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Moving 21000# with Ram 3500.

Sturgill

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Nov 2, 2016
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Kentucky
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What is the highest weight limit to haul with a Ram 3500 and a Big-Tex 25 30 foot trailer? I’m only moving within 50 miles of the house? Weighed at the scales and this was 34,000# total
 

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Junkyard

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Jun 5, 2016
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Claremore, OK
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Well....you're going to get lots of answers to that question and may even start a debate lol. Trucks these days have so much power it's easy to overload your braking system and overall stability. Something like a dozer with a low center of gravity wouldn't bother me too much. I used to load four house moving dollies on my 4500 and gross around 42-43k.

My advice, which somebody will most likely take issue with, is secure it properly and drive safe. Good tires, functioning brakes and a reasonable speed. Maybe even early Sunday with less traffic.
 

lumberjack

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Legalities are a fruitless conversation.

I'd drive it no problem. I grossed in the mid 40s with my F550s from time to time... not a big deal if you drive appropriately.
 

mowingman

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SE Ohio
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I used a 2001, Ram 3500/Cummins and a 25' gooseneck with duals on it, to haul firewood. Truck, trailer, and load weighed about 42,000. I hauled these kind of loads over 125 miles, every month, for two years. It did just fine, however, stopping the load was somewhat iffy.
 

redneckracin

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Pretty sure ram publishes maximum GCWR. https://www.ramtrucks.com/towing-guide.html Doesn't matter if you have farm plates, RV, or a cdl. You are going to open a legal can of worms exceeding those published numbers if an accident happens. There is a big difference between making a Sunday run out of necessity and towing regularly too. If you gotta panic stop, do you have enough truck and enough tongue weight to control the unit? I sold my ram 3500 to get an International 4700 and I have never looked back.
 

lumberjack

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I have often heard tale of the legalities of exceeding Mfg ratings on the internet... insurance won't cover you, bus loads of nuns and orphans will perish, will be cast to the 7th layer of Hell after rotting in prison... I've never seen it happen in life though. I've never seen a law that says manufacturer ratings are a metric the law considers, etc.

Ever truck has a GVWR and GCWR, including class 7 and 8 vehicles. It's ironic when someone asks about moving a 12-16t ex behind a 30 year old single axle dump truck, the question of mfg ratings isn't mentioned.
 

JPV

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Aug 20, 2015
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S.W. Washington
I don't know about legality but if you chain the load down good and drive like it isn't and keep good tires and brakes on it it is safe enough, depending on who's driving.
 

d9gdon

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central texas
I rode in a Dodge 3500 crew cab 4x4 pulling a 953 Cat track loader loaded on a 32' tandem dually flatbed. The loader weighs about 32000 by itself.

I wouldn't load it and I wouldn't drive the pickup, but I had to ride in it or walk. Only went about 2 miles though.

The guy was an idiot.
 

Junkyard

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I'm kind of puzzled when I hear people bring up the braking issue. Don't these trailers have brakes designed to handle the weight the trailer is carrying?

They do.....most are electric and not always maintained. If I had a nickel for every time I fixed the electric brakes on one of our trailers with 10k tandem dual axles I could buy a round for the entire membership of HEF. It's always something it seems like. Broken wire, bad magnet, bad ground etc etc.

I think brakes come up more as a reminder to drive smart and make sure they all actually work!
 

lumberjack

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It's amazing how poorly trailers/trucks get wired, like saving a few minutes up front won't come back and bite you time and time again. Just say no to scotch connectors and open connections!

Here's the wiring on the back of the truck I'm wrapping up... shouldn't cause any problems over the rest of the truck's life.

Screen Shot 2018-05-17 at 2.31.44 PM.png
 

92U 3406

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They do.....most are electric and not always maintained. If I had a nickel for every time I fixed the electric brakes on one of our trailers with 10k tandem dual axles I could buy a round for the entire membership of HEF. It's always something it seems like. Broken wire, bad magnet, bad ground etc etc.

I think brakes come up more as a reminder to drive smart and make sure they all actually work!

I can see that. I'm one of the very few where I work that actually takes the time to make sure the trailer brakes work when I do servicing.

I don't do a lot of towing but I did haul a complete AG100 clip (complete with tires and 5th wheel) with a half ton. Brakes felt pretty much the same as with the truck empty.
 

Wes J

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Jan 24, 2016
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Peoria, IL
As far as I know, the GCWR for a vehicle refers to the drivetrain only. Identical trucks can have different GCWR based on the rear end ratio alone.

For example, Fiat (Ram?) lists GCWR for a 4x4 long box extended cab ranging from 19,900 to 39,100. Those trucks all have the same axle ratings, the same brakes, the same tires. The difference is engine, trans, axle ratio, and base weight.

The highest capacity setup is rated to pull a 30,320 lb trailer. IMO, that's insane. But they say you can do it. I suppose, if you had 12,000 lb axles and could get 5,500 lbs on the tongue, you could get almost there.

Of course, all other rules still apply. You will need a CDL. You will likely need a DOT number. If you cross state lines, you need IRP, UCR, IFTA, and all the same BS that a "real" truck needs.


It is funny though. We (tons of people) move 55,000 gross with old International 4900s with the old mechanical DT466 that makes all of 220 hp. The new 6.7 Cummins is around 425 hp. It's plenty hilly here, and 50,000 lbs will have the old IH crawling up a steep grade at 20 MPH. But it'll do it. Yet theses pickup guys need tuners and twin turbo setups to pull a 3000 lb fishing boat.
 
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hvy 1ton

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Lawrence, KS
It's amazing how poorly trailers/trucks get wired, like saving a few minutes up front won't come back and bite you time and time again. Just say no to scotch connectors and open connections!

Here's the wiring on the back of the truck I'm wrapping up... shouldn't cause any problems over the rest of the truck's life.

View attachment 181302

I've given up and torn the wiring out of a few trailers. After cutting open the fourth ball of electrical tape looking for a short i start getting antsy with the wire cutters. That's some clean wiring and an interesting looking junction box. Looks better than what i normally use at the back of trailers. Who makes that?
 

Wes J

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Jan 24, 2016
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649
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Peoria, IL
I wish they would come out with a totally sealed wiring harness for small trailers like they have for the big van trailers. Grote makes a really nice system that works great until the first hero cuts through the insulation.
 

heymccall

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Feb 19, 2007
Messages
5,349
Location
White Oak, Pa
With baby trailers, I just throw in the towel for wiring.
$60 loaded backing plates, Deutsch connectors on magnet wires, Deutsch connector on two wire from every brake to front junction box. No more under chassis crap connectors.
All get breakaway box with status lights.
With sealed connectors at each backing plates, problem isolation is easy peasy.
 

Wes J

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Jan 24, 2016
Messages
649
Location
Peoria, IL
I just do everything with sealed heat shrink crimp connectors. One thing that really helps is to run a dedicated ground to every light instead of using the chassis as a ground.
 

92U 3406

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I've always wondered who wires these trailers? I was doing better quality wiring when I was screwing around in the garage in my preteen years lol.
 

lumberjack

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Dec 24, 2011
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Columbus, MS
I've given up and torn the wiring out of a few trailers. After cutting open the fourth ball of electrical tape looking for a short i start getting antsy with the wire cutters. That's some clean wiring and an interesting looking junction box. Looks better than what i normally use at the back of trailers. Who makes that?

Truck Lite, round surface mount junction box. 28 wires in that picture, a few more will be added.
 

Georgia Iron

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USA - Georgia
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Concrete building slab and grading contractor
What is the highest weight limit to haul with a Ram 3500 and a Big-Tex 25 30 foot trailer? I’m only moving within 50 miles of the house? Weighed at the scales and this was 34,000# total


I consider myself to be someone that has learned the hard way... I had a TL150 skid steer which is 13,000 lbs and a 3500 lb trailer... take me and my trusty f250 for a complete 360 while out and about on lets just say my farm... It was not chained.. once the fishtailing began.. which was completely my fault... due to improper tongue weight.. since i was holding a 2nd bucket with the grapple it kept me about a foot too fair back on the trailer... the tongue went down but not quite enough... I was slowing down while going down a hill when I lost it .. first tried the trailer brakes ... nope ...no help at this point i was taking a large area... i then tried to throttle out of it nope, the rear end broke free and around we went.... as i was spinning around i was looking at the skid steer wondering if it was going to stay on the trailer or come off and flip and crush me... the tracks slid in the wheel well and the machine went 2 feet back but it stayed put...

As luck would have it, i came to a soft landing and the only damage done was all my tires getting some what melted and the trailer smacking the bed of my truck as it was whipping around so much... I was able to drive away... wondering how the hell that happened I was going 38 mph when it started and i lost it at 25 mph... The thing was .... it start showing signs of being improperly loading going up the hill at 55mph.. I began to slow way down.. then i went over the hill and gravity got me .. it wrecked me... I can only imagine what would have happened at a faster speed...

All ways have more weight to the front!

I have had loads do this to me before and every other time i was able to control it... not this time... point is... a load can wreck you so fast that you can not stop it. that is a lot of weight up high... make sure you have good tongue weight but not too much... I have done it both ways too much and you will break all the welds on the trailer attachment on the truck...
 
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