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RE: Confused on what to get to pull our fifth wheel - HELP!
(snip)
What engineering degree do you have that makes you more qualified than the engineers that put the sticker on the door of that truck stating to the federal government that the truck is certified to handle the load as stated?
instead of preaching and talking down to the ladies, can you tell the ladies which weights they legally are over ??
I didn't think so.
It doesn't take a engineer to understand what the door tag numbers, in the state their registered in, mean and used for weight enforcement. Any common truck driver/operator that tows with a LDT commercially/legally, will know.
I would suggest you find out from your own state what your own door tag numbers mean and how they are used or even which are used to determine legal payload or even the pulled load. All it takes is a phone call and then you can preach/badger/talk down to illegal haulers with some knowledge, legally speaking.
.......Jim
Jim,
It is obvious that you did not read my post. I did not ask about legalities, I asked what makes them believe that they have more engineering knowledge than the people who design and certify these vehicles to the Federal Government? It was a simple question. No matter what you license your vehicle for in your state and I do realize that you routinely tow in excess of the manufacturers recommendations does not make it safe for others to follow your actions. People on this forum make a lot of assumptions behind the annonomity of the internet and preach that it is perfectly safe to do many things that people in their right minds should not consider. Why is that? Just because you believe that you are safe towing the loads you do with the trucks you use, does not automatically mean anyone else should feel safe. You are preaching to an admitted newby to towing and to aspound your brand of weight limits to someone who has never towed at these weights is just plane silly.
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donn0128
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11/22/08 02:43pm |
Fifth-Wheels
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RE: Confused on what to get to pull our fifth wheel - HELP!
RVER and cannesdo Have either of you ladies ever pulled your rigs across a scales to see how much you actually weigh?
I understand the mentality of people here swearing that they can pull such and such a load with their 3/4 ton trucks, but I still have to ask. What engineering degree do you have that makes you more qualified than the engineers that put the sticker on the door of that truck stating to the federal government that the truck is certified to handle the load as stated? I mean, the automotive companies are paying a lot of money to educated people to make these decisions. Do you really believe that they don't need these people. Or is this another make work place for old engineers to go to die? This debate has raged for longer than I have been a member but come on now, How can you in your right mind offer suggestions that just because you choose to ignore the engineering data for your truck that other people should also ignore it? As a simple analogy, would you go to a gun fight with a knife?
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donn0128
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11/21/08 09:49pm |
Fifth-Wheels
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What's Going On?
Was just over on one of the diesel forums and counter 12 threads current running concerning problems with the Allison transmission. What gives? I thought I was the only one with problems with one of those? Most consisted of codes, overheating, and not shifting, but 12 is a LOT!
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donn0128
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11/21/08 04:07pm |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: Confused on what to get to pull our fifth wheel - HELP!
Sadly no, I do not feel you would have a good match there. Any crew cab you get with a short bed will scale ready to camp over 8000 pounds. And most of the 3/4 ton have a GVWR of 9000/9200 pounds. Get a 1 ton for sure You will not regret it. Personally I would get the dually, but you sound pretty insistant on a SRW so stick with that. Ford and Dodge are the only ones that offer a 1 ton in a short bed. Ford's fuel economy is less than the others. FIY Dodge makes a 1 ton dually mega cab that will get you more in cab room than anything on the market and it comes with a short bed. Good luck in the search.
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donn0128
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11/20/08 04:10pm |
Fifth-Wheels
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RE: Confused on what to get to pull our fifth wheel - HELP!
I think you have made some serious mistakes and I will outline them below.
Hello, My family and I just bought a new 2008 Coachman Chaparral 200TSB. It is 34 feet long and about 9,200 pounds dry weight.Dry weight is meaningless in towing. You need to lacking exact scaled weights to look at the GVWR of the trailer and size a truck to handle that. Pin weight of the fiver will be approx 20% of the trailers GVWR I need a truck. Of course of I am confused about diesel or gas - leaning towards diesel. You will find that the only gas motor that is currently available to comfortably handle that much weight will be the Ford V10. Fuel economy will suck though. I also do not know if I want a Chevy, GMC or Ford. This will be the first truck for us. We have been camping in a pop-up, pulling with a mini van - so we feel like we are stepping into a different world. We looked at a Chevy Silverado HD. The dealer said we need double tires in the back and diesel. I think this is a bit too big for what we have. I was told that the Ford 250 super duty would be fine, and that does not have double tires. Greenhorn mistake, DO NOT listen to a salesman. They will tell you anything to make the sale. This truck will also be my "around the town" vehicle too, since we camp April - October, mostly on the weekends. Also, I have heard you can blow out your back window if you do not get the right bed size. I am guessing a regular bed would be fine - not the extra long or short. There will be knot two bed lengths available, long or short. Many people tow with a short bed truck using a slider hitch. It is not a problem, and really a personal choice. My personal choice is long bed for the extra carrying space. We also need the crew cab in a truck. You need a crew cab? That indicates to me that there will be a minimum of four bodies in the truck? Remember that for every pound you add to the truck you subtract an equal amount from the GCWR and towing capacity. Also remember that a crew cab long bed truck will be around 28 to 30 feet long. Way too long for a daily grocery getter. Also, don't quite understand why you are shunning Dodge. They make probably one of the best diesel motors in the light truck market. So bottom line, please repost with the trailers GVWR and how much you intend to put in the truck? Any help greatly appreciated.
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donn0128
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11/20/08 01:22pm |
Fifth-Wheels
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RE: 2005 GMC Sierra 2500HD Tire wear
Like I mentioned before this is not uncommon in the Allisons. Mine was doing that and it had only 11000 miles when I dumped it for a truck more capable of handling my load. If your tires are wearing evenly all around, it does not pull or wonder on the road I would still suspect pow rated tires or under rated tires for the load. Probably the most consistent high mileage tire made has been Michelin. But even they make some bad lines. Also you need to consider going up one size in tires if you have not already done so. LT265 will fit with no modifications, will give you a bit more load carrying capacity, and depending on brand could get you more miles.
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donn0128
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11/20/08 07:48am |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: 2005 GMC Sierra 2500HD Tire wear
Donn, you assumed wrong. I did not go with the cheapest tires. When I choose tires, I look at wear ratings, temp ratings, road noise, and I stick with what the truck manufacturer has suggested for tire size and rating. I will usually go into "analysis paralysis". If I have my wife with me, she gravitates to the most expensive (fill in the blank) on the shelf.
If I have assumed wrong it is because you have not mentioned brand or model of the tires you installed. Please do so. In the tire business, price does not always reflect quality.
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donn0128
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11/20/08 07:13am |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: Auto industry bailout--should we?
NO!!!
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donn0128
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11/19/08 09:59am |
Around the Campfire
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RE: 2005 GMC Sierra 2500HD Tire wear
While I agree with your suggestion of abuse, I have also seen quite a few Fords especially that because of what ever reason they are cambered in. Yes it is an obvious sign or suspension component wear but I also suspect that the problem lies in the geometry of the truck itself. The extra length of a crew cab on a 3/4 ton chassis and add the extra weight of a diesel motor I think is causing wear problems. Couple that with people who seem to think that wheels with more offset is cool and you have a recipe for disaster.
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donn0128
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11/19/08 07:39am |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: 2001 Chevy Duramax/Allison Problem
Had the exact same problem with my 2004 and yes there is a seal that is prone to failure/leaking. I assume that most of that is labor? Go over to www.thedieselplace.com and look around in the Alison section you should get your answer.
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donn0128
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11/19/08 07:32am |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: 2005 GMC Sierra 2500HD Tire wear
I suspect that your tires are wearing fast due to the truck. I was following my neighbor to work this morning and his crew cab front end sits really funny compared to other configurations. The tires were tipped in at the top pretty drastically. I have seen this on other crew cab trucks and never gave it much thought. Also what size of tires are you running? LT245's? Then go to an LT265. Also Michelin makes a wide variety of tires, which one did you pick? I would suspect one of the low cost ones?
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donn0128
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11/19/08 07:21am |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: Landing Gear Problem
Well, since there is no up limit switch on the electric landing gear it is very likely that you are simply over traveling it and it is breaking. Happened to me once and I fixed the problem for ever.It is a simple fix, If you want the information PM me and I will send you the list of parts needed.
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donn0128
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11/18/08 03:34pm |
Fifth-Wheels
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RE: Is 4 wheel drive overkill?
4X4/4X2 is such a personal choice it is hard to suggest anything. With a 4X2 you will realize a bit better fuel economy, ride and it will be lower to the ground for easier entry and exit. With 4X4 you gain the potential for rougher ride, higher off the ground and worse fuel economy. Like others have said if you want to explore way out of the way places then a 4X4 might be a good choice. If on the other hand you spend all your time on paved roads then a 4X2 is a better choice. Before you decide on a truck of any sort, please pick the trailer you want. That way you can size the truck to match. Just be careful not to undersize your truck purchase.
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donn0128
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11/18/08 01:33pm |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: 2008 Cedar Creek Silverback Heating Pads
So what do you want to know about them?
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donn0128
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11/18/08 01:28pm |
Fifth-Wheels
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RE: LP Regulator Freezing
First have then evacuate (purge) the tank. If they do a good job they will pull a vacuum and the water vapor will boil out. Next problems since you are in Florida is you probably had butane in the tank. Butane does not like cold weather. Here in the Northern regions we use Propane which flows at a muck lower temp.
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donn0128
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11/18/08 12:50pm |
Tech Issues
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RE: Alpenlite owners
Correction WRV Western Recreational Vehicles!
They do have a group forum. Have you gone over there yet?
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donn0128
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11/18/08 10:17am |
Fifth-Wheels
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RE: GVWR question
With any dually you can expect that the cargo carrying capacity will be around 3000 to 4000 pounds depending on how you load it up with other stuff first.What do you intend to tow with a dually that your SRW will not handle?
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donn0128
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11/18/08 09:12am |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: I'm confused!
Chris wrote"And if all of the "over weight" 250/2500's were removed from the hiways, there would be only about 1/3 of the rigs on the road."
And if all of the idiots and unqualified drivers were removed from the road there would be 1/10th the drivers. All you have pointed out is the obvious that there are many many people on the roads today who think they are smarter than the people who designed/engineered these vehicles and therefore feel quallified to haul what they want no matter what. Or that they have never actually taken their rigs over the scales to get accurate weights.
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donn0128
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11/18/08 08:00am |
Fifth-Wheels
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RE: Say goodby to Saturn,GMC, Pontiac,and Saab
Buy out is one of the dumbest things congress has considered since they voted for the 700 billion bailout plan. Let GM go chapter 11 and reorganize. That is what they need. Break the strangle hold the unions have on them, get out from under the staggering red tape they are straddled with and go lean. That is how the Japanese car companies have been doing it for years and look at where they are today! GM along with the Ford and Chrysler to a lesser degree have been building not what the public wants for years. If they had been listening to our wants and needs there would be no import cars on the roads. There has been bantied around the wages of a typical auto worker at $70. an hour. I do not know if that is true or not, but if it is even close they are grossly overpaid according to the national average prevailing wage for skilled technical work. No wonder the manufacturers are in the tank!
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donn0128
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11/18/08 07:55am |
General RVing Issues
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RE: I'm confused!
Donn,
I thought I did, I just didn't expect it to be so low, once I started looking for a new trailer. Were not so sure what to do now....
I was in the same boat. Pulled our 35 foot fiver for a couple of years until it started really over heating and GM could/would not fix it so I dumped a 11000 mile old truck for the right truck for the load. I know that does not help with your dilemma, but that is what I ended up doing and could not be happier with my decision. Your only other choice as I see it is to set your sites on a smaller trailer, add air bags, different tires, maybe wheels and camp away until you decide your next step.
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donn0128
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11/18/08 07:43am |
Fifth-Wheels
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