2006 5.9 3500.
The door sticker is telling me I have a GAWR front 5200lbs
GAWR rear 6200lbs if I add that together it's 11,400 but...
My GVWR is only 9900 lbs. Am I missing something? Is the GVWR some sort of mumbo jumbo to keep the truck out a heavy duty catagory or....

According to the local HWY scales I am well within specs according to the axel ratings but I am well over the GVWR when the family and I are heading out for a couple days of fun and frolic.

 

I don't think they would add up as that is what each axle is rated for, there is not way you could get the weight in exactly those postion, so I assume they give it a rating they deem safey with out over loading the rear.

 

The Gross Vehicle Weight Rating is only as good as the weakest link, in this case I would suspect it might be the tires supplied by the manufacturer of the truck. Find the tires' weight capacity printed on the sidewalls and add them up to see if that figure is any closer to the GVWR listed on your door jamb sticker. Another issue may be the capacity of stopping power of the brakes. The axles may be heavy enough to be used in a dual wheel, one ton set up, but the brakes may be lighter if your truck is a single wheel and/or a 3/4 ton. There may be other factors involved as well, but these are two of the issues that immediately come to mind.

chaikwa.

 

Its more or less a generic rating that Dodge gives every 3500 regardless of pickup configuration. Ford changed that a couple of years ago, I wish Dodge would have too. 9900lbs in a single cab gas engine pickup will put the rear axle at its rating when a truck in that configuration is loaded to its GVWR. Obviously a Diesel quad or megacab will not be anywhere near the axle rating when loaded to the same 9900lbs.
Ford rates their Diesel Crew cab pickup at 11,500, single cab gasser at 9 or 10k, dont remember off the top of my head.

 

Those numbers tell you the maximum rating for each individual axle. The GVWR being lower is telling you that you cannot legally max out both axles at the same time.

 

Correct. But the "legality" is not quite to the point. The manufacturer simply does not believe that limit can be safely exceeded.

 

Correct. But the "legality" is not quite to the point. The manufacturer simply does not believe that limit can be safely exceeded.

 

In the one ton trucks, most axles ratings do not add up to the GVWR - my 3500 does not.

My experience has found that as my Dodge weighs over 8,000# empty, Florida considers it a heavy truck. Therefore, I am required to declare the weight of the truck, trailer and load, pay the appropriate tax on same, so long as I have the mandated level of insurance for that weight bracket.

When confronted by the REAL weight police (DOT) - they look at my registration, they look at my tire ratings, they look at my axle ratings, and they look at my per-axle and gross combined weight.

So long as I am:
1) Under my declared (tagged) weight in total
2) Not overloaded on any axle of the combination
3) Not overloaded on any tire of the combination

I am good-to-go.

The GVW "ratings" of the manufacturer come in to play often in any warranty issue, or in any motor vehicle accident. The DOT seems happy if your per-axle and per-tire weights are under - and that goes along with the "weakest link" theory. That is why, other than for appearance, when guys buy larger wheels and tires for their trucks they haven't increased their capacity, because often the axle rating then becomes the weakest link.

 

when i first started hauling, everal years ago, I had a 97 dodge dually, 4 wheel drive, and was pulled into a dot station, they gave me a ticket for being over weight, I was empty, thats when i learned that when registering a 1 ton, the dmv,s had a set rating they put on all registrations, unless otherwise given numbers by the owner, the standard they used at that time was, truck weight 5500lbs, with a carrting cap of 2,000lbs, being it was a one ton=2000lbs, total weight cap of 7500 lbs, my truck with a flat bed weighed 8900 empty, LOLhence a 100 dollar fine for over weight, LOL, I think dodge has since raised it, because i complained to the dmv so much, LOL and now always set my own ratings when i register, if you haul for a living you have to do this or somewhere down the road you will get a overweight ticket

 

I'm pretty sure they set it at 9900 because at or over 10k you need different, more expensive plates. The individual axle ratings are usually based on what kind of tires the truck came with too. My 2003 Ram 1500 has a GVWR on the door tag of 6650, which is completely ridiculous, it weighs almost 6k and the axle ratings are much higher. At that rating, you would be hard pressed to use it as anything other than a really big car.

 

tjar66
as bonshawman says its RAWR/FAWR/tire caps that LEOs will kook at. GVWR comes to play when hauling with commercial combined plates (truck and trailer). Dodge uses the 11.5 AAM axle for our 2500/3500 SRW and 3500 DRW but each has its own RAWR numbers that are what they are. My state isn't interested in RVers at this time but they do give non commercial operators fits when hauling over max axle loads on implement trailers and some of the larger horse trailers (40+ ft). Right now a one ton pulling a big tandam dual axle trailer with one of the bigger Case backhoes are making a big target as my neighbor found out expensive way. He was over axle weights on his new GM DMAX 3500 DRW with the 11.5 AAM axle which GM for some reason only gives it a 8250 RAWR. He is looking at a new Dodge 3500 DRW as it has a 9350 RAWR.
Your under RAWR/FAWR/tire caps which is the most important from a safety standpoint.

Jim

 

I have my '03 registered at 34,200# in 12 western states!

 

passanger plate are good for 10,000 lbs now, used to be 8,000 but when an empty truck weighs 9,000 you had a problem, so they raised the passenger plate rating, or at least in Oregon its that way, i think all the plate are the same though. then you get truck plates above 10,000 and above 26,000 you have puc but those 2 you can only legally go 55mph.

 

When I bought my truck the dealer put car tags on it, what I call them anyway. I think they were only good up to 9000#'s. I broke that law many times hauling off scrap iron. When the tag ran out I registered it for 20K, ain't broke that one.......yet. Best thing is to know your numbers, tire ratings, all 4 combined, axle ratings, and how much the truck weighs empty so you can add it in your head as you put it on. If you are below your max tire/axle and your tags are good then you'll know your safe. Know your numbers so if you get pulled over you can rattle off the numbers and letters without stuttering and going...ahh, my ahhh, I thought the ahhh, at least you'll look like you know what the heck your talking about.....at least that's my theory!

 

i went across a scale one time,my combine weight was 19,500 lbs and they red lighted me, not for weight but they thought i had on excavator holding the other one on. but the trailer was 1,000 lbs over, but don't tell them that.

and the sounding like you know what your talking about, i think helps, i told them how i had it chaind on and they let me go, but they did say i should get truck plates if i am going to haul that all the time, but i wasn't going to haul it again.