Towing capacity question - MegaCab

[JAlford]

Well the Dodge dealer pulled a fast one on me. I bought a '06 3500 Megacab SRW, and cant use it to tow our trailer now, according to GVWR. I should have gone and weighed the truck myself before I bought it, I know now. Next time I will do more homework than just calculating based on listed specs.



Truck: GVWR = 9900lbs

GAWR front = 5500lbs

GAWR rear = 6600lbs

Dodge listed payload capacity = 2590lbs

actual curb weight = 7880lbs per CAT scale

actual payload capacity = 2020lbs



Trailer: GVWR 13000lbs

actual loaded wt. = 11800lbs

actual tongue wt. = 2340lbs.



Sliding hitch wt. = approx. 350lbs

extra person + dogs + whatever = approx 400lbs



Question is since the GCWR = 23000 and the GAWR = 6600lbs are both within capacity, is the fact that the GVWR of 9900lbs is exceeded mean anything? The trailer has its own brakes, none of the tires will be over capacity if I run them at max pressure, and Dodge says you can tow more trailer than I have in the specs - do I have a problem or not?



Question II: Does the 9900lbs GVWR apply when the weight is tongue wt? According to Dodge it should never be exceeded. So how do they list a towable weight of 15,850lbs? I dont care about the warranty end anyway - as I do most all repair and maintenance work on my trucks anyway.

 

[PWitteveen]

You need to check the GCWR, Gross Combined Weight Rating, which is different than the GVWR. The GVWR is what you can carry in just the truck and bed. The GCWR includes the truck, contents and the added weight of the trailer. You shouldn't have any problems towing your trailer.

 

[CUMMINZ]

You will overload your rear tire capacity first. I towed a 36' Cedar Creek for 6-8 months with 3000 weight on 5er hitch. I had 2 extra full length leaf springs added on the rear. The 2500 handled the load fine but the tires were just a little frightful. It is an accident just waiting. I now have a dually. If you can handle the legal aspect in case of an accident go for it. I think it is dumb. #@$%!

 

[Steve St.Laurent]

Even using Dodge's on paper specs of a 2590 lb payload you would have been overloaded with your trailer. All of the manufacturers list their payload as a best case scenario. In other words a bare bones stripped truck, no fuel in the tank, and no passengers in the vehicle. Legally you need to be under all the weight ratings GVWR, GCVWR, front and rear GAWR, tongue weight for your hitch, and GAWR's on your trailer, and GVWR on the trailer. All of those weights need to be actual weights - passengers in the cab, fuel in the tank, all of the options on your truck, any stuff you've added to your truck, etc.

All that being said if it were me I'd make a judgement call. Was that 7,880 lbs with a full tank of fuel and you in the truck? How much additional weight will you be carrying in the truck on a trip (wife, kids, dog, etc)? I definitely wouldn't exceed GAWR's or GCVWR but I've gone over on GVWR when everything else was within specs.

 

[jelag]

We tow with duallys and often pull a trailer that weighs 20-22K lbs... . We stay within the weight limits of the tires, and have installed air bags on the back of each truck to level the truck... . each truck has a 125 gal fuel tank in the bed...

All trailers we have over 15K lbs have electric/hyd disc brakes..... on our 3 trucks we have over 375K miles total with the high mileage 04 truck at 240K miles doing most of the heavy towing... its now an in town truck and we're using another truck.....

We are a DOT company and have to scale and jump the hoops... we have had no truck problems to speak of based on our old fleet of Fords that drove me nuts... .

We have had no problems with hills except we have to up them slowly, and the exhaust brake assists the down hill side... we've never overheated in the desert, on the hills with any of these trucks... they all are 6 speeds but I'm now ordering at least 1 5500 auto.....

Hope this helps...

BTW - my dealer, Dishman knows how we treat them... we've never been denied warranty, we do not add any performance to the engine... . but do have exhaust brakes, air bags, air horns, and other creature of comforts installed... .

 

[JAlford]

Was that 7,880 lbs with a full tank of fuel and you in the truck? How much additional weight will you be carrying in the truck on a trip (wife, kids, dog, etc)? I definitely wouldn't exceed GAWR's or GCVWR but I've gone over on GVWR when everything else was within specs.

Steve - glad you ask. The weight was taken with a almost full tank of fuel (I would guess lacking about 4-5 gallons @ 7lbs/gal = 28 - 35lbs) and with me in the truck. I estimate that the gear in the truck, i. e. wife, dogs, miscellaneous, totals to 400lbs. With the axle rating at 6600lbs, I am just not sure what could create a problem, other than maybe the drivetrain.

Why I say the dealer pulled a fast one is that we were deciding between two trucks - a 2500 quad cab ($), and the 3500 Megacab ($$$). When we talked about the trailer... . the salesman was sure they both would work, but if we wanted the "extra assurance" that a 3500 would give us... well, you get the point.

I did do the calculations "off the cuff" at the time, but I underestimated the tongue wt and the truck wt. Plus, I was shown the 15,450lb towing capacity and 23000lb GCWR and the brochure showing the truck pulling a 5er and the ratings that specify that with a quadcab the SRW will tow more than a DRW(2006 Dodge truck brochure).

It didn't help that one of the criteria for the truck was that I could get it into the garage (no dually)- for the ohio winters. I should have waited for the Megacab dually to be available and just continued parking outside, but that is hindsight now.

I will make a judgement call, as you would, and we also are considering the fact that this truck will only pull this trailer a few times a year. My 99 dually will still be the primary tow vehicle. However, I am entertaining the thought of converting the Megacab to a longbed dually, though. It would not fit in the garage, and take a 10acre field to turn around, but it sure would be a good pulling rig for our 5er. Hmmm... . 180. 5" wheelbase... .

Jeff

 

[Kirwin]

Weights again

Steve, I was curious why you are so concerned about GCWR. I'm over my GCWR by 3K lbs due to having the 3. 73 ratio vice the 4. 10 on my 03. I'd only be 1000 lbs over if I had the 4. 10 ratio. I have weighed my truck and trailer 3 times at various RV rallies using individual wheel scales and I'm within my GAWRs and GVWRs on both the truck and trailer. I'm actually closer to the GAWR on the truck's front axle without the trailer. I personally think it would be hard to exceed the rear GAWR with my convential travel trailer (vice a 5th wheel with their greater pin weights). I'm at 11,870 lbs with the trailer hooked to the truck, 140 gallons of fuel on board, me, the wife, the Bassett, and the truck and trailer loaded for a rally according the to RV Saftey Foundation scales. I'm also very close to the 11,500 GVWR of the trailer and with too much water on board, or one more of anything my wife wants to bring along I go over it's GVWR. :-laf I understand the legal implications of exceeding GAWR or GVWR but from what I've read on here, the implications of exceeding GCWR are less clearly defined. What are your thought on this issue? Thanks Ken Irwin

 

[Kirwin]

Steve St.Laurent your thoughts?

Steve see above post. Whats your take on CGWR? thanks for your time. Ken Irwin

 

[Steve St.Laurent]

Sorry, I didn't see your post. I'll be out of town for the next 5 days so I won't be able to respond back until after that as well. The concern I would have for GCVWR is the driveline. The primary load put on your transmission, t-case, axles (the driving part of them anyways), and u-joints is the GCVWR - the total amount of weight the truck is pulling down the road. The GAWR's are based on your springs and how much weight the axles themselves can hold up. GVWR will be how much the brakes can handle (since the trailer has it's own brakes to handle that weight). So if you are going to go over GCVWR I would just be careful for driveline temps, etc - if I was going to do it for any length of time I'd put temperature gauges on them as a minimum. That's JMHO

 

[EricBu12]

jalford.



to turn that 3500 into a puller, first get gauges. . then power help and Exhaust brake. for the tires, goto Ricksons and get the forged Aluminum 19. 5" rims and then buy locally, a commercial type tire. I have a 245/70 R 19. 5" F rated 12 ply. rated at 4080# @ 95 psi. that is good and then get roadmaster coil helper springs from Mr. bob. absorbs the extra weight right when the trailer starts to set on it... (has a little preload). .



I have a 36' toyhauler and a utility trailer behind that.



s. a. 4760

d. a. . 6300

trailer 13360

utility . . 2340

total . . 26,660



not over any axle or any tire and truck is able to stop well and pulls it well...



do some of the above like the tires you switch in winter to run stock tires and save the expensive one for towing season.

 

[tntframing]

Hey guys,



Just abit of info... My father in law who lives in kamiah id has a 3500 1996 with a flat bed 105 gal tank in the bed, no air bags, some mods not many, he is rated to tow 42,680 lbs gcwr has to go through the scales have a cdl to drive and commerical insurance. thats half the weight of a big rig at 80,000 lbs. Oo.