Attention: TDR Forum Junkies I haven't been on the forums for some time, but recently returned since selling my '01 and buying an '06 last weekend. I bought a KORE system for my '01 back when KORE was still T Rex and put over 70,000 miles on it. Just took it off, sold the truck and sent the shocks back for some TLC. This suspension will be going on the new truck ASAP. I have seen, from time to time, people asking about the towing capabilities with the mini packs in place of the overloads. Seeing how I removed not only the overloads, but both sway bars as well I thought I would offer a testimonial (at the risk of being ridiculed for stupidity):
My old man bought a trailer to park at the marina where he keeps his sail boat. When Hurricane Rita threatened the Gulf Coast last fall he asked me to pull it away from the coast to safety. He said it weighed 10,000 lbs. Nuthin the Cummins can't handle-I'll do it. Set it down on the truck, and it pushed the shocks to about mid stroke-"man this thing seems awful heavy". Drove it some 300 miles from Palacios to Guadalupe State Park north of San Antonio.
Come time to go back home, I lowered the trailer on to my hitch and it went down until the jack was topped out. With the tanks now full, it squatted my truck nearly to the ground and the jack remained firmly at rest on its pad. I thought, "I'm gonna need an equalizer just to get the thing to the park dump station". So I called the nearest Salem dealer and told them that I needed a weight distribution hitch that would fit a 38KFDS. The man on the other end of the line actually laughed at me. He followed with, "You're not gonna pull that trailer with a pickup truck-it's a park model. We deliver 'em with a 2 ton bobtail". I replied that I already had pulled the trailer and explained my predicament. For several seconds there was complete silence followed by, "You got one BIG set of balls. I wouldn't even set that trailer on my truck parked-the tongue weight is 1650 lbs. ". Several more seconds of silence followed as I realized what I had done. A 2500 is a 3/4 ton truck meaning 3/4 of a ton, or 1500 lbs payload. Payload means in the bed, not at the end of the frame. After accepting my bravest/luckiest/dumbest man of the year award I bought a 1700 lbs equalizer and class 5 reciever to accept it. Steering feel was alot better on the way home.
This is without a doubt the worst case load a rear suspesion will ever see without bending the frame. Tongue weights for FIFTH WHEEL trailers range from 1500 lbs to 2200 lbs with the majority right around 1800 lbs. , but are carried more or less over the rear axle. This was in that neighborhood but carried about two feet beyond the end of the frame. And I didn't get caught up in the I-10 quagmire, I drove farm roads from Palacios to Bay City up through Yoakum and Gonzales to alt. 90 right under I-10 and the endless sea of tail lights. 60 MPH the whole way down two lane highways WITHOUT load distribution or sway control, not to mention the lack of front and rear sway bars or overload springs on the truck. The warranty info that was enclosed with my KORE system said "If you can break our stuff before you break your truck, we'll be impressed and will gladly replace it or refund your money". Still tryin'.....
My old man bought a trailer to park at the marina where he keeps his sail boat. When Hurricane Rita threatened the Gulf Coast last fall he asked me to pull it away from the coast to safety. He said it weighed 10,000 lbs. Nuthin the Cummins can't handle-I'll do it. Set it down on the truck, and it pushed the shocks to about mid stroke-"man this thing seems awful heavy". Drove it some 300 miles from Palacios to Guadalupe State Park north of San Antonio.
Come time to go back home, I lowered the trailer on to my hitch and it went down until the jack was topped out. With the tanks now full, it squatted my truck nearly to the ground and the jack remained firmly at rest on its pad. I thought, "I'm gonna need an equalizer just to get the thing to the park dump station". So I called the nearest Salem dealer and told them that I needed a weight distribution hitch that would fit a 38KFDS. The man on the other end of the line actually laughed at me. He followed with, "You're not gonna pull that trailer with a pickup truck-it's a park model. We deliver 'em with a 2 ton bobtail". I replied that I already had pulled the trailer and explained my predicament. For several seconds there was complete silence followed by, "You got one BIG set of balls. I wouldn't even set that trailer on my truck parked-the tongue weight is 1650 lbs. ". Several more seconds of silence followed as I realized what I had done. A 2500 is a 3/4 ton truck meaning 3/4 of a ton, or 1500 lbs payload. Payload means in the bed, not at the end of the frame. After accepting my bravest/luckiest/dumbest man of the year award I bought a 1700 lbs equalizer and class 5 reciever to accept it. Steering feel was alot better on the way home.
This is without a doubt the worst case load a rear suspesion will ever see without bending the frame. Tongue weights for FIFTH WHEEL trailers range from 1500 lbs to 2200 lbs with the majority right around 1800 lbs. , but are carried more or less over the rear axle. This was in that neighborhood but carried about two feet beyond the end of the frame. And I didn't get caught up in the I-10 quagmire, I drove farm roads from Palacios to Bay City up through Yoakum and Gonzales to alt. 90 right under I-10 and the endless sea of tail lights. 60 MPH the whole way down two lane highways WITHOUT load distribution or sway control, not to mention the lack of front and rear sway bars or overload springs on the truck. The warranty info that was enclosed with my KORE system said "If you can break our stuff before you break your truck, we'll be impressed and will gladly replace it or refund your money". Still tryin'.....
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