Rickson 19.5 tires and wheels

[JFreeman]

I have an 03 3/4 ton 4x4 long wheel base truck. I am thinking about purchasing a large fifth wheel that weighs 11,000 pounds dry and about 14,000 loaded. I talked with rickson and they said that with there wheels and tires i should have no problems. Anybody else using the rickson setup on a single wheel truck.

 

[y-knot]

I would sugest you take the three grand you were going to spend of the tires, and sell the 3/4 ton truck and use the money you saved and but a 1 ton. The trailer you plan to purchase is way to large for the truck you have, do yourself and everyone else on the road a favor. Get a larger truck or don't get that trailer.

 

[MMiller]

I don't know about trading trucks. What exactly are the differences between a 3/4ton and a 1 ton? Some more leaf springs(can be added or air bags), two extra tires(the ricksons will take care of this) and what else? Are the brakes larger on the one tons? I don't know about the new trucks but what else would you gain by getting a 1 ton? If this trailer is way too much for a 3/4 ton then I doubt a 1 ton will be a whole lot safer.



I regularly pull my 8000lbs flatbed gooseneck, and put two trucks that weigh 5000 lbs each. I also haul 15,000 lbs backhoes and other tractors around with a 3/4 ton without feeling unsafe. This is all on load range d radial mud tires. I have had no tire troubles to date, but I keep good tires on the truck, and pay alot of attention to air pressure. I work very diligently at keeping my tow vehicle in good shape because I use it hard.



What kind of hitch weight will the trailer be putting on the truck? Will it be in the limits of the tires and the rating of the truck? I don't know muck about travel trailers but will it balance out pretty good?



Before buying the rims and tires, I would figure out how much weight will be put on the truck and go from there.

 

[Loren]

JFreeman,



I pulled a 14,000 pound Avion fifth-wheel with our 1995 3/4 ton truck for several years. The weak link was the automatic transmission. I hope you have a stick. Otherwise the truck handled the heavy trailer just fine.



I don't know about all model years, but generally the tow rating on the 3/4 ton trucks is slightly higher than for the one tons. This is because the truck itself is slightly lighter.



My 1995 truck has the standard 16" wheels and load range E tires, as delivered from the factory. I didn't have any problem with tires, at least not the ones on the truck.



Our new 2000 truck, a six-speed, has Rickson wheels on it. I haven't pulled the Avion with that truck, but I have no doubt that it will do even better than the 1995 did. In my opinion, the Rickson wheels and tires are not necessary to handle the load you are considering, but they do give you great peace of mind. The load rating for the tires on my truck is 4540 pounds per tire! The wheels are rated for a bit less than that, but still plenty for my purposes.



If you are considering buying used, I may consider selling my set of Rickson wheels and tires (Toyo M608Z in size 245/70R19. 5, load range G). These tires are about the biggest you can put on my truck without rubbing anything. They are about half worn. The wheels are powder coated steel, in silver. They are close in color to the factory Driftwood color. I have the chrome Rickson wheel covers on them and they look great. The reason I would sell them is to buy Rickson's new aluminum wheels. Send me a Personal Message if you are interested.



Loren

 

[RustyJC]

Originally posted by Loren

I don't know about all model years, but generally the tow rating on the 3/4 ton trucks is slightly higher than for the one tons. This is because the truck itself is slightly lighter.

Which illustrates how much manufacturer's towing ratings are worth - not much!



To explain, in towing 5th wheels, since the 5th wheel will typically put up to 20% or more of its total weight on the truck as pin weight, a 3/4 ton or SRW 1 ton truck will run out of GVWR long before it runs out of GCWR. The only way to know if the truck will handle a specific 5th wheel within its ratings is to run the numbers:



Truck GCWR - truck laden curb weight = maximum laden trailer total weight



Truck GVWR - truck laden curb weight = maximum laden trailer pin weight



In these equations, truck laden curb weight is the actual scale weight of the truck with driver, passengers, all options and accessories, fuel, cargo, hitch, etc. Manufacturer's towing ratings (1. ) totally ignore the GVWR issue and (2. ) are normally calculated for "base vehicles" (i. e. , no options or accessories) with only a 150 lb driver. Not very real world, huh?



When we ordered our truck (see signature), it was specifically to tow our 13,500 lb 36' 5th wheel. As weighed on certified truck scales, we hit the road at 21,180 lbs GCW (21,500 lbs GCWR) and 10,380 lbs GVW (10,500 lbs GVWR). We bought the truck to fit the job we were going to use it for.



Rusty

 

[DPelletier]

Oh goody, another GVWR thread!. OK, I am going to try not to be argumentative. Rusty's right, the factory tow ratings are not worth the paper they are written on, however, I don't know that the factory GVWR ratings are a whole lot better. You really have two separate issues: 1) the legal issues of being over GVWR. I won't debate them although I haven't heard alot of problems in this regard. and 2) The safety aspects of being over GVWR. As MMiller has mentioned, there isn't a whole heck of a lot of difference between a 2500 and 3500, other than the dual rear wheels. There is also a possibility that JFreeman's truck has a lighter rear axle (if its an auto). My personal opinion is that if you stay within the GAWR (gross axle weight rating) and the max tire load carrying capacity, you're probably OK. There are some companies that make dual rear wheel conversions (Arrow?), and although that won't change the door sticker, it would definitely deal with the "3500 safer than a 2500" thing. The Rickson's would also increase your capacity and safety margin. Whether two load range H 19. 5" tires are as safe as four load range E 16" tires or not, isn't a question that I know the answer to.

Despite all of the above rambling, I believe in having more truck than you need. Would I do it? The answer is in my sig. , but I just don't feel that the little sticker should be the defining issue.

OK, I'm all suited up now! :-{}

Dave

 

[DPelletier]

OOPS!



Sig. should read '03 3500 ETH DEE 4x4 SLT, 3. 73's and LSD.

Thought I changed it, guess I'll have to try again.

Dave

 

[Peter Campbell]

The truck I am picking up tomorrow is a "lightweight" 3500 or a "heavyweight" 2500. 3500 SRW 4. 1 axle 6 speed/ HO. 9900 GVWR, 23,000 GCWR. On the door post. All legal. Yes I am ready for the trooper with scales in his trunk

 

[DPelletier]

Peter, I hope you like your new truck as much as I like mine

I also went from an ETC Auto to a HO 6 spd. I love it! Have a hard time stopping at home when I leave work!!!

Dave

 

[JFreeman]

I got some more info on the trailer specs. Unloaded weight is 10,679 and hitch weight is 2,840. Anybody using a 3/4 ton with that much hitch weight.

 

[HEYBOSS]

It just amazes me how many people are out there pulling large loads with smaller vehicles, specially 5th wheels and trailers. All it takes is one bad accident and one good lawyer and it's all over, unfortunately that day will come!

 

[Sarge]

There is one other factor that is being missed. The issue of the taller tires. Taller tires will change your rear end gear ratio at the tires. What this means is that taller tires will add to your top end, but SIGNIFICANTLY reduce your low end, especially with the 3. 73 gears. If you were running 4. 10s I might consider it. Factor in the heavy 5ver, and it's all well and good until you hit that first 10 mile 6% grade You bought that 6 speed to be a tow monster (like I did) so don't hamstring it! Just my . 02 cents, but I seen it happen too many times. But, you know that they say about opinions and arm pits, everybody has em, and most of them stink... ... ... ... . :-{} Sarge

 

[DPelletier]

Sarge,

You are right, BUT, they make load range H tires in a lower profile so that the low profile 19. 5's and the stock 17" tires have equal heights (and diameters, of course). This is the option I would use if I ever get enough extra cash (is that an oxymoron?) to purchase a nice set of aluminum Rickson or Alcoa 19. 5's to take the place of the factory steel wheels and cheesy (are you listening DC?) plastic wheel covers. I can't believe the number of people who jam on 315's or whatever on these new trucks. To each their own, but I want my odo and spedometer to work and I want to keep my effective 3. 73's. Not to mention that my camper is already maxed out on its jacks to get high enough to load

Dave