1,300 Payload - Say it ain't so!!

[Ramtough]

According to the door label on my '01 turbo diesel, the GVWR is 8,800#. On a recent trip, I weighed the truck. It tipped the scales at 7,500#. According to my precise calculations, this yields a payload rating of 1,300#.



I don't know if they make a 5th wheel trailer with only 1,300# of tounge weight, well maybe if it is under 20' long.



Am I missing something or do I have a wimp truck?

 

[Snow man]

Your not missing a thing. Your truck isnt a good choice for a 5wh. The 6 speed trucks weigh 200 lbs more than the auto;s,you have quad cab,4x4,maybe even a long bed. The base trucks with no options are the ones to choose for carrying a lot. Did you know a 2500 2wd,reg cab ST,5. 9 gasser,base truck has close 4000lbs of payload?You gotta decide if you want to run overweight,buy a bumper pull TT,get a new truck.

 

[Greg Boardman-RIP]

I wouldn't worry about it. I have hauled plenty of weight with my truck. Go to any RV park and see what is there. They are mostly

3/4 and one ton quad cab 4x4's

 

[Cooker]

We all know the truck can handle more than that. If you are worried about being stopped for being overweight then you may need a new truck. FWIW - I say keep on truckin'

 

[nautidog]

Just checked my GVWR label. It says 10,500 lbs. I wonder why the 4X4's would be limited to 8,800 lbs.

 

[Snow man]

Nauticdog, the 8800gvwr trucks are 3/4 tons. the 3500 4x4 is 11000 GVWR. I run overweight in the winter,when its snowing,but keep in mind overweight trucks are not covered by insurance,this is important. You run overweight,your on your own. If its a serious accident they will investigate,and weigh your setup. Just something i thought you should know. My truck BTW weighed 6697 when i bought it,Now it weighs 6980 empty,I added a plow frame,speaker box,amp setup,Westin steps,and a few other little things. The weight adds up quick. This is where the new GM 2500HD's really have an advantage,in payload,Identically configured trucks weigh about 300 lbs less,and they have a 9200 GVWR. So they have a 700+lb legal payload advantage.

 

[WeirCummin]

Ramtough,

Your Sig. does not say if you have a short or long bed. The GVWR of 8800# is for max load of the truck only. If your are talking about towing a trailer then you need to look at the GCWR ( gross combined weight rating ). For the ETH, the GCWR is 20,000#. Trailer weight for the SB is 13,200 and 13,050 for the LB



Dean

 

[BigMike]

I agree with Greg. Probably more 5er's are pulled by 2500's, including myself, than 3500's. None of them are within the 8800 GVWR. At the same time they say my GVWR is 8800, they tell me I can pull a maximum weight of 13250lb. My GCVWR is 20000lbs and I am well under that. They sell 2500's with the camper package, and you can't put a camper in the back of a 2500 and stay under 8800. Doesn't make sense. I finally decided to quite worrying about it and just keep on towing my 5er and enjoy the heck out of it. :

 

[Rob Thomas]

Just wondering, who comes up with the GVW anywhoo? These trucks can handle way more than what it's rated fer. Do ya think they say a low number fer liabilty reasons? I've had over 5000#'s in the bed of mine, and I cudda swore I heard the truck say "Is that all ya got?":-laf So whats up with the rating?



Later, Rob

 

[illflem]

Originally posted by RAMTHIS1

Do ya think they say a low number fer liabilty reasons?

Rob, I think you may have hit it right on the head. DC lost a multi-million dollar lawsuit a few years back over their GCVWR being too high. A CTD hauling a load of high dollar race horses in Texas overturned killing/injuring the horses. Seems like the GCVWR changed after that.



Found this interesting article looking for a link to the case, bottom is the best part http://www.horsecity.com/stories/050802/gen_trucks_JB.shtml

 

[bighammer]

The truck can handle more, it's just that the crappy brake system can't stop more.

 

[Rob Thomas]

Thanks illflem, good artical.



Bighammer, I take it ya don't have 4-wheel discs do ya? Mine stops real quick. I wonder if there's a conversion, from drums ta discs?



Later, Rob

 

[Mundgyver]

If you have the 6sp Ho with the Dana-80 you will not have a problem. The axle by itself is rated over 11,000 lbs.

 

[Mingoglia]

I think the legal weight limitation on the 3/4 ton doesn't have to do with the truck itself as much as it does with the class of truck. I have a 3500 that's rated for 11,000lb GVW. A 3500 can only have so high a GVW without being classified as a Medium Duty truck. There has to be some gab in what 2500s are rated at or far few people would probably buy 3500s (unless they are are buying them for stability for a camper or peace of mind for a blowout under load). Although my opinion, I can't see any other reason. Afterall, a 3/4 ton CTD with a manual transmission has exactly the same drivetrain as a 1-ton. Yes, there's dual rear wheels, but these aren't necessary to take advantage of the Dana 80 Hybrid. Afterall, if the axle is the same, the suspension is the same... . then the next thing to look at is tire capacity. You are not exceeding the tire capacity so what other explanation is there? Furthermore, single wheel 1-tons such has Fords and the new Dodges have higher than 8800lb GVW with single wheels in the back (not as high as dual rear wheel, but close)... this just goes to show you that they're not just covering their a$$ with a safetly margin for the single vs dual tires.



Mike

 

[rfielding]

Payload weight

Just have to say. . as a new member. . this site and the information provided by everyone has been exceptional. Overall, I am really pleased with my truck...



Saw this thread on payload and am now a little nerveous... i just traded in my 28 foot travel trailer for a Lance camper and have had to make adjustments since... anyone with any experiences, reccomendations or guidance... i would really like to hear from them.



The travel trailer was 6000#, and I never knew it was there normally behind my Ram... now with the Lance camper... approx 3300#'s in the bed and my boat behind... 4000#'s... seeing a big diference...



On the flats... OK; In the hills a bit sluggish... already added rear airbags by AirLift went to Rancho 5000 in front, Monroe Magnums in rear, had the front end lifted 2" with coil spacers to accomodate 285/75/16 BFG's with 7" American racing Alloy wheel to put a wider foot print on the road...



2500 2 wheel drive, extended cab with "camper package".

What next??? wife has had just about enough of the changes...



Thanks in advance... and thanks for such a great site!

 

[Mingoglia]

With regards to the article link that Illflem posted, I emailed the writer of this article the following email:



:{



I enjoyed reading your "Comparing Trucks" article you wrote but I have one comment. You wrote the following two paragraphs:



"Contrary to conventional wisdom, Crow said the GVWR - gross vehicle weight rating - doesn't have anything to do with towing a trailer.

"The GVWR has to do with how much you can carry on the truck," he said. "That rating is important if you outfit it to be a beer truck or dump truck. Anybody with a trailer should be concerned with the GCWR - the gross combined weight rating. The GCWR is based on the weight of the truck and the weight of the trailer together. That's what horse people need to know about. "



I would like to point out that although this may not be an issue with medium duty trucks due to their high GVW and probably not as overstated GCWR, GVWR has very much to do with towing a trailer. GVWR has very much to do with towing a trailer as the tongue weight directly adds to the GVWR and can quickly overweight the truck before the GCWR is reached (especially in light duty applications). This is especially true for readers of your article that pull with 3/4 ton light duty pickups (which far exceed the number medium duty pullers pulling horse trailers). The 3/4 ton pickups have a GCWR in excess of 20,000lbs on many 3/4 ton pickups. If GCWR was all that was important, it would mean that one of these pickups that weighed in at approximately 7,000lbs could tow a 13,000lb trailer without having to worry about being overweight. This however is not the case. To tow a trailer of that weight, the trailer would have to be a fifth wheel or gooseneck with a pin weight of at least 25% to pull safely (this is considered the 'norm' and is suggested by the manufacturers). Using the 25%, this would bring our tongue weight to approximately 3,250lbs. With our 7,000lb fictitious truck, with a GVWR of 8,800lbs, this tongue weight would bring the weight of the truck to a extremely overweight 10,250lbs. This would be grossly overweight, and in fact is overweight even for a single wheel 1-ton let alone a 3/4 ton.



What I'm getting at in this message is that although GVWR may not be important with medium duty trucks (GCWR with light duty manufactures is a marketing scam in my opinion and can only be reached on a trailer with too light a tongue weight to safely go down the road), it is not an affective (or safe) rule of thumb for light duty truck owners which probably makes up the majority of the people that have viewed your article.



Sincerely,



Michael Ingoglia

 

[Steve M]

http://www.forestriverinc.com/tt/ck/ck_fwrlt.asp?name=2



Here's a typical floorplan with weights for a Ceder Creek fifth wheel. I would load this trailer up and enjoy it with our truck.

For now our 7000 lb Jayco with it's 1100 lb pin weight barely squats the truck and still sits a little higher in the rear. I don't have the camper package with helper springs either. There are a lot of 5th wheels with light hitch weights if you don't want a bedroom slide. Even if you do I don't think you'd have any problems.

I've even seen a big tri-axle Travel Supreme rolling up I-75 hitched up to a 2500 Dodge Cummins. I would have to assume he had the camper package, 4. 10 ratio, HO with 6spd and a six speaker Infinity CD player to tow all that but I've been surprised before.



http://www.travelsupreme.com/express/floor.htm



Just for gits and shiggles, here's some floorplans and weights for Travel Supreme. Even the 38' fortress at the bottom isn't out of line for a properly equipped 2500 in my ever so humble opinion. It has enough wheels and brakes to stop the truck.

 

[Chipstien]

I personally wouldn't worry about any trailer or fifth wheel behind my truck. Campers however are a different story.

 

[wrk2mtch]

DC's 8800lb GVWR on a 2500HD, quad-cab, 4x4, Cummins, is a joke. It leaves you no room for cargo.

I wouldn't haul a heavy camper on the back, but for a fifth-wheel I'd say you're ok as long as you are not over the tire, wheel or axle weight ratings.

My $. 02

 

[Mingoglia]

I agree. It's sad that a 3/4 Dodge 4X4 Long bed with a huge Dana 80 and load range E tires can barely haul more cargo than a half ton because of the weight of the truck iteself!!! I believe it's because a 1 ton is starting to encroach on medium duty (and therefore can't continue to increase the GVWR like they're doing with the GCWR) territory and obviousely the 3/4 ton has to fit in between somewhere; this accounts for it's low GVWR (8,800lbs). Manufacturers could really drop the whole 3/4 ton line and just leave us with a dual and single wheel 1-ton with 11,000 and 10,000 GVWR respectively. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to realize that if you're within the tire capacity, axle capacity, spring capacity, brake capacity, etc then you're safe. In the case of a 3/4 ton manual transmission truck all those are exactly the same as it's bigger brother with an exception to the single wheels... but, you're well within the single wheel capacity to haul more. This will be an even better argument once the single wheel 1-tons are released. The single wheel 1-tons will probably be rated at only 1,000 or so GVWR less than the dual wheel version similar to Ford.