MEP-805B on Trailer - NEED HELP

[TheYachtCaptain]

NFG here. I hope you can do some hand holding here. I'm feeling a little over my head here.

I just won an IronPlanet auction for an MEP-805B on a Trailer.

https://www.govplanet.com/for-sale/...3050?h=5000,q|1463050&rr=1&hitprm=&pnLink=yes

Situation: I need to get pick it up in AZ, get it home in WA and up and running!

Any Advice on towing? I have an FJ Cruiser and just ordered the proper hitch.
- What about the trailer lights? 12 or 24V
- Should I buy an adaptor from my RV style 7 blade trailer light jack?

Thanks in advance boys!

 

[Evil Dr. Porkchop]

Welcome to the site.
My advice is don’t even think any further about towing it home with an FJ Cruiser. That trailer is massive and not safe nor legal behind an FJ.
You’re going to need a new plan.

 

[bikeman]

Your best bet is to get a set or two of the magnetic lights from Harbor Freight or similar and use your existing trailer light system to run those. Normal cars won't run 24v. Also, while there are adapters to run 12v lights in these, they can get expensive or similar. Just make sure you bring some zipties and duct-tape to secure the magnetic lights in case your trailer is the new version (I can't see the page right now).

 

[Guyfang]

Very clean looking gen set and trailer. I did not notice any missing, or damaged parts. Your big problem is getting it home, up and running is small potatoes.

Find out if its legal to tow the trailer behind your vehicle. Then we can talk about how to go about it. As most folks have advised you to look into shipping, you should look into it.

 

[Dock Rocker]

Yea you will likely kill you your truck, your self or someone else if you try to pull that thing with an FJ. You will need a 3/4 ton just to keep it from pushing you all over the place.

Plus the hitch is going to be very high on a normal class 3 style hitch. You will need to put quite a bit of lift on the hitch to get it to ride anywhere near level.

I would consider getting it shipped on a flatbed.

 

[155mm]

trailer weighes 2000lbs, genny weight is 3000ish, fj cruiser is rated at 500lb tounge and 5000 total, so you are maxed out. I would err on the side of caution and say ship it.

 

[Zed254]

You may be able to rent a 1 ton pickup truck to tow it with but you don't want to be learning to pull a trailer weighing 5,000lbs with no brakes. That trailer appears to have air over hydraulic brakes and the typical rental pickup will not have the air assist brakes.

 

[TheYachtCaptain]

Hello, any idea where I can rent such a rig?

You may be able to rent a 1 ton pickup truck to tow it with but you don't want to be learning to pull a trailer weighing 5,000lbs with no brakes. That trailer appears to have air over hydraulic brakes and the typical rental pickup will not have the air assist brakes.

 

[TheYachtCaptain]

I hear ya, but it's looking like $2500 to ship it!

 

[TheYachtCaptain]

Thanks!

Do you know the tongue weight on this beast of a trailer?

 

[kloppk]

You might consider renting or borrowing a 3/4 ton or better truck and a car trailer. The car trailer needs to have brakes.
Load the genny onto the car trailer. Chain it down good.

 

[Zed254]

Kurt has a great idea: rent a trailer with brakes. Your 9th picture has the trailer data plate: looks like 260 lbs on lunette unloaded = more with that heavy generator. Search SS for the TM on the generator / trailer combo for better details on weight. Search 'rent 1 ton pickup truck' and Enterprise Truck Rental will pop up.

 

[98G]

Thanks!

Do you know the tongue weight on this beast of a trailer?

The tongue weight is going to be substantially more than listed, due to the fact that it's going to be severely nose down.

The bare trailer is 2440lbs. The genset is north of 3000lbs.

I don't think it's legal anywhere behind a pickup truck, as you'll have no trailer brakes.

Legal be ****ed. I have a 1ton truck with a hitch specifically designed to tow military trailers level. Weight is about 9000lbs empty and I have a manual transmission and exhaust brake. That trailer and genset combo would be a handful for my truck... (and not legal on the interstates)

Again, legal be ****ed, but the odds of you killing someone are too high to risk. This one isn't just a technical illegality. This one is blatantly unsafe. Don't do it ... someone pulls out in front of you. You have to stop suddenly. 11,000lbs of forward momentum, but only about 5000lbs of traction and braking force. This won't end well.


Tow it with an air brake vehicle. Tow it on a trailer with brakes. Pay the shipping. Sell it where it sits and get something on an 1101 chassis that has a surge brake. These are the options as I see them.

(Pictured - my 1ton with this type of trailer and a welder that's nowhere near as heavy as that 805. This is just a few miles down the road at 45mph. If I were going to tow it at hwy speeds it'd be behind a 5ton with airbrakes.)



Note - when towing something unbraked you want your tow vehicle to be at least twice the weight of what's towed. This is for bare minimum safety levels and doesn't mean it meets legal requirements....

My opinions. Free to all who read them. Possibly worth what you pay for them.

 

[USAMilRet]

. Get a one way U Haul truck and tow it that way. Ryder.....whatever. Beat up their vehicles. Or you can pay lots more for shipping.

 

[uniquify]

If you don't have a vehicle stout enough to pull the 805 and it's trailer, you'd be better off loading it on a trailer with brakes, or paying someone to haul it. Personally, I wouldn't want to cross any mountains with something that large, so I'd be looking for multiple shipping quotes. You could try posting in the transportion needed section of the classifieds. You could get quotes from some of the advertisers on this site. You could put a request on uship.com and see if there are any reasonable offers.

 

[Guyfang]

You may be able to rent a 1 ton pickup truck to tow it with but you don't want to be learning to pull a trailer weighing 5,000lbs with no brakes. That trailer appears to have air over hydraulic brakes and the typical rental pickup will not have the air assist brakes.

It doesn't just appear to have air over Hydraulic brakes, it has them.

 

[DieselAddict]

Is this even an option that helps? Convert it to electric?

https://www.steelsoldiers.com/showt...ctric-how-to&p=1616736&viewfull=1#post1616736

 

[SCSG-G4]

Rent a truck/trailer with brakes sufficient to stop everything safely. For easiest results, from AZ, go west to the Cali central valley then go north as far as you can before the mountains get to big. That will avoid most of the high Rockies and the long up and down grades on the roads. Take it slow (55-60 max) and love the right hand lane.

 

[Guyfang]

I once drove an RV down out of the Rockies, without brakes. It was a significant emotional experience. Thankfully my wife slept through most of it. Yes I needed to change my underwear. SCSG-G4 has got it right.

 

[USAMilRet]

Rent a truck/trailer with brakes sufficient to stop everything safely. For easiest results, from AZ, go west to the Cali central valley then go north as far as you can before the mountains get to big. That will avoid most of the high Rockies and the long up and down grades on the roads. Take it slow (55-60 max) and love the right hand lane.

This!

I also did the RV thing except no brakes on the TOAD. Will never do that again.