King pin weight

So how does it pull? Stop good, handle good? Thats the important part.

Your pin weight percentage is a little low for a 5th wheel. About 18.5 percent.

You may find the trailer will chuck and will not tow well.

Sure...you are over GVWR. By that definition, you are overweight. But I agree that the real question here is can you safely tow this...is the GVWR a real number?

My experience with my new Ford F350 4x4 diesel sclb was enlightening. The GVWR for the truck is 11500, and the yellow stickered payload capacity is somewhere around 3600. So far, so good...but I am right about there with my Heartland Bighorn and two people in the truck. At or slightly over, depending on how I am loaded. Not enough to worry about but all the hype on the capacities of the truck and this is all I get?????

So...I look to the Ford towing guide, which says that my truck configuration has a payload capacity something like 4680...just a tad higher than the 3600 stickered payload (going from memory here) for the 4x4 sclb. Now don't tell me that the Lariat leather seats took up all that capacity. The same tow guide limited fifth wheel weights to 18,000 lbs. (mine is gross rated at 15,500)only because the Ford fifth wheel hitch is the limiting factor....use a higher rated hitch and the numbers go up into the 20,000+ range.

The question becomes...what does all of this seemingly conflicting information mean. The yellow stickered GVWR tells me that I can barely tow this trailer that weighs about 14,500 loaded. The tow guide ratings published by the manufacturer tell another tale.

My opinion, based on calculations and lots of time looking at it was that the GVWR is a registration/taxation construct. Real world numbers are dictated by axle ratings and tire ratings.

Real world test; Hooked up and headed on 8000 mile trip towing through the Colorado Rockies. The payload didn't even make the rear hit the overload springs. I had added Timbren springs and they came into play at the same time as the overload springs....rough roads etc., and barely at that.

My experience confirmed what I thought.....so as others have said, I would look to the tow guide for your year and study the axle, tire and payload capacities.

I'm a pretty conservative guy...but GVWR for me is a nice goal but not a real-world limit. Anybody that says that you are risking your life by being over the GVWR just hasn't looked at the real ratings. Your tires and wheels are the real world limiting factor for you....but I would also add that you are pretty darn close on that rear axle rating and you have a 10 year old truck. I would be more comfortable in a truck with higher ratings.

All the best.

How do you figure the trucks not overloaded...920 lbs over the GVWR rating on the truck is overloaded!!!! You can't candy coat it and say because the OP is a few pounds under on RAWR that he's not overloaded! Anytime you exceed the GVWR your putting more stress on driveline components than they are meant to safely and reliably have. I guess some just think that GVWR is just some fictional # someone has pulled out of the air and stuck on the vehicle. Why do we even discuss weights when your going to tell people its okay to exceed posted ratings??

Bla BLa Bla...here we go again with the same old nonsense that somehow gvwr is a indicator of a overloaded vehicle.
However I'm not going to redebate you or others that pound this subject to death at least once a week. Pages and pages of gvwr or a gcwr or a yellow payload sticker number vs the gawrs/tire load capacity has been beaten to death already.
If the OP wants to know how much load his truck can safely/legally carry his area state troop post can give him those answers.

DBECHEN wrote:
Have some questions on trailer weight and pin weight. We have a 2007 GMC 2500HD short bed 4x4. Just weighed it today on a CAT scale. Was loaded ready to go with generators extra propane tanks and fuel. Here are the weights:
TV STEER AXLE - 4380
TV REAR AXLE - 3340
TOTAL TV WEIGHT - 7720
TV GCWR - 22000
TV GVWR - 9200
TV REAR GAWR - 6084
TV FRONT GAWR - 4800

TRAILER INFO: 2016 Artic Fox 27-5L

Weights with trailer attached
TV STEER AXLE - 4360
TV DRIVE AXLE - 5760
TRAILER AXLE - 10520

We have a 16K pullright super glide hitch.

Our trailer GVWR is 13400.

I guess my big question is are we overweight?
We want to tow safely and appreciate any constructive thoughts.

Thanks for helping.

In short YES, you are over the manufactures GVWR, currently by 920#.
The question becomes if you are unsafe? You need to make that assessment, being over the GVWR, dosen't necessarily equate to being unsafe. You could be in legal limbo if involved in an accident being over GVWR.

That out of the way, how far have you towed this package so far and on what types of roads? How did the package handle? Did you feel the 5er was pushing you around?

As JIMNLIN pointed out your 2500 has the same axle as the 3500 SRW, and likely in that year the DRW, so breaking components is not an issue.

Your biggest danger point is your wheels and tires! if you have stock 245/75-16E's they are rated at 3,042# ea. that is what drives the 6,084# rear axle rating. If you were to go to the 265/75-16E the rating goes to 3,415# ea. for a total of 6,830# providing you a bigger safety margin.

Question do you need bags to stay level, and if so how much pressure.

JIMNLIN wrote:
Thanks for giving us actual scaled axle weights. Eliminates all the guessing.
No your truck isn't overloaded. The truck is safely under axle/tire ratings. Your trucks rear axle is carrying all the load. Its the same AAM 11.5" rated over 10000 lbs as the one ton srw and drw trucks rear axle.

How do you figure the trucks not overloaded...920 lbs over the GVWR rating on the truck is overloaded!!!! You can't candy coat it and say because the OP is a few pounds under on RAWR that he's not overloaded! Anytime you exceed the GVWR your putting more stress on driveline components than they are meant to safely and reliably have. I guess some just think that GVWR is just some fictional # someone has pulled out of the air and stuck on the vehicle. Why do we even discuss weights when your going to tell people its okay to exceed posted ratings??

Thanks for giving us actual scaled axle weights. Eliminates all the guessing.
No your truck isn't overloaded. The truck is safely under axle/tire ratings. Your trucks rear axle is carrying all the load. Its the same AAM 11.5" rated over 10000 lbs as the one ton srw and drw trucks rear axle.

Yes you are.....your TV has a GVWR of 9200 and your actual combined TV axle wts are over 10K....however, some folks will say you are OK because your Rear axle of 5760 is under the TV GRAWR of 6084..but you don't have a lot of margin in the rear.....

You could spend some $$ and buy wider tires and wider stronger wheels....assuming you have 245s....this will give you more margin, however it will not change your truck's official GVWR. I did this with my 2008 TV for a few years before I bought my 2017 dually.

Just a quick addition. It is a 2007.5 diesel. There would also be about 400 lbs added to the TV cab, wife and 2 big Golden’s.