James Birdsong

I have a 2004 quad cab, 4X4, 2500, 5.9 non H.O., automatic trans. I'm intersted in buying a "toybox" 5th wheel, but not sure of the max weight I can pull, before modifying suspension or brakes. I thought the total gvw was about 12,000 lbs., but the trailor dealers say that is only for trailors. On 5th wheels,it jumps up to 15 - 16,000 lbs. Has anybody else had any experience with that. Thanks in advance.

ShutupAndHoldOn

I pull a 37 foot 5th wheel toyhauler that is about 15.5k loaded. We are pretty close to the max plate wieght. We have never had any trouble towing it and we are in the mountains. The only thing to add would be a exhaust brake if you are mountain towing.

OutOfSight

I would just throw on a set of airbags, won't believe the difference they make.
I have seen my brother tow 24k+ with his mega cab, Tuesday he towed 19k 230 miles, his only grip is fuel milage (about 9.0mpg)
o and a exhaust break is a nice upgrade

deerezilla

I just got back from driveing 630 miles with a gvw of 21,350 and on the way back gvw of 14,000 the truck pulled great for the load I made it pull

no_6_oh_no

Your GCVW should be 19k with your truck. Your truck should weigh in right around 7k without any additions or passengers.

That leaves you 12k for tool boxes, passengers, trailer and load, etc. They will pull more easily but stopping can become a problem.

ddestruel

depends on the trailer and the trailer brakes. tires ect. lots more to this than jsut ratings.

cincydiesel

Alot of stuff goes into pulling heavy trailors.. Alot depends on the driver. Just dont forget that anything being pulled thats over the manufactures GCVW is a posiblity for getting sued by a possible accident victim. I've pulled things in upwards to 33,000 gross with the truck below for several hundred miles. Was it legal, NOPE!!! Would I do it again, YEP.. If the trailer has good brakes and the truck is well maintained with the correct equipment I say pull till broke..

JohnInNH

http://sikvid.com/vids/358.html

With the Cummins you don't have to worry about this!

ddestruel

This is not legally correct. I would like to point out i have my own personal experience with this. the manufacturers GCVWR is not a legal benchmark. The insurance company and the families of the deceased all three sued and claimed that since i was pulling a 20k lbs gooseneck loaded at 18950k lbs i was over the the GCVWR of the pickup truck the court and jury ruled that i was niether negligent nor in violation of any transportation laws with the weight that i was pulling my total GCW at the time of the accident was 28050 my max licensed GVW was 9900 for the pickup and 20k for the trailer no single axle was over weight and no tires were over loaded all safety equiptment was functioning including brakes were in perfect condition. My lawyer was able to find numerous cases where the courts have ruled that manufacturer GCVWR is a recommendation not a legal benchmark since they set the towing capacity without knowing anything about the engineering of the trailer being pulled. either way it was determined that the moron and his friend who pulled out in front of me on the highway were negligent for not looking before entering a highway where trucks and trailers are legally going 65 mph and cars are moving at 75. shoot i was doing 60 and only had about 40' worth of skid marks before flatting his chevy 1500. the court ruled they were responsible for covering my court costs so that ended that.

cquestad

Amen...DOT looks at the tires...then axles.

cincydiesel

Wow your a compasionate one... Please note I stated a "Possiblity" for getting sued. There was a case about a year ago in Cincinnati, OH where a man and wife were pulling a fver and tag trailor when their vehicle hit another. The accident victim sued the man and women and won. The reason being was that the truck weight exceded 26,001 making it overweight for a non-com vehicle.

ddestruel

exactly over 26001


I used to dwell on it, it hangs with you for a long time but many of my older friends 60-70 year old truck driver's have beat it into my head that when its not your fault the only thing you can do is be greatful that you lived through it. unfortunately what made me bitter were the 2 years of lawsuits and the constant publicicty (since a family member writes the local section) in the newspaper in the 6 weeks following the accident by the family blaming me and naming me in just about every article about the accident before the courts and highway patrol cleared me of ANY wrong doing finally and pinned all blame on the two guys who happened to also be intoxicated but that was never once published in the paper. that will make you bitter.

soulezoo

Just like ol' Ray Donovan from Pres. Reagans cabinent after winning a criminal case "how do you feel today after you won" his response: "yeah, now how do I get my reputation back?"

#2 only

Your gvwr is 9000+/-. That doesn't have much bearing on what you can tow,except if you're over 26000 or over 10000 if you're a commercial driver.i've pulled 20000 with my 2500 and 24000 with my 3500.The truck will do just fine towing a toybox that has a gvwr of 15k-18k, and even then it only weighs about 13k.

no_6_oh_no

Once again, a perfect example of a miscarriage of justice.

The 26k weight limit does not apply to vehicles for personal use. Period. It is a commercial designation and only applies to vehicles used for business purposes. As long as the vehicle does not exceed the road, axle, and tire weight limits a personal vehicle can gross 100k and be perfectly legal. Commercial limits, BY LAW, cannot be enforced on personal vehicles.

The problem lies in explaining this to a bunch of bleeding heart, Honda driving, tree hugging liberals that believe they own the road and anything that could possibly be a danger to them should be removed and the person responsible made to pay outrageous sums for the temerity of using public services. It is NOT a matter of law, its a matter of 12 people being manipulated by lawyers looking for a pay off and lackadaisical judges that don't care, and said peers having zero reasoning ability or guts to stand up and say NOT ON MY WATCH!

If you exceed the GCVW of your truck you run the risk of be held liable even if you are right and the law is on your side. The same for exceeding 26k GCVW.

Sad but true, this is an emotional and political issue far more than it is a legal or mechanical one.