Engine/Transmission (1998.5 - 2002) How much can you tow!

[MRiley]

I'm thinking about getting a ToyHauler 5th wheel. I'm concerned about the hitch weight. I only have a 2500 and I'm seeing a lot of the 5th run about 1500 hitch weight. What can I expect at that weight? Does the truck sway alot? If any of you are running more weight do any of you have airbags? How hard was the instal and how big was the difference? My truck has overload springs on it... Can it handle a 1500 hitch... . Also is 13000 really the max like the owners manual says??? Could I pull more as the truck is pretty stock. .

 

[GLASMITHS]

I'm thinking about getting a ToyHauler 5th wheel. I'm concerned about the hitch weight. I only have a 2500 and I'm seeing a lot of the 5th run about 1500 hitch weight. What can I expect at that weight? Does the truck sway alot? If any of you are running more weight do any of you have airbags? How hard was the instal and how big was the difference? My truck has overload springs on it... Can it handle a 1500 hitch... . Also is 13000 really the max like the owners manual says??? Could I pull more as the truck is pretty stock. .

My 2c, You need to find out what the max is for your truck - weight in bed. 1500# is not that heavy. My Kountry Star is about 2600# when loaded. Some are more than that. I have never heard anyone say that a 5th wheel did sway, except in extreme conditions. Mine does not ever. I have the 5000# Air Lifts on mine, and would not go any other way. You keep it factory level.

 

[RColston]

There is a lot of speculation about how much you can tow. If you desire to stay within the limits of legality and dont want to risk, then visit klengers thread on weights. It is very informative. On the otherhand I pulled my 36' Hitchhiker Premier at 14,000#, pin weight 2400# 50k miles with my 96 2500 club cab 5spd with no problems whatsoever. It dosent matter what you tow, youre in trouble if you dont use your head. My 2500 handled the load great. Added the 5000 Air Lift bags. Had no sway at all. I think your truck will do fine as long as it is well maintained.



Rick

 

[Tcolesanti]

JMHO, I put a 2200lb milling machine in the bed of my truck and towed a 2700lb boat behind it. I have air lift 5000's and they needed 70psi to level the truck out. It pulled the load fine (very stable) even with the machine standing almost 6 feet tall in the back of the truck. And this was on 315/75/16 procomp all terrains.

 

[NVR FNSH]

I tow a 36ft Patio Hauler 5th wheel with my '00 2500 w/o any problems. Curb wt of the trailer is 10,100 and GVWR of the trialer is 14K.



I'm toying with the idea of selling my trailer if you're interested in the Patio Hauler (separate garage) instead of the Toybox type.



Brian

 

[MRiley]

So, From what I'm reading almost everybody is over #. I guess the question is that I thought a 2500 would max at 1500# bed weight. Is that incorect? Can these trucks take more and where can I find that info. Most of the dealers are cutting me off on the big haulers because that tell me that the truck can not take the pin weight...

 

[SnoKing]

You have to weigh the truck ready to tow and subtract that from 8800 lbs. MY 2001. 5 STD Cab 4x4 CTD auto weighs 7000 ready to tow, leaving 1800 for pin weight. I bought a new 5er that ended up with 2200 lbs of pin weight, so I am over on GVWR. It still sits a bit tail high with that amount to weight. I have the camper group extra springs. Snoking

 

[Mundgyver]

If the picture comes through, what you should see here is my truck coming in at 10,000 with the trailer hooked up and the trailer at 13,000. Base weight of the truck is 6,800. Pin weight of the trailer is 3,200 with a trailer axle weight of 13,000 lbs while hooked up to the truck. These weights were recorded by the scales in Sisters Oregon. Truck was pulled onto the scales with the trailer hooked up and then rolled forward for the trailer axles sitting on the scales. This is a 2500 HO six speed with the Dana 80 axle. Fuel consumption for this load was 14. 3 mpg from Portland Oregon, over Santiam Pass to a ranch 30 miles beyond Bend. All total, I was at 23,000 lbs. I think your truck will be able to handle any load you desire

 

[n7gxz]

Here is a picture of my lite towing, about 14000# and about 3000# tounge. If you don't have an e-brake I would recomend that you get one if you're going to be doing any towing.



Kevin

 

[Eric Lee]

Just hook it up -- Mine hauls the hell out of anything. The brakes are my biggest concern, with the heavy loads it is imperitive to have good trailer brakes and maybe to drive like an old lady. I do have a hide-away goosneck hitch and I've worried about trailer tires being pulled off the rims but never whether the truck would pull it or whether it looked stressed. I'm guessing my max around 20 - 22,000# combined weight of load and trailer. All my suspension is stock, including the E rated tires. - ERic

 

[wtfd6]

just drive sensibly. my truck will tow anything i hook to it. i had a buddy with a 12v that hauled a three car wedge trailer all over the U. S. He never had too many problems. he said he got fined a couple of times for being over 26,000# without a cdl.

 

[Mike760]

I pull a 24' gooseneck. I've hauled it all over the country well over 20K pounds. I just bought a new 30' three axle gooseneck that I haul with the same truck. My empty weight is 16K and I have hauled 12 draft mares at about 1500+ each on there without a problem. The most important thing is stopping!!! I have brakes on all 3 axles and I always maintain them.

 

[MRiley]

So what is the answer here? I always believed that a 2500, 3/4ton truck payload was 1500, ie 3/4 of a ton, and a 3500, 1 ton was 2000. Does that not hold true with pin weight? It seems to me that with some of the weights you all are pulling the trucks should be squatting big time. I guess what I'm trying to figure out is can I put a 5th with a pin weight of 1700 on my truck without it bottoming out the springs and with out airbags?

 

[Turboman]

1700# is no big deal at all. My fiver puts 2700 on the pin and it drives good, although I am putting on airbags for better ride quality when loaded. Also my truck weighs 9000# BEFORE I hook up to a trailer. But like everyone says, your truck will pull it, you NEED an exhaust brake and good trailer brakes. I will not ever pull without one.

 

[Eric Lee]

I am remembering getting stopped in my Chevy G30 Dually box/van and because my door plate listed it with 10,500# Gvwr, the Trooper said by law I was required to have health cards, annual vehicle inspection, and this and that - I'm getting ****** just thinking about it here -

Anyway point - Is it possible that these vehicles are rated at 8800# and - I thought I read 9900#? for the dually - to sidestep the laws that govern 10,000#+ GVWR vehicles? My guess is that these trucks are actually capable of much higher GVW.

Hell I know mine is - Eric

 

[Ross]

Well, at the risk of getting flamed, my trailer weighs 22,500, with a pin weight of just over 5,200 pounds. I have a dually, air bags, and run 14 ply G rated tires. The trailer has G rated tires also, and is equipped with elecdraulic disk brakes. I also use a brakesmart controller. Truck & trailer combo is over 29,000. I get between 8. 0 and 10. 1 mpg running about 67 mph. Truck is highly modified (about 450 hp [sig is out of date]), although I keep the PM3 Comp on setting "1" while towing. The truck has been worked this hard all of its life (165,000++ miles).



Drive smart, Drive safe, and the Cummins will take care of you.



Next August, I will be stepping up to a Freightliner Century or a Volvo VNL660 with a Cummins N14, provided this one will last another 50,000 miles. Til then, the Dodge will have to keep on smokin'.

 

[Mundgyver]

So what is the answer here? I always believed that a 2500, 3/4ton truck payload was 1500, ie 3/4 of a ton, and a 3500, 1 ton was 2000. Does that not hold true with pin weight? It seems to me that with some of the weights you all are pulling the trucks should be squatting big time. I guess what I'm trying to figure out is can I put a 5th with a pin weight of 1700 on my truck without it bottoming out the springs and with out airbags?



The rear axle in you truck is a Dana 80. I seem to recall somewhere that they are rated at around 11,500 lbs. The load carring of the truck is determined by the weakest componet of the suspension. Your tires would be the weak link here. With that said though, good old common sense about the weight you carry is your guide.



Whats that old saying, "It's not the fall that kills you, its that sudden stop at the end, that is the trouble"