The most immediate and pressing limitation you have with your SRW is the rear axle/tire rating. The axle is rated @ 6000# and the 17" tires are rated at 6390# combined.
Going to a Dodge 3500 SRW will only raise the RAWR from 6000# to 6200#. The real limitation on these SRW's are the 17" tires at 6390#. To stay with a SRW you have to get a late model F350 with either 18" or 20" tires that has a GVRW in the range of of 11000# to 11400# depending on whether it is 2 or 4 wheel drive.
I don't mean to question your numbers. Since you own one and I do not, I'm sure you know more about it than me. But, I thought the Dodge AAM axle was rated by AAM for 10,800 lb, and that the whole limiting factor was the tire/wheel combination as you stated above. That is why some people upgrade their Dodge 2500's and 3500's with the HD 19.5 inch tire/wheel combination similar to what comes standard on the Ford F450 and Dodge 4500. I might be wrong on the axle rating, but that is what I was told.
2004 Ford Freestar 4.2 liter
2003 Jayco Qwest 12A
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HarleyMedic wrote: Easy there mopp4. Control yourself. I thought I had heard it all from the weight police til I heard needing new wheels for her to pull that trailer for the short term. BULL HOCKEY n most everything here. It's gonna squat the truck a bit. Put a set of Timbren overloads on it, make sure it has Load Range E tires on it and have fun. Just don't drive it like a sprint car. Some people will tell you that you need a Peterbuilt if you are going to pull anything bigger than a popup. The main thing is to use a bit of common sense. Many of us are pulling big trailers with 2500s with no problems. Many are real big on putting fear into others, to sway them into believing like they do. Be wary of someone that tells you what you "NEED".
You mean I DON't need a 1 ton dually to haul a tent in? Overall, I tend to agree with you. The more I think about how I used to tow with a 1/2 ton F 150 that was rated for 9200 lbs for a 6000 lb trailer, the more I think you need to pay more attn to the axle limits. If you go overweight, are you stressin your truck, yeah. Are you going to void the warranty, self destruct, cause WWIII, NO!
If you tow overweight occasionally are you really screwing up? No. I am sure many trucks are over their GVWR but are you doing this everyday or 3-4 times a year. No cop is going to write a non commercial vehicle for being over their GVWR. That law does not apply to non commercial trucks.
Don't go overboard, take it easy, drive slow and do things in moderation. I have to confess, when I moved I towed a 35 foot trailer loaded with furniture etc with my Mountaineer. The brakes on the trailer did not work---didn't know this till I was loaded as it was not my trailer. Would I do it again, I was weigh overweight, but I drove slow, paid attention and I made it fine. Did it hurt the brakes of my truck. Yeah, they wore out sooner but I was extremely overweight. Would I do it again, NO. Would I worry about being a few hundred pounds over my GVWR of my truck, NO!, My axle limit? YES
________
2008 F 250 FX4 4WD, V10, 4.10 Tow Command
35' 2007 Crossroads Cruiser CT32SB
Wonderful Wife and 3 small kids
You are getting a good bit of advice...lots of it bad. Look at the Tire and Loading Information sticker on the left rear door post of your truck. It will tell you what your truck's cargo capacity is.
HarleyMedic wrote: Easy there mopp4. Control yourself. I thought I had heard it all from the weight police til I heard needing new wheels for her to pull that trailer for the short term. BULL HOCKEY n most everything here. It's gonna squat the truck a bit. Put a set of Timbren overloads on it, make sure it has Load Range E tires on it and have fun. Just don't drive it like a sprint car. Some people will tell you that you need a Peterbuilt if you are going to pull anything bigger than a popup. The main thing is to use a bit of common sense. Many of us are pulling big trailers with 2500s with no problems. Many are real big on putting fear into others, to sway them into believing like they do. Be wary of someone that tells you what you "NEED".
Agreed. Take care of the springs, find your true weights and drive as carefully as you normally would while towing. If it was me in your situation, I would look into a DRW ride for the long haul, but the parts on your current truck are the same ones that are shared with the SRW 3500 and the DRW 3500 also (short of the spring pack) I even think the brakes are the same as the DRW. That extra tire will indeed provide some stability and safety in the event of a blowout. Depending on your actual plan of usage, the "need" to upgrade the TV will vary in time.
I have moved a 34' Grand Junction approximately 20 miles, in your very weight range. My 2500 drove no differently than with my 10000# Cougar.
2008 Cougar 310SRX 5th Wheel
2005 Dodge Ram 2500 QC 4x4 CTD
2008 Nissan Armada LE
Fast Mopar, you are correct, I have also heard that the 11.5" AA axle is rated in the 10,800 range. It's the same axle that is under the DRW's.
19.5's are an expensive conversion and if you research them you will find a lot of comments from users that are not satisfied with the quality of their empty ride. Anyway, lots of SRW folks have gone to Rickson tire and wheel combos with F, G or even H rated tires. If you went with one of their aluminum wheel/tire combos you would probably have around $3600 in this mod alone.
Back to the topic, the sticker in the left door jam has only 3 numbers I am interested in here. GVWR, FAWR and RAWR ratings are 5200, 6010 and 9000 pounds. Myself, on a SRW I put the most emphasis on the RAWR because that one is always tied closely to the 2X the OEM tire ratings and will the one that gets you first.
All anyone can do is weigh the rig and see what the numbers say. Next, drive it and see how satisfied you are with its handling and performance characteristics. Finally, develop and implement a plan to correct the issues you have with the setup.
Wow, all I can say is thanks everyone for all of your advice! There is a lot to take in when pulling a big ole fifth wheel. And to think, all I was worried about was the amount of storage the rig had, when I should have been thinking about "where can we shed some weight". I just want you to know that I really do appreciate your time and info and really will reread each post and try to understand all of this for a better, safer, and longer lasting ride.
cindyspang wrote: Wow, all I can say is thanks everyone for all of your advice! There is a lot to take in when pulling a big ole fifth wheel. And to think, all I was worried about was the amount of storage the rig had, when I should have been thinking about "where can we shed some weight". I just want you to know that I really do appreciate your time and info and really will reread each post and try to understand all of this for a better, safer, and longer lasting ride.
I was towing 14,000# with my 04 5.9 srw Ram and it did a great job. However, my wife was very anxious about our pin weight being 500# over on the truck gvwr, so I traded for the truck in my sig.
Be sure and get a correct fully loaded truck weight by using scales.
The dealers are giving high trade value on the 5.9's and very good deals on the 6.7's.
The 6.7 drw has less MPG, but it's a super truck.
2007 Ram Laramie 3500 Quad drw 4x4, 3.73, 6.7, 6 speed auto.
2005 Open Road 349 RLDS-5, B & W Companion, Blue Ox Bedsaver
Fifth Airborne Air Pinbox, Timbrens
+The Super Wife and co-driver
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Cindyspang
You received quite an interesting lot of opinions in response to your question. If you mentioned which fifth wheel you are wanting to buy I didn't see it. Some are much more front heavy than others. Also some of the options add weight to the front (bedroom air conditioner, washer/dryer). The truck as mentioned will pull it just fine, but the weight carrying capability of your 4 wheel drive diesel powered pickup is limited to somewhere around 2500 pounds (plus or minus a couple hundred depending on who you want to listen to). This includes passengers, added truck accessories and provisions. The best advice might be to know the ACTUAL pin weight of the trailer you're considering. Those guys wishing to sell it to you should agree to have it weighed or allow you to pull it to a local truck stop where you can weigh each axle. Then and only then will you know it the camper is right for you or your truck.
Does this sound like "weight police"? Perhaps, but Cindy you DO NOT want to make an expensive mistake. Those 3/4 ton diesel powered pickups are great for many things, but due to that 1000 pound motor, and single rear wheels, they are limited to what they will carry.
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