The 600 lbs question

They wouldn't. Unless you are a commercial CDL vehicle they aren't going to put you on a scale.

Keep in mind that manufacturer weight ratings are published assuming a housewife will be driving the rig. There is built in safety room for liability reasons.

jjump said:

So, I have to ask those that may have actually been pulled over.....

How would a Cop know what the GCWR is? Do they simply have a book, look it up, etc?

Though - I do not plan on breaking the weight, and I just canceled our camping trip to Canada!!!!

Though, I did crunch my numbers, and I believe this is where I am at.....

6,900 lbs is the GVWR on my sticker on my door, and using this in conjunction with the slider tool at Ram Trucks.....

Curb - 5,350
4 Passengers - 600
2 Quads - 500
Tongue - 500

Total - 6,950, just barely over, but close enough that I can live with that number.

Which leaves me with 6,550 for a trailer with a GVWR.

13,500 - 6,950 = 6,550.

Using the rule above for wheel base/5.

I am now looking for a trailer with a tongue of 500 or less, 28' or less, and 6,500 lbs GVWR or less.

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Don't worry too much abouth the length equation. It's pretty dated, I just continue to use it for estimates. Like I said though, watch what the slider tells you. It's not necessarily accurate compared to what you actually have, it *might* be much lower as I have now learned the hard way. The gross combination weight is more related to registration around here. Can't speak to other places. We have to register a weight. And for what it's worth, I think right now BC is the only province actively scaling private vehicles if they are suspect, so you don't necessarily have to cancel your trip to Canada

On that note- were I in your shoes- I would just get the camper I wanted and not worry too much about a little overage. You know your numbers- just try to keep them close. Honestly, how long are the kids quads still going to be kids quads? Eventually they aren't going to fit in the bed and you'll want a deck that puts you into 3500 territory anyways.

FWIW, my camper is 26' with a GVWR of 5900lbs. Loaded and ready its 5400-5500lbs with a tongue weight of 610-650lbs.

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I have been pulled over not for the trailer inself but because the patrolman thought my brights were on because the trailer was pulling my rear down. That was before bags and gears so she was not the pulling monster she is now. Yes I realize that does not change my sticker on door but I am okay with it.


$miley

toofart said:

Curious as to where you've read that.

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I can't remember where I saw it on the 'net, but it stuck with me because I called BS and did the math myself.

The only reason they say 6800lbs is because the axle weight ratings for front and rear axles on my truck are 3900lbs each.

EDIT: Wow I must have been in a hurry to type before a meeting. The only reason I THINK they say 6800 is because of the weight rating for axles, and the fact that they don't want to advertise the weight capacity of the truck any higher due to regulations for classification.

Cliff p said:

I can't remember where I saw it on the 'net, but it stuck with me because I called BS and did the math myself.

The only reason they say 6800lbs is because the axle weight ratings for front and rear axles on my truck are 3900lbs each.

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But that equals 7800, and for what it's worth- this is a way a lot of guys calculate it. Nothing wrong with that way either. This is the oddity. I exceed the GVWR of 6800, but I am under the GAWR combined of 7800, and under on each axle weight rating of 3900. This is the reason that I am suspect that the GVWR is related more to braking force than anything.

They might not pull you over, but if their is an accident of some type where someone is hurt and anyone in the investigation may think the weight was a factor, it can and will be looked into.

smurfs_of_war said:

But that equals 7800, and for what it's worth- this is a way a lot of guys calculate it. Nothing wrong with that way either. This is the oddity. I exceed the GVWR of 6800, but I am under the GAWR combined of 7800, and under on each axle weight rating of 3900. This is the reason that I am suspect that the GVWR is related more to braking force than anything.

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Yeah, I had to run off to a meeting and didn't realize I had submitted my reply until the meeting was over LOL! Added an edit above.

If basing soley on axle capacity, the truck as it sits (curb weight) places ~2250lbs of load on the rear axle. That's a payload capacity of 1646lbs over the rear axle in the bed of the truck.

And of course I would agree that they figure this stuff based on stopping power, sure. BUT, I'm sure trucks with trailer towing packages come with trailer brake controllers, which then throws off the equation further depending on the trailer used. Heh.

Cliff p said:

And of course I would agree that they figure this stuff based on stopping power, sure. BUT, I'm sure trucks with trailer towing packages come with trailer brake controllers, which then throws off the equation further depending on the trailer used. Heh.

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Exactly. Fuzzy math

I too bought my camper without really understanding the spec'ed weight limits of my previous truck. While I was over weight at times it never felt unsafe. Especially after I added airbags. A few things I thought I would comment on...

1. Airlift bags a must have. Combined with a properly tuned WDH they make starting and stopping feel much smoother and predictable

2. You can't go wrong with the Equal-i-zer hitch. Totally love ours.

3. Only a percentage of the tongue weight actually get s added to the payload. You may already know this but I did not see it mentioned as I read through this thread.
Because you are using a WDH, some portion of the tongue weight is transferred back to the trailer axles. There are equations that you can use to calculate this but if you can make it to a certified scale it will take all the guess work out. You will never know how close you are to your GVWR until you load up and hit a scale.

Most importantly... these trucks are much more capable then their door stickers let on. I would still be driving my 1/2 ton today if I had not gotten such a deal on the truck I have now.

Power247 said:

I too bought my camper without really understanding the spec'ed weight limits of my previous truck. While I was over weight at times it never felt unsafe. Especially after I added airbags. A few things I thought I would comment on...

1. Airlift bags a must have. Combined with a properly tuned WDH they make starting and stopping feel much smoother and predictable

2. You can't go wrong with the Equal-i-zer hitch. Totally love ours.

3. Only a percentage of the tongue weight actually get s added to the payload. You may already know this but I did not see it mentioned as I read through this thread.
Because you are using a WDH, some portion of the tongue weight is transferred back to the trailer axles. There are equations that you can use to calculate this but if you can make it to a certified scale it will take all the guess work out. You will never know how close you are to your GVWR until you load up and hit a scale.

Most importantly... these trucks are much more capable then their door stickers let on. I would still be driving my 1/2 ton today if I had not gotten such a deal on the truck I have now.

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Thanks for the advice man. The air bags are already on the way. Glad to hear the equal-i-zer is all they say. Interestingly enough- I actually made a spreadsheet a couple years ago that does all of the calculations for me. Takes into account the 20% the wd hitch moves amongst axles, tow cap after gvw, gcw compared to gcwr, the whole works. I have to fine tune the axle loads based on orientation of the cab in relation to the axles, but it's pretty close right now. I also need to add an option for a weight carrying hitch to calculate the leverage load on the axle

Rambling now. Again, input is appreciated from you guys since you've already been there!

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http://www.ramforum.com/f119/truck_camper_hooked_up_squats_pics-32728/index3.html
I tow this several times a year. I'm not saying its ok, its just what I do. Cant afford a 2500. If I could I would've bought it. I have air bags( air lift 1000 ) and they help a lot in the ride. family is a good 600lbs to. post #26

cableguy_hd said:

http://www.ramforum.com/f119/truck_camper_hooked_up_squats_pics-32728/index3.html
I tow this several times a year. I'm not saying its ok, its just what I do. Cant afford a 2500. If I could I would've bought it. I have air bags( air lift 1000 ) and they help a lot in the ride. family is a good 600lbs to. post #26

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I remember seeing that post and thinking "WOW! I got nothing to worry about!"

Glad she handles it decently. I am getting more at ease now, my wife is almost ready to dial down my anxiety meds!

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It's all flat open highway. I plan on getting the wife a new ride next year and she will be towing the golf cart. So yeah I will be taking 2 cars but it has worked for me for almost 2 years

SO did you get those bags in smurfs_of_war?

Not yet- waiting for it to warm up a bit. No heat in my garage.

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Interesting little blurb I found while researching some replacement coils today too. Direct quote from the site:

"We now have replacement rear coils for the Dodge 1500 (2009-present). The SSC-50 SuperCoils will increase the payload capacity by 35%."

SuperSprings Self-Adjusting Suspension Stabilizers

While it doesn't change the sticker, it's nice to know that there are aftermarket that will help with our anemic payloads

Thought I would update this thread quickly now that I have had the chance to dig the trailer out of it's snow home. I was able to weigh the tongue with my Sherline tongue scale. With 2 full LP tanks, battery, all of my gear in the forward storage (axe, hatchet, tools, hitch head, hitch bars, hitch shank, chock blocks, leveling blocks, hoses and extension cords) the tongue weight is 540lbs! The DRY tongue weight is 535lbs. This weight is almost always what I would see on the tongue (give or take) since I typically load a little forward of the axles getting lighter as I go forward to keep the tongue weight managable, but keep the weight forward to avoid sway.

One experiment I did to see what kind of weight I could reduce on the truck- I dropped the spare, the jack, the trifold, skid plates, and steps. Would you believe 220lbs?

I also ordered a pair of TTC-1223 HD coils to replace my existing OEM coils in the rear. They don't lift any, but will stiffen the ride unloaded with a 50% increase in load handling over OEM, I will install the airbags as well, but run without once to see if I have any bounce with the coil/ shock replacement. If I don't, then I have a set of airlift 1000's on sale cheap On order next- Rancho Quicklift loaded for the front (RS9000XL) adjustable shocks with new coils, as well as a pair of adjustable RS9000XL for the rear. I ran those on my F150 and loved them. Notice they have another rebate on, so I may as well do it now

Now for the sickening wait time for our site reservations....

Nice! That tongue scale would be a nice little toy to have. I'm lucky to have a weigh scale halfway to our storage lot...
Not all RV companies are crooked about tongue weight like some would have you believe. Our tongue weight is exactly what the book & decal stated, and 10% of tow weight precisely.
Looking forward to hearing about the new springs.
-Don't forget about your Canadian bretheren if you sell those bags! (some of us could use a spare)