I finally got my owner's manual from the dealership (after 2 months!) In reading about weights and capacities I found some interesting values.
As far as I can tell, the major difference between the 2500 and the 3500 is that the 3500 can haul 2200 pounds more. The GCWR of the two is NOT that significantly different which I guess makes sense since the engine and trans are the same in both vehicles.
Am I on track here?

 

Yep. The GVWR differences come into play primarily if you're towing a trailer with heavy pin loads like a large 5th wheel RV. With up to 20% or more of its weight carried by the truck as pin weight, a large 5th wheel can cause a SRW truck (2500 or 3500) to exceed its GVWR long before it approaches its GCWR.

Rusty

 

What are the individual truck weights? 2001 2500 and 3500? I can't find it in the manual.

 

It's best to weigh the trucks, weights can vary wildly depending on options, 4X4, Quad, Reg, Short box, long box, etc, etc.

 

Ok.. According to Edmunds.com, the 2500 ex-cab LB 4x4 tips the scales at 5800 pounds. So that leaves me 3000 pounds to be at GVW. Obviously it's not the engine or trans that limit my GVW as the 3500's have the same combination.

So the question is, with a set of overload springs (which it already has) and airbags, how much can I reasonably put in the bed (I am thinking slide-in camper here so you get the idea)?

 

According to certified truck scales, my truck with full fuel tank, wife and myself (we're not tubbos, either), 2 Shelties, 5th wheel hitch, WeatherGuard 5th wheel toolbox & contents, etc. weighed 7,680, and my truck is a 4x2!! My point is - the only way to know for sure is to go weigh your truck the way it will be configured and loaded when you hit the road.

Rusty

 

No way a 8800 lb GVWR 2500 ext cab CTD 4x4 only weighs 5800 lbs..........I think that is a 7500 lb GVWR gas truck curb weight.........my 94 reg cab 4x4 weighs 6680 lb empty with the exception of me and a full tank of fuel and the only other thing I carry extra from a stock truck is a tool box that is probably around 100 lbs.

 

That listing is for a 2001 2500 4dr SLT 4WD LB with the 5.9l V8. Yes, I know that the CTD weighs more than the 360 V8.
Regardless, they list the Gross weight as 8800. Towing is 8050, payload is 2920.

 

You might want to read the fine print. Towing and payload capacities are generally based on the weight of a base truck with only a 150 lb driver, no options or accessories.

Rusty

 

Rusty,
Dont' get me wrong. I don't dispute what you are saying a bit. 150 pound driver... SURE... and the EPA mileage estimates may vary as well!!

What I am looking for is ball parks. I mean, it doesn't make sense to list the GVW of a vehicle as 8800 pounds, build it as a huge heavy duty man-beast and then only allow the owner to put a hay bale in the bed before hitting GVW.

 

If you want to see where you are relative to the manufacturer's ratings, ignore the published payload and trailer tow ratings. If you get a laden curb weight (LCW) of your actual truck with driver, passengers, etc., you can use the following formulas:

Truck GCWR - Truck LCW = Maximum allowable loaded trailer weight

Truck GVWR - Truck LCW = Maximum allowable loaded trailer pin/hitch weight, or maximum allowable payload

For a bumper-pull RV, hitch weight is typically about 12% of total weight. For a 5th wheel RV, 20% pin weight is fairly normal. If you don't know the laden weight of the trailer, using the trailer GVWR in the above calculations as the loaded trailer weight is a conservative, ballpark approach.

You're right - the formulas above will show that the actual trailer tow and payload capacities are significantly less than the marketing-based "fluff" ratings in the brochures.

Rusty

 

For me it's not so much the trailer weight as the payload capacity as I know I can haul my Utah and load up and not be near GCVW.
But we are looking to sell the popup and replace it with a slide-in.
It seems unreasonable to expect that, with a heavy duty 3/4 ton CTD, that I would only be able to put a 1500 pound camper in the bed before I was over GVW and unsafe.
And I've seen picks of my model truck (exactly) with slide in campers in the 10 and 11' range.

 

Yep, you have, and, based on the sticker GVWR, a lot of us are running overloaded.

Rusty

 

So that brings up the question. Is GVW (and I guess GCVW) merely a DOT and/or NHTSA designation forced upon us so that the manufacturers can have plausible deniability when someone gets into an accident and happens to have a 9000 pound GVW??
I.E. Are our trucks MUCH more capable than they are getting credit for?

 

Mechanically, yes. Legally, well, you could spend days reading threads on this subject.

Rusty (former member, Loyal Order of Weight Police, dishonorably discharged August 2004 )