Hey guys, with me being in the occupation I'am in at the moment, its possible I will end up having to travel for my work. Been thinking about a 5th wheel for this sort of thing, but I have been having a hard time tracking down any information on this.I had at one point had some info, but I can't remember where I got it. I do understand that towing capacities is not the only number to go off of, but it would still be helpful to get the data I need to make an informed decision if I decide to go ahead and get a 5th wheel.

I can see where the 3.54 gears wouldnt make a difference between a 3/4 ton and 1 ton simply because of the lack of leverage they give the truck on heavy loads. But add 2 tires to the rear with 4.10s and your capabilities increase....makes sense to me...

Thats a very interesting link you posted ISX.....the formula is really wierd...according to that you can haul more with a tag than a gooseneck or a 5er? And they make no mention of 2wheel drive/4wheel drive, gearing, auto/standard, etc. As far as Ive known, these have always been factors in determining max loads and they dont mention any of that. Hmmm....

Mike, what is the max tow rating of the 4wheel drive long bed auto? I cant make it out on my screen for some reason..that one part of the pic is blurry.

Theres all kinds of formulas all over the internet with different coefficients. According to that one, my truck can pull 19,000..........

You gotta remember that the 2 tires mean it can hold more weight, but that doesn't mean pull more weight.. The dually really just gives you the ability to haul something with a heavier tongue weight. I think a lot of the trailer weight things are derived from the trucks ability to haul it, such as the transmission, cooling system, brakes, etc. The 4.10's help the engine out but you can get that in the 2500 or 3500 and adding 2 tires doesn't mean the engines gonna have to work any less, harder actually.

I agree with that statement completely but theres also the issue of whats safe. Ive been on the buisiness end of a few shady loads with my single wheel and would have given anything at the moment to trade my truck for a dually . When it comes to stability they are superior to single wheel trucks. The wider wheelbase and extra rubber gives the truck better leverage on a heavy load

Mike, what is the max tow rating of the 4wheel drive long bed auto? I cant make it out on my screen for some reason..that one part of the pic is blurry.

Auto - 3.55 - 16,000# (GCWR) - 9,300# (Long Bed - Trailer)

are the bearings in the dana 80 the same if they are single or dual?? ..I thought it was not only spring/engine power/axle ratio that contributed to weight ratings... but also BRAKES

I agree with that statement completely but theres also the issue of whats safe. Ive been on the buisiness end of a few shady loads with my single wheel and would have given anything at the moment to trade my truck for a dually . When it comes to stability they are superior to single wheel trucks. The wider wheelbase and extra rubber gives the truck better leverage on a heavy load

Oh I understand, it just doesn't seem to be something factored into the GCWR. But I would like to know why some 3500's are lower or higher than the comparable 2500. And why the chassis cab has an ungodly increase in weight rating. I'll have to red up on it more and see if I can find the specific determining factors.

Its all confusing I dont get where they got the ratings from either. Been looking at the ratings of newer models and. The ratings jump considerably between the srw and drw yet older models is minimal. And then like Mike posted from his book the max trailer tow for a 3/4 ton long bed auto w 3.54 gears is 9300 lbs. Then I pulled my sticker out of my glove box (exact same truck as above) and my rating is 9600 lbs. My truck is 4 years older, inferior front and rear brakes compared to the 02, and yet they have a higher rating. Thats going backwards the more I read, the more Im confused, I better quit now while I still know which way is up

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are the bearings in the dana 80 the same if they are single or dual?? ..

I thought it was not only spring/engine power/axle ratio that contributed to weight ratings... but also BRAKES

That would certainly make sense! Gotsta get er whoa'd up before the law of physics grabs ya!

But what makes sense is not always the case....

Then there is CajFlynn the towing nut of the site...

Ask him what that weighs???

The last time I towed my 5'r Iweighed in at 22.7k.(4400# front alxe, 6000 rear axle and 12,300 on the 2 7000# rear axles)The truck pulls and handles just fine. Alot of wind will change that however. Neither the truck axles or the trailer axles are over loaded, but I am exceeding the GCWR. Stopping is the biggest issue I see. I always allow extra room for brakeing. The E brake helps, but in an emergency the service brakes must be counted on, truck and trailer. My trailer brakes are in need of an adjustment. I am not advocating overloading your vehicle, it is a decision you would have to make for your self.

Im not condemning the 3/4 tons as incapable of hauling a load... Ive had my 14k gvw tilt trailer overloaded more times than Id like to admit and my truck handled it everytime. Its definitely on the upper end of its limitations, but they are much more capable than the posted gcvw. I was just a little confused by ISX post where he said 3/4 tons have higher towing capacities Regardless of what dodge may post, we all know dually is going to be more stable pulling the same load a srw. With that bieng said, I have no plans of buying anything more than a 3/4 ton (or maybe a srw 1 ton), I just cant justify the extra cost of a drw for my needs. Unless I win the powerball and can afford all the toys of my dreams

Im not condemning the 3/4 tons as incapable of hauling a load... Ive had my 14k gvw tilt trailer overloaded more times than Id like to admit and my truck handled it everytime. Its definitely on the upper end of its limitations, but they are much more capable than the posted gcvw. I was just a little confused by ISX post where he said 3/4 tons have higher towing capacities Regardless of what dodge may post, we all know dually is going to be more stable pulling the same load a srw. With that bieng said, I have no plans of buying anything more than a 3/4 ton (or maybe a srw 1 ton), I just cant justify the extra cost of a drw for my needs. Unless I win the powerball and can afford all the toys of my dreams

What if you had just a tiny little trailer with a crane ballast on it... I think that might be why dodge doesn't seem to factor based on stability since heavy weight doesn't necessarily mean a huge trailer. But who knows.

Im not condemning the 3/4 tons as incapable of hauling a load... Ive had my 14k gvw tilt trailer overloaded more times than Id like to admit and my truck handled it everytime. Its definitely on the upper end of its limitations, but they are much more capable than the posted gcvw. I was just a little confused by ISX post where he said 3/4 tons have higher towing capacities Regardless of what dodge may post, we all know dually is going to be more stable pulling the same load a srw. With that bieng said, I have no plans of buying anything more than a 3/4 ton (or maybe a srw 1 ton), I just cant justify the extra cost of a drw for my needs. Unless I win the powerball and can afford all the toys of my dreams

Some dude from Missouri scored... ISX??? c'mon man! fess up~ well, my plans are to build this 'ranch truck' from several donor trucks this winter.. and from what I can tell, the driveline from the early 98 5 speed cummins (dana 80) appears the same as what's in our '00 3500;springs, overloads....etc. I haven't looked into if brakes are different tho.. (front or rear) I am going to snag a set of salvage yard dual rims and make the 2500 a drw. I know the 2500's rear axle is 4 inches narrower than a 3500's. It'll still look ok: I am going to run a flat bed instead of a box. Not a real fan of running spacers to get the wheels out where they are on a true 3500.. If it ever rains here again, and gets sloppy muddy, I can take off the duals and run my original singles again. unless there is a difference in brakes, cooling capacity, front springs, my early 98 2500 should have compareable capacity as our 2000 3500 I'll concede the fact the replacement flatbed will weigh about 300 lbs more than a box. ( but with no muffer, I gain a little back!)

I've ran once or twice, waay overloaded for what I should have been...when I moved from Indianapolis, IN, to North Carolina in the beginning of this year, I was driving my 96 3500, 4x4, 5spd, 4.10 gears, with my buddy's 40 ft deckover gn, dual tandem. Unloaded, with just me in the truck, I rolled across the scales at 17.7k. After loading the trailer, with my daughter's play castle, which I estimated to be around 3k, my 97 3500, a few things that didn't fit in the moving trailer, the pets, my wife and kids, I rolled across the scales at a fun 28,640 lbs. Luckily for me, when I drove past the scales in NC, on I40, and got pulled over, the cop only looked at my military id, and let me go-my license was standard class C, rated only up to 26,001, and the truck tags were only at 9k. That could have gotten expensive fast!!!!!

What if you had just a tiny little trailer with a crane ballast on it... I think that might be why dodge doesn't seem to factor based on stability since heavy weight doesn't necessarily mean a huge trailer. But who knows.

Have you looked at the tow ratings of any of the newer trucks? Maybe they didnt factor it 15 years ago, but the 4th gens and even the 3rd gens there is a huge difference from 3/4 ton to 1 ton srw and then up to a 1 ton drw. Maybe they werent smart enough to figure it out then, I dont know. But from 3/4 ton srw to a 1 ton drw (same cab,bed, and 4wheel drive configuration) there is a difference of thousands of pounds in the ratings. Maybe its just their way of throwing in a safety factor so that people arent out pulling loads with a srw that they really shouldnt be. But there is a difference in tow ratings, and rightfully so. Not trying to argue, just trying to clarify things.

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Some dude from Missouri scored... ISX??? c'mon man! fess up~

well, my plans are to build this 'ranch truck' from several donor trucks this winter.. and from what I can tell, the driveline from the early 98 5 speed cummins (dana 80) appears the same as what's in our '00 3500;springs, overloads....etc.

I haven't looked into if brakes are different tho.. (front or rear)

I am going to snag a set of salvage yard dual rims and make the 2500 a drw. I know the 2500's rear axle is 4 inches narrower than a 3500's. It'll still look ok: I am going to run a flat bed instead of a box. Not a real fan of running spacers to get the wheels out where they are on a true 3500..

If it ever rains here again, and gets sloppy muddy, I can take off the duals and run my original singles again.

unless there is a difference in brakes, cooling capacity, front springs, my early 98 2500 should have compareable capacity as our 2000 3500

I'll concede the fact the replacement flatbed will weigh about 300 lbs more than a box. ( but with no muffer, I gain a little back!)

If theres any way to run the front axle from your 00, Id be all over it. The 98 has pressed rotors, the 00 has slip on rotors. Plus the 00 (Im almost positive) has the bigger calipers than the earlier 98. It would definitely make maintenance a bunch easier!