The most my future truck has towed was a 35 foot long fifth wheel camper during a tour of Alaska. The whole rig wieghed in at #29,870. They drove up there and back at this wieght and put 10,000 miles on the truck in two months. Sure is a way brake in a brand new truck.

 

43k pounds, IIRC.

 

H.I.D coined the phrase “ Don’t worry about the mule, boy, just load the wagon “. Come to think about it Hey Dixie where you ever the dock foreman at “Campbell 66” in Dallas .I don’t think your that old but maybe I do know you …….

 

The trailer's dual wheel tires would have had to be pressured at 100 psi and the trailer axles would have been overloaded. The trailer looks like about 40 ft long. The rate of travel was probably kept under 45 mph. Was 43k pounds the GCW or just the trailer weight loaded (GTW)? The trailer looks like it is loaded heavy in the front. Did the operator mention what the TW on the truck was and the trailer's GAWR? The axles look like 10k or 15K each to me but they both may have been heavier for such a long trailer. What actual GAW did the trailer axles weigh out at? It would be interesting if specific details were known.

 

The 43k is for the entire combo.

 

The Dodge dually would have a curb weight of 8k+ pounds depending on if there was an auxillary fuel tank in the box. 40k t0 45k in GTW is definitely a load on the trailer axles. It proves how tough the Cummins and Dodge frames are built. I have overloaded pickup trucks severly on the farm and can't see the government limiting the truck GVWR under the axle manufacturer GAWR and the tire maximum load rating at a specific pressure. The boxed frame on a Dodge will stand up to anything the tires and axles can handle. A Una-Goose hitch will handle anything a HD truck is able to take.

 

With my 96 I pull a 12,500# fiver. The most we ever pulled with a cummins was about a 22000# forklift not including the trailer and truck that bent a class IV reciver hitch 3". The most we ever pulled we don't know. Had a 23' flatbed trailer with so many logs we had to run a 74 318 power wagon in 4 weel low and 35 mph to pull it. It bent the rear axle tubes.

 

I'm up to (only) 36,850...latest pics in gallery!

Chris

 

Heaviest I ever grossed was 44,500 with my 03' quad cab dually and a 40' tandem dual flatbed gooseneck with 19 1,500 round bales on it. Trailer weight was 36,500lbs.

 

But if this is true, how come you dont see many dodge tow trucks running around? sure they are out there, but they are far and few between!, We got one of the biggest tow truck sales in the tri-state area, and I often swing thru the lot to see what they got for trucks sitting there waiting to get fitted, or used trucks they buy to put used tow bodies on, I asked them one day, all these fords, and all these chevies, but no dodges, whats the deal?, they said the engine would be awsome, but the frame cant take the wieght!lol

 

Thats an old wives tale. I've heard a lot of Chevy and Ford guys say it, but I have never seen a truck we've sold come back for a cracked or busted frame, and we have got some running in way harder environments than wrecker service. Mainly with the 3rd gens the reason is Dodge has not made a true Chassis cab, only a box delete, which will not accept a wrecker body of any kind. But that is about to change, next month Dodge will be introducing a new line of chassis cabs.

 

I cannot speak for Canada but. In the states there is no published GCWR that is recognised legally on a Dodge. It is sort of openended and depends on the trailer. The GVWR goes out the window when in a class A configuration. The brakes are engineered for the GVWR of the truck, the remainder of the weight is handled by the trailer brakes which should be engineered for the weight of the trailer and load. Air pressure should be at the pressure listed on the sidewall, not overinflated. You should never exceed the weight rating of the tires. If you are not experienced driving a heavy vehicle, you have no business getting behind the wheel when loaded that heavy.

I have said this before and been ridiculed for it, but driving the Dodge with trailer at 65 feet long and 30,000 pounds gross is not much different from driving the class 8 truck at 80,000. If you don't have the experience you don't belong behind the wheel.

 

Probably because Dodges frames are 38" wide...true chassis cabs are 34"! Why would all the truck bed manufacturers make a separate bed for Dodges?

JMHO,
Chris

 

There is a frame problem with the Dodge but not cracking. A commercial truck frame is 34 inches wide but a pickup truck is 38 inches wide. Tow bodies and whatnot are made for the 34 inch frame. The chassis cab that Dodge built was sort of a fudge on the width where the frame was 38 inches but had wider flanges for using the narrower equipment. It also had adaptors for the lower areas to mimick a 34 inch frame.

The frame cracking probably came from improper mounting because of the different width causing mounting problems.

 

How bout that, both hit that one at the same time....