Jeff in TD

First, sorry to start another "Weight" thread...

Anyhow, lately it occurred to me that I could get a big 5er most of the places I go with my little 30'er... so I've been thinking of getting an 06 dually auto, then upgrading the trailer in a couple years when the pickup is paid for.

Problem is, trailer I'm looking at is 12,500 unloaded, 17,800 max, and 2760 hitch weight.

Take 12,500 and add water, generator and gas tank, 3 big quads (it's a toy hauler), food and what not, and extra people in the truck, and I figure I could end up curb weight of truck plus 17K easily.

Looks like about 15,600 is max for Dodge, 16,700 for GMC, and 16,000 for Ford (even the F550 if the web page I visited is right).

So I guess my questions would be, should I even consider towing this with a Dodge?

I'd be under GVWR on both the trailer and the pickup, under all GAWRs, and over combined by less than a ton... and that would be only on the rare times that me and two buddies actually get the same days off (Otherwise there'd only be two quads).

The GMC would only be a few hundred pounds over, but I really don't think I want a GMC.

By the time you take the price of a loaded dually and set it up to tow, price wise wouldn't be that much less than a decent used medium duty truck, but if I did a MDT I'd have to have something else as a daily driver, and adding that all up comes to too much money...

What do you guys think?

Patrick Campbell

These things are running 15% hitch weight instead of 25% hitch weight if that is right. Is that a 5th wheel trailer?

With a dually, I think you would be OK.

PS why would you go from a 6spd to an auto?

FiverBob

There are a bunch of us towing over our GCWR, but within our GAWR. My fiver is over 16,000# when loaded. I am under my truck weight by about 200 pounds and under the trailer by 800# (pending the water situation on any given day). Tows like a champ. My only concern on yours would be the single rear wheels. How much weight will each tire be carrying? I am bumping my rear axle rating with duallies. And, I would not be pulling this load without the 6 speed & 4.10 axle.

tankeryanker

Bob you missed the part of him wanting to upgrade to an 06 dually.
Jeff it's a tough call because like said you may be alright gvwr & gawr but over on gcwr. With that being said the worry would be if you were ever to get into an accident that being over gcwr could be used against you in a law suit.
That is the reason I got rid of my 3/4 ton & got a dually to pull my 32' 5vr which ways 12,200 pin 2350 trailer axle 9850

rockhound

the web site you read is wrong about the f45o/550 the trailer weight a properly outfitted f550 is 24000 and 21000 for the f450

ads for the truck bed conversions can be found in any rv magazine
the list their tow ratings all the time

just get a gmc 4500 and be done with it

medvedin denver sells them with the conversion already done crew cabs loaded

ASHNBAK

You can get the Tow Boss package on the F-350 Dually with the 6.0. It's the 4.30 Dana 80 with a special enlarged aluminum diff cover. GCWR is 26,000 lbs. With your max trailer weight of 17,800 you'd still have 8,200 pounds available for the truck.

Jeff in TD

Thanks for the input. I'm not really sure what to do. I think I would be OK towing with the Dodge, as I would really like to stick with the Cummins.

I'm thinking auto because I'm not sure I'd care to have 4.10's with the G's lower high gear, then there is the whole dual mass flywheel thing, plus the the auto is much improved (tow/haul mode, plus OD lock out, and Jake approved from the factory).

Yeah, it's a 5th wheel. I'd expect pin weight to be higher than what they published, especially if I were to run with tanks full and garage empty.

I'll have to check out the GMC 4500, though. I didn't see anything in the dealer's handouts about anything heavier that wasn't MDT size...

I think this is where I read the Ford's towing weights, from their web page, but it didn't seem like it could be right.
Ford Towing Guide pdf
Anyhow, that 6.0 scares me. I know, they are said to be much better now, but it's hard to say that without using the Norman Taylor voice.

As far as liability goes, I guess I'd be hard pressed to think of a situation where being less than 10% overweight could reasonably be viewed as having much of an effect. Walking around the state park, just by eyeball I would guess about half the rigs there are WAY overloaded...

durasmack

You could get an F450 or F550 and put a pickup bed on it and daily drive it. Put air ride suspension on the rear so that you can make it ride better without the trailer.

Get air ride any way you go. You really should be ok with the 3500drw with air ride, good hitch, good brake controller, proper loading and some sense about your driving.

RickG

The GMC's are good trucks and the new automatic transmission is tough but they are big trucks . I have a Dodge dually quad cab and I wouldn't want anything bigger for running around town . A Dodge dually could easily handle what you have in mind . I wouldn't even consider a Ford .

bluepuller

the dodge will handle it no prob .

Jeff in TD

Yeah, I'm sure a Dodge dually could handle it fine, but things always seem to weigh more in reality than what you guess, and I'd prefer to be legal and under by a safe margin.

Cruising around on the internet and looking at options...

The Freighliners are really cool. Didn't know you could get a crew cab and a little toy hauling garage on their sport hauler (makes for a long wheelbase). Good choices for engines. Bummers would be no 4x4, and "have to win lottery first" price range.

RE Fords, 5500 in a pickup size is nice, but that 6.0... That leaves the 650 where I could get a Cummins or Cat, but they are only 2wd and they are big for daily driver use. There are some of the last 7.3 powered 550's out there (used) with low miles and already setup with slick hauler beds for reasonable prices...

The GMC 4500 and 5500's are pretty slick. Still expensive, but affordable, they come in 4x4, and the Izuzu motor seems to be OK. Apparently the back seat folds flat into a bed (as does the Freightliner). They are also big for grocery getter use, but I think I might be albe to live with it... May have to go see one in the flesh.

I also stumbled onto some used toterhome kind of things built onto a single axle semi. Wouldn't work as a daily driver, but would tow anything, and I was really surprised at what something like that could be had for...

Anyhow, I'm kind of leaning toward waiting. With my luck, as soon as I bought something else, some mule would kick some sense into a DC exec, and they would decide that as long as they need to redesign the frame to make a long box mega cab, they had may as well make it heavier, put some 19.5 rims and bigger brakes on it, add a 7speed and call it a 5500... but I'm not going to hold my breath.

TRCM

To you & me, I'd agree....but to the insurance company that has to pay out.....if you are over by 1%, and they can prove it, it lets them get away without having to pay the claim, because you violated the law by overloading the truck/trailer combo.

roadranger

I don't think you can get 4:10 gears with the 6 spd. - 3:73's only.

I've read here the new G-56 with 3:73's runs the same rpm's in high gear as the old NV5600 with 4:10's. Should be real good for towing 5ers. The jury is still out on the dual mass flywheel, though.

bkrukow

A freind at church that is big into Dodge/Cummins says he heard they are going to come out with a few difernt models. Cab chasis and a Super Tonner(sp) for example. He said the Super Tonner was suposed to be the new mega cab with a 10 foot box. Yes I said 10 foot box. Sounds kinda dumb to me but he is usaly rite and knows his stuff. He claimes it is for the construction companies. There is suposed to be a hevier model like the ford F450s coming as well.

Jeff in TD

I've heard the thing about insurance not paying if you are overloaded, but then I've known people who have crashed while drunk, been arrested, and insurance paid...

Anyhow, eyeballing the C5500 series and other MDTs...