New to MOC

[desertdog]

2015 3402RL
My first post. I've been monitoring for awhile. Great information resource. I've had my 5er for a couple years now but just getting into understanding the ins and outs of proper use, loading, setup and maintance. Most recently I'm concerned about my load limits.

The one I seem to be pushing is the GAWR Rear: Truck is rated at 6500 LBS. Returning from my last trip I stopped at the CAT Scales and the rear axle weight was 7000 lbs Loaded. Emptying the pass through and removing some heavier items from the interior Front I reweighted and dropped the rear axle weight to 6180 lbs. Need to shift as much weight aft of the trailer axles as possible. Purchased a cargo carrier for the 5er trailer hitch. as I've seen posted the touge weight rating is 300 lbs. Planning on loading 3 to 5 hunded lbs on the carrier. Any thoughts.

for reference:
Anderson 24K gooseneck adaptor on a B&W hitch.
Air Bags on rear axle.
Truck Max:
GAWR Front 6K
GAWR Rear 6.5K
GVWR 10K
GCVWR 25.3K
Trailer Towing Capicity 17.08K

[AZ Traveler]

Rick,

Welcome to the forum!

You might consider traveling with some water in the fresh tank. It is all the way aft, adding water will reduce your pin weight.

[desertdog]

Yes, thats a great suggestion, and why I purchased the cargo carrier. I don't want to over do it on the road, don't want the tank damaged. What would you suggest? 1/4, 1/3, or 1/2 a tank?

[Foldbak]

Welcome to the MOC. Filler up!

[desertdog]

Thx. @Foldbak, its. just that I've been told traveling with a full fresh water tank can stress the tank mounts. I like the idea though. Anything to reduce the pin weight.

[Foldbak]

Originally Posted by desertdog

Thx. @Foldbak, its. just that I've been told traveling with a full fresh water tank can stress the tank mounts. I like the idea though. Anything to reduce the pin weight.

I don't know about the 2015 tank mounts. I know the newer tanks are one piece and the straps have been upgraded. If I were you i'd check the tank mounts if you can. Maybe 3/4 full?

[desertdog]

Yup, I've got two options for viewing, from the pass through up front or pull down the bottom cover in the back to see the tank mounts. I'll take a closer look, I'll also try various fill levels and check the impact on pin weight. Thanks for the advice.

[jsb5717]

The place to start is the actual payload capacity of your truck. Can you find the sticker inside the driver door that states something like "Cargo and passengers not to exceed xxxxlbs"? That number is your truck's payload. What's yours say?

Rear cargo carriers are typically rated at 300lbs max. I wouldn't overload it. The rear takes a lot of bouncing which exaggerates the weight and stress on the welds. So be careful.

Which truck and model do you have? You need a one ton for sure. But the sticker numbers will tell us where you are.

[desertdog]

I believe I'm fine on all the numbers but the gross axle weight of my rear axle, which according to the truck sticker is 6500 lbs. My truck is a ram 2500 Cummins 6.7L. I've looked at Dullys and 1 ton singles, but not able to invest in one right away. Trying my best to make what I have work... Thx. My trailer loaded weights in at about 15K give or take.
Truck and trailer combined weight is about 23,900 when loaded.

Truck #s

GAWR Front 6K
GAWR Rear 6.5K
GVWR 10K
GCVWR 25.3K
Trailer Towing Capicity 17.08K

[jsb5717]

I appreciate that you're looking at the numbers trying to figure out your level of safety. But you're making it more complicated than it needs to be. The only 2 numbers that really matter are:

• Loaded pin weight of the trailer (either by CAT scale or by calcing 23% of trailer GVWR)
• Posted cargo capacity of the truck - (found on the driver door sticker)

You will only confuse the situation by trying to do mathematic gymnastics with the axle ratings. Those ratings don't take into consideration the other weights on the truck. The OEM's boil all of that down and give you a single number that is the culmination of the capacities of the trucks frame, suspension, axles, etc, minus it's own weight. That number is on the driver door sticker and is the only one that matters when trying to figure out if you are towing within your truck's capacity.

If your loaded pin weight plus hitch plus people plus gear, etc is greater than the OEM posted cargo capacity then you're overloaded. Playing with the other numbers won't change that. Do the simple math...it doesn't lie.

Knowing whether or not you're overloaded, and if so, by how much, is what you need to know to make a good decision about your family's safety or whether you should upgrade.

[desertdog]

I believe I have what I need at this point. I want to thank everyone who contributed. This is a great place for constructive advice.