Guys, and gals, we recently purchased a 2011 Dodge Ram 2500 HD with a six-speed manual and 3.42 rear end. I am planning on purchasing a new fifth-wheel with a hitch weight of around 1,400 lbs and a GVW of around 10,000 lbs.
I previously pulled my much smaller and lighter fifth-wheel with a 2003 Duramax/Allison with a 3.73 rear end. Am I courting disaster with the 3.42 rear end or do I just have to adjust the gears a bit to tow comfortably????

 

10000lbs is no problem but you will be over your GVWR with 1400lbs of pin weight.

 

Busboy,please explain this to me. I went out and took a look at the tag on the door and it said the GVWR was 9,600. I thought that meant that the total weight on the wheels couldn't exceed 9,600. I have weighed the truck full of fuel and it's around 7,400 so a 1,400 hitch weight would only bring me up to about 8,800, leaving me with about 800 to go. Even at my weight, the wife and I won't get there. Also, something else on the tag said front wheels 5,000+ and rear wheels 6,000+, or vice versa. That is over 11,000. What does that have to do with how much I can have for hitch weight and cargo, including individuals? Not trying to be smart, just don't really know. Towed a 5,000 total weight fifth-wheel for 18 years with a 3/4 ton Chevy 350, a 440 Chevy, a 440 Vortec Chevy and a GMC Duramax and never worried about it. I assumed this Dodge would tow something like the super lite pretty easily.

 

Your good to go!

 

Legal load limits carried on your truck revolve around the trucks axle/tire capacities. Your state may also have a weight limit the truck is registered for. Some states don't unless the truck is commercially operated.
GVWR simply isn't used in determining load limits on a truck.

MY '03 2wd 2500 Dodge/Cummins NV5600 tranny quad cab short bed has a 6000 RAWR (as your 2500 truck). Its unladin weight is 2820 lbs which leaves the truck with 3180 lbs payload on the rear axle/tires. Subtract another 200 lbs for the hitch and another 200 lbs for gear over the rear axle and I'm left with around 2700 lbs for a pin weight. My actual pin weight is 2220 lbs.

The truck front axle may carry little if any weight from a GN/5th wheel trailer so its not a player.

I would weigh the trucks front and rear axles seperatly. IMO your truck will carry that size trailers pin weight just fine.

 

You're good. Here's my 5er weight details.

Ax Wt (front) Rated:4,750/Loaded 4,460 (under by 220lbs)
Ax Wt (rear): Rated 6,150/Actual 5,660 (under by 490lbs)
Trailer Axle Wt: 10,880lbs
Trailer Wt: 13,480lbs
Tongue Wt: 2,600lbs (19.3% of trailer wt)

Like J&L said, front axles carry almost no extra weight on mine.

I've got 3.73 rear. no sure how the 3.42 will work but expect you will be fine w/6 speeds. Mine is 5 speed and does just fine with a 13.5K 5er.

 

your fine that truck will pull more then that .and with 3:42 so you might have to drop 1 gear on a big hill.I run 3:54 and tow 17k never an issue

 

Hook to it and go. There are people on here that will tell ya that anything more than a golf cart trailer will overload some rating on your truck and you cant do it. Its a 3/4 ton diesel truck made to tow. That camper is no issue for your truck.

 

My mistake I thought a CC 4X4 SB was 8000lbs all up with fuel, hitch and passengers but I see you may have a regular cab 2WD. I also thought the GVWR was 9100/9200lbs. I'm surprised that it's 9600lbs as the 2011 3500 CC SB is only 10100lbs. Like someone else said "you're good to go" Happy camping.

 

Busboy, it is a crew-cab long-bed. But the numbers I noted are from the tag on the door.

 

My son has a 2011 3500 CC LB SRW 4X4 and he was telling me last night he weighed his recently and he was just on 9000lbs, 4 guys with tools B&W goose hitch and a Reese class 5 rear hitch, headache rack and fire extinguisher. 7400lbs seems too low for yours but maybe the 4X4 makes a lot of difference. You will still be under with a GVWR of 9600lbs though. Most people couldn't tell you what their truck weighs and couldn't care less about the GVWR so you are way ahead of the field.

 

My Fifth wheel Cedarcreek Silverback is 10,000 dry, towing is not an issue. Four trips to Florida from Ontario with no problems and my truck has 300,000 km.

 

You won't even know it's there..... My trailer is 9k and this truck rocks.

 

I'm towing a 39' 5th wheel 12,000lbs and roughly 2300lb tongue weight. No issues at all. Other than maybe having to downshift on hills, enjoy!!

 

Best thing to do is take you truck to a Cat scale and set it so you can weigh the front and rear axles and keep this. Then bring your camper over and set it up on the scales to do the same thing, weigh the front and rear and then do the math to find what the actual weight is.

You'll see a change in both at the scales as the 5th wheel will put weight on both front and rear. I've got about 1500lbs of "pin weight" and its added weight to front and rear. I always liked knowing exactly what I had so if I ever got pulled over I would know exactly what was where.