let me start a new argument...

i read jim anderson's article in the recent edition of tdr, and it was very concise and well written, on a subject that is near and dear to both me and our company. it pretty much states the scary thoughts that i've had for the last few years about the misconceptions of the bigger the truck the higher the towing capacity. the numbers pretty much show what i've been trying to say for a while here, that sometimes a bigger, heavier truck can actually reduce your towing cap legally. am i missing something here, or why else would a 3500 shortbed have a higher tow rating than a 3500 longbed? you would assume that the heavier and longer truck would have a higher rating, but obviously, dc has concerns about the frame rating, as the truck gets longer, there's no other difference that i can see in the two trucks, so what gives?

 

Shortbed

Did not know they made a 3500 shortbed, do you mean the reg. cab and quad cab?

 

The maximum GCWR is the number that counts. If you buy a powertrain and chassis that can move and stop 21,500 pounds, your towing capacity is decreased as you add weight to the towing vehicle, whether by adding four-wheel drive or heavier bumpers or ???

 

I'll jump in on this one. Thomas is right on. Reference these charts to see how towing capacity is affected by vehicle curb weight. I don't think it anything to do with the frame, only the GCVWR. I think that most of the towing capacity numbers are governed by drive train, not by frame, DRW, paint color, etc. The bigger truck is better at carrying weight, not necessarly towing it.

 

Right, but what many overlook is that 5th wheels impose substantial carried and towed loads on the truck due to their high (approximate 20% of GVWR) pin weight that's transferred to the truck as "carried" load. This is where the 2500 guys get into trouble with the truck's 8800 lb GVWR (i. e. , "carried" load) even though they may be fine in terms of a 20,000 lb GCVWR.



Rusty (barely getting by at 10,500 GVWR & 21,500 GCVWR)

 

I agree.

 

I agree with what has been said, but want to mention one thing that I heard from a DC represenative when I was pushing him for information. He said that the GVW and GCVWR ratings on the 2500 and 3500 had some extra avalible but that to keep from having to meet commercial truck regulations they (DC) kept the ratings low enough that they did not have to meet the requirements for larger trucks. If they go over the 21,5000 GCVWR then the truck is considered a medium duty truck.



Basicly they impose the limited ratings on us so they can make an extra buck.



Mike

 

Mike,



Absolutely no flame or offense intended - I'm trying to say this as nicely as I know how. I have no doubt that what the DC rep told you might well be true. If Murphy's Law strikes, however, the only numbers (i. e. , GVWR's, GCVWR's, GAWR's) that will count in the courthouse are those published by DaimlerChrysler. When push comes to shove, I doubt that you'll ever get that guy (or anyone else) from DC to testify to the above as an expert witness.



JMHO



Rusty

 

Dealers, what a bunch of so and so's...

MsChevey - You know when you can tell when a 5 star dealers sales staff or service staff is F. O. S. ? When their lips move. Sound like cr@p to me, no offense. I understand you heard what you heard and are just passing it on.



Everyone - check out the 4th paragraph down about the GCWR of the new Dodge. I guess everyone that buys one of these new trucks will have to go register it as a medium duty/commercial vehicle.





2003 Truck Spec's from 2002 Chicago Autoshow



- JyRO

 

Don't what your tires are rated to carry have somthing to do with how much weight you can carry.



Les

 

RustyJC: No offence taken. And I know there is konw way it would stand up in court. I did look into a lot of the legislation and they as a manufacturer, do have to meet extra guidlines for trucks over a specific rating.



Sixspeed: Yes the tires need to be rated to carry at least half the weight of the axle in order to achive the maximum load ability.





Some of the info I get is because I work for a company that sells Clutch/ Brake systems used on stamping presses. I get inside a lot of plants and die shops. A lot of them require you to sign a bunch of papers saying you will not talk about what you see. All the dies for a specific model are usually made a while in advance of being released. Kind of neat seeing what will be coming out over a year before it hits the market.



Mike