Exceeded GVWR

[SeppW]

Found this gem while searching Internet. Helluva situation. 3500 Broke in Half

 

[426power]

Damn that had to hurt !!!! lol

 

[rule18]

Yeah, lots of guys saw that one. There are at least three threads with the same pic. It's kinda like one of those train wrecks, you can't look away...

 

[Irishthreeper]

More reason to check weight ratings for your particular truck. MOPAR can’t be blamed for not honoring the warranty.

 

[csuder99]

“I did a lot of research before buying the truck and the camper, and both the Ram dealer and the camper company where we bought it said it was the perfect truck,”

LOL, taking the word from somebody who wants to make a sale is not exactly "research"....

 

[utley]

Ill be honest, Id like to know what kind of truck that camper was made for. If a 3500 dual wheel 4x4 cant haul it, what the hell can?? An F650?

 

[2003F350]

Ill be honest, Id like to know what kind of truck that camper was made for. If a 3500 dual wheel 4x4 cant haul it, what the hell can?? An F650?

My dad has been running a similar setup in his '08 F450 since he bought it new and even with all the salt our state uses, he hasn't had an issue. He also doesn't have a motorcycle hanging off the back of the camper, and the most he ever pulls behind it is a little box trailer that's 4x8 and filled with a couple propane tanks, a grill, a rake and shovel, and his tree stand. Even at that, he's technically over his payload, but not his gross axle ratings.

That's the thing about truck campers, especially when you start getting into the longer ones like the above. The center of gravity of shorter ones is ahead of the rear axle, which puts the top of the frame rails into compression - they're built to take that. Longer truck campers, or improperly loaded ones, can shift the center of gravity to just above the rear axle to BEHIND the rear axle (adding a motor cycle to the rear would DEFINITELY do this), which puts the top of the frame rails into tension - a situation they're not really designed for.

This is, though, EXACTLY why the numbers are important - this guy is out at least $17k, if not the cost of a new truck, because he didn't watch his numbers closely enough and exceeded them. Ram (and all automakers) put the numbers on the truck to cover their own butts, and it's getting them out of paying in this situation. I have a feeling that, if he tried to claim it happened after hitting a pothole or avoiding an animal, his insurance wouldn't pay for it either - because he's overloaded.

 

[White six four]

Ill be honest, Id like to know what kind of truck that camper was made for. If a 3500 dual wheel 4x4 cant haul it, what the hell can?? An F650?

It's the options that make the difference. Just like the article says "7,680 pounds. However, that's only the case for a regular-cab, long-bed model with two-wheel drive and the 6.4-liter Hemi V8." Referring to the payload. So in that configuration it would have almost 2000 lbs more payload then what the article assumes the guy had. So by the numbers the reg cab hemi longbox would have enough payload to haul it. 4x4 doesn't do anything in this instance and actually hurts his payload numbers since 2 wheel drive trucks in the same configuration are lighter. Just like the aftermarket front bumper isn't helping him either and also cutting into his payload.

 

[62Blazer]

The big factor that nobody mentions is what type of roads and terrain has the truck been subjected to, and how many total miles? Did he hit some huge dip or pothole a few miles before this happened? Was it bouncing down some dirt road for 100 miles? The fact he was in Baja California (Mexico) makes me suspect it ran in some pretty nasty road conditions. Even the "major" highways down there are known to have regular serious potholes and other issues that cause vehicle damage. Running down I-70 through the central US is a lot different than traveling through Mexico. There is a large safety margin built into these trucks when talking about payload capacity. Not like the payload capacity is listed at 5,500 lbs. and if you put 5,600 lbs. of payload on it the truck will suddenly snap in half just sitting there. Growing up in a farming community I can tell you that most farmers gave zero consideration to listed payload or towing capacity of their trucks....if it fits, it ships. It may be overloaded, but not by some huge amount is you consider the total weight of that setup. Very much doubt that would have happened if just driving down the highways in the US and not hitting any unusual obstacles/bumps/holes.

 

[2003F350]

The big factor that nobody mentions is what type of roads and terrain has the truck been subjected to, and how many total miles? Did he hit some huge dip or pothole a few miles before this happened? Was it bouncing down some dirt road for 100 miles? The fact he was in Baja California (Mexico) makes me suspect it ran in some pretty nasty road conditions. Even the "major" highways down there are known to have regular serious potholes and other issues that cause vehicle damage. Running down I-70 through the central US is a lot different than traveling through Mexico. There is a large safety margin built into these trucks when talking about payload capacity. Not like the payload capacity is listed at 5,500 lbs. and if you put 5,600 lbs. of payload on it the truck will suddenly snap in half just sitting there. Growing up in a farming community I can tell you that most farmers gave zero consideration to listed payload or towing capacity of their trucks....if it fits, it ships. It may be overloaded, but not by some huge amount is you consider the total weight of that setup. Very much doubt that would have happened if just driving down the highways in the US and not hitting any unusual obstacles/bumps/holes.

This is all true, and for most people this is exactly how it'll go down. You can routinely overload a truck, but as long as you are aware of the stress and strain you're putting on it and drive accordingly, something like this won't happen. And you're right, it doesn't mention how hard he's driven it on bad roads.

BUT it doesn't change the fact that, because he's over the rated numbers for his specific truck, his warranty doesn't have to cover it.