Towing with a Mega, getting real with a 5er

[AMink]

So, we're getting down to brass tacks on our decision for a 5th wheel toy hauler. I suppose I got this a little backwards, but I did the math after starting to look at trailers. Any of the trailers we like are under the tow weight rating but all are at least 2,000# pin weight. Turns out the sticker on my 2006 Mega 3500 4x4 says combined weight of occupants and cargo not to exceed 2,481#. Well, with me, my wife, one 22 yo son and one 18 yo son averaging 175ish, plus a dog, plus a 5th wheel hitch, plus the other "stuff", I'm already over 1,000# leaving around 1,400#. Makes me wonder what the point of a 3500 is.

We bought the truck when we had two kids and a bumper pull with a 850ish dry tongue weight. All good. Over the years the kids (and I!) got bigger, and we added a 750# quad and a 250# dirtbike. With all that plus other camping junk I'm sure we were too heavy. I never felt like the trailer or load was driving the truck so I never thought too much about it. The truck was level, the ride was good, and the truck accelerated, ran, and stopped fine.

I get the weight ratings, how to figure them, the legal ramifications, etc. but the big question is, is this overage going to wreck the truck? From what I see going down the road I can only believe that 75% or more of the big 5th wheel rigs I see are over capacity at one point or another. GRRR!:--) My wife is good with getting a new trailer (and we all know you have to strike when the iron is hot!) but I don't want to get in over my head. Of course I'd love to get a new truck to pull the new trailer but I really don't think that's in the cards.

Any thoughts or suggestions?

 

[Jim W]

I will send you a PM on what I did with my Mega Cab and what I am pulling.

 

[GAmes]

Tow ratings are just that, manufacturer's ratings. You might call them guidelines, or what determines if a warranty issue will be repaired, your choice. There isn't any legal aspect to them, witness the hundreds of hotshotters operating at 30,000 GCWR. They cross scales every day without penalty. 2000 pounds on the pin is light weight. Just make sure your tires are rated for the load, and you have enough skill to pull a trailer.

 

[Wertles]

On my 2006 Mega 3500 SRW, I added air bags, 19.5 Rickson wheel/tire combo and a Smarty set on the tow setting. I owned a 43 foot 5th wheel which weighed in at about 18,000 pounds. Not sure of the pin weight but it wasn't light. We carried 6 people in the truck as well. I always felt perfectly safe and in control. The only thing I wished I had was an exhaust brake but the max brake I had along with 6 brakes on the trailer were more than adequate. I have a thread somewhere here comparing that truck to my 2013 crew cab long bed dually with 4.10 Aisin pulling the same trailer. The 2006 was a close second.

Here it is.

https://www.turbodieselregister.com/threads/243760-Real-comparison-stock-2013-vs-modded-2006

 

[dfb]

We have a 2015 megacab 4x4 Aisin 342s... all ok except GVWR of truck.. about 400 over.. Ok on the front and rear axles... Ok on trailer....OK on Gross Combined... Just NOT OK of GVWR of 12300/////

 

[RVTRKN]

It's asked a lot, and if you would do a search here, you would have many pages to comb through. Look on your door sticker for your GAWR's for the front and rear, those are the numbers you should pay attention to. You can cheat those numbers a little by installing a higher rating tire, per some members here. BUT THE GVWR AND GCWR are bogus, they are Dodges numbers only and are inforced only by Dodge, they can deny warranty if they chose to, but that's it. It's not an accident that those door axle ratings when added together exceed the weight ratings by the same manufacturer that prints the numbers on the same door tag. My 2014 has a 10K GVWR, but when you add the axle ratings it's 11K pounds. As recommended to many members here, weigh the rig and truck together, as close to real weight as you can. A good idea would be to stop at a CAT scale on your trip and weigh your Front Rear and Trailer axles to see what it really weighs. You don't have to get out when weighed, so it'll be true running weights, don't forget to fill the fuel tank before you weigh it. Look at my CAT scale weights with the same 5ver dry and wet weights with my 2500 and 3500. I kept the 5ver dry with a little water for toilet use and propane tanks full when hitched to 2500, and a full water/propane tanks when hitched to 3500. Note the trailer axle weight differences with dry and wet weights, also if you look up the axle ratings for the 2004.5 2500 it's within those ratings. Good luck with you rig, I'm sure you'll be OK, but you need to weigh it to know for sure.

 

[SnoKing]

We have a 2015 megacab 4x4 Aisin 342s... all ok except GVWR of truck.. about 400 over.. Ok on the front and rear axles... Ok on trailer....OK on Gross Combined... Just NOT OK of GVWR of 12300/////

Yes, however as I pointed out when you get correct scale readings, you most likely are gong to be over rear GAWR with a trailer that has a dry pin weight of 2905 lbs.

SNOKING