mdamerell wrote:
06Fargo wrote:
Pickup truck: from OEM info GCWR is 23,000lbs. From door sticker: Front axle 5200 lbs, rear axle 6200 lbs (total 11,400 lbs), but the sticker GVWR is 9900 lbs.
Neighbor's Kenworth: from OEM info GCWR is 140,000lbs. From door sticker: Front axle 13,200 lbs. , rear axle 46,000 lbs (total is 59,200 lbs.) Sticker GVWR is 59,200 lbs. (it appears someone at Kenworth can add?)
Couple of items to ponder:
1- By "bridge law" the tractor can only weight 47,200# on the interstate That's 34,000# tandem axle and 13,200# for the steer (single axle is 20,000# or axle/tire rating). He can only do the 59,200# off road. 46,000# (2 - 23,000# axles) rears last longer and durability is the name of the game. When you rack up 500,000 miles in 4-5 years (half that time for a team) you want the truck to last. As for the 140,000# GCWR, the standard truck is limited to 80,000# unless you have special permits. This truck will normally operate no where near it's design limits.
2- There are other limiting items in the drive train other than the raw axle ratings of a pickup. Brake size, transmission, u-joints, engine, suspension, all affect GVWR.
hi mdamerell - sorry I should have stated the heavy duty truck in the example 1 is operating in western Canada - at 12,500lbs front, 37,500lbs drives in summer and up to 46,000lbs under permit in winter, and 140,000 lbs GCWR (no permit, just axles req'd) with some machines he moves requiring permitting at up to 200,000lbs. The owner told me the unit (tractor jeep and 16 wheel trailer) weighs if I remember - 85,000lbs empty. It doesn't do this work at 60mph up hill and down everywhere it goes, like we want our rv outfits to :)
The pickup in example 2 is a Dodge 3500 single rear wheel. The frame, suspension, axles, brakes, driveline part numbers are shared with it's same model year dual rear wheel counterpart. The hub offset adapters, wheels, and tires are different (tires are smaller, 6 instead of 4). The Chrysler dealer people that were kind enough to look up some part numbers suggested the lower GVWR sticker number must help to suit some license jurisdictions where over "5 tons" or 10,000lbs becomes a commercial truck or something. There is no apparent capacity difference in the steel and aluminum parts that carry the same part numbers.
Now, the Kenworth owner pointed out something to me. If he hooks up to a light tandem highboy he has his Kenworth and the highboy weigh in at around 28,000 lbs empty. He needs a "class 1" (drive anything with wheels) & air brake license to drive that unit. Get stopped driving it with a "class 5" (auto) license (even with air brake endorsement) and you will get a ticket and park until a proper class driver takes over.
vs
A person can commute by train and bicycle to his job all his life, and never own a car. He can rent a car twice a year to drive to the next city, driving 200 miles total a year. He can retire from said job, go buy a 4500 dooley wheel and a 40 foot tridrive big fiver that weighs 28,000lbs and drive away to electric brakes rv travel dreams and as long as the door sticker is not exceeded by even 500lbs we are all safe on the road.
No proof of driving competence required.
