jhut03

Hey guys I just joined here to search some info, I work for my dads boiler and welding company. For a long time we had someone tow our fork lift around but after getting tired of paying 400 a pop to pull our stuff around town so we bought a truck and trailer.



its a 07 dodge 3500 hemi, the trailer is rated for 14k lbs. We wanted to stay under 26k total so we did not have to get our CDL's for it but after I did some research(my dad bought it before saying anything to me) the truck I have has a gvwr of 9500, a 3500 diesel has a gvwr of 11,500 so we could have and should have gotten a 3500 diesel.

But regardless the truck was fine for our 7 or 8k pound fork lift and our 6k pound sissor lifts, but now we have a 13k fork truck and a 14,260 lbs snorkel lift. So now with those two the truck is way under rated to pull both and the snorkel truck actually is too heavy for the trailer.

I am trying to talk my dad into getting a new truck so we are not only legal but we dont destroy the tranny in this truck because it is not enough for our lifts. I was looking at a 3500 CC but should we get a 4500 or 5500 CC? We just bought a 5500 quad cab but we put a work bed on it so now its used as a work truck/welding rig.

I told my dad that I will get my cdl's to pull if we have to to get the right truck so what truck would you guys suggest? We tow mostly around town but probably once or twice every 3 months have to take something an hour + one way, and this week I am making a 1.5 hour trip one way to pick up the snorkel truck, fork truck, and then one of our sissor lifts, so yes I have to make 3 trips out there to get everything. We dont want anything that can tow it all at once because we would need a semi but maybe a truck that could pull a fork truck and lift together(13k fork truck and 6k pound sissor lift).

jhut03

http://www.truckpaper.com/listingsde...x?OHID=2340535

I am thinking something like this would be perfect. The bed is nice because we use the truck to run parts and stuff when not towing so the bed is perfect for loading skids and stuff, the quad cab is nice for out of town jobs when we stay for the week for getting around there and for our bags on the way to the job.

I am kind of basied because I drive the truck as a personal truck so having power doors/windows and the quad cab would be alot nicer for daily driving for myself too. I am definately getting tired of having to throw stuff in the bed and risk it being stolen again...

rfeiller

the GCVWR of the dodges' C&C's is 26k. you figure the truck is around 10k. i don't know what state you live in or how lax they are. you can call the dodge C&C engineers and ask them why they have set the GCVWR at 26k like i have jon several occasions or you may decide to make your own determination as to the safe capability of the truck and take responsibiltiy for exceeding the mfg's ratings.

i have a 08 5500 dodge says 26k GCVWR that's what i adhere too. and i am maxed out at that. to tow anything heavier i would have go to a larger tow vehicle a six series or both ford and gm have a heavier GCVWR then dodge in the 5 series. their trucks are bigger they have series 5 (5500, 550) that are rated at 30-33k. then you could stay within the mfg GCVWR and tow a 20k trailer. also when you step up to a 4-6 series med duty truck you enter into a whole new world of usdot and in some states, state regs which are a PITA!
not to mention the additional fees that come along with them. take your time and do your do diligence before you buy.

jhut03

We are definately going to make sure we do everything right. We have all of our vehicles with DOT numbers so we have to make everything legal. Like I said, If I have to go get cdl's to legally pull everything thats fine.

I am confused about how the gvwr numbers work, I know anything over 26k you need cdl's for. We were told it was the rating of the trailer(two 7k axles) so 14k for the trailer. So the gvwr of the truck has to be 12k or under to keep it under 26k. Is that how they do it? If so we can get a regular 3500 dually and be fine and I would feel much better towing with the diesel, the hemi just takes so long to get up to speed and stopping is equally scary. I was just thinking with the aisin in the CC trucks we could get that over a manual 6 speed in a regular 3500....

I would say with the trailer and the heaviest lift we have is probably close to 20k total so whatever truck would be best to tow that around is what I am after and trying to get to be safe and legal.

jhut03

Also we are in Indianapolis, IN.....

s'port diesel

I would go with the 4500. The step up in brakes and suspension is nice. Nothing like peace of mind while towing. I would rather have it and not need it, than need it and not have it.

klx650a2

Personally I would step up to the semi level. You can buy a decent, lower mileage, used day cab cheaper than a 3500 or 4500. A friend did this and its the best thing he has done. He has all the capacity he will ever need and better fuel economy as well. Yes you have rules to follow, but you'll have all the truck you'll ever need.

d6c

14k gwv trailer MINUS the lightweight of the trailer equals the capacity of the trailer. You can add the amount that is transferred to the tow-vehicle(tongue weight). Typical 14k gvw trailer payload is about 10k or so by design

jhut03

Im confused, we had a guy pulled over in one of our work trucks, he used the weight rating of the trailer, 14k lbs from the two 7k axles, and added that to the gvwr of the truck he was using and it put him well over the 26k mark. He was in a GMC C450. I read in the cdl booklet that if your load weighs under 10k pounds it doesnt matter what all the ratings are to need cdls. what exactly do they go by for needing cdl's or not?

d6c

Contact your commercial driving section of your dept. of motor vehicles. Be straight up and honest, business or pleasure, tag weights on tow vehicles and trailers, max. loads expected. If you read something about "load weighs under 10k" I'm positive they are talking about the trailer weight also.

jhut03

What's the gvwr of the newer dodge 3500 duallies with the 6.7 cummins and the 6 speed auto? I found the new 3500 chassis cabs is 12,500. We need to be 12k or less to stay under the 26k mark and not need cdl's. I'd rather not have to get the cdl's but if I do to use the truck we should be towing with then so be it.

robert chilton

Trailer and truck wieghts will be by registered wieght through the DMV. Register the Combo so it wieghs no more than 26k and you are fine. However they will probably hit you on the fact that it is a commercial vehicle and want you to have a CDL with all the things that go with it.

jhut03

see we have the trailer plated for 14k lbs, and the truck is plated for 12k i think. But we were told that they go buy the gvwr of the truck and what the trailer is rated for. so 14k plus 11,500 for the 3500 hemi so we are under 26k lbs and even being a company we do not need CDLs. I could not find the gvwr of the 3500 diesels, if they are 12k or under then we are fine. If they are over 12k gvwr then it puts us over the 26k lbs mark so we would need them. I know the 2010 3500 diesel chassis cabs are 12,500 gvwr so I am hoping the regular 3500 trucks are 12k....

Colo_River_Ram

Dodge in their efforts to appease the 26K no CDL required crowd sure made it hard on the CDL required crowd.. The 5500 will handle a 33k GCVWR load with ease, some states will let you license it for what ever weight you want.. However like rfeiller states the GCVWR is set at 26k by the factory.. Which once you extend beyond that you are getting into that gray area of your insurance policy and associated liability exposure..

jhut03

See I am confused because before we bought my white truck we had a guy tow our fork truck with our trailer in a gmc c450, the truck is plated like 16,500. I am not sure if that is the gvwr of the truck or not, but I know he was ticketed for no cdl's with our trailer being plated for 14k. The officer told him that they go buy the rating of the trailer(the axles so 14k in our case with two 7k axles) and they add that to the gvwr of the truck. That is why we got the hemi because supposedly any diesel truck would be higher than that 11,500 gvwr rating so it would put us over the 26k limit...


A vehicle towing a unit with a manufacturer's GVWR of more than 10,000 lbs. when the GCWR exceeds 26,000 lbs. I copied that from the Indiana cdl faq page about when you need cdls, is the gcwr the what the trailer and truck weigh together? Like the actual weight? I guess Im confused about what the gvwr of a vehicle is....