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Old 02-12-2005, 01:01 PM   #1
Legend
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TV and 3400RL

Greetings,

New to MOC.

I would like to upgrade to the 3400RL, but am concerned by pin weights. I have a 2003 Chevy 2500HD SB extcab 4x4 with the 8.1/Allison and 3.73 axle. The truck weighs 7100 on the scale with 3060 on the rear axle. Full load of fuel, 2 passengers and the 16k hitch. With a GVWR of 9200 that only leaves 2100 for full load pin. I would welcome any suggestions and comments. Is this doable?

Thanks
 
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Old 02-12-2005, 02:04 PM   #2
sreigle
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Harry & Pam, the 3400RL is beautiful. We really like that model. It also has about the lightest pinweight of any Montana. While on most models the actual pinweight once you have the Montana loaded is considerably above the published pinweight in the brochures, we have one member weigh his and the pinweight was real close to the brochure weight of 1770 lbs. Another, I believe, came in a little more, maybe around 1900 lbs. We have members here who are towing with a truck like yours and they're towing Montanas with heavier pinweight than the 3400. In other words, my opinion is you'll be fine. At worst, if the rear sags a little under the pinweight you can always have airbags added to level the truck. You might also check the axle rating, the GAWR. That's probably on the sticker on the door jamb.
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Old 02-12-2005, 02:37 PM   #3
NJ Hillbilly
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Upgrading the tires to the next larger size (265's I think) will also add to the rear axle capacity. The limiting factor is weight carrying capacity of the tires and not the rear axle itself. Air bags can be added to help level things also.

John
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Old 02-12-2005, 05:16 PM   #4
Legend
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Thanks for the advice.

NJ,

I have the LT245R16 Load Range E. Is the LT265 tires a higher load range?
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Old 02-12-2005, 08:16 PM   #5
Montana Sky
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Harry & Pam
I am towing the 3400RL with my 2500HD Silverado with the Duramax Diesel. I have the coach pretty loaded as it is used as my lake cabin for 6 months a year. I am the one who had the pin weight of approx. 1,900lbs. If you click on my profile you can see a pic of the truck and coach hooked and ready to roll. The truck does not sag much more than 1.5 inches. I have not found a need to have airbags installed yet, but am going to see how things ride out this summer again. In my opinion, you have more than enough truck to tow the 3400RL. It is a great floorplan, good luck with your purchase if you decide to go for it.
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Old 02-13-2005, 04:52 AM   #6
Legend
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Montana,

Are you running LT265 tires?
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Old 02-13-2005, 05:58 AM   #7
sreigle
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Legend, load range E is what you want in the 265's, too. From what I've found, not every mfr makes a load range E in that size. I've had Firstone, Michelin, Pirelli, and BF Goodrich that do. Probably some others but those are the ones I've had. So make sure they are LR E.

If your 245's are LR E you might not need to move to the 265's. Someone who has made the swap help me out here. Meanwhile, Legend, check the sidewall for the max weight rating at max tire pressure. That's the limiting factor NJ talked about. I'd still recommend you check the GAWR on the sticker and use the lower of the GAWR or the rating of two tires as the limiting factor.
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Old 02-13-2005, 06:26 AM   #8
Legend
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Steve,

The GAWR is 6084 and the single load rating on the LT245 load range E is 3048 @80psi. Do I double the tire rating and take the lesser of the two? If so, as long as the loaded weight of the TV on the rear axle (3060)+ the est pin weight is less than the lesser of the other ratings I am ok. Is that correct?

Sorry for being so long winded. Just trying to make sure I understand correctly.
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Old 02-13-2005, 03:29 PM   #9
Montana Sky
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Harry,
I am running the stock LT 245/75/R16 Load Range E on my truck... Max load is 3042 @ 80PSI. I have had no trouble with these tires yet. I do max out all four tires on the truck to 80psi when towing. I leave the coach at 80psi all year round. I run the truck at 60psi when not towing, in my opinion it rides a little smoother and softer.
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Old 02-13-2005, 04:38 PM   #10
sreigle
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I thought about going out to see what my 265's have for a load rating but they're 17 inch tires so probably wouldn't be relevant. If you double the 3042 you get the same as the GAWR so I think that's what NJ was relating to (John, where are you?). I think he was saying that the tires are the weak link in the axle rating and if you increase the tire rating you increase what the axle can handle. I don't know at what point something other than the tires become the weak link so I'd hesitate to say your axle can handle as much as the new tires can. NJ and Montana Sky and others have the Chevy so maybe they can answer this better than I can.

From the numbers you supplied it sounds like you can go to about 3000 lbs of pinweight and/or additional cargo/fuel/etc. with your current tires. You are correct, you would not want to exceed either the GAWR or the rating of the two tires added together. Since those two numbers are identical, that fits what John (NJ) was saying. Hope this makes a little sense.
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Old 02-13-2005, 06:29 PM   #11
Montana Sky
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Now I am no expert on this, but in my opinion even if you did go to a bigger tire, the factory sets the weight ratings of the rear axle. I think if you were to get bigger tires that can handle more weight you would be over grossing your rear axle. The 2500HD is rated up to 3,000lbs of kingpin weight in the bed according to the brochure. I have almost 22K on these tires already and when the time comes to get new ones I will be buying the same tires that came standard on the truck. They have done well by me.
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Old 02-14-2005, 03:57 AM   #12
Bill Hill
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We have a 2980RL with a our Duramax (see below). The 2980 has one of the higher pin weights so we do squat a little in the back, but not terribly. I'll be getting a set of airbags as soon as we recover from paying our taxes (ouch!).
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Old 02-14-2005, 03:07 PM   #13
Legend
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Thanks to everyone for the wonderful information. I think the 3400RL is the way to go if I can just find one close enough to look at.
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Old 02-15-2005, 05:34 PM   #14
nkwist
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legend-

On the way home from picking my 3400 up, I stopped at the scales and weighed it with nothing in it. It weighed 1760 pin weight. It's a lot heavier now, seeing as we're on a 9 month trip. My truck pulls it just fine, and yes, I know I'm over the GVWR of 9200. That being said, I'm still under the 6000+ rear axle weight by a couple of hundred pounds. Gross combined of 21,500 and using the Tow/Haul mode, it seldom comes out of overdrive and is rock steady even when the 18 wheelers blow by me on the Interstates.

The floorplan of the 3400 is perfect for us. We can pull off the road for a few hours, and still get to the refrig, potty and the bed.

Good luck in your search.

Norm
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