded with most of the weight on the hitch, which had to have been far in excess of the hitch capacity. I'm impressed that it didn't tear loose from the car. Had the load been more balanced on the trailer axle, then you probably would have broken it. You're lucky you made it home.

__________________
'79 240D

from the pic, it looks like you could have spread more of the load aft of the axle and reduced the tongue weight a bit.

still dangerous to be overloaded, but a little safer with a 60/40 distribution.

nice score & cute pup.

__________________
1991 300D

Oh dear!

This is granite, so let us say 200 ponds a cubic and assume 2x4x4, and I come out with 6,400 pounds. It was more closer to 3', and using that, I get 9,600 pounds! So John was exactly right at 8,000 pounds! Good for him!

Hitch is rated to 400 pounds, though there is a safety factor in there. Though, think I will call quits on hauling until I am certain I didn't do any damage.

To make it even more scary, I did hit the hitch when I pulled out of the drive for more than a tap, more like a long scrape!

How does one estimate weight if they have a mix of items? I hate to do this again and would hate to go any distance to weigh station in case I was way off.

I wasn't paying attention how they were loading the trailer...

I didn't over load, I far exceeded the safety threshold! I could have done damage or killed someone...

Not sure how I am going to be able to sleep at night...

Thank you for the complements on my dog! Ember adopted me when I didn't want a dog, but she changed that! Now I have bought the wagen, home, and queen bed so I could have her and be with her!

__________________
Current fleet:

1985 Mercedes-Benz 280TE - Waiting for heart surgery.

1985 Mercedes-Benz 300TDT - Rear ended 23 September 2016 and now looking for a new home.

1979 Mercedes-Benz 300TD - Parted out.

1964 Volkswgen Beetle - Vater's since September 1968 and undergoing a restoration.

1971 Volkswagen Sunroof Squareback with F.I. - in need of full restoration.

1971 Volkswagen Squareback automatic with F.I. - Vacationing with her caretaker until he is in better health.

If you regularly haul that kind of weight a dual axel trailor with brakes would be better..... Remember what I said, change the transmission fluid and filter......

__________________
2004 F150 4.6L -My Daily
2007 Volvo XC70 -Wife's Daily
1998 Ford F150 -Rear ended
1989 J-spec 420SEL -passed onto its new keeper
1982 BMW 733i -fixed and traded for the 420SEL
2003 Volvo V70 5 Speed -scrapped
1997 E290 Turbo Diesel Wagon -traded for above
1992 BMW 525i -traded in
1990 Silver 300TE -hated the M103
1985 Grey 380SE Diesel Conversion, 2.47 rear end, ABS -Sold, really should have kept this one
1979 Silver 300D "The Silver Slug" -Sold

There is absolutely no way the stone weighs 8,000 LB.

If there was:

The bolt together Harbor Freight trailer would be pressed into the ground, tires flat to the rims. With all of the weight ahead of the axle, the tongue would be folded in half.

The car trailer hitch would also be bent as well.

I know for a fact that 50 2' x 3' x 2" thick concrete patio / walk way squares weigh 6,750 LB and fill the bed of a full sized "1 ton" truck. I've transported this payload 8+ times.

The stone in the trailer probably weighs 1,000 to 1,200 Lb

Whoa man yeah, that dangerous to tow in the trailer -- everyone knows that something that heavy belongs on the roof!

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"Senior Luna, your sense of humor is still loco... but we love it, anyway." -rickymay ____ "Your sense of humor is still loco... " -MBeige ____ "Señor Luna, your sense of humor is quite järjetön" -Delibes

1982 300SD -- 211k, Texas car, tranny issues ____ 1979 240D 4-speed 234k -- turbo and tuned IP, third world taxi hot rod

2 Samuel 12:13: "David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.” And Nathan said to David, “The Lord also has put away your sin; you shall not die."

Dude99, thank you for the reply!

I don't intend to do this regularly. The point of the trailer is to haul light loads, especially plants for when I correct the landscaping. It isn't to be used a lot, just now and then.

The trailer is the best one you can purchase from Harbor Freight and has a capacity of 7,700 pounds. Considering the margin of safety, that means 8,000 pounds.

And how would the roof be able to support that load?

__________________
Current fleet:

1985 Mercedes-Benz 280TE - Waiting for heart surgery.

1985 Mercedes-Benz 300TDT - Rear ended 23 September 2016 and now looking for a new home.

1979 Mercedes-Benz 300TD - Parted out.

1964 Volkswgen Beetle - Vater's since September 1968 and undergoing a restoration.

1971 Volkswagen Sunroof Squareback with F.I. - in need of full restoration.

1971 Volkswagen Squareback automatic with F.I. - Vacationing with her caretaker until he is in better health.

Fifty pavers of that dimension would be just under 50CF. The average weight for concrete masonry aggregate being 140 lbs., your gross weight was probably correct. Your comments prompted me to do a little more thorough calculation.

It looks like the rock on that trailer would fill a space at least 4' x 4' x 2', assuming that the trailer pictured has a 4 x 8 bed and the sideboards are full sheets of plywood. Allowing that 25% of that volume is air, the load looks to be about 24 cu. ft. of rock, net. At an average weight of 168 lbs./ cu. ft. for granite, it's over 2 tons. Half my initial guess, twice yours, so it must be right It's still way over the that trailer's capacity, and, given the way it is loaded, way over the likely capacity of the hitch.

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'79 240D