3500 Gear Ratio change and Tow rating

[Cummins12V98]

Nice Rig, I have looked at some of the DRV products. what are your thoughts now that you are an owner

Thanks! Don't think there is a perfect rig out there but overall we are happy. The wood work is VERY nice. We went with many Elite Suites options.

 

[6V92TA]

12v98, those suites are really nice trailers.
been on a few during the shopping phase , OL would say hey look at this.
I just says its really nice, but lets get practical here. LOL

 

[Wiredawg]

I have a Mobile Suites at 20.2K Lbs and almost 5K lbs on the pin. I added a 6KW gen in the front, added entertainment system in the basement and since we go on long trips, the basement and the inside storage is pretty loaded. Since were talking about GWR and GCWR, it really grieved me to trade my '09 4500 with 4.44s, but it was only rated at GCWR 26K Lbs. It pulled it fine, but I couldn't stand the liability of the GCW of 33,400Lbs. No tires, axles, or any other limits were exceeded, but I was 7.4K over the GCVWR. So, sadly, I traded the best truck I ever owned that was pre-DEF for my 2017 Ram 5500, which with Max Tow and 4.88s, is rated at GCVWR of 38.5K lLbs. Interestingly, the same 5500 with 4.44s is only rated at GCVWR of 26K Lbs. Being legal is serious business in this day and time of litigation. So, keeping all your numbers straight and legal is critical to avoid potential risk.

Anyway, that's my input to the discussion. Take Care,

Ron

 

[Cummins12V98]

12v98, those suites are really nice trailers.
been on a few during the shopping phase , OL would say hey look at this.
I just says its really nice, but lets get practical here. LOL

Thanks! It's our full time home.

 

[SnoKing]

Thanks! It's our full time home.

And home of your wife's "Lucy" rock collection!

 

[6V92TA]

Thanks! It's our full time home.

wow!!, as they say you are living the RV Dream.
OL and myself lived in our Cedar Creek for a year and a quarter.

do you stay in one spot or do you move around alot?

 

[Cummins12V98]

wow!!, as they say you are living the RV Dream.
OL and myself lived in our Cedar Creek for a year and a quarter.

do you stay in one spot or do you move around alot?

We have a lot in Palm Springs, CA area that we winter but we do take several trips while there. We also stay on our RV pad in NE WA in the Summer mints plus take trips from there.

SnoKing is correct my wife has quite the collection of stones for jewelry making. So she has earned the name "Lucy" for good reason!!!

Actually my signature pic is our lot in SoCal.

 

[dfb]

Gents, new to this forum and diesel world but have a couple of questions

1) New Ram 3500 SRW w/6.7L Diesel and Aisin Trans
2) Only available gear ratio from factory is 3.42
3) Towing capacity maxes at 16,600 lbs with payload of 3,900 lbs per Dodge charts ( Don't have the truck yet, it's on the way so still working off charts)
4) I want to tow a 20K at full load trailer with a hitch weight of 3,400lbs
5) It looks like if I swap out to a 3.72 I should be good for approx 22K lbs according to Dodge charts

Questions
1) Can I do this
2) What would my new tow rating be
3) Does this void warranty, it appears I am not overloading the payload rating and the drivetrain would be identical to vehicles with a 20K plus tow rating
4) Is this legal, can i officially change the tow rating of my vehicle

Appreciate any input, new to this world and would like to get it right the first time

Brad

Swap in a dually 3:42 dually rear end, install dually bed or hauler bed.. THIS WILL OFICIALLY INCREASE BOTH YOUR GCWR AND TOW CAPICITY TO 22000 lbs.. there is absolutely no difference between the srw and dually except axle... PERIOD,!! If someone says it wont change the sticker on the door, either ignore the sticker or felt pen over it..

 

[DHayden]

THIS WILL OFICIALLY INCREASE BOTH YOUR GCWR AND TOW CAPICITY TO 22000 lbs

I would not give that advice to anyone, there is nothing "official" about it. You are correct in the difference and it does make sense but the legal eagles dont care about sense. It really depends on the state your in. Some states DOT doesnt care about what your truck tag says, they look at your axle rating and your tire rating, if not over those limits they dont care. Other states are different, and even if you are in a state that only looks at axles and tire ratings, it doesnt mean thats how the lawyers are going to look at it. It may cost you a ton to try to prove otherwise.

 

[Bug Out]

I know the weight Police will kill me for this, yes the truck will handle it fine. How you drive fully loaded will be the difference between 16600K and 20K. (I tow about 18K with my SRW)You will be liable in civil court most likely if you wreck and the weight is your contributing factor in the accident. I would NOT go over 20K as you are near max on the pin weight anyhow. Drive wise and cautiously you should be fine. The AISIN is rated to 38K GCVWR . You can call the dealer and ask difference in brakes, axles etc and all are the same except on the 38K MCGWVR dually.

 

[Wiredawg]

Without getting the manufacturer to recertify the truck for higher weight ratings, I believe there is nothing you can do to make your truck legal to tow more than currently rated. There's a lot of posts here on this subject. I personally spent the cost of a new truck to get legal by replacing my 2009 Ram 4500 26K GCVWR with my new 2017 Ram 5500 38.5K GCVWR for 33K lb total weight rig. It's all about risk. Just look at all the lawyer advertisements on TV. I see folks overloaded all the time, many not even aware they are. Good luck deciding what to do. Be safe, Ron

 

[SnoKing]

Without getting the manufacturer to recertify the truck for higher weight ratings, I believe there is nothing you can do to make your truck legal to tow more than currently rated. There's a lot of posts here on this subject. I personally spent the cost of a new truck to get legal by replacing my 2009 Ram 4500 26K GCVWR with my new 2017 Ram 5500 38.5K GCVWR for 33K lb total weight rig. It's all about risk. Just look at all the lawyer advertisements on TV. I see folks overloaded all the time, many not even aware they are. Good luck deciding what to do. Be safe, Ron

So I ask, why do states like Washington license tonnage way beyond the manufacturers GVWR. Our 2001.5 RAM 2500 4x4 with 8800 GVWR was licensed to 12K. As is our 2015, which for a little more I could license it to 14,000. They take 1.5 times the tare weight and then round up to the next highest even K, as minimum licensed tonnage.

Pickups will not exceed the the Federal Bridge weight laws, which are the weights enforced at weigh stations. Tonnage is a licensing fee/use fee to use the states roads. What is legal in one's home state is legal in the other 49 regarding licensing.

SnoKing

 

[Wiredawg]

SnoKing,

I doubt licensing a vehicle to carry/tow more weight than it is rated by the manufacturer removes potential criminal and/or civil liability for a wreck that happens while being overweight. I'm not a lawyer, but there are plenty of stories about liability for doing so. I believe I have the responsibility and liability to ensure I operate equipment within the manufacturers specifications and limits. I had the opportunity to keep driving my 2009 Ram 4500 which I was over 7K Lbs over the remanufacturer's GCVWR. I did not exceed any single tire, axle, or pin (load carrying) limits... just the one 26K Lb GCVWR versus the actual GCVW of 33.4K Lbs.

I spent 30 years in the United States Air Force and saw and read about folks exceeding operating limits of equipment and paying the ultimate price for it. Cranes, winch trucks, and other construction equipment. We see it on the highway all the time with RVs running too fast, running overweight, and paying the price in loss of property and life. Speeding, being overweight, not keeping equipment properly maintained all can have dire consequences.

Just a quick side story: While in the US Air Force, I was assigned to investigate and submit an accident report between a bus and a cable truck. While doing so, I learned about the term "negligence", where a person has a responsibility to know the rules, operating procedures, and limits of their equipment, but do not and therefore liable for not being aware or informed. Another term I learned was "gross negligence", which is where the person is knowledgeable about the rule, operating procedures, and limits of their equipment, but chooses not to. Without making the story too long, the outcome was: the driver of the bus was new, had not been properly trained, and did not know all the requirements for operating the bus. The driver of the cable truck was fully trained and knew the operating and safety requirements of the cable truck, but thought it was ok to ignore them this once. Both had fault, the bus driver being negligent for operating a vehicle he didn't know and the cable truck diver was grossly negligent as he knew what he was supposed to do, and didn't.

So, at the end of the day, I'm just providing advice about what I have seen and experienced. We each have the right to do what we want, we just all just need to be advised and concerned to be as safe as possible. I believe you are trying to help also and proper vehicle licensing is part of that equation, but other pars need to be considered as well.

Good discussion.

Be safe, Ron

 

[MarkEagleUSA]

Even if you're not overweight the lawyers will use anything they can.

 

[Wiredawg]

MarkeagleUSA, true, I believe we just have to remove the easy kills and do everything we can to comply with the law. In TX, not advertised, but DOT says you need a class C exempt CDL if the rating, not the actual weight of the trailer, exceeds 10,000, you need the license. I'm studying for the test. It's written and driving. But, this is another whole thread into itself. cheers, Ron

 

[RColston]

Looks like the OP has left the building on this post. Guess I will throw in my .02. IMHO towing much over the rated weight is not a good idea. My soon to be gone 39' Teton CAN tip the scales at 20,000. I sold my 3500 in favor of a F-450 just to comply. The OP is going to be towing 20k with a SB 3500 SRW. Sheesh...good luck with that. Sure it can be done but??? I'm downsizing to a Arctic Fox that comes in at a max 16,000 so will be shopping soon for a 3500SRW. Back to RAM/Cummins after my stint to the dark side!