Confused about towing weight

[Philsram]

I own a 1995 Dodge 3/4 ton 2wd standard cab with a 12 valve cummins. I just purchaced a 30' 5th wheel from a friend at a great price. The trailer weighs about 10,000 dry. I am confused about the load capacity of the this truck even after reading the door plate. Can I safely tow this trailer with this truck? Any answers would be great, thanks pw

 

[LRamey]

I have a 96 so I don't know what your towing capacity is but you will find it in your owners manual. On mine with a 3. 54 rear end the Combined Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (CVWR) is 16,000 lbs. With the 4. 10 rear end its 18,000 lbs. If I were you I'd hook up & fill the water tanks + propane and go weigh it. Or at the least go weigh your pickup & then look on the front lower left corner of the trailer and get the heaviest weight shown (I think it's the GVW) and add the two. Make sure the pickup is full of fuel & has all the people you plan on hauling. Total the two weights and as long as you fall within the total your manual says you can be at then you should be OK.

Also if you hook up and get a total weight you'll need to try to figure about how much weight you plan on putting in the trailer. I'm always around 1500 - 2000 lbs.

Hope this helps,

Lonnie

 

[B.G. Smith]

Weight

The "GCWR" on the door plate is what the truck is rated to handle. This includes the weight of the truck, trailer and all gear and occupants. bg

 

[Casey Balvert]

Go to www.dodge.com and go to the Towing Guide under the Owner's section. Click on Towing Basics and look under Glossary. There you will find all the definitions you need of the various ratings. I agree with the recommendation stated above to weight the rig to be sure. Good luck.



Casey

 

[GAmes]

Door plate GCWR?????

B. G. , go out to your truck and look at the data plate in the door. It shows GVWR and axle ratings, GCWR is a mythical weight made up by guys who try to deny your warranty work. It has no standard and no value other than a guide when trying to decide how much trailer you can handle.

 

[Loren]

PW,



There are lots of good suggestions already posted, but I'll add my two-cents worth.



First, weigh the trailer! If it has slide-outs, I'll bet it weighs considerably more than 10,000 pounds. If no slide-outs, then 10,000 pounds may be pretty close.



You don't give specific information on your truck. Tow ratings depend on whether you have a 5-speed or an automatic, what your differential ratio is, and whether it's 4WD or 2WD.



The sales brochure for 1995 trucks gives tow ratings for the 5-speed, 3. 54 ratio differential, 2WD truck as 10,500 pounds. This is the lowest rating for 2WD trucks. The highest rating is with the 4. 10 differential at 12,300 pounds.



For 4WD trucks, the 3. 54 axle gives a tow rating of 10,000 pounds even, for both manual and automatics transmissions. The rating for 4. 10 axle ratio is 11,900 pounds.



I think these numbers are a bit conservative because we hear of many drivers exceeding these ratings by 50% and more. Whether that's safe or not is another question.



Happy towing.



Loren