4500 and 5500 ... max weights, and Goosneck.

[MAshley]

Hello



Looking for opinions on a 4500 or 5500 CC trucks.....



Im thinking of getting a goosneck trailer to haul my equipment, the bumber pull trialer is just not going to last. ... . I have an educated guess my GCVW will be in the neighborhood of 30K + lbs. Guessing really at this weight but curently tip the scales at 25K lbs, 2006 4x4 4 quad cab, + bumper pull trailer. I dont' know how much a 5500 truck weighs, but I think 30- 35K lbs would be a good weight to expect.



So ... IS this



Do able?

Safe?

Resonable?

Ideas?



have no idea on cab to axle length... Ideas?



Thanks

David

 

[FATCAT]

The max LEGAL GCVWR is 26,000 lbs for either the 4500 or 5500.

The 5500 has a 13,500 lbs rated rear axle and the 4500 has a 12,000 lbs rated rear axle.

I am sure the 5500 would be better in your situation (60" or 84" Cab to axle would be ideal), but being 4 - 9K lbs over GCVWR is not a good business/insurance risk to take.

I know the engine can pull the weight (Kenworth is rebadging the 6. 7 as the PX6 for their medium duty trucks), so no worry there.

 

[HBarlow]

I will respectfully disagree with FATCAT above.



DOT doesn't give a hoot what Dodge says the Gross Combined Weight Rating of a 4500 or 5500 chassis cab is. DOT only cares about axle weight which cannot exceed the tire capacity and the registered (tax paid) weight.



My '06 Ram 3500 dually has a Dodge rated gross combined weight of 23,000#. When I began RV transporting 3 years ago I went down to my local county court house and declared a gross weight of 26,000# and paid the fee to upgrade my registration. At that moment in time my LEGAL gross combined weight became 26,000#.



I crossed hundreds of scales, experienced six or eight full road side DOT inspections, and showed my documents at scales a hundred times in 3 years. I was LEGAL!!!



I repeat, DOT doesn't give a d... what Dodge says the GCWR of your truck is.



As I've written here dozens of times, for many years the interstate highways of America have been covered with Hotshotters and other commercial haulers driving Dodge duallies pulling huge, tandem axle dual-wheeled flat bed gooseneck trailers loaded with cargo. Many of them are grossing 30k-40k pounds and are doing it legally because they have a CDL, have their equipment registered for the proper weight, and are not exceeding axle/tire weight limits when scaled.



If you want to pull a heavy trailer buy a new 4500/5500 and enjoy it. It will be perfect for the load.



But make sure you visit your local commercial enforcement office and get advice on how to do it legally. There are serious rules to follow and heavy penalties if you fail to do so.



Harvey

 

[KBalzuweit]

Could not have said it better. Done the same, as long as you are plated and licensed correctly the dot just rolls you on.

 

[EB]

Amen. Cab and chassis, trailer legal at 37,900 lbs. gross wt. 10+ years, never a weight issue.

 

[dquaney]

Harvey I agree with you 100% on tags and tire weights. The DOT is so concerned with educating all of us lowly citizens about tire maximums and tag limits that once they find out you are in compliance they tell you to get the h--- out of here. Also from your other posts it looks like you decided against the 4500 and went with the 3500 cab and chassis. David As far as 4500 vs 5500 I have 4900 lbs tongue weight sitting on my 4500 and am not touching the overloads. I cannot imagine someone needing a 5500 for strictly pulling a gooseneck. A 5500 would only be feesible in my opinion (for what that is worth) if you were going to load the freight directly on the bed. That brings me to your next question. If you are only going to pull a gooseneck 60" cab to axle is the only way to go. I would only have a longer cab to axle if I was going to load freight directly on the bed.

 

[HBarlow]

dquaney,



Yeah, I badly wanted a 4500 and am sure it would be great when pulling my 5er. I chickened out and ordered a 3500 instead because I didn't think I'd like the unloaded ride of a 4500. Most things in life require compromise. I had to compromise on the basis of loaded trailer weight, % of miles towing, and ride comparison between the two choices.



Harvey

 

[Cattletrkr]

MN does licensing different than most if not all other states. My truck is licensed for what the truck will weigh and the trailer for what it will weigh. My truck is legal to 18K and the trailer to 21K, 39K combined. Yes I would be better off with a 4500 or 5500, but I am safe and legal with a 3500.

This is worth repeating:

DOT doesn't give a d... what Dodge says the GCWR of your truck is.

 

[MAshley]

Does anyone have any idea why Dodge lists the 5500-4500 at 26K max, I mean it seems really limiting from a marketing point of view. Most people around here use dump trucks and low boys for hauling but I have noticed accross the US that pickups seems to be doing a great job of moving equipment around.



Interested in talking to someone who has a bunch of miles and heavy say 35K lbs +

Any experiacnes?

Anybody over 40K accross scales?

 

[Cattletrkr]

Does anyone have any idea why Dodge lists the 5500-4500 at 26K max,

26K and under no CDL req'd for single unit.

Interested in talking to someone who has a bunch of miles and heavy say 35K lbs +
Any experiacnes?
Anybody over 40K accross scales?

Ummmm... . see my first post. Whatcha wanna know?