Busboy

Not mine the trucks. I just wonder if anyone has attempted to get their weight down and how they have done it. I'm thinking ditch the tool box, headache rack, bush bar and running boards, use an aluminum tail gate and aluminum wheels with smaller tires. That's still not enough weight, what else can be done.

Kenny D

whats your purpose racing or other ??

If your racing you can didch all but the drivers seat , run one battery, ive seen guys do all kinds of crazy things. In hot rod mag they gaind 10 pounds by removing the widsheild washer tank

but street use is difrents

Busboy

Just towing. I know it's good to have a heavy tow vehicle (you don't want the tail wagging the dog) but I need to carry more pin weight and not exceed the GVWR of 8800lbs. The trailer is a RV 5ver with GVWR of 10,620lbs so not that heavy. Empty weights are 8392lbs and pin 1709lbs. My truck sits at 7200lbs. I know most people wouldn't bother but we go to BC (in Canada) fairly often and they can get sticky there.
So looking for ANY ideas. I'm even thinking about moving the potable water tank from the front to the back and just carry more potable water to take some of the pin weight off.

Kenny D

yea if you can move weight around to solve your problem do that as far as loosing weight on the truck i mean you could remove the exhaust pull up to there scales as empty on fuel as posible it just depends on how far you wanna go if your that woried you could remove the bed of the truck for trips over the border.

Busboy

The down side of moving the potable water tank to the back is it's in a heated area up front so I would run the risk of freezing up. I did think about an aluminum flatbed deck for the truck but I've read (hear say) that removing the truck box can make you commercial with just a flatdeck trailer in some states. Besides I like the pick up truck look.

Kenny D

yea i have heard that to. you mite just hafto chance it i know i run heavy allot but im not crossing any borders iether and usualy when they see a lifted truck they dont give me the whole comercial bit with my loads

Darryl&Rita

Instead of moving the fresh water tank, run with it empty, and water(in Jerry cans) as close to the back end of the trailer as possible. I've had to do that with old rig in B.C.

Busboy

I had thought of that but the 5ver has opposing slides in the living area and the chairs go rear of the slides so there really is no room. I only run with 5-7 galls of potable water now. It might be easier to look for a used potable water tank and install a second in the rear with a 3 way valve that would give me the option of using the front tank if in freezing conditions. The basic problem is the wheels are too far back on the trailer. That I can't change but I must do something to get closer to my GVWR.

CODODGE2500MAN

Is there a hitch on the rear of the trailer? If so, get a hitch rack and put the water on that? Or a cooler or generator or something else heavy. Or since you are taking the tool box off the truck, just mount that on the rear of the trailer... Then fill it up till it equals the weight off the pin...

Good luck

wiskeyVI

I have the same issues.
I may go back to stock rims as they are much lighter than my H2s.

Busboy

There is a 2 inch receiver on the back that we use for bikes. I did think about mounting the toolbox back there, I did that with my last but one 5ver and we carried the bikes on the front. The bikes were always covered in bug splatter when we arrived anywhere. I am leaning toward a second potable water tank as this would give me the option of not having to empty the black and gray tanks when there is only a little in them, I could just add a little more water to the back. That way I can keep the toolbox in the truck bed for use when not towing.

madhat

Take the bed off, run fenders...

Busboy

I know the tail gate is heavy but I don't think the bed is that much is it? I've had bed's off before and four guys can handle them no problem so I'm thinking less than 400lbs?

madhat

Do you have a liner? Tool box? I would guess that the bed stock is at least 500. I'm going to drop that for weight savings at the track eventually...

Busboy

The box liner is the spray in type.and my toolbox just sits on the bed not attached. It would be interesting to know how much a long bed box weighs though. I'll do a search.. My 5ver hitch bolts through mine so a pain to take off to weigh.

Scratch that idea I came across this from one of the provinces here.
....personal use pickup truck means a pickup truck;

* that has a manufacturer’s gross vehicle weight rating of 6,000 kg (13,227 lb) or less, and
* is fitted with either,
o the original box that was installed by the manufacturer, which has not been modified, or
o a replacement box that duplicates the one that was installed by the manufacturer, which has not been modified.