RAM Truck and possible overload - Consequences?

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nonrev321

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Well I did as advised and came up with the following

Background: The yellow tag on my truck door states that I have 1940lbs Cargo Carrying capacity (including passengers) for my Truck but as per advice I was informed that the most accurate determination of Cargo Carrying capacity is to weight the truck with passengers and a full tank of fuel. Doing this I came up with the following:

CAT Scale weight of Truck + 2 passengers = 8630Lbs (full tank of diesel)
Plus 250lb (estimated) 5th wheel hitch weight = 8880lbs
Plus hitch weight of Grand Design 230RL 5th wheel (1195lbs) = 10075lbs
Plus loaded trailer weight (2000lbs x 20% = additional 400lbs on the pin)

10075 + 400 = 10500lbs. 500lbs over the GVWR of 10,000

There is a general opinion that I should be able to handle the 230RL 5th wheel with my 2016 RAM 2500 Laramie Longhorn but I am concerned that once the 230RL is loaded up I may be too far over the 10,000 GVWR of my truck and the specified payload.

In folks opinion, considering a normal load on the 230RL 5th wheel, i.e. LP tanks full, all liquid tanks full, batteries, groceries and all personal living items would I still be in what would be commonly considered a safe load condition with my 2016 RAM 2500?

Also I know the RAM will put up a warning when overloaded but does anyone know what that point is? Will 500lb over set it off? Does it throttle or limit speed or even prevent the truck from starting?

Thanks for letting me tap your experience and knowledge

Rgds
nonrev
 

Trog73

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nonrev,

load up that 5er just like you're ready to head off on the road and go BACK to the scales for weighing. that way you'll know for sure whether you're over on ANY of the critical weights; front and rear axles, GCWR, GVWR. here's a couple of links on how to do it and what to look for.

How to Weigh a Travel Trailer | Learn To RV
Fifth Wheel Weight Calculator

have fun and be safe.
 

csuder99

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From a purely technical perspective being 5% over the GVWR will not cause any issues or set off alarms or something. The setup as described will have almost 1900 lbs over the rear axle so the rear might drop a little more than desirable, and with a fifth wheel you can't hide it like the guys with WDH do. The diesel trucks have a lot of weight up front so the rear axle should be below max rating.

But yes, weigh the complete setup to know for sure.
 

Ratket

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I can say that 1900 pounds in the bed will make the rear sit about dead lvl-
2k pounds in the bed of my 6.4 and I still had a little rake- so given a little more weigh for ur trim; overall weight I bet it's dead lvl
 

smurfs_of_war

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The 10k GVWR is to meet a registration requirement, not a mechanical limitation. I have read (not personally witnessed) that many with the air suspension in the 1500s did not trip the system until they had about 2000lbs total on it. That's all information on the forums- so take that for what it's worth. With the air system, I really doubt you'll even see any sag with that. Likely level it out. I *believe* that all that will happen when it trips is that it will shut the compressor down to prevent overheating.

I may be wrong so you may need to do some more digging.

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billyw

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Totally agree with ^. The 2500 is only limited to 10k on paper, not mechanically.
 

U&A

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In the end you need to follow what the sticker says weather the truck can dp it or not. You get pulled over and sent to a scale you will see big fines and a wast of time AT A MINIMUM.
 

Ratket

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scales ... pift - who has those lol
 
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Ratket

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It was a joke lol- But on a side note I don't have a set of scales for at least 300 miles in any direction :)
 

billyw

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I can't speak for the whole country, but out west there is NO SCALE issue at all. Scales are for commercial vehicles ONLY. As far as pickups are concerned, the weight restrictions only apply to how you have it registered. They don't care about any sticker in your door jam.
 

spoon059

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In the end you need to follow what the sticker says weather the truck can dp it or not. You get pulled over and sent to a scale you will see big fines and a wast of time AT A MINIMUM.
Nope, not even close. First of all, scales are for commercial vehicles, so unless he is hauling that 5er commercially, highway weigh stations don't apply.

Second, you can register your vehicle for whatever weight you want, regardless of what the sticker says. OP, check your state department of motor vehicles and see how much it costs to go up another weight unit. I would imagine it either goes up by a thousand pounds, or more likely by 2000 lbs intervals of weight. In Maryland I can simply register my 2500 for 12,000 lbs by paying about $20 more per year. The door sticker only applies to warranty repairs, not driving down the road. I challenge you to find any example of police pulling over a personally owned, non commercial, 3/4 ton truck and issuing a citation for being 500 lbs overweight.

Ram rates my axles are at 6000 lbs front and 6500 lbs rear (18" wheels), so even at 12,000 lbs I am below my axle ratings.

AAM rates these axles at about 10,000 lbs per axle, so at 12,000 lbs I am below my axle ratings.

My tires are rated for 3640 lbs each (7280 lbs per axle), so at 12,000 lbs I am below my axle ratings.

Federal bridge ratings are 20,000 lbs per axle, so at 12,000 lbs I am below federal ratings.

OP, as long as you feel comfortable being 500 lbs over the rating, you are perfectly fine. I would encourage you to pay the appropriate registration fees for the next higher vehicle weight class in your state just to cover your tail though.
 

loveracing1988

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You can follow whatever advice you want, but people tow with these trucks for years way overweight, at only 500 pounds you are fine. The same truck with a 6.4 will have a payload of 3000 pounds. The frame is the same as a 3500 so your frame isn't an issue, the front suspension is the same, the only difference is the rear. The only issue you'd have is if ram puts softer springs in the Cummins trucks to give a softer ride because they don't have a 3000 pound payload, which I doubt they do.

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Razorbackfan

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I have the exact same truck you do with factory rear air. I just pulled my 5th down to a site last weekend and it was super stable. I was way over my payload limit and the rear air leveled like a champ. When I set alternate trailer height and tried to go back to normal it gave me the limited use warning due to payload but I turned the truck off and back on and it cleared and leveled.

I was at 4920 front, 6800 rear and 13300 trailer for a total of 25020 GCWR. The only thing I was concerned about is my rear GAWR is 6500 so I was 300lbs over that. But was under my tire rating of 7200. If I had shifted some weight to the rear of the coach I would have been good.
With the trailer brake gain at 6.5 and exhaust brake on full it stopped like I didn't have a load at all and I was running the 580/680 through the pass outside Livermore. Most of the time I didn't even have to touch the brake.


You will have zero problems with your setup except from the weight police on the forums. Weigh stations are for commercial trucks as stated above. I had numerous CHP and county cops passing me (55 mph limit for trucks pulling trailers in CA) and none even looked my way.
 

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Ratket

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What camp area Razorback?
 

Razorbackfan

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What camp area Razorback?

I say camp area but it's nothing more than a trailer park labeled as an RV park. It's over in Gilroy. Lots of contractors like me use these "parks" while working in the area.
 

Tim7139

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Nope, not even close. First of all, scales are for commercial vehicles, so unless he is hauling that 5er commercially, highway weigh stations don't apply.

If you end up in Canada and roll through BC it is worth knowing RCMP look for common issues and may send you to the commercial scales or use portables to check weights.

Outside of the occasional roadside safety blitzes they will look for sagging back ends, over length, decks with 2 sleds on a 1500, and other signs of a problem. They occasionally use a tape on the width or length and check their cheat sheet if your stopped for other reasons.
 

Tim7139

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I can't speak for the whole country, but out west there is NO SCALE issue at all. Scales are for commercial vehicles ONLY. As far as pickups are concerned, the weight restrictions only apply to how you have it registered. They don't care about any sticker in your door jam.
BC will let you pay more to register and insure a weight higher than the GVWR, but will only reference the GVWR on the door.

Vehicles that have paid for a higher weight in Alberta or Washington State get tripped up often enough registrars there tend to warn you when you register.

Enforcement seem to vary by State, Provence, and areas within. It sounds like California is only hassling 5th wheel toy haulers outside the passes these days.
 
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