pin weight too heavy?

[Wardog]

Can anyone tell me if a 1700# pin weight is too much for a 2500? If so, will air bags remedy the problem.

 

[Casey Balvert]

If it really is 1700 you will probably be ok. It all depends on what you have in your truck. Put your truck's info in your signature so we can better help answer your questions.



Casey

 

[Wardog]

Sorry about that. . Let's see if this message includes a signature

My paperwork indicates a 1657 lb. dry pin weight

 

[klenger]

Read this web page carefully, and then get back to us.



http://www.klenger.net/arctic-fox/weight/index.html

 

[Okie-Go]

I have a pin weight of 2180 on my 5er. No problem at all. I do have the so called camper package on the truck.

 

[Gary - K7GLD]

"I have a pin weight of 2180 on my 5er. No problem at all. I do have the so called camper package on the truck. "



We get into this all the time - we all KNOW that the MAXIMUM load you can carry as the trucks Gross Vehicle Weight (GVW) is about 1800 lbs. STARTING at 2100 lbs is ALREADY over that Vehicle weight rating, even BEFORE you add the weight of the 5th wheel hitch and other incidental in-bed junk and passengers.



CAN you haul more? Sure - not LEGALLY, or according to manufacturer specs - and sure, the truck WILL pull it - but you ARE overloaded, no matter how you slice it or try to rationalize what you are doing... You can paint stripes on a PIG too, but it won't make it a Zebra...



Repeat after me:



*I* am OVERLOADED!



Confession is good for the soul!

 

[juicedcummins]

Mine runs 1600lbs on the pin. My in-bed tank holds around 55 gal and it is 12 gauge stainless tool and fuel. Then add all the tools and junk. My ride doesn't have the overloads and I don't need them. When this truck was ordered I deleted the overloads because of another trailer that I had and needed it to squat a bit to make it work. Even loaded with all the gear and pin weight it sits as high as the rest of the ones with overloads. I did add a sway-bar last year but for other reasons.

Yes I'm overloaded by the specs from Chrysler but they mean very little around here. I jam gears for a living and being overloaded is nothing new.

 

[NVR FNSH]

Originally posted by Gary - KJ6Q

Sure - not LEGALLY, or according to manufacturer specs - and sure, the truck WILL pull it - but you ARE overloaded, no matter how you slice it or try to rationalize what you are doing...

Gary,

Can you cite a CA vehicle code section that states the manufacturers GVWR & GCWR are the maximum weights allowable?



Brian

 

[Sarge]

NO, but that's because there isn't one. Myself, and every other law enforcement officer in the state will tell you that the first place that I will look is your tires. They are rated for a max weighter and it does'nt matter what the manufacturer book says. If you are over with your load, you will pay... . lots. CHP are the regular "weight police", and they are good at it.



That being said, I drove my 2500 with the fiver at about #800 pounds over the manufacturer GVW. Smart? not really. But it was my choice. If something goes bad, then it's MY fault. Not DC's for not rating the truck high enough. If I could post a sign on this site it would say "NO WHINERS".



We know the max weights that DC says are allowed, and we make our own decisions. Don't flame a member for telling you what you already know... ... ... . Sarge:-{}

 

[DPelletier]

It's illegal to exceed GVWR in Canada. I expect it varies from jurisdiction to jurisdiction. I'm not saying its right or wrong to exceed GVWR, but here it's definitely illegal. Then again, so's jaywalking.



Dave

 

[Okie-Go]

I rechecked my hitch weight. It is 2140. I have 5480 on the rear axle. Total weight is 18,120 which is under the 20,000 of my 2500. I don't know why gary had to say that. I did check his profile and he says he still has time to get in trouble on the internet, I can see why, maybe he is talking when he should be listening.

 

[klenger]

Okie-Go: Your 2WD allows about about 480 lbs more capacity than a 4WD. Your numbers look good to me. I think Gary assumed you had a 4WD, but I don't want to speak for him.



Weights and numbes for the 2001 models can be seen at http://www.klenger.net/dodge/2nd-gen-reference/towing-charts.html

 

[CLAYTON]

Originally posted by Wardog

Can anyone tell me if a 1700# pin weight is too much for a 2500? If so, will air bags remedy the problem.

I have about 1300 lbs pin weight and that will sag my back end about 1 inch lower then the front (with the the level kit on it) so I threw on the Firestone airbags and it put it right back up where it needs to be. Plus the ride is a lot better and people don't flash their brights at me all the time. Bags are cheap and easy to install and that is the route that I went.

 

[Gary - K7GLD]

It's easily possible to be within GCWR and STILL be way over the GVWR of the tow vehicle - and one doesn't automatically make the other go away...



And stick to the topic and keep the personal attacks in the schoolyard where they belong...

 

[DavidTD]

Alright, I gotta ask.



I know I am over what Dodge said was max GCVW. I believe it was 18k pounds.



I have a 11k GVWR. I know my truck weighs 7740 lbs empty. I know loaded I am under the axle weight limits that are posted on my door jam tag for both steer and drive axles. I know I am under the axle ratings on my trailer. I know my tires are rated for the weight they carry. I have brakes on all axles. I am tagged for up to 26k pounds. My DMV said I am legal. I am at 22,7xx pounds rolling down the road.



The only place you will see the 18k (or what ever it was) listed is either on a site like this, or in a brochure. It is not on the vehicle ANYWHERE!!!



My guestion is, how would DOT know what Dodge rated the truck at for GCVW? If it is important and valid, why is it not listed on the door tag with all of the rest of the data?



I know this has been a hot topic, but, I have tried for a long time to get answers. I finally just called the DMV and asked. If you use your head, I believe you should be able to axle out any vehicle combo and be safe. Ya just can't run around at max GCVW (based on axle limits) and run 70 mph and fly up and down hills and around corners.

 

[DPelletier]

don't forget that your GVWR is listed on the door tags.



Dave

 

[klenger]

If you are not exceeding the GVWR or GAWR for the truck or trailer, and are not exceeding the tire ratings, I don't think that the DMV cares what the GCWR is for the truck. I really think that the GCWR is a warranty thing. I doubt that you have to worrry about that with a '98 truck.

 

[NIsaacs]

I think "klenger" hit the nail on the head. The manufactures tow & weight rating guide is just that, a guide. This is mostly for the factory's benifit more so than the customer. They seem to change, based on the competition, more than any design change. You can haul a lot bigger loads than the ratings if you stay reasonable and follow the DOT laws on license and insurance requirements. What I mean by reasonable, is what the general motoring and law enforcment thinks is reasonable. If you haul a house on your big ole gooseneck trailer and go down the highway , "you might be a redneck", but if you haul a 16,000 lbs backhoe on that same trailer or pull a three axle car hauler with three medium sized pickups on it, you will be ok. But all three loads will exceed the tow rating of your truck. I run general hot shot type freight for years with no trouble, but when I got over 26. 000 lbs I didn't make any money at it.



"IF IT AIN'T CUMMINS POWERED, IT AIN'T A TRUCK"



"NICK"

 

[klenger]

My comments about exceeding limits were specific to the GCWR of the truck, which is not listed anywhere on the vehicle. Exceeding GVWR, GAWR, or tire ratings is a different matter.



That being said, I was reading some info on the web about comercial scales in NM. The only thing they are checking for is total weight per sq in of tire surface. I calculated that you would have to have over 20,000 lbs on the 4 tires of the truck to be over gross with a pickup. Obviously, they are more concerned with road damage than with any safety matters.

 

[NIsaacs]

klenger, if I sounded like I didn't agree with what you said about GVWR, GAWR, and tire ratings, that is not how I ment to say it. I totally agree with what you said. With a 1-ton dually and a tandem axle dually or three axle trailer, the loads I mentioned will not exceed those ratings but will exceed the tow or GCWR of the pickup.



When I lived in Montana they would put a 400 lbs per inch of tire width limit on big trucks during the spring thaw. They didn't bother the pickup sized vehicles much.



"NICK"