Towing weight

[starkmr]

I've been looking at the Gear Box 40' toy hauler that has a GVWR of 17,500 lbs. I looked at specs on the Dodge web site and I see that my truck has a maximum towing capacity of 15,850. I know a lot of guys haul heavier than that, but is it safe with stock suspension, I haven't put air bags on yet and will definately install an E brake. The tounge weight is 2500lbs.

 

[Okie-Go]

The gvwr of that trailer is the maximum it will carry. I don't think on a trip you will be near that weight. My trailer has a tounge weight of 2180 and I have hauled heavier trailers with stock suspension. Your 3500 should handle the tounge weight fine. I have an 06 with the jake and I would not be afraid to pull this trailer. As far as safe I'll say yes. I can't say about the legal part. ( I am not one to trash some-one for pulling heavy).

 

[litespeed]

No problem.



That camper is probably 15K or lighter dry. Probably a lot lighter.



With your configuration it is not a problem regardless.



E-brake is a good idea. Airbags are a good addition but not really needed (unless you have a weird weight problem). They will stiffen it up quite a bit though. Nice to have the adjustability.

 

[GWBourne]

my trailer weighed in at 17,520 on my trip i just made from San Diego to York PA. my tounge weight is 3100 lbs. its a bit high... lol... things kind of have to be that way in my situation and i love my firestone ride rites. they make the trailer much nicer to two.



you would be fine with stock suspension, but i would advise the airbags. also, as i plan on doing, i would advise removing the overload leavs if you install air bags. get a little air tank and amke sure you have air in it at all times. then if you need air, you have it. the extra springs = extra weight, and there is no NEED for them once the air bags are on.

Grant

 

[TowPro]

Ask DOT what they think. I bet they tell you that if your truck weighs 7000 lbs, and you have a CGVWR of 22,000 lbs, your trailer is not allowed to have a GVWR higher then 15,000 lbs.



In the event of an accident, I hear Lawyers know to look for this information also. It don't matter that the trailer only weighs 13,000 at the time of the accident, its GVWR was higher then your allowed to tow.



But a lot of people don't worry about this.

 

[Graphic man]

dad has been pulling a 40' 5er for 4 years now with a 1ton c-cab ford, his combined weight is over 27,000lb and a tongue of 2600lb, that puts his 5er around 19,000lb's



I am a firm believer of a good exhaust brake and a good brake controller makes a big difference.





Scott

 

[starkmr]

my trailer weighed in at 17,520 on my trip i just made from San Diego to York PA. my tounge weight is 3100 lbs. its a bit high... lol... things kind of have to be that way in my situation and i love my firestone ride rites. they make the trailer much nicer to two.



you would be fine with stock suspension, but i would advise the airbags. also, as i plan on doing, i would advise removing the overload leavs if you install air bags. get a little air tank and amke sure you have air in it at all times. then if you need air, you have it. the extra springs = extra weight, and there is no NEED for them once the air bags are on.

Grant

I can get the Gear Box 5er with a built in 3gal air compressor!!

 

[starkmr]

Thanks for the opinions guys, I was kind of feeling ok with the setup anyway. I agree that the Ebrake will be the first upgrade to the truck for this unit. I'll probably try it a while before I decide on the airbags. The gross dry weight is 12,400lbs so yeah it is within my trucks capabilities as long as I don't load it too heavy. I'll have to be careful as I will be living in it.

 

[GWBourne]

I can get the Gear Box 5er with a built in 3gal air compressor!!

i was all set for an on board air setup... then i remembered i have a Jake and cant use the setups together... so i will be going to a 24 volt electric setup some day... .

Grant

 

[starkmr]

i was all set for an on board air setup... then i remembered i have a Jake and cant use the setups together... so i will be going to a 24 volt electric setup some day... .

Grant

What is the problem? Isn't the ebrake a vacuum operated unit (Jacobs) and the air compressor I believe will run off the 5er generator at 120 volt.

 

[jelag]

We pull a 24K lb max trailer weight trailer with our 04 3500 dually..... it has 211K miles on the truck as I write this and has never been through a tank of fuel without the trailer... .



We have power disc brakes on the trailer... . we ordered the axles that way when we built the trailer and we wish sometimes we had more brakes when someone foolish pulls in front of us..... note..... if we stab the brake controller... a brake smart, you can almost lock up the trailer.....



We have been through several DOT inspections... and have annuals done on both the truck and trailer with no problems... . the 3500 dually pulls this trailer fine in all cases except for some of the uphill grades and we're down to some slower speeds...



We have the new PXRB exhaust brake on this truck and it will handle about 15K - 16K lbs of trailer weight without the use of the service brakes going down a 6% grade in 4th gear..... usually the same gear we pulled the hill in... anything more than that weight we need to use some of the service brakes... but we've never felt we've been in any spot with braking power... . its just the fools that pull in and take away the safety distance we have... .



In the winter we're very carefull here in the northwest... . we've laid over a couple of times each winter so that we can avoid the use of chains..... and bad weather... .



I'm now looking to upgrade to something larger... . new dodge 5500 or something else. . only because we are looking for more HP and torque... .

 

[GWBourne]

What is the problem? Isn't the ebrake a vacuum operated unit (Jacobs) and the air compressor I believe will run off the 5er generator at 120 volt.

for the setup i wanted one could run air tools off of the truck. the compressor i want is belt driven off of the engine. in your case, all would be well.



check them out. its a cool setup i have for my blazer, but since the belt is different it wont work with BOTH the jake and the OBA

www.onboardair.com

Grant

 

[starkmr]

for the setup i wanted one could run air tools off of the truck. the compressor i want is belt driven off of the engine. in your case, all would be well.



check them out. its a cool setup i have for my blazer, but since the belt is different it wont work with BOTH the jake and the OBA

www.onboardair.com

Grant

Looks pretty cool but fairly expensive. I don't think that the upgrade to the 5er is but about $500.

 

[YFZBOB]

Check this site out... Good reading too!

Fifth Wheel Weight Calculator



Some states require Noncommercial license.

Check out your state here.

 

[Cattletrkr]

Ask DOT what they think. I bet they tell you that if your truck weighs 7000 lbs, and you have a CGVWR of 22,000 lbs, your trailer is not allowed to have a GVWR higher then 15,000 lbs.



In the event of an accident, I hear Lawyers know to look for this information also. It don't matter that the trailer only weighs 13,000 at the time of the accident, its GVWR was higher then your allowed to tow.



But a lot of people don't worry about this.

That must be entirely state specific. In MN the only thing DOT can "get" you for is overloading your tires and stopping distance. The guy on the phone couldn't even tell me what that distance is 'cause they never check for it.



Don't bother taking any advice you get here, not even mine. Call your state's DOT hotline and get it straight from them. If you feel you need to, call every state you plan on visiting. Do not trust any info you get here.

 

[TowPro]

interesting read about towing weights.



http://rvtowingtips.com/story.htm