believe me if dodge thought their rig was good for more then 26k on their C&C's they would rate it that way. they would be able to sell more trucks. the engineers at dodge will tell you the C&C's have only been proven by them to GCVWR of 26k. there are a lot of guys on this forum that have hauled a lot more then that with a lot less trucks then the 5500 i drive. that's up to them. the GVWR is a lot less then the combined rating.

i accept what the engineers at dodge say the truck is safe at. i'm not an engineer. the NTEA (national truck equipment association) can give (actually it will cost you a couple of hundred to join) you the design criteria for determining the gvwr and gcvwr that the mfgs have to abide by. they can't just flip a coin and come up with a number.

 

X2.....when it gets down to insurance coverage and liability, you better follow the limits stamped on the door.

 

I have talked to a bunch of people on this issue (two CHP officials that work in the branch that deals with GVWR issues, a rep from RVIA, two Camper manufacturers (Lance and Artic Fox) (if you go to the Lance web site http://www.lancecamper.com/truck-campers/#longbed you will see that they sell a model 992 camper that has a dry weight of 3310 pounds and they say this camper is "Compatable with most 3/4 ton and larger trucks". There is not a 3/4 ton truck made that has a GVWR that wouldn't be at least 2000 pounds over their GVWR when you add liquids, gear and people with this camper. If you see a cabover camper that has a slideout on it and the truck hauling it doesn't have dual wheels, it will be significantly over their GVWR), a person from NHTSB, three camper dealers, and lastly and most importantly three different auto insurance companies (State Farm, USIA, and Travelers). My three concerns on this whole issue is liability, legality and safety. As far as the safety issue is concerned I am over my GVWR by 2000 pounds when fully loaded however I do not exceed my GAWR (Gross Axle Weight rating) on either the front or the rear. I have added Firestone Ride Rite air bags, a Helwig sway bar and 19.5 inch wheels and tires. (when fully loaded I was very close to the max carrying capacity of my stock tires (3195#) so decided to up this with 19.5's) So I know I can safely carry the additional weight safely. Now as to the legality issue, if I get pulled over by a cop and for some reason they weigh my vehicle fully loaded, I am illegal. I doubt that this will ever happen as my rig is low and doesn't look heavy, but if I do get a fixit ticket, I'm not sure what I will do. I will just take the risk. As far as the liability issue, I talked to the three insurance companies I mentioned and I didn't just talk with agents I talked to supervisors and underwriters. In all three cases the insurance companies do not concern themselves with GVWR. They said it is up to the driver to determine what is safe and they will back them up. They all said in every accident there is usually someone that is doing something wrong and that is what you have insurance for. I specifically asked them if there was a civil trial and it was proven that being over your GVWR caused you to loose control of your vehicle and you killed a family whould the insurance still cover you and they all said yes it would. Bottom line, I will not spend $42,000 to up grade my rig to a 3500 dually so that I don't exceed my GVWR. I also could find no way to increase the GVWR that is stamped on my driver door no matter what I did to increase the carrying capacity of the truck.

 

See how fast they (the insurance companies will drop you if you have a claim) just like my buddy who had a claim and they allowed the trailer but no contents (not what they told him when he took out the policy). They say yes to anything to sell you the policy.....different story when they are asked to pay up.

 

If you get weighed here in Idaho GVWR has nothing to do with being illegal.. its what you pay for on your tags. I am legal up to 26K GCW.

I know many states are like this.

 

Thanks John! This topic has been brought up over and over and it's good to heard someone actually calling the insurance companies.

 

Well in my experience, talk is all that it is.......tell you anything to sell you a policy......then drop you like a hot potato if anything goes wrong. Have seen it with commercial insurance as well as USAA.

 

The 26,000lbs GCWR was to promote sales more than anything else. With a 26,000lbs rating you did not have to put a CDL driver in the seat. I don't think it had anything to do with engineers, it had to do with bean counters.

I wrote them a letter, no reply to date, when the first 4500 CC came out about the Gross Combined Rating. They need to make a Non Commercial Version of the 4500/5500 and rate it like the F450/550. All the running gear and frame are equal to Ford. The bigger the rear the more you can haul.

Why buy a 4500 for towing other than its heavier and has better brakes for stopping. The 3500 can haul more in Gross Combined than the 4500. The 4500is way heavier than the 3500 which subtracts from its Max Trailer Tow weight. Also the 3500 has more HP and Torgue. The 6.7 can do 750ftlbs or even 800 ftlbs of torque tomorrow morning if Dodge wanted it.

 

Interesting . I didn't discredit you . I just said I had never seen proof of liability . But if these were Star drivers and Star had to know their GVWR's and gave them those loads . Looks like Star would be liable . Most RV haulers that sign on with the transport companies know little about towing . Star should have the knowledge .
Those transport and insurance companies will do anything to get out of paying a claim . I knew a hauler that changed transport companies and didn't tell the company that provided her NTL insurance . She wrecked her truck and they denied her claim . Her fault though . The policies clearly state the carrier must be notified when a contract is terminated .

 

I disagree . They have the GVWR stay at 26,000 lbs. to sell MORE trucks . It's a lot easier for small companies these trucks are marketed for to hire drivers without CDL's and they avoid IFTA registration and payments .
GVWR based on engineered limits ?? Remember the International CXT ? GVWR 25,999 lbs.
http://www.seriouswheels.com/cars/to...ckup-Truck.htm

 

Note this says weight for ONE AXLE

It's referring to single axles on large trucks .

 

rick gmac and ford both offer 26k gcvwr vehicles but in addition they offer 30k to 35k versions only dodge does not cover the basis. there will always be those that will tow 10k with a tundra and dullies towing 35k.

i'll stick within the safe parameters that were given to me. i do understand the dot and tires first, axle weights next. there is no way they can possibly know the gvwr or gcvwr of each type and varient of vehicle so they have set quick marks to follow. there are hundreds of vehicles that go through the weigh stations a day.

drive safe