Understated Towing Capacity...has to be more that 13.6klbs

[RRB]

My '06 Mega cab with an auto transmission is only rated for 13. 6Klb towing... . This seems understated. With a little hesitation, I loaded 12,500 lbs of hay on my 6000lb trailer and the truck pulled pulled it with ease and could handle more although an exhaust brake would have been helpful.

 

[JDiepstra]

I have no doubt it pulled it with ease. How about things like emergency stopping/lane changes? Dodge came up with that number based on the weakest link in the truck, whatever that is. Sooner or later it will break, then we'll know!

 

[DonTX]

I am not sure I agree with you or not. I suspect that the numbers come more from wanting people to not work the truck, in hopes the warranty costs will be less. I seriously doubt that they ever put a load in excess of the rated numbers and drove it to destruction. Some individual items like wheels, tires, axles have some engineer determined max load, but the whole truck? Anyone know just how they determine that? Look over the spec sheets for a particular model year, and note the differences in specs for different models, even more confusing.

I have no doubt it pulled it with ease. How about things like emergency stopping/lane changes? Dodge came up with that number based on the weakest link in the truck, whatever that is. Sooner or later it will break, then we'll know!

 

[JDiepstra]

I am not sure I agree with you or not. I suspect that the numbers come more from wanting people to not work the truck, in hopes the warranty costs will be less. I seriously doubt that they ever put a load in excess of the rated numbers and drove it to destruction. Some individual items like wheels, tires, axles have some engineer determined max load, but the whole truck? Anyone know just how they determine that? Look over the spec sheets for a particular model year, and note the differences in specs for different models, even more confusing.

That could also be a factor but I also think Dodge would want to rate it's trucks as high as is safely possible to out-do the competition. Hypothetically - Why get a Dodge if the Chevy and Ford are posting better numbers?

 

[jelag]

We have an 04 Dully that we towed a 20K lb trailer for 240 K miles before we took it out of service for an in town truck..... Trailer was rated at 24K with (2) 12K axles... . It made a run from Spokane, Portland, Sacramento, Bakersfield, LA, San Diego, Phoenix, Las Vegas Billings, Spokane at least once a month... we never had problems with the truck. It was slow going up the grapevine... If on a 100* day climbing that hill, we'd get close to another truck... . under say 60 ft the truck would start to overheat from the lack of good air flow... as long as we were 75 ft from the truck in front we never overheated... .

The trailer had power disc brakes... so it stopped...

There were some real issues in UT, MT, ID, WA in winter, ice and snow would sometimes hold us up for a day... . I wouldn't let my guys travel with chains, so if the chain sign was out they laid over... .

We now have a larger truck doing this run... . but it worked... we never had a problem at the scale houses with the proper license...

The only upgrade this truck has is a HD clutch, 19. 5" wheels and tires, PacBrake exhaust brake & air bags, and 120 gal fuel tank in the bed... .

We did destroy one NV5600 250 miles from home. 2 or 3 sets of Ujoints, 1 lift pump under warranty and on the next one we installed the in tank conversion.

This truck had no problem holding the speed limit in the states it traveled in... but slow climbing hills... .

Hope this helps... .

 

[CBari]

I am with jelag.





I have hauled 40ft gn with 28 round bales numerous time with my 03 auto and has not power problems trailers have always had disc brakes. I do wish i had build transmission so i could use an exhaust brake. However most hualing around here has no grades to navigate. With the steepest grade being the curb at the gas station. I also about once a month haul 10 tons of pelletized horse shavings. The truck will go as fast as I would like but i tend to keep it at 55 and leave lots of room to stop.

 

[MSicotte]

I just got the new 2008 'specifications guide" in the mail yesterday. For a 3500 Mega cab, auto, 3. 73, towing is rated at 13900lbs (less weight of hitch, truck cargo, and passengers other than the driver). It also says in the fine print that a gooseneck or 5th wheel hitch must be used for any trailer over 10000 lbs and the exhaust brake must be used on trailers over 10000 lbs. I guess the good news is that you didn't buy the dually, it can only tow 13550 lbs.

 

[WOT]

The problem with the Megacab (if you want to be "within specs") is that the pin weight of a 5th wheel will put you over the GVWR. Not that I always follow the directions

 

[JAlford]

Keep in mind that the pin weight is your most limiting factor, most likely. SRW stock tires = 3195lbs each max load at 80psi. When I weighed my truck, I couldn't go over 2000lbs tongue wt. with my slider hitch, and that was with a empty truck, without being over the tire limit. The rear axle GAWR is 6600lbs, so if you could get the tires to hold more, and ignore the 9900lb GVWR, you might need air bags to keep the springs up.



However - that said, I have "overloaded" my truck more than once. I have weighed in at 11,820lbs gross (no trailer), and did 345 miles, at one point, and have been over 10. 5K numerous times (no trailer), so I am not too worried about going over the GVWR. The tires - I was worried about them, but I have 60K on the stock tires, and they are still going.

In my case, the truck is out of warranty, so if it breaks, it is mine to fix.

Jeff

Jeff

 

[Gary - K7GLD]

My '06 Mega cab with an auto transmission is only rated for 13. 6Klb towing... . This seems understated. With a little hesitation, I loaded 12,500 lbs of hay on my 6000lb trailer and the truck pulled pulled it with ease and could handle more although an exhaust brake would have been helpful.

AHHhhhh - the power of rationalization and convincing ourselves of things we really WANT to believe - or the inaccuracy of thing we DON'T want to believe... ... :-laf



Just because you can actually MOVE an item from point "A" to point "B", does NOT mean it's safe, legal, or proper - or even best for the vehicle over the long haul...





BUT, of course, that will never stop the rationalization...