When I took delivery of my 3500, among the paperwork I got was a piece of paper with red ink stating load capacity & placement of any slide-in camper I might want to carry...

I shows the center of gravity in a particular area; makes a lot of sense...


Then, there's a printout of my vin, together with the weight of camper I can carry -

1426 pounds



I bought a 3500 to take advantage of its 2780# payload; somehow, I seem to have lost some capacity somewhere, so I sent an eMail to DC for clarification:

"My diesel Ram 3500 is listed on the Dodge Towing Guide with a payload of
2680lbs; the info sheet included in the paperwork states I can carry a
slide-in camper weighing 1426lbs; why the difference???"

Here's the response:

"Thank you for your email to DaimlerChrysler regarding your Dodge Ram
3500.

Unfortunately, given the many variables involved, we are unable to
provide technical assistance. We recommend contacting your authorized
DaimlerChrysler dealership.

Our dealerships have the factory training, equipment and information
available to them to address your questions.

Thank you again for your email."


The dealership didn't print out that page, DC did; now, they know nothing about it! I hate it when I get a form-letter response to requests for information!!

Anybody out there have any idea what is going on??

Thanks!

Rene

 

Lower limit for higher center of gravity ?

 

Did you order the truck with some heavy options? 4-wheel drive perhaps?

 

4x4s have a lower rating than 4x2s do. If I was going to go back to a slide in I would do d DRW. No problems then.

 

What they're trying to say is they can't tell you it's ok for liability reasons. Kinda like the 45mph u-haul speed limit. Let's 'em off the hook real easy if you roll it over. We both know the 3500 dually will easily accomodate over 3k in the bed. I've had 3300 lbs of elevator test weights in the bed of my 2500. Remember the Ram commercial years ago that said "we know owners sometimes excede the limits"? I know we do too. Just don't roll it over...

 

You can increase your capacity by getting tires w/ a higher capacity rating. You basically have the same axle as the DRW truck, you're just missing 2 tires. You should have Load Range E tires right now. Find some Load Range F or G tires or something higher.

 

A slide-in camper on a SRW truck can be unstable, so I think DC is just trying to cover its butt. I'm sure the 1426# limit is for that specific situation, not hauling cargo in general.

 

I pull 12k with 1500 on the hitch and a 9.5 ft 2800lbs hard side. Towed like a dream. Then I added air bags and even better. Put your camper on, dont over rate your tires and let it buck. If you feel the need get air bags. Also keep in mind alot of weight ends up on the front with the camper.

 

The rating I received for the the truck's payload is as listed in the sig; 4x4, diesel, longbed, quad, etc; If it carries 2780 of payload, why is it de-rated so much (almost HALF!) if I put a camper on it? What is so special about a camper?

Maybe it is a higher c-of-g, but half the rating??

-still puzzled--

Rene

 

It's certainly not a matter of wether the truck can support it. And you could still roll it even with a 1400 lb camper under the right conditions. Sheesh. What's Dodge's point?
I always worry about high speed turns or evasive action with my camper on.
If you do ever get an answer please let us know. But don't delay your trip!

Wetspirit

 

It almost sounds like they are quoting in metric.

 

I see it's the make-believe 3500 (SRW). What's the GVW? Curb weight is 7K give or take with no occupants. 7K + 2780 is close to 10K...I doubt the GVW is 10K.

What kinda camper you trying to carry?

FWIW...I have 5k worth of camper on my dually. I gross 12.5K on an 11.5K GVW

My buddy does fine with an 8' on his 2500 with a sticker of 2200# (in real life add about 2000#), though he's prolly stressing his tires more than he realizes.

 

I see it's the make-believe 3500 (SRW). What's the GVW? Curb weight is 7K give or take with no occupants. 7K + 2780 is close to 10K...I doubt the GVW is 10K.

The GVWR on a SRW 3500 is 9900lbs.

 

Dualies make a monstrous difference when carrying a camper. My SRW was real tippy even with stiffer springs - - dually very stable with the same big camper on it.

 

The 2500 and 3500 SRW are practically identical, so why not give everyone a 3500 SRW (rear helper springs and a slightly larger rear axle) but call it a 2500? That way a 3500 would always be a real 3500, a Dually!

PS: And while they're at it, get rid of those ugly little lights on the new 2500, makes it look like a tow truck!