mijackson
edwards, co
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I have a 2008 Dodge Ram 3500 6.7 Turbo Diesel Mega Cab 3.75 ratio with rear air bags (5,000lb), 20" Toyo Open Country A/T tires, Edge chip, performance exhaust, cool air intake and a 2" level kit. I am looking to buy the new Keystone Fuzion 403 in the next few weeks. I have purchased a 5th wheel slider 18k pro series. Does anyone feel that I have a safety issue with purchasing such a big RV? I believe I have exceeded the vehicle load rating. Will I get a ticket if I pull this RV with my truck? What are everyone's general thoughts?
Thanks,
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Y-Guy
Tri-Cities, WA
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What's the king pin weight estimate of the 403?
What's the GVWR, axle rating the the maximum for the tires when loaded with the truck and passengers?
Forced Family Fun... They'll thank you later for it!
Have you checked out the new RV.net Blogs?
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JFJ
TN
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There are 4 things to consider here. First of all, the drivetrain on the vehicle. 6.7 liter Cummins turbo diesel w/350 HP and 650 lb/ft of torque--ENOUGH SAID. You could probably put the truck BEHIND the Fuzion 403 and it will scare the rig forward w/out hooking it up.
Second, is the ability to stop the rig. Dodge has some mammoth brakes on that truck, not to mention the exhaust brake (although I don't like to tow w/mine on), before you even get to the trailer brakes. Get a good brake controller and make sure the Fuzion has brakes on all the axles and you'll be fine.
Third, the suspension. You have air bags and that's the best way to solve a potential overload problem. I have a Raptor 3612ds on a 2500 Megacab w/air bags and it rides level w/no sagging on 50psi. I would guess the hitch weight on my Raptor is in excess of 2800lbs. The max payload on my truck is 1,670. Without the airbags, I don't know if my truck could handle my Raptor. If you have the dually, your payload w/out air bags is somewhere around 2600lbs on the 3500. If you have a single rear wheel, your payload is a/b the same as a 2500 (1,670). You should be fine here as well. You don't suffer from any "lack of truck".
Last, is the disposition of the law on the day they MIGHT pull you over. If you happen to get a "good-ole-boy" and you're lucky, you could get off w/a warning. If you get a card-carrying member of the do-right society who happens to be a tree hugging, big-rig-hatin, left winged liberal with a scale, you were probably in trouble before he stopped you.
Oh, and remember, if bigger were always better, Ms. America would weigh 500lbs.
2007 Dodge Megacab 2500 4X4 SRW
6.7 Cummins w/6 Speed Auto
2005 Raptor 3612ds
Pacbrake Air Bags
Prodigy Brake Controller
Pullrite Superglide 24K
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mijackson
edwards, co
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The GVWR according to Dodge site is 10,100. The Fuzion 403 has a hitch weight of 2795 lb. My Toyo tires have a rating 3195 lb max per tire. The dodge payload is 2696 lb not including the aftermarket air bags. The overall weight of the Fuzion is 13010 lb.
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mijackson
edwards, co
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Does anyone think that I will regret having such a big RV (40' Fuzion 403)? I have two young kids and a new one on the way plus my wife.
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JIMNLIN
Big Cabin, OK
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Joined: 09/14/2003
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I would be concerned with the trailers road ready pin weight on the rear axle/tire capacities of the SRW truck. That's a big trailer for just a SRW pickup with just two tires although many tripple axle trailers don't have the pin weight of some heavy tandam axle trailers. What load range are those 20" ATs ?? If their just a 8 ply rated D tire they may have excessive carcass roll when max loaded.
Will you get a ticket ?? Not likely as LEO's aren't interested in RVs at this time unless they look grossly overloaded. But, if your really interested the correct folks to ask is your state DPS.
Jim
'03 2500 Dodge/Cummins HO 3.73 6 speed manual Jacobs
'97 Park Avanue 28' with two slides
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mijackson
edwards, co
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The 20" Toyo A/T tire load rating is 3195 lb per. I just want to be safe.
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dchurch
South Carolina
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For safety reasons - I would consider a dually.
DC
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crazybanshee
Westminster, Colorado
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That trailer will be a tough pull in the mountains of Colorado.
Doug
1998 International 9200 Eagle
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Y-Guy
Tri-Cities, WA
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mijackson - you've looked at the numbers, the final call is up to you. I had an 05 F350 and 05 Raptor 3612. The combo rode great. The factors that made me finally change were that I knew I was exceeding my axle rating. I knew I really should have a dually for that size and weight of rig, but driving a dually for my daily driver just wasn't an option. The size of the trailer, some 39' was a factor too, in small campgrounds it was a real pain to get into sites and even in some larger ones. Eventually I looked at the safety of my family and we made a change. In some states they are cracking down on these large trailers being towed by undersized trucks. All the air bags do is level things out, they don't increase any weight numbers.
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