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Car Forum / Dodge / Dodge Trucks / August 2008HELP!!!! Advice needed on new truck purchase!!
Time is of the essence! Yesterday we went out to do laundry and ended up buying a new ('07) Dodge Ram 3500 four door dually. It has the Cummings 6.9 diesel engine. The truck is rated to haul 13,800 and we told the salesman that our 5th wheel weighs 16,000. He said that the official numbers are very conservative and that we need not worry. After speaking with a salesman friend from my high school days (and I won't admit to how many years ago) he said it was borderline. This truck has the towing package and a six speed automatic. We drive perhaps 15,000 miles a year and being in the west, some of this will be mountain driving. Any ideas about this? We might be able to renege on the deal if we can prove that this is an unwise or dangerous. We bought this from a Washington state dealer. Thanks for your advice. > Time is of the essence! Yesterday we went out to do laundry and ended > up buying a new ('07) Dodge Ram 3500 four door dually. It has the [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] > dangerous. We bought this from a Washington state dealer. Thanks for > your advice. Some salesmen will say anything to get you to buy a vehicle. It's not fair but unless it's in writing, he never said it. If you get in a wreck while overloaded it may lead to complicated leagal issues. I wouldn't want to be in your shoes if that ever happened. Most (if not all) states give you three days to return a vehicle. If it's already past three days then you may want to start shopping around for a lighter camper.  SignatureKen >> Time is of the essence! Yesterday we went out to do laundry and ended >> up buying a new ('07) Dodge Ram 3500 four door dually. It has the >> Cummings 6.9 diesel engine. The truck is rated to haul 13,800 and we >> told the salesman that our 5th wheel weighs 16,000. He said that the >> official numbers are very conservative and that we need not worry. Yes, he doesn't need to worry, because it is your problem now, not his. Unless you were smart enough to get it in writing, which I know you didn't (because even car salesmen are smarter than to do that! <bg>) >> After speaking with a salesman friend from my high school days (and I >> won't admit to how many years ago) he said it was borderline. Borderline doesn't cover it. Way over the line doesn. Say it is rated at 13,800 and you two 14,100. That's borderline. Towing 16,000 is not the way to go. >>This >> truck has the towing package and a six speed automatic. We drive [quoted text clipped - 11 lines] >already past three days then you may want to start shopping around for a >lighter camper. Or a bigger truck! <g> Read Nosey's reply carefully. There are gems of insight there. I think your numbers are wrong. My neighbor has one of and he tows at least twice that. Well actually around 30K or 32K is what is stamped on his door along side his DOT number. > Time is of the essence! Yesterday we went out to do laundry and ended > up buying a new ('07) Dodge Ram 3500 four door dually. It has the [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] > dangerous. We bought this from a Washington state dealer. Thanks for > your advice. >I think your numbers are wrong. >My neighbor has one of and he tows at least twice that. Well actually around [quoted text clipped - 13 lines] >> dangerous. We bought this from a Washington state dealer. Thanks for >> your advice. A reference to start with would be: http://www.cumminsforum.com/forum/towing-hauling/55296-towing-14-000lb-gvw-more- 2.html which has a useful thread on the topic. However, that 30K figure is suspect IMHO. I'll have to look at my truck, but I doubt it is anywhere near that number. <g> GVWR 32,000 is next to his DOT number. > which has a useful thread on the topic. However, that 30K figure is > suspect IMHO. I'll have to look at my truck, but I doubt it is > anywhere near that number. <g> >GVWR 32,000 is next to his DOT number. > >> which has a useful thread on the topic. However, that 30K figure is >> suspect IMHO. I'll have to look at my truck, but I doubt it is >> anywhere near that number. <g> So you're saying he painted it on the door? OK, I see... What I'm saying is, yes it is painted on the door, in sight of the people that weigh your vehicle at weigh stations all over the country. So I would doubt it would have the wrong numbers, as the people that write tickets would just love it if it was wrong. The law states the GVWR must be on each side of the vehicle, along with the DOT stickers. >>GVWR 32,000 is next to his DOT number. >> [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > > So you're saying he painted it on the door? OK, I see... >>>GVWR 32,000 is next to his DOT number. >>> [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] >The law states the GVWR must be on each side of the vehicle, along with the >DOT stickers. Well, I'm sure that they have a good laugh if nothing else! <bg> With a GVWR over 27K, one needs a CDL to drive it. That said, the only meaningful number is not the one on the door, but the one on the registration documents, and if that's not available, the one on the vehicle, placed there by the manufacturer (required by DOT for *many* years). If they weigh him, the won't look at that painted number, they'll check the registration, and the manufactures specification plate, and then if he's over those, they'll take appropriate action. For example, Paint 25,000 GVW on the door of this one, and it still won't 'fly'! http://www.swapmeetdave.com/Humor/Workshop/Overload.htm <ROFL> >I think your numbers are wrong. > My neighbor has one of and he tows at least twice that. Well actually > around 30K or 32K is what is stamped on his door along side his DOT > number. <snip> your neighbor is an idiot if he grosses 32k in a one ton truck. he will also end up in big trouble. anything over 26,000 requires a class B CDL commercial license. michael Before I bought a new truck I would spend a little bit of cash and buy the wife a washer/dryer. It'll make it easier to sell her on a new truck! >>I think your numbers are wrong. >> My neighbor has one of and he tows at least twice that. Well actually [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > commercial license. > michael I don't remember stating he didn't have a CDL. (Which he does). Anyway, I was responding to the OP about the truck's hauling capacity. My neighbor is not an idiot, but someone who makes blank statements is. >>I think your numbers are wrong. >> My neighbor has one of and he tows at least twice that. Well actually [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > commercial license. > michael >I don't remember stating he didn't have a CDL. (Which he does). > Anyway, I was responding to the OP about the truck's hauling capacity. > My neighbor is not an idiot, but someone who makes blank statements is. <snip> i said he was an idiot if he actually grossed 32k in a one ton truck. not that he was an idiot per se. maybe you need to work on your reading comprehension. and i quote: dodge 3500 specs.. "The Dodge Ram Heavy Duty Cummins Turbo 600 boasts an enormous towing capability of 15,500 lbs., a payload of 5,020 lbs. and a Gross Combined Weight Rating (GCWR) and Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR) of 23,000 lbs. when properly equipped." dodge 4500 and 5500 specs... "Four cab-axle lengths (60, 84, 108 and 120 inches) are available. Maximum Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR) for 4500 models is 16,500. For 5500 models, the maximum GVWR is 19,500 lbs. The Gross Combined Weight Rating (GCWR) for both 4500 and 5500 models is 26,000 lbs." so if your neighbor has every towing option available for a factory 3500 then he would be 9,000 pounds overweight if he was actually loaded at 32,000 lbs. i will stand by my statement and expand on it. anyone that hauls 2.5 tons over the weight limit of a non cdl truck is a moron. now if someone was a couple of tons over on a 80,000 gvwr big truck it might not be quite such a bad margin. but on a pickup truck that much over weight is risking the lives of innocent people if something goes wrong. if he has a cdl, like you just stated, and the truck is a factory 3500 as you implied, he is breaking the law knowingly any time the truck is ever loaded near to what you said is written on the door. now if it is a non commercial truck, such as an RV, a person does not have to have a cdl to drive a vehicle in excess of 26,000 lbs. the only requirement in this circumstance is not to exceed the vehicles manufactureres rating. what i don't know is if your neighbors truck may have been optioned by a third party vendor and rated for what he has written on the door. that is actually possible. but if that is the case, you cannot use his custom truck as a basis to tell someone that they can haul that much weight with their factory optioned and rated truck. if that is the case then guess who gets to wear the dunce hat... michael Good point. All I know is he gets checked by the weigh station people at least once a day. I would assume he has altered his truck somehow. > what i don't know is if your neighbors truck may have been optioned by a > third party vendor and rated for what he has written on the door. that is [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > who gets to wear the dunce hat... > michael >I don't remember stating he didn't have a CDL. (Which he does). >Anyway, I was responding to the OP about the truck's hauling capacity. >My neighbor is not an idiot, If he painted GVW 30,000 on the door of a 1 ton truck, what your neighbor is, is obvious. > but someone who makes blank statements is. > [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] >> commercial license. >> michael >Time is of the essence! Yesterday we went out to do laundry and ended >up buying a new ('07) Dodge Ram 3500 four door dually. It has the [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] >dangerous. We bought this from a Washington state dealer. Thanks for >your advice. Go here: http://www.trailerlife.com/output.cfm?id=42175 and download the PDF for 2007 and look up your truck.. T. L. is the most reliable info I've ever found.. Remember that the "rule of thumb" for safety is the max towing weight should be just that, maximum, and that your RV should be at least 10% under that.. Also, the max weight is the trailer, contents, (including water, propane, etc.) and whatever cargo is in the truck.. mac Please remove splinters before emailing > Time is of the essence! Yesterday we went out to do laundry and ended > up buying a new ('07) Dodge Ram 3500 four door dually. It has the [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] > dangerous. We bought this from a Washington state dealer. Thanks for > your advice. i think your first and most important thing should be to find out exactly what it is rated to tow. not what the salesman "said". accorcing to the dodge company website the 2008 3500 dually with a cummins is rated at 15,750 lbs tow weight. it is a simple enough proceedure. open the door and look at the sticker on the door jam. it will give you all the information you need. my opinion is that you NEVER exceede the manufactureres ratings. pulling the load is not the crux of the matter. stopping it is. if you have to engage in a panic or emergency braking manuever with more weight than the vehicle is rated for then you will be sorry. are you sure that your camper weighs 16,000 pounds. according to the fleetwood website the heaviest 5th wheel camper they manufacture weighs 14,500 lbs. of course by the time you add equipment, personal stuff, fresh water, greay water and black water in the tank it would be easy to gross 16,000 lbs. if your manufactures curb weight is 16k you could actually be pushing 20k. i am unsure where, but we were actually asked to pull across the scales with our camper somewhere out west. it may have been new mexico or arizona but am unsure. it was no deal for us because our camper is a 23 foot ultralight. but i would have to get caught pulling an overweight rig. you would be fined, and parked until you could get the proper sized truck to move the trailer. so to start i would confirm the weight of the camper, look inside the door jam and confirm the towing capacity and gwvr of the truck and do some very simple math. if you are out of specs you only have two real choices. buy a bigger truck or a smaller camper. let us know how it works out. michael |
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