Short background... bought a 30 ft boat ... supposed to weigh about 7250 to 8600... designed trailer around this and my CGVWR (whatever acronym it is, combined gross rating) of 21500 for the 01 Dodge 3500 4x4. I can not afford a different 1 ton... this one is low mileage mint and paid for.

Turns out the spec on boat was wrong... it weighs closer to 9600 lb... which made it scale out a 22700. Now with the pacbrake and manual and the fact the pull-behind trailer has three 7k axles for excess brake capacity and the ability to handle being a triple stretched out to 7 feet (21" equalizers) on turns (lateral forces much higher on front an rear)(only 4500 lb springs set though, so trailer's true capacity is 13500) and the truck has a 14000 receiver hitch and components; its also 4 wheel disk brakes; it can handle a slight increase over the 21500.

I am also considering converting the trailer to a goose neck, but that will also add to the gross even more.

I can also go to heavier capacity aftermarket ceramic pads too I understand (and better rotors maybe?).

The 22700 number is with the boat is totally stripped and it will be heavier in ready to sail mode so I will need to increase to 24000...maybe 25000 with the added weight of a goose-neck system. I am not interested in going CDL though. I am an ex-OTR operator back in the 80s before CDL... and not interested in their games.

So I need to increase its CGVR... there are several postings on this and other diesel sites, but are a few years old so I am asking now in case its changed.

I understand I can change it with the registration... well some have...but I don't know about that for the state of Ohio (do you?). I am non-com private... non CDL'd, but have the 10001+ med cert.

But I'd rather have someone re-cert the and door sticker appropriately.

Anyone know what options are available for Ohio?

Thanks...

Dave

 

That is a heavy boat setup. Especially towing from the receiver hitch. The engine is more than capable.....and the truck should do fine as long as you try it with a weight distribution hitch since the tongue weight will be heavy and you dont want to lift your front tires off the ground.

You cant increase the trucks CGVWR or any rating thereof either set by the manufacture. Although, I understand that some states will allow tags which state that the truck can tow X amount of weight which is over the factory rating but thats all I know about that.....and it may be wrong at that. But you can simple help the truck do its job better with stronger tires, airbags, or Timbrens.

I'm not a fan of trying to compensate for lack of trailer braking by revamping the trucks brakes anymore than they are. If you have an exhaust brake than thats a HUGE advantage. And if the trailer has functional brakes which are capable and rated for the weight of the boat and trailer, then what more can the truck do? Are they electric, hydraulic, or surge? I dont really care for surge brakes since they tend to run hot and/or stop working. If the trailer brakes do happen to stop working then it wouldn't matter what type of brake pads or rotors you had, because you'd never be able to stop that kinda weight short of taking your time to slow. If the trailer brakes failed on a hill then just thank yourself for investing in an exhaust brake because it should be able to hold your speed. If you want a vehicle that has brakes strong enough to stop everything behind it, you'll need something a lot larger than what you have.

 

Thanks, since I posted this I've learned a couple things. I was under the impression that the com Hot Shot actually changed the truck's CGVWR... they don't, they just register it where they want it. So much for the mfg'rs towing rating... its meaningless.

Yes it a heavy boat setup. As I said I designed for the 8600# boat... but turns out it weighs 9500 and will gain another 500 by the time I re-power and its wet and ready to sail (i.e. fuel, water , gear etc.). It weighs 9500 bare. Much more than the 7250 and 8600 given as displacements in the boat specs.

The boat was not designed or built as a trailerable... its a 1980 Seafarer 30 ft deep keel. Keel alone has 3250 lbs of lead. But me being me... and the 8600 number fell within my 1 tons capacity as well as my trailer's and the 14/12 receiver hitch... I went for it.

I did OTR back in the eighties...I could care less how heavy or wide something is as long as my equipment is designed for it. I am not however CDL'd and do not intend to be (too much of a PIA in today's environment). My time OTR is before there was such a thing.

Truck actually pulled this load up and over the Alleghenies from Baltimore to Cincinnati via the northern MD route (I68) and it towed straight as an arrow. 13050 on the trailer axles, about a 1000 on the tongue. The rest was the truck, grossed 22700 initially then unloaded tools and other stuff to the tune of 665 lbs and shipped them home via R&L. I mistakenly assumed MD DOT would be raising an eyebrow at a 1 ton at 22700, but I now understand the Hot Shot setups are much higher on gross... and since the trailer does conform to the >10000 lb lighting and conspicuosity reflectors... its likely they would not have batted an eye. As it turned out, all four scales were closed when I came by... but you know as well as the sun shines that if I hadn't shipped that 665... they'd have been open!

Com can specify what ever CGVW they want on the registration for the two GVWRs they intend, but not non-com at least here in OH. Obviously Chryler's 21500 is actually meaningless.

Its running 8 bolt 7k non-tagged Dexters all with brakes, but only 4500 lbs each of spring. I chose these as they can handle the "stretched to 7'4" between 1st and last axle" triple group's more than normal lateral forces on turning. The excess brake capacity is just a bonus in my mind. I also have a PacBrake progressive retarder that worked very well. Basically it pulled and held the grades very similar to my old 85 MACK 350 9 sp MH613 I ran back in the day only my reatrder did it all on the down grades with zero brake application (With the Mack and Jake I still carried 5 or 10 lbs brake application at 79+k). I didn't push it all that hard... kept the pryo in the green and the temp 210 or less. It was almost 90 out so temp really was my limiter on pulling. The truck would benefit from 4:10s but I will not be pulling this all that much so the 3:55 will do fine. 2100 in 5th at 55 mph was its "comfort zone". The Mack's "big hole" didn't exist in CA back in the day either so that doesn't bother me any.

I am just trying to conform so as not to have issues WHAT-SO-EVER at whatever DOT scales I may cross. The whole idea is to have the boat live in a shed at home thus eating only when we let it and then go where-ever we want to burn the fuel to go. Think I'll ID plate the trailer with a GVWR just under 15k and 13500 GVAR that way they can't say it has a 21K capacity when it doesn't and weight is not the reason it has 7k axles. Together the two GVWRs would be just under 26k then.

Thanks,
Dave

 

Dave, it sounds like you have a head on your shoulders.

 

Thanks for the compliment... although I can over think something now and then. Being 60 and unemployed its hard to market my head anymore, but I keep trying...

Dave