Med Duty tow rig questions
I'm looking at retiring in the next 5 years or so and I'm just starting to look at possibly using a medium duty rig to tow a custom built toy hauler that has yet to be built. The 5th wheel that I'm th...
Forum Discussion
carringb wrote:BigBaron wrote:
Many I've "met" there had an MDT and it wasn't enough, especially after they got a bigger trailer.
Here's an MDT that he is going to have to upgrade because his new trailer is too heavy.
:h
I don't see how an RV trailer could overload an M2. Rear axle is rated for 20,000 pounds (they offer higher, but you need an overweight permit to utilize those on the highway) and combined weight up to 80,000 pounds.
An HDT that is singled out will have less pin weight capacity because you still can't go over 20,000 pounds on an axle, but the tare weight of the HDT will be higher.
From experience, the MDT is not overloaded from a weight capacity standpoint,…it usually ends up being the performance that a lot of people are unhappy with. Yes, the HDTs have bigger and better braking,…no doubt about that. The problem is that it takes you much longer to accelerate. Another problem is that you have an 18k lb trailer that slows you from 60+ mph on a 6% grade, all the way down to 30-35mph. That's why I love my 525hp motor that sits under my hood. I mostly only drive 60 or 65 mph when I'm towing my trailer. There have been times when i have been stuck behind semis, and have been able to switch lanes and accelerate to pass them on a those 6% grades. When I used to have my MDT, I would always get stuck behind them, or they would pass me on the hills. While my MDT was dropping down to that speed, it was always working the engine pretty hard too.
Something to think about as far as the weights and axle ratings are concerned,…most of the MDTs only gross about 19.5k lbs. They average about 13k lbs by themselves. That would leave you with 6k+ lbs for payload or pin weight. That's about what I'm working with on my HDT.
