Towing a Car Trailer

well....

what you're proposing is probably illegal and definitely unsafe. here's a few thoughts under pennsylvania law...
in pa, you can tow up to around 26k lbs with a regular driver's license but that is "total combination weight." thus, if your dart weighs 3k lbs. your trailer has to have a "Gross Vehicle Weight (GVW)" rating totaling the weight of the trailer plus the weight of the load on the trailer - i.e. trailer weighs 2500 lbs plus load is 3200 lbs that requires that the trailer has a GVW of at least 6000 lbs (2500 + 3200 is only 5700 lbs. but you never want to cut weight capacity that close). but the trailer and load is not the end of the story in pa. here, you have to add the weight of the tow vehicle to the previous 6000 lbs example. thus, if you're using an F-250 that has a GVW rating of 12k lbs. you would be at 18k lbs in this example. because there is a 26k lbs combination in pa for a regular license, you have to be carefull that your total weight doesn't add up too high.

but in pa there are other quirks. if your trailer weight and load exceeds 10k lbs. you have to get a "medical card" from a PA Dept. of Trans. registered physician indicating that you do not have any serious health conditions. if you exceed 26k lbs with any combination of trailer, load plus tow vehicle, you have to have a Commercial Drivers' License (CDL). if you get stopped in Pa and you violate any of these provisions, fines start at $500 and can go as high as $1500.

as noted, you also have to make sure the hitch you attach to your vehicle is rated for the toung weight of the trailer you use.

but there is a bigger reason to be carefull in how and what you tow. towing any heavy load requires a lot of concentration and driving skill. if you've never towed anything you need to practice on some deserted road somewhere before you go on a busy highway. i have a 2006 4x4 dodge 1 ton dooley with a cummings, a 6 speed, a 5th wheel bed hitch, a Class V rear frame hitch and electric trailer brake controller. it is designed for towing loads up to 14k lbs. i recently rented a small bob cat skid steer that came with a trailer. when i got on the interstate with this rig i could definitly tell i was towing something heavy.

the last thing i would point out to you is that any accident that you have while towing something will probably be your fault unless you have complied with every state provision for proper equipment, weight, license qualification, etc. and if you do violate some state rule, your insurance company might try to get out of coverage.

towing vehicles is a lot more complicated than you might think. you cannot have the attitude that "i'm a good driver, i don't have anything to worry about." you need to try and get educated, try to talk to some truck drivers and be very careful when you do your first tow until you understand the "physics" behind towing a trailer.