Stopped at a scale to find I was over the GVWR.
4640 lb steer, 5500 lb drive, 4060 fr trailer axle, 4140 rear trailer Gross 18,340 lb.
Trailer TW around 700 lb after I checked truck only. GTWR is 10,000 lb has two 5250 lb axles.
So is this to much and I need to load more on the trailer? The rig set flat and run real good.
Went up 8% for a few miles at 60 mph and handled like it was not even close to the limit. ie same as my 4,000 lb boat and gear. I was taking my K5 offroad rig to a trail ride in Tenn. around Mountain City. Do I need to cut back or shift weight around to cut down on the rear axle weight?
with the rig, 2 people, fuel, it is close to 7800 lb and add 750 lb tw that only leaves 450 lb for gear. What is the max you would run on the rear axle?
Jon

 

Welcome to the world of 3/4 ton diesel pickups and SRW 1-tons. (Its not hard to reach GVWR in a heartbeat).

Not that I'm condoning running over loaded but for safety's sake, I would consider the hard limits to be the lower of either the axle rating or tire(s) rating.

With my factory BFG's, that means nothing over 6390 lbs. The 11.5 AAM is rated for almost 11,000 lbs (the axle isn't the weak link). The 10.5" AAM is rated for almost 10k - again no sweat.

Might want to see if you can move the load around a bit and let the trailer axles carry more weight without making the trailer unstable.

Thats why they make doolies ......

 

Actually, you are light in the recommended tongue weight. It should be between 10-15 percent for a regular trailer. I put you at about 9000 lbs according to your weights on the trailer so you should have about 900 to 1350 on the hitch.

 

If it's pulling good the way it is I would leave it. You are not over weight anywhere and you've got enough weight for a tag trailer.

 

If jkitterman's calculations are right I would put a little more weight on the front of the trailer. I have been whipped around by a trailer with a light tongue weight and it is not something I ever want to experience again.

 

WOW!!!! I've never seen a 2500 and a 1-Ton SRW put down in the same sentence before.

Granted, the 3500 SRW doesn't match the GVWR of a 3500 DRW, but there's still at least (depending on year, etc.) 900lbs more rated capacity in a SRW 3500 (i.e. 9900lbs vs. 9000lbs) than a 2500.

So, for a fifth wheel trailer, by some estimates, roughly 20% of the trailer weight is at the pin. That would translate to a SRW 3500 being able to tow a trailer that weighs up to 4500lbs more than an equivalently equipped 2500. That's still a pretty hefty difference in my book.

Neil

 

I really want more hitch weight its around 700 lb and total trailer is 8900 lb so it is not even 10%.
But the problem is that the truck with the 700 lb hitch weight is over the 9000 lb GVWR by 1140 lb now. I'm going to run it but I just don't know what to do with the load.
Any load I take off the truck will add 10-15% to the hitch and it pulls good now just don't want to over load the axles on the truck.
Where are they coming up with the 11.5 rates of 11000 lb, the door sticker said 6000 rear 5000 front 9000 max gvwr.
I need to up the tags they are only good for 4000 lb now but that is a different story... :-)

Jon

 

Jon, the AAM website. As I said, the rear axle by itself isn't the weak link in your door sticky #'s, its things like springs and tires that DC installed to support the truck over axle that limit the "trucks" drive axle rating. Maybe it will help if you think of it as a "system" and you can only rate it as good as the weakest link in that system.

I would make sure you don't exceed the tire load limits; if you need to replace them with 19.5's to give yourself some margin - go for it.