i usually hang out on ck5, but i need some info "in writing" for a friend of mine who is worried about me hauling his buggy on my truck... the situation is that we are making a trip to tellico and i have a 50' slant car hauler w/ a GVW of 20k... my dodge has a GVWR of 12,200lbs... now we all understand that i have a GCVW of 32,200 and that as long as the weight on the truck axles is less than 12,200, and the weight on the trailer is less than 20k, that it is perfectly w/in spec... however the way he "understands" it, is that the GVWR on the truck means that it is only rated up to 12,200 total load... this means i couldn't haul a landscaping trailer around!!!! i understand that he doesn't know what he is talking about, but you know how some people are when they make up their mind that they are right... so if anyone knows where to find some info on what this truck can carry, and/or an elementary explination of these ratings i would be greatly appreciative... the truck weighs 8000 lbs the trailer weighs 7100 lbs two rigs weigh 4500 lbs two rigs weigh 3800 lbs total of 31,700 lbs
I may not have it right myself but.... You both are wrong.:doah: You can haul way more than 12K, but much less than 32K. Your maximum gross combined weight rating should be somewhere around 22-23K. That leaves enough room for the truck, trailer, and maybe two wheeling rigs. You are actually considering trying to haul 4 wheeling rigs?
Although that is a nice and safe trailer, legally you can't do it. I just checked the Dodge website, 23,000lbs max combined weight when properly equipped. 16,300lbs towing capacity. Thats the trailer and the two 4,500lbs rigs total. You mentioned 8K for your 3500, which is fairly heavy. I take it you have bigger bumpers and/or tool box/fuel tank, to be that heavy. That trailer can easily be too much for a 1 ton truck, and from what I know I think it's more designed to go behind a larger F450/F550 or medium duty truck that can legally tow past the 30K mark. Now I've seen a few 1 ton duallys pulling those types of trailers, and I'm not saying it can't be done, but if you get in a wreck weighing 30K and someone gets hurt, that can be a problem. Insurance companies have a fit and the other injured party can have a good suit to file if they choose.
well, like stated already 23k is your legal limit.... if you dont have an exhaust brake get one. i have weighed as much as 30k with my 04.5 short box 2wd but i have a 6 speed and a jake with a brakesmart. love the setup and and stop VERY well. also if you are not DRW i would advise keeping your weight down around 27k. or less. that was my only downfall about my heavy towing. my normal weight is about 24k, and because of this i will be going to 19.5's in the very near future. Grant
my truck is a 4wd and a 6 speed w/ drw... i have talked to people who have towed around 30k like yourself, but never a mention on an exhaust brake... i am looking into that now, thanks
Another fact to consider is that you legally need a CDL to weigh more than 26k gross. Can your truck do it?? Yes. Should you do it?? Maybe. I would get a CDL if you are going to be towing that much regularly, and make sure that your insurance will cover you for that type of a load. Mechanically putting in some airbags on the rear axle and like Grant (seventy4blazer) said and an exhaust brake, would things even safer. As far as the #s go here ya go GVWR-12,200 The max amount that your truck can weigh with cargo GCWR-23,000 (according to dodge) 26,000 (according to DOT) the max amount of weight that the loaded truck and loaded trailer can weigh together. Also just because your trailer has brakes doesnt mean that they will work with your truck. You will need a good quality Trailer Brake Controller like a Jordan Brakesmart or a Tekonsha Prodigy to make them work. BTW- I dont know how much you know about towing or about trailers so if I come across like I think you dont know anything please forgive me. I would rather you get all the info instead of not enough.
Still, 23K is legally max the truck can weigh. When something is illegal, you can forget getting any kind of insurance.
thanks for your help brisk, but i am sorry i may have left out some info... i have been towing for about 10 years, 10's of thousands of miles... i do have cdl's, w/ an "L" restriction, had to get tem when i bought this trailer... i do have a brake controller, not sure of the brand off hand, but it does work very well... i AM registered w/ DOT and i do have the legal amout of insurance required for a "for hire" operation... on to "legallities"... i wonder where you are getting your info from because my truck and trailer went through a full DOT inspection, twice, because the first time i went i didn't have proper documentaion on my trailer, ie, no tag, but i had a bill of sale, that was not properly endorsed, so they sent me packing... 240 mile round trip, but none the less, when i went back there was never a mention as to the "legal" limitations of my setup... i am sure that if they would not let me take a cdl test because of a notary stamp on my bill of sale, that they CERTAINLY would not let me take one w/ a truck over rated by 9k lbs... i am not trying to sound like a know it all, as i dont, otherwise i would not be asking about this... i did however ask for the limitations "in writing", something concrete, i just want some info that is reputable... my dodge dealership says that the ratings on there website are for a truck w/ standard equipment, no gooseneck, only a receiver hitch... and that by adding a gooseneck that you would greatly increase the weight capacity, but no mention as to how much... this leads me back to the original question... where can i find info on these ratings, with a setup like i have... thanks, jimmy...
Your dealership needs to go have a lesson on the vehicles they sell, as with pretty much any dealership with salemen that have no idea what they are actually selling. For one, you aren't supposed to pull more than 10K with the reciever hitch, more than 10K requires a class 5 hitch, which is not standard or optional on our trucks. 10K+8K isn't even close to 23K. http://www.dodge.com/ram_2500_3500/capability.html PLEASE click on this link, Dodge even has a towing guide, where you choose your vehicle, the specs, and it spits out your max numbers. I choose a quad cab long box dually 4x4 with a 6spd and 4.10 gears. MAX combined weight of 23K. http://www-5.dodge.com/vehsuite/dispatch.do The people are either so dishonest or just plain dumb, that it ticks me off. It says in plain english on Dodge's website, you can pull 23K when properly equipped, NOT standard equipment. Your truck is indeed properly equipped for 23K. I'm not ticked with you, I'm ticked at the boneheads at your dealership that can't read, they should provide better service than blatent incorrect information that is SERIOUS business. You say you have a commercial license, so I'll step out on a limb and say you know a little about class 8 trucks (big rigs). Here in California, along with many other states, 80K is your max combined weight. Do you think law enforcement, injured sue happy people, and insurance companies take overloaded OTR trucks lightely? So you got inspected. I can't give you an explenation there, too many variables. But... 1. You weren't even near 23K with just the trailer empty. 2. Even though the trailer can way overload the truck, it doesn't mean you will load it to max and maybe that is what they figure, as you will stay at 23K. 3. What if you rolled in tipping the scales at 31K, think they'd be fine with it? I'm not trying to be a know it all either, but I am more than anything, pissed that your dealership can't get you proper information. If you don't know about what you are selling, than go work in fast food where it's ok not to know anything, because the worst thing could happen is a customer gets mustard instead of ketsup, not an overloaded pickup that plows over a car (NOT because of being overloaded, just an un timely accident) and tha guy now has a sue happy person, an insurance company, and the highway patrol asking questions. Darned salesmen anyway....
This is quite an interesting discussion, seems towing over the weight stickered by the manufacter is not limited to rv's we had a similiar situation with our 02 f350 it had a gcvwr of 20k all hooked up we are at 23860, so we went with a tow boss 350 which has a gcvwr of 26k, and a tow rating of 18500, personally if i ever get to 16k or higher in a rv, we are getting a retired class 8 truck. i see folks everyday pulling huge loads with 1 ton trucks. yep they can do it, but the bottom line is trucks are rated for their loads on BRAKING ability and strenght of the frame and driveline. they know just how much it will take to break it, or ensure a long safe life, not just for the truck but those around it on the road. I dont want to be labeled as weight police, however when ever i see a load that is clearly over in an rv park i make mention in light conversation and more often than not folks are going by WHAT they were told by a dealer sales guy, or the rv salesman's perspective. vice facts in your owners manual. i would be weary of any load thats over weight and the driver in possesion of a cdl, its an open invitaion to deep liability if an accident occurs, sort of like a driver intoxicated, you may not have caused the person to run into you at teh stoplight, but because your already driving illegal it gets real ugly in court.
