AlmostAnOldGuy wrote:
To repeat with BillyW said you have artificially low payload on that sticker. To meet the GVWR of 10k your payload is calculated as the difference between the 10k and your truck weight. The 10k limit is for registration related issues and is not a reflection of the capability of the truck.
Take a look at this thread Improving Ram 2500 Payload
Good luck,
Stu
Stu is right, the numbers on the sticker don't match up. My '14 also says GVWR of 10,000 lbs. But the sticker also says GAWR of 6,000 for the front and 6,500 for the rear. Um, okay, so my max weight is 2,500 lbs under the combined axle ratings? Odd indeed. The base weights show 5,000lbs for the front axle and 3,000 lbs for the rear. If you go by the axle ratings my truck, when empty, is 4,500 lbs below the axle ratings. Again, odd indeed.
I'm in Stu's camp, the GVWR is a registration number. If you go by the axle ratings these trucks can take a bunch more pin weight than the GVWR tells you.
I have not weighed my 5th wheel but specs show it's 9,000 lbs empty with a hitch weight of 1,900 lbs and 14,000 lbs GVWR. So, they are estimating a 21% pin weight. I would guess loaded with water, ready to go with all my stuff it's about 12,000 lbs which would equate to about 2,500 lbs pin weight. When I set that down on the hitch the truck might sag 1 1/2" and it rides as smooth as can be. If you were to believe the GVWR I would technically be over that value.
With the pin plus 5er hitch (about 200lbs), assuming all weight is on the rear axle I'm at 2,700 (pin) + 3,000lbs (unloaded) for a total of 5,700 lbs. That's still 800 lbs under the axle rating of 6,500 lbs. Also my tires are the OEM spec Firestone Transforce and they are rated at 3,640 lbs each, so they are rated to handle 7,280 lbs on the rear axle alone.
I like to go by the numbers and ensure I'm safe, but the numbers on this truck are confusing. Basically, I know I'm within my axle ratings and tire ratings, the truck does not look or feel overloaded, so I'm confident I'm good with this setup.
KJ
