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Date Posted |
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RE: Will a 3/4 ton do
Jerry Said....."Yes, it is obvious Grit knows more about trucks than you, as do many other members!"
That kinda hurt me a little. ;)
So "knowing" about trucks means "knowing" that the manufacturers' ratings are BS? Well, I guess I'm an idiot.
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BurbMan
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06/09/22 05:27pm |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: Will a 3/4 ton do
I’m sorry some don’t understand vehicles enough to know what is safe or not. Cheers dudes!
Again, all I did was post my actual weights and the manufacturer's ratings for my truck and the same truck in a 2500.....I am not in any way making a statement about what is safe or not. Apparently you know much more than the manufacturers do about the meaning of ratings. You should be working for FCA, they would love to have you in the engineering dept....oh wait, are you an engineer?
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BurbMan
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06/09/22 03:55pm |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: Will a 3/4 ton do
Since you're about data, what data can you cite that makes the SAME AAM 11.5 axle good for 6k under 1 truck, 7k under another truck and 10k under a third truck actually be "different."
You obviously know more about trucks than I do...I do not know for a fact that the axles on a 2500 and 3500 are the same. I only posted the results from my trip to the scale and compared them to the ratings on my truck and the ratings published for a 2500.
I've been contributing to this forum since 2001, 11+ years before you joined, so if anybody is trolling it's you. The OP asked a question about weights and you're trying your best to turn this into an argument.
I believe that ratings are there for a reason, you obviously think they are concocted for political reasons have have no basis in fact. As my Dad used to say, "You're entitled to your opinion, no matter how wrong it may be."
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BurbMan
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06/09/22 06:16am |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: Will a 3/4 ton do
You're right, I didn't scroll down through the 2015 Ram 2500 Towing Chart far enough....it's either 6000, 6200 or 6500 depending on model configuration, and somehow the rating gets magically changed on the Canadian model....
Of course 20 lbs is not a big deal, but I like to have a little margin built in because it would be more than that with a full water tank (extra 50 gals), maybe extra passengers in the back seat etc. No way the beer is staying home :B
Not trying to split hairs, just give the OP some real world data so he can buy the truck that's right for him. I originally bought this truck to carry a Lance TC, had no intention of buying a 5er, but here we are....I lucked out on the numbers.
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BurbMan
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06/08/22 04:42pm |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: Will a 3/4 ton do
....the decal on your fender doesn't mean anything.
My 3500 has a 7,000 lb rear axle rating....the same truck in a 2500 has a 6,000 lb rear axle rating. Not where you want to be when you scale at 6,020 on the rear axle. Is that simply tire rating or is the axle different? What else affects RAWR?
I agree GVWR is a warranty rating, axle ratings are a safety issue.
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BurbMan
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06/08/22 03:27pm |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: Will a 3/4 ton do
As it happens the 5er we just bought has a 14,000 GVWR, we are towing with a 2015 Ram 3500 crew cab, long box, single rear wheel, with Cummins diesel (not the HO). We packed the trailer up, added 4 6v batteries in the forward compartment, about 1/2 tank (50 gals) of fresh water and hit the scales on our maiden voyage.
Ratings for this truck:
GVWR 12,300
GCWR 25,300
FAWR 6,000
RAWR 7,000
Tow rating 17,000
Scale readings:
Steer 5,420
Drive 6,020
Trailer 9,940
Total 21,380
So you can see the truck weighed in 11,440, that's 860 lbs under my GVWR, but obviously a 10,000 GVWR wouldn't cut it here. The truck empty (with hitch in the bed) weighs in at 8,500 lbs, meaning the the 5er pin weight is 2,940, and the total trailer weight is 12,880 or 1,120 under the trailer's 14,000 GVWR. I am also 580 under the front axle rating and 980 under the rear axle rating.
As was stated, you can't shop by 2500 vs 3500 any more since the ratings vary by box length, engine choice and cab configuration. Some the 3500's according to the Ram Towing Charts have GVWRs as low as 10,100.
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BurbMan
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06/08/22 12:22pm |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: Tonneau Covers
It sounds as though we might have the exact same setup. I also have a Trailer Saver TS3 which gives me 14" between the hitch and the wheel wells to slide stuff in from the sides. I'm guessing the BD series hitches are wider. I have a friend with the BakFlip and he loves it.
I went out and looked over during lunch and it's about 12" from the back of the cover to the hitch. There is room between the hitch and the wheelwells, but the Curt rails go almost the whole way across. So you can fit stuff in alongside the hitch, but you really can't slide anything on the bed because of the 2 rails.
The Bak Flip looks like the way to go, now I just need to convince management that it's worth a grand....
Hey Lantley, since you also turned me on to the Trailer Saver, you could save me some time and just make me a list of other stuff I need now that I'm a fiver driver....LOL>..
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BurbMan
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06/08/22 11:58am |
Fifth-Wheels
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RE: Tonneau Covers
Don't mean to be a wise -A, but it would be cheaper to replace the big chest with two smaller ones.
LOL good point! The ice chest was just an example though...the issue is that the cover only folds in thirds, and when it's open the front third is fixed in place. The hitch is a Hensley Trailer Saver mounted on Curt rails. When the cover is open, the back edge of it is only about 6" in front of the hitch, and with the wheel wells on the either side it's difficult to get anything in the front of the bed. The cover comes off completely with 2 thumbscrews, but you have to crawl up in the bed to reach them, which again is difficult with the hitch. If that front section was hinged so you could lift it up without completely detaching it, that would be perfect. The BakFlip looks like what I need.
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BurbMan
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06/08/22 08:02am |
Fifth-Wheels
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RE: Need guidance on best roof trailers
Most all RVs have rubber roofs and are sealed around the edges and the penetration points like vents, etc. How well the trailer was maintained has more of an effect on leak resistance than a particular brand. I would think if you are doing a seasonal site especially in upstate NY you would want to build something like this:
https://i.pinimg.com/originals/2f/a0/56/2fa0560a5a6e9001dca77e3bcb918600.jpg width=640
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BurbMan
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06/07/22 03:39pm |
General RVing Issues
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RE: Goodyear recalls 173,000 RV tires
Clicky
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BurbMan
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06/07/22 03:34pm |
Fifth-Wheels
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RE: Tonneau Covers
I was looking at the more budget-friendly Gator Roll Up. Certainly not as sturdy as the P-E or Roll n Lock, but also doesn't take up any space in the front of the bed. Downside is there is no partial-open option, it would have be all the way open when towing. Also not sure how that velcro holds up, but it has a 10-year warranty.
https://cdn-yotpo-images-production.yotpo.com/Review/116323015/91112306/original.jpg?1566202926 width=640
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BurbMan
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06/07/22 01:12pm |
Fifth-Wheels
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Tonneau Covers
I have a long box truck with a Gator tri-fold tonneau cover. The cover is nice because it fits over the hitch and adds some nice dry storage behind the hitch. With the 5er hitched up, I can secure the cover in the open position and the front third of the bed stays covered without interfering with the trailer or hitch.
I though this was a pretty good set up until I went to put some cargo up there on the last camping trip...I had plenty of room ahead of the hitch for the big cooler I wanted to bring, but it wouldn't fit between the top of the hitch and the back edge of the cover. I wound up taking the cover off and leaving it home on that trip.
I'd like to find a cover that let's me run with it partway open when I'm towing, opens all the way to allow full access to the bed, and closes up when I drop the trailer to keep my gear dry. Are the roll-up ones any good? Any brand you guys would recommend?
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BurbMan
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06/07/22 09:06am |
Fifth-Wheels
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RE: TV & 30 ft TT to Mini Van and 17 ft TT
Being redundant, we do a huge variety of things- AND find campers to be wonderfully flexible. The flip side is a favorite joke about the two things I dislike about most campers: 1. Too big on the outside, 2. too small on the inside. The 30 ft camper occasionally challenges us on state/national park campsites.
The paradox of the RV, they are never small enough when traveling and never big enough when parked...
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BurbMan
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06/07/22 06:50am |
General RVing Issues
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RE: Replaced WFCO with PD
Seems to me that PD makes a lot of different stuff and they may not all have the same features. Here is what mine says and has about the mysterious button
https://i.imgur.com/3SpkTOjl.jpg
No...As shown here there are different charge modes. The software controls what charge mode the PD is in, unless you push the button and change it. All the Wizard does is let you move that button to a more convenient location.
The main use case is if you are boondocking and using the batteries and have limited generator time, you can use the wizard to force the PD into boost mode and get more battery charge from your gen run time. Other than that, there is no need to "turn it off", just leave it alone.
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BurbMan
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06/06/22 07:21pm |
Tech Issues
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RE: TV & 30 ft TT to Mini Van and 17 ft TT
We had a 34' TT for 15+ years...loved it but it was always a hassle getting gas, stopping for lunch, etc. We had the opportunity to get a Lance truck camper and thought it would be great for flexibility and travel, can go/park anywhere.
It was really convenient, but DW HATED the cabover bed and general lack of storage. We wound up selling the TC and now have a 33' 5er. In a perfect world I would have both the TC and the 5er but don't have that much space here at the house. What you're thinking of is not silly at all, it all depends on how you camp and travel. If you plan on any 4WD accessible places the minivan won't cut it....
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BurbMan
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06/06/22 04:45pm |
General RVing Issues
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RE: Annoying
Every store is like that now wanting you to sign up for the credit card or the loyalty program. Good Sam and Camping World in particular are tone deaf on these points
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BurbMan
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06/06/22 04:27pm |
Camping World Accessories
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RE: 2022 F-350 Demo Impressions
Exhaust brake - I played around with the settings on it, and even in full on and the transmission in tow/haul mode, it worked OK, but definitely not nearly as strong as the one in my Ram/Cummins. I would estimate it to be about half as strong, but I suspect that the one in my truck is super strong due in part to the manual transmission.
I wouldn't judge it based on this...it's entirely likely that the EB changes settings and gets more aggressive when you plug a trailer into the 7-pin connector.
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BurbMan
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06/06/22 03:12pm |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: thoughts on Ecoboost
We leased a 2018 Explorer Sport with the 3.5 EB and only towing experience was a double axle U haul cargo trailer that was probably 3k lbs when loaded up. Power was awesome, I could tow that trailer at 70 mph all day long up and down hills....except for the 7 mpg and 18 gal tank that had us stopping for fuel every 2 hours. Could almost set your watch by the fuel stops. We put about 20k miles on the Explorer before the lease was up but zero problems.
This motor has been out for several years and don't hear many if any issues with the longevity on the internals etc. Gotta run premium gas though. I think for a 7K trailer it really comes down to how far and how often you tow, I don't think there's any question it will get the job done reliably.
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BurbMan
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06/06/22 12:39pm |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: Unknown or erroneous title on single axle fifth wheel
NO WAY that's a truck camper...if you put that in a truck bed, the camper door would never open! The external frame that supports the cabover and pinbox is an unusual design , but NO WAY is that a "homemade" fifth wheel, it was built as a 5er and it came from the factory like that.
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BurbMan
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06/06/22 07:29am |
Fifth-Wheels
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RE: Are these brake magnets warn?
If shoes and drums are smooth them I would leave them for now. Bear in mind that you will need to order new drums when you do brakes...very few shops even turn brake drums anymore, and I was not able to find ANY that would do a trailer drum because the inside face where the magnet rides needs to be turned too.
Last time I did brakes on the TT I got the 4 brake assemblies, new bearings, new seals, and new drums from etrailer for about $500 delivered.
ALSO: be sure you get self-adjusting assemblies, upgrade from that post-WWII technology where you have to adjust the brakes manually with a brake tool.
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BurbMan
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06/03/22 03:25pm |
Fifth-Wheels
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