Towing >10000 lbs with a Supernova on International chassis

[Niemanj]

Hi,

I’m contemplating buying a Supernova to tow an enclosed 25ft 12k lbs trailer. I’ve been told that the chassis might be rated for that but the engine does not have the horsepower/torque necessary. Anybody out there that is doing this and what’s their experience.

Thanks, Jan

 

[Chuck v]

Jan,

I have never towed such a large trailer load with my MH -- just an Acura SUV with all wheels down (about 5 to 6 K with it crammed full of our 'stuff'). The MH itself was rated at 10K trailer load.

Your rig might have even more power than my 42 ft Tour Master, since it had the Mercedes diesel with 350 HP and 1000 ft-lbs of torque, but power was never an issue for rational driving conditions. Make sure your brakes are perfect though...

A 25 ft bed trailer will have about a 6 foot tongue, so the combined vehicle length will likely approach or exceed 65 ft and may require a special class license so look into the requirements around that for sure.

Good luck and do your research. Drive safely out there!

Chuck

 

[SlimTim]

Hi,

I’m contemplating buying a Supernova to tow an enclosed 25ft 12k lbs trailer. I’ve been told that the chassis might be rated for that but the engine does not have the horsepower/torque necessary. Anybody out there that is doing this and what’s their experience.

Thanks, Jan

I have a 2012 SN 6400 and pull a 14’ trailer with four bikes, all the gear, tools and fuel for a week of riding. My guess is fully loaded it probably weighs close to 10k lbs. the 6400 pulls it just fine other than it was pretty slow up the hills; 35 to 45 mph slow.

I know a number of other people on here pull enclosed trailers with off road trucks, drag cars and other forms of vehicles with their SN. Pretty much all of them have no problems other than as I mentioned a little slow going up big/long hills.

 

[Chuck v]

Tim,

You should never 'guess' your weights -- particularly on a 14 foot enclosed dual axle trailer. Most are rated at 7,500 to 8,000 lbs gross or less. What brand and model is yours? My Titan 14 foot V-nose enclosed SE series Stealth model is rated at 6,990 GVWR. The exact model is ST SE714TA2. You might find the weight rating on your registration, but you should also be responsible enough to get the actual "as loaded" weight from a scale.

Yes towing uphill will slow the combined vehicle noticeably. Do you have any exciting/hair raising braking stories to tell us???

Chuck

 

[SlimTim]

Tim,

You should never 'guess' your weights -- particularly on a 14 foot enclosed dual axle trailer. Most are rated at 7,500 to 8,000 lbs gross or less. What brand and model is yours? My Titan 14 foot V-nose enclosed SE series Stealth model is rated at 6,990 GVWR. The exact model is ST SE714TA2. You might find the weight rating on your registration, but you should also be responsible enough to get the actual "as loaded" weight from a scale.

Yes towing uphill will slow the combined vehicle noticeably. Do you have any exiting/hair raising braking stories to tell us???

Chuck

Hey Chuck,

You are correct you should never guess your trailer weights.

As far as what my trailer is actually rated for and the weight I typically haul in it I am not that concerned. I have pulled the same configuration all over the Western US and I have never had a blowout, or an “exiting/hair raising braking story” or any issues what so ever. Unless I am climbing a steep and long road grade I can’t even tell the trailer is back there most of the time.

But I do agree with you that you should know the weight distribution of your trailer and the overall weight and what the trailer is rated for.

 

[Chuck v]

Thanks for catching my spelling error on "exciting" ... glad you have not had incidents. Even if you are too blase' to look up your trailer's GVWR let alone choose to actually weigh the real loads, it is clear that your advice on towing should be tempered by those facts.

Stay safe...

Chuck

 

[SlimTim]

Thanks for catching my spelling error on "exciting" ... glad you have not had incidents. Even if you are too blase' to look up your trailer's GVWR let alone choose to actually weigh the real loads, it is clear that your advice on towing should be tempered by those facts.

Stay safe...

Chuck

Hey Chuck, it looks like you and I got off on the wrong foot; that’s to bad. As far as giving advice regarding towing, I don’t think I did give any advice in this thread other than agreeing with you that you should know the weight of your trailer and the load balance.

The original poster is asking about the engine in the SN and pulling a trailer. I have a SN and pull a trailer with it so I simply responded with my experience doing so.

 

[FreedMeister]

Hi,

I’m contemplating buying a Supernova to tow an enclosed 25ft 12k lbs trailer. I’ve been told that the chassis might be rated for that but the engine does not have the horsepower/torque necessary. Anybody out there that is doing this and what’s their experience.

Thanks, Jan

We have a 2008 supernova with the VT365 engine and we pull a 12000 lb rated tandem axel trailer with a 2016 Chevrolet crew cab Colorado 4wd. On the back if that truck is a 4 place bike rack with 4 mountain bikes. On the roof of that truck is a 16' canoe. In the bed, under the leer cap is all the mountain biking gear, float tubes, and fishing gear. It's Not fast or nimble with that load but it doesn't overheat. 65 mph except up the steep grades. Make sure your trailer brakes and brake controller are in top notch conditions. The brakes are the weaker link.

 

[Chuck v]

No worries, Tim...just noting the lack of actual data. It's your name on the registration, and your observations are still a contribution to this thread.

FreedMeister -- your comment on the brakes and controller is spot on...getting stopped safely in any emergency situation is the most critical factor. Low speed pulling can be done with anything with sufficient traction, but safe stopping is the paramount issue. Below is more than 15,000 lbs being moved with 14 HP.

Chuck

 

[Ldunk]

It's always a good idea to actually weigh your trailer. I owned a trailer that carried a light race car and a handful of spare parts. The trailer weighed 4000 pounds and I was sure the stuff I had added was no more than 4,000 pounds, *maybe* 5,000 max. Rolled over the scales at 11,500 to my surprise. Tools and spares are heavy, apparently!