cracked frames from to much air bag pressure isn't anything new. In '03 when I picked up my 5er from the dealer their shop had a '01 F350 DRW with a cracked frame in the exact place as the photos SoCal shows. The service mgr made the comment they see this quite often when max air bag pressures are run with heavy loads. The truck was under on all weights. The owner was trying to keep the truck in the same attitude as it was when empty by using max bag pressures when loaded.
Looks like your at max axle loads which is what legal hotshot/commercial haulers use. The threatened lawsuit can only be the result of any legal weight infractions and being over the trucks GVWR isn't one of them especially if the truck had uprated GVWR registration. GVWR only comes to play with combined (truck and trailer) plates or a combined weight number. If the truck was over GAWRs/tire capacities then it can be a legal issue as that's how it will be weighed. Closet weight police should find out from their state DPS (the real weight police) what is legal vs RV.net rumor pertaining to GVWR and how it used.
Jim
'03 2500 Dodge/Cummins HO 3.73 6 speed manual Jacobs
'97 Park Avanue 28' with two slides
I think you are on the right track. Adding suspension help and upgrading your tires/wheels will make your truck much more capable. One other thing you could look into is a dually conversion kit. There are a few out there that would cost you a lot less than a new truck. Check into the dually conversion kit (if you are interested) before you spend the money on new tires because you will need to purchase new tires if you get the kit.
For all of the weight police out there ready to pounce on my suggestion, yes I know it won't change the sticker GVWR for his truck. But it will make his truck a lot more capable. Besides, I've never towed a trailer with a sticker before so I don't think it matters.
I make the truck weight about 9700 and the combined weight at about 20K, which is that truck's combined weight rating. I don't see anything wrong with this at all. I see no reason to not load a truck to it's design limit. 900 over on the GVWR is kind of inevitable with the way Dodge rates it's trucks. Under on the RAWR and the tire ratings is good to see.
Brian
2003 Dodge Ram 2500 Quad Cab, Hemi, 5 speed manual, 3.73 gears, Tow Beast hitch with 24" extension.
28 ft race car hauler, Lola T440 Formula Ford, NTM MK4 Sports Racer
2004 Travel Hawk 8' Truck Camper - Roll at 16K combined weight
you know you are wrong and intend to tow any way. I can't tell you no, you are grown and free to make your own decisions....but run over me and my attorney will be all over you like white on rice and his instructions are to weigh the other rig and go after them with a vengeance.
Ken
These kind of posts crack me up. It is like the arguments the K-5 kids have in my classroom. Perhaps iceman you would care to site any evidence or past case history to suggest that you would even have a case.
.......
...and these kinds of posts crack me up. I'll match statistics with anyone on this forum since, unlike most, I actually made my living in a courtroom for a period of time as an attorney: 95% of auto injury cases filed (and the remaining 5% usually involve commercial aspects beyond the accident) are settled prior to trial. Cases settled prior to trial are not reported.
Oh, yeah, almost forgot: trial court cases are not reported either, unless they are appealed, and then only the citations to the record appear in the appellate judgement and the case reporter.
Oh, yeah, almost forgot: there is almost always some sort of non-disclosure agreement (it varies, so I won't give specific examples) that is stipulated to by the parties that limits, surprisingly enough, disclosure of the facts of the case or the settlement.
In this instance, Davelinde is welcome to tow his rig and see if it works...sounds like it might just work. That being said, if I was injured in a crash wherein the other party was towing a trailer, one of the first things I would do is start to assemble any evidence I could about the loading status of the truck/trailer combination.
One of the first questions I would ask the other driver in his/her deposition would be "Why did you not comply with the published GVWR and GCVWR data".... I suspect the usual answers that those #'s are just made up and there's no difference between 3/4 ton and 1 ton wouldn't look so good as sworn testimony as compared to being stated on the internet.
CRL
Temporarily (5 years & counting)displaced Alaskan
My Other RV is a 1946 PA-12
Hey, thanx all for the advice. Contrary to the assumptions of some I do read and consider it all. The experiences and analysis of others is valuable for sure.
re specifics... yes I'm running 80psi all around. I already have an oversized alumuminum pan and I'll soon be actively looking for options on an extra trans cooler. It's crowded up there though... AC condenser, radiator, turbo intercooler and trans cooler FOUR stacked in a row. I'm also wondering if an aftermarket valvebody will lock up firmer, shear the fluids less and run cooler? I'll chat this up on another post.
The picture (worth a thousands words and 100,000 references to lawyers) has me re-thinking the airbags. Right now they are at 20% of the max (static) and I will not increase that at all, in fact I may even decrease it. For sure I'll be watching the frame right there.
The reality is that I will be loading another 2000# of stuff in the RV to use it and that COULD translate to another 400# on the pin - putting me over on my tires - something I do NOT want to do. I'll weigh again on the next trip and see how much of that I can handle with load balancing. For sure I'll drain the FW tank to a minimum and maybe top off the fuel station (35 gallons all behind the axles) and stack bins of stuff in the garage.
As observed by many... now that I've got the FW I'm considering another truck, but just going to a dually may not cut it I might need to go to a manual trans too.
And an aside on safety. There are inherent risks in towing and we all accept them, my stopping distance is longer and we cannot swerve to avoid - the heavier I am the more I am impacted. But ironically I may be safer in the bigger rig by virtue of the fact that I must go slower. I did 650 miles in the right lane and can count the number of vehicles I passed on my fingers. With the smaller rig I was going faster and passing a lot more people.
Dave Lindemulder
Tammy, Mark & Kirsten
04 Dodge 2500 4x4 SLT QC/SB
HO-CTD/48RE - Graphite: Raptor SS nerfs, Prodigy, Reese 16K Kwik-slide, BD X-Monitor, PML Trans pan, PML Diff cover, Firestone Airbags
09 Heartland Cyclone 3210
One of the first questions I would ask the other driver in his/her deposition would be "Why did you not comply with the published GVWR and GCVWR data".... I suspect the usual answers that those #'s are just made up and there's no difference between 3/4 ton and 1 ton wouldn't look so good as sworn testimony as compared to being stated on the internet.
Outstanding. Now prove it was the cause of the accident AND injury to the plaintiff. Then try for negligence if an attorney can actually find out who he is going to sue for negligence. Likely won't be the owner of the overloaded ride. No reward there... Like you said, most cases are settled out of court, by insurance attorneys that MIGHT even drop the "insured" when the case is all said and done.
Of course, the truck is probably licensed for something like 11,000 or more GVW anyways.
Too add, you don't think if it came down to it that a master mechanic wouldn't be added to the arsenal with his documentation of how the truck is exactly the same as a higher rated truck? Then be realistic, if the accident was going to happen to the 3/4 ton truck, you can rest assured that it would probably have happened in the 1 ton also.
Dave, I am not saying to tow beyond your means. Drive safe, I trust you will.
2008 Cougar 310SRX 5th Wheel
2005 Dodge Ram 2500 QC 4x4 CTD
2008 Nissan Armada LE
95% of auto injury cases filed (and the remaining 5% usually involve commercial aspects beyond the accident) are settled prior to trial. Cases settled prior to trial are not reported.
How many of those cases are settled prior to trial because the attorneys have decided it is cheaper to settle than it would be to fight in court? Settling out of court is not necessarily an admission of guilt. It could be a dollars and cents issue.
2004 Keystone Sprinter 307BHW
2006 GMC Sierra Crew Cab D/A
Engine Upgrades?? Don't need 'em!!
The queen bee, 3 kids, and me.
you know you are wrong and intend to tow any way. I can't tell you no, you are grown and free to make your own decisions....but run over me and my attorney will be all over you like white on rice and his instructions are to weigh the other rig and go after them with a vengeance.
Ken
These kind of posts crack me up. It is like the arguments the K-5 kids have in my classroom. Perhaps iceman you would care to site any evidence or past case history to suggest that you would even have a case.
.......
...and these kinds of posts crack me up. I'll match statistics with anyone on this forum since, unlike most, I actually made my living in a courtroom for a period of time as an attorney: 95% of auto injury cases filed (and the remaining 5% usually involve commercial aspects beyond the accident) are settled prior to trial. Cases settled prior to trial are not reported.
Oh, yeah, almost forgot: trial court cases are not reported either, unless they are appealed, and then only the citations to the record appear in the appellate judgement and the case reporter.
Oh, yeah, almost forgot: there is almost always some sort of non-disclosure agreement (it varies, so I won't give specific examples) that is stipulated to by the parties that limits, surprisingly enough, disclosure of the facts of the case or the settlement.
In this instance, Davelinde is welcome to tow his rig and see if it works...sounds like it might just work. That being said, if I was injured in a crash wherein the other party was towing a trailer, one of the first things I would do is start to assemble any evidence I could about the loading status of the truck/trailer combination.
One of the first questions I would ask the other driver in his/her deposition would be "Why did you not comply with the published GVWR and GCVWR data".... I suspect the usual answers that those #'s are just made up and there's no difference between 3/4 ton and 1 ton wouldn't look so good as sworn testimony as compared to being stated on the internet.
Show me where a person is legally required to abide by GVWR and GCWR. If you read the sticker it says "as shipped". Modifications can and do improve the capabilities of a TV. Once the first modification is made the sticker means absolutely nothing. For every expert that says exceeding these ratings is dangerous, a defense lawyer can find an expert to show how the truck is capable of handling the load in question.
So lets get back to the question at hand. Iceman may not be able to provide the case files but let's see the news reports of these horrible accidents. Or do lawyers find ways to suppress those after the fact also?
BTW, I have yet to meet an attorney that could not spell "judgment".
2006 2500HD CC SB 4X4 Duramax/Allison
Prodigy/16K Reese/265E Tires/Bilstein Shocks
RM Active Suspension/RDS 60gal Toolbox combo
CharlyG wrote: "BTW, I have yet to meet an attorney that could not spell "judgment"."
Too close to call:
judgment (American English) or judgement (British English)
Could be a Brit lawyer living here
Can you say aluminium?
Just tryin to lighten it up a little......
I think you nailed it. He must be talking about his legal experience in a foreign country. If he was British that would explain a lot. They don't even know how to drive on the right side of the road.
I did do a quick search of several UK news services and all the results (at least on the first page) used the spelling "judgment" in reference to court rulings.
Offline
years & counting)displaced Alaskan
If he was British that would explain a lot. They don't even know how to drive on the right side of the road.
