Was in the same boat with my 2006 2500 MegaCab. Was over GVWR just with me in the truck, camper loaded for camping, and hardly any fuel on board. Towed it great, but...
45Ricochet wrote: Funny number's Ian. The Open Range 40'er's must be 12k dry?
It's 11,800# with some of his "stuff" in it, but not fully loaded for a trip by any stretch.
45Ricochet wrote: Like 4x4 said why are the front axles getting lighter when hitched ?
Just me but I'd let some air out cause that front cap isn't close to being level.
Not sure what suspension his RV has but setting in that position the rear axle is going to be carrying much more weight. I suspect the rear ST tires won't last to long.
I'm not sure why the front axle weight dropped with both of our trucks when hitched up. It is only 150# though, so when measured against the ~4600# weight the front axle regularly carries, that's only a 3% drop.
Like I said, it handled, stopped, started, and accelerated just fine.
On the RV tire issue; my suggestion was to rotate the tires frequently front axle to rear axle to try and keep the wear on them even. 800# more on one axle = 400# more per tire which isn't huge.
Sidenote -- I did notice a hint of "launch shudder" when we left the scale with 10 psi in the bags, and zero shudder when they were aired up to 30 psi.
2010 Cougar 322QBS 5er
2007 Dodge 3500 SRW Megacab, 4x4, 5.9L Cummins, 3.73, 48RE auto HYPERTECH MAX ENERGY or DIABLO PREDATOR tuning MBRP 4" Turbo back Scangauge2 for Boost, Coolant temp, Rail press & Trans Temp
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I can't believe it either. My 39ft Grand Junction is almost 4000lbs more and it only has three slides.
GVWR does matter, but mainly for when you have the bed loaded and not towing, but it still is a number the manufacturer states is max for the vehicle. That is exactly why I got rid of my F250 and got a dually, plus the added GCWR.
DW and 2 dogs
2011 Ford F350 Dually LB 4x4 CC 6.7 diesel
2007 Grand Junction 35TMS
Peterson 37(just sold) T-37 R/C Sailboat at home
The Open Range models are lighter because they have a cable slide system. They can use a lighter beam because the beam does not have holes in it to accommodate the slide mechanism. Open Range models can be 1000-1500 pounds lighter than typical models the same size.
As far as the combo in question, things are too out of whack to draw a lot of conclusions. Get it level and weight balanced between trailer axles. Load it up for camping and then weigh things again.
Too many issues currently exist for me to declare combo is OK.
Some believe the combo is OK because everything is within axle ratings however we know this does not tell the whole story. The trailer axles are out of whack, and the photo speaks for itself. 1000# over GVW is also an issue for me.
This is a good example of why you need to consider all of the towing parameters and not just the ones that are within spec.
Now that everything has been scaled your friend can work on a fix.
07'Duramax dually,12'Open Range 399BHS
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soling2003 wrote: I can't believe it either. My 39ft Grand Junction is almost 4000lbs more and it only has three slides.
Yeah tell me about it.
Anyway not sure exactly which model he has but it appears the 5 slider versions are all triple axle 42' models. This ONE is only 4 slides and has a dry pin of 1960 lbs. And only 11k dry. Almost 18% ratio which is a pretty small number. It doesn't list the GVWR but assuming it's about 14k he will be looking at a pin weight of 2500 lbs fully loaded.
Have fun and safe travels IB
The launch shudder is due to the truck's rear springs being too soft. Instead of solving the lack of rear spring rate problem with air bags, add a leaf or 2 to the main packs. That stiffens up the leaf packs and eliminates the shudder, without having to pump up the bags so the rear of the truck is too high for the trailer. MegaCabs have too weak rear springs in them for that super cushy unloaded ride.
He needs to level that trailer, likely by lifting it at the trailer axles with a subframe built under the trailer frame to space down the spring hangers. With so much weight difference on the front and rear trailer axles, his rear axle trailer brakes are doing all the work. This can result in overheating the brakes on that axle, as well as overloading the tires and possibly broken springs on that axle, in the long term.
You might be right Glenn, but many Rams will encounter launch shudder of some kind. Mine developed it about 3 years ago only when loaded down good. Empty it was fine and it's not a Mega Cab. Most of the time it is caused by the carrier bearing from the change in drive shaft angle. Some guys had pretty good luck shimming them, some not so much. THESE shafts usually take care of the problem 100% of the time. IIRC Ram started using them as OEM in 2008 only to revert back to the twin shafts a year or two later.
On edit I see the link is not good any longer, hope the shafts are. Anyway you can also get them through Dodge dealership but the price was a couple of hundred higher.
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