towing with the dodge

phranc

Well-known member
to cdbMidland.. Now that you've picked up your unit and had a chance to haul it a little,how does it pull? If I remember ,you have a dodge with a SRW and long bed (same as mine). How about hitch height and bedrail clearance on your rear den model.
I was wondering what to expect when our 3600rl comes in.. When I hooked to a 3500RL at the dealers , it was about an inch or maybe inch and a half high at the nose.. Your 3755 is heavier of course and may depress springs a little more..:D
 

cdbMidland

Past Michigan Chapter Leader
phranc

I don't pick the 3655RD up until Friday. I have the short bed with a Pullrite Superglide hitch. Information on the label in the cupboard of the 3655RD says that the UVW is 12,200# (this unit has the gel cote and dual pane windows) and a GVRW of 14,000#. To the UVW I will have to add the propane weight of 60#. I travel with the tanks empty (more or less) and my 3500 SRW short-bed with driver, passenger, hitch and fuel weighs 7,680# (per scale), so I figure that with the "stuff" that we usually haul, I will still be under my GCWR of 21,000# (3.73 ratio). Big unknown will be the hitch weight, which I will not know until I load it up and put it on the scales.

My Dodge hauled a 35' Cameo LXI last year will all the options (including washer/dryer, satellite dish and generator - things we didn't need or use) like it was not even there (from Florida to Michigan), and I believe that the Cameo outweighed the Bighorn.

After I scale it this weekend, I will let you know how overweight I am on the Dodge's GVRW. I think it will be pretty close. I'm going to ask the dealer to fill the fresh water tank before I scale it and then I'll empty the tank and reweigh. I'll try to pack all of the goodies in it so we can load up before leaving the dealer.

I really don't want to go to the 3500 DRW if I don't have to, since it is only available on the long-bed truck and my short-bed just fits into the garage now. Michigan winters are pretty rough on vehicles, so I do not want to leave it out at night. I could not talk the wife into a different floor plan, and "if she ain't happy, ain't no one happy".

Note that the actual weights on the 3655RD are far lower than those on the website (they were listed as estimates). At that time, the 3655RD was supposed to use the same plan as the Landmark Monticello, which has three 6,000# axles, while the 3655RD was been built with two 7,000# axles and G-rated tires @ 3,750# @ 110 psi.

Chuck
 
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phranc

Well-known member
Chuck, thanks for the reply,, I was trying to get an idea on what to expect , although it's too late to do much about weight.We pick ours up tommorrow in Syracuse NY. Most likely we will stay out for weekend and won't get a chance weigh untill we get home on sun..but I think all will be OK .The 3600 will weigh more than our present Jayco.(34'11")which is about 10400# loaded litely,no water and minimal clothes and kitchen stuff.. Weight was never an issue however ,the thing that cocerned me the most was the pin height.The Dodge 4x4 sits a little higher and I had to have the Jayco springs repositioned in the hangars.Using highest setting still leaves nose about 1 1/2 inches high.So we'll see how it goes with the Bighorn. I would feel more comfortable if it can ride dead level..
Well we'll see..talk on Mon.......Frank
 

nemo45

Well-known member
Phranc,

I think you're probably going to be over your GVWR of 9900# with your pin weight. With the weight of your truck being 7680# that leaves you only 2220#. My Open Road 357RLDS has a published pin weight of 2200#. Since you unit is a 3 slide unit with much the same construction I wouldn't expect yours to be any less. The Dry weight on my Open Road by the sticker in the cabinet is 11998#. It also has a GVWR of 14000#. If you don't load most of your stuff towards the rear you're probably going to be over. I'm really close with mine too, but my truck is a 4X2 so its about 400# lighter. My hitch may be a little lighter cause its a Reese 16K Slider. I've pulled my unit some and it seems to handle really well and I basically didn't know it was back there at 65 mph. My Open Road sits nice and level on the 4X2. One thing though I have to put the tailgate down when I use the slider or the pin box will hit on it. It clears the sides OK though.
 

phranc

Well-known member
thanks Don.. yeah possibly could be over some on pin.But I'll have wait till mon to scale it ..Weighed truck when I first got it and if I remember it came in at 7400. Thats with the hitch and 1/2 fuel and the dog..Not worried about power or weight ,my only concern was pin height as 4x4 sits a little high..
 

cdbMidland

Past Michigan Chapter Leader
I have the advantage of having a 4X2 as well, so height is not a problem. Pin weight will most likely cause me to go over the GVRW of the truck by a bit, but we will know better today when I hit the scales.

Chuck
 

cdbMidland

Past Michigan Chapter Leader
Well, the unit is in my driveway. Had an excellent run-through with Keith at General RV in Birch Run. I asked him to leave the black and grey tanks empty, but to fill the fresh water tank. I drove it about eight miles down the road to the CAT scales and weighed in. I was 60# over my GCWR at 21,060#, but just under my TV's GVWR by 20# at 9,880#. We never travel with our fresh water tank full, but I wanted to see what would happen.

Told the scalemaster that I now wanted to dump my fresh water tank and reweigh. After about 20 minutes, the flow had slowed to a trickle, so I closed the drain and reweighed. This time, my GCWR was 360# below 21,000# at 20,640#, but my TV's GVWR only dropped by 60# (20# on the steering axle and 40# on the drive axle).

I guess what this all means to me is that
1. The fresh water tank is pretty much affecting only the trailer axles, even though it is somewhat forward of the axles.
2. My 3500 SWR is "legal", but barely so.
3. DW says I can look for a DRW as long as the payments don't change, but then I still have the garage problem in the Michigan winter months. Changing to a 4.10 ratio from the 3.73 is not the solution.
4. I can rest easier now knowing that I am not 100s of pounds over my TV's GVRW.

Hope this helps any of you that might be in a similar situation.

Chuck
 

BobD

Member
phranc,

I pulled my new 3600RL with my 2004 Chev 2500HD with 8.1L along with the allison transmission and had no problems at all. We too stopped at the scales, had it weighed and everything looked within range of what my truck's owners manual says it will handle. It does like more room around the corners than my old 32ft Cougar wanted.

BobD
3600RL
Flint, MI
 

cdbMidland

Past Michigan Chapter Leader
Bob, I think that the difference is that the gas engine weighs a lot less than the diesel, allowing a 3/4 to stay within range.


Where did you buy your unit. Mine came from General RV (Terry Bader) in Birch Run.
 

BobD

Member
Chuck, You are probably right about the weight difference. I think your engine might get better mileage than mine thou. I only got about 10 mpg pulling the rig up north. Lately the diesel fuel has also been cheaper than regular gas! I bought my unit from R&J RV out in Iola, Kansas.
 
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