Towing Capacity

mbolton

Member
Hey all, brand new to this site. I am entertaining an '07 3795 but the GCWR of my 2007 Dodge 2500 Laramie Mega Cab is only 20,000. How many of you are towing this trailer with specifically a Dodge 2500? Dodge does not seperately rate fifth wheel capacities like Chevy and Ford do. I am told the truck will do it no problem (although I do think the pin weight is too heavy for the Mega Cab), but I am curious as to how many of you are doing it and what your results are.

Thanks!

Mark
 

jimtoo

Moderator
Hi Mark,

Welcome to the Heartland Owners Forum and hopefully to the Family. We have a great bunch of people here with lots of information and all willing to share their knowledge if needed.

You should get some answers soon... and there are a lot of folks towing with 3/4 ton.

Enjoy the forum.

Jim M
 

Bob&Patty

Founders of SoCal Chapter
Mark, your question comes up quite often. It's you that has to decide on what is safe. A 3795 is a heavy trailer when loaded. Will a 2500 pull it...yes. Are you over weight ....yes. Will you be over on the pin weight....yes. Will the truck stop it....yes....maybe. I don't know the gross weight of a 3795 is exactly, but it's somewhere between 18 and 19 K. IMHO, you need a 1 tn to be safe. So now starts all the opinions.
 

mbolton

Member
Total GVWR of the 3795 is 18k, ridiculous weight. So is the 3950 and this thing is not that big. The UVW of the 3795 is 11,500, much more reasonable. Can't I add air bags to offset the pin weight?
 

scotty

Well-known member
Hey all, brand new to this site. I am entertaining an '07 3795 but the GCWR of my 2007 Dodge 2500 Laramie Mega Cab is only 20,000. How many of you are towing this trailer with specifically a Dodge 2500? Dodge does not seperately rate fifth wheel capacities like Chevy and Ford do. I am told the truck will do it no problem (although I do think the pin weight is too heavy for the Mega Cab), but I am curious as to how many of you are doing it and what your results are.

Thanks!

Mark
I tow an 06 BH 3400RL, empty, I mean empty weights in at 12,400. I have the QC SB SRW with air bags and have towed the BH when it was loaded for full timing and was at 13,820. No problems doing it or stopping it. Yes you will be over on GVWR weight, and on GCVW (20K), but the truck doesn't care. However the Mega Cab is even heavier than the QC. My truck alone full of fuel, tools hitch me and the wife hits the scales at 7900. I am registered for 9900 GVWR for Florida. You will get a lot of different conversation on this topic. My setup doesn't bother me but I'm constantly aware of the load, although the truck doesn't really know it's there, I do. Would I perfer a dulley, yes, but that ain't in the cards. Not sure what the unit you're looking at weights, but as you probably already know, don't go by sticker weights....
 
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GOTTOYS

Well-known member
I tow a B.C. 3250 with my 2010 Ram 2500. My max GCVWR is 20,000# I am at 19,700# going down the road. My truck is a shortbox crewcab 4wd. I recently had it weighed and I am 1100# over on my rear axle. Everything else is within its' limits. Dodges have a low cargo capacity compared to other makes. The difference between the 3500 and 2500 series is one overload leaf in the rear spring pack. This only adds 300# to the load carrying capacity on the sgl. rear wheel models. Everything else is the same on the 2 trucks including, tires, brakes etc. The Mega cab version has even less load carrying capacity than the crew cab. That being said, my truck works just fine. The old story floating around about your insurance being canceled if they find you are overloaded and all the rest of the myths are just that. Never found one case where that actually happened. My next truck will probably be a dually so I will be ready for a bigger trailer if that ever happens. JMHO..Don
 

branson4020

Icantre Member
Mark,

Dodge does, in fact, provide very detailed weight/payload numbers for every configuration of truck. Here is what you are looking for. You're right about the pin weight. It's the weak point of the MegaCab, but I still love mine.
 

scotty

Well-known member
I tow a B.C. 3250 with my 2010 Ram 2500. My max GCVWR is 20,000# I am at 19,700# going down the road. My truck is a shortbox crewcab 4wd. I recently had it weighed and I am 1100# over on my rear axle. Everything else is within its' limits. Dodges have a low cargo capacity compared to other makes. The difference between the 3500 and 2500 series is one overload leaf in the rear spring pack. This only adds 300# to the load carrying capacity on the sgl. rear wheel models. Everything else is the same on the 2 trucks including, tires, brakes etc. The Mega cab version has even less load carrying capacity than the crew cab. That being said, my truck works just fine. The old story floating around about your insurance being canceled if they find you are overloaded and all the rest of the myths are just that. Never found one case where that actually happened. My next truck will probably be a dually so I will be ready for a bigger trailer if that ever happens. JMHO..Don

:cool: Agree with you Don. I will continue to tow the BH as is. No I don't run 70+, but I do stay aroung 65 MPH on interstate and always allow as much room as possible. Have had to make a panic stop, and with all brakes working properly and trailer brakes well adjusted, the Dodge did good. I must have an invisible sign to me but brightly lit for others hanging on the front, saying " hey, pull out in front of him and really slow down":mad:
 

mbolton

Member
Hey guys, thanks for the info. I had seen the Dodge bodybuilder site before, and it was the only place that actually gave me the spec on the 4WD, the website neglected that option. I have decided to go ahead and do this deal as the deal on the camper was too good to pass up, and I guess I will look to replace the truck in the future. Problem is I just bought it 8 weeks ago!! In any case, now I am down to hitches and payload help. The Cyclone touts its 88 degree turning radius: do I still need a sliding fifth wheel considering I have the Mega Cab? Seems to me it would be better, but don't know if it's actually needed with that turning radius. Second, what do you guys recommend for payload help? Air bags or springs? Which one? The hitch weight of the 3795 is 2,380 and the payload of my truck is 1,680. The 2007 Cyclone 3795 is 11,500 UVW and 18,000 GVWR. No way would I ever get to 18k, but I do haul 1000-1200 pounds of dirt bikes alone.

Comments?

Thanks again!
 

tainnm

Member
We pull our Cyclone 4012 with a 2006 Dodge 2500 Laramie Megacab. The only problem we have ever had was pulling up Hwy 550 going to Silverton Colorado. We pull our camper almost every weekend somewhere. Our recent trips (in the last 5 months) include Mancos CO, Navajo Dam Lake NM, Flagstaff AZ, Silverton CO, and Glamis CA. The only time we struggled was going to silverton. Our Tranny temp light came on and we had to pullover for awhile. If you're pulling up steep mountain passes frequently you might run into some trouble, if you are hiway driving it should pull great. We have a slider hitch and airbags nothing. Our truck has been good to us. I hope yours is good to you as well.
 

mbolton

Member
YOU are the guy I am looking for!! LOL!! I thought I was overloaded, wow! Awesome, glad to hear it. Forgive my ignorance, but, what does "We have a slider hitch and airbags nothing" mean? Do you or do you not have air bags, and if so, which ones? Do you like them and would you do it the same way or differently? Just want to learn from your experience.

Thanks!!

Mark
 

DW_Gray

Well-known member
Mark, I'll tell you the same thing that CHP Commercial Division Officer told me. You are free to make all the upgrades and changes you want to do to your truck. The bottom line is it will not change the numbers on your certification label. If you are ever stopped because the LEO saw a possible overload and he or she read your certification labels on your truck and RV, and found the RV GVWR exceeds the truck specifications, you'll be parked right there.

So the key is, don't ever give the appearance of being overweight and don't give some reason to be stopped. Clearly tainnm has done a very good job of that and I tip my hat to him for a job well done.
 
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