Is there a clear line between 1 Ton and 3/4 Ton?

[elkbelch]

We have a 2011 Ram 2500 CTD, GVWR is 9600 lbs. Today we went to a CAT Scale and weighed in at:
GVW 7740 we are allowed 9600 leaving us 2160 lbs
Front axle was 4580 lbs with a limit of 5500
Rear axle was 3160 lbs with a limit of 6010 lbs
This was with 1 occupant, full tank of fuel, weekly groceries & 100 lb of chicken feed, tools, etc.

We've been tossing around getting a 1 ton DRW. We tow a 2011 Jayco Eagle 30.5 RLS 5th wheel GVWR 11,200 lbs. We have not been able to weigh it yet, it's about 3,000 lbs heavier than our previous 5th wheel that we pulled with our previous 2003 Dodge 2500. Our current 2011 Dodge does seem to handle it well. We weekend camp locally and plan to take a 3,000+ mile camping trip in the summer. We were all over the country in our previous combo, however, it was a lighter 5th wheel.

We seem to be right on the line between 3/4 ton & 1 ton, however, we like our current truck, don't really want to invest in a new one if we really don't need to as our current one is loaded with all options. We do have the load lifter 5,000's in the garage, just haven't put them on yet and we know we'll be ok everywhere except the GVWR.

Question: With respect to our current unit being a daily driver & planning a 3,000+ mile trip this summer...when do you decide it's time to move up to a DRW 1 ton?
What justifies the need for a DRW 1 ton in relation to GVWR, (i.e: 1 lb over, 25 lbs over, 500, 1,000 lbs over)?

[elkbelch]

I was able to take everything to the scales today.
Truck/full tank 7740lbs
Steer axle 4580lbs
Drive axle 3160lbs
Truck loaded with fifth wheel, not completely loaded but all the dishes, sheets, blankets ect
Steer axle 4740lbs
Drive axle 5120lbs
Trailer was exactly 7000lbs at the axles
Gross 16860

We still need to load the two kids, a bit of water, food and clothes
I still have ~900lbs to reach the RAWR

I found interesting some of the pin weight loaded on the front axle.
The truck is already over the 9600lb GVWR by 200lbs

How's this looking?

[elkbelch]

If I had it to do over I would have bought a 1 Ton, maybe even the DRW but it is water under the bridge now. I bought my 2500 2 years ago last month and I don't really want to take a bath on a trade. I sold my 03 manual (bought new in 03)and never gave it a thought. I just went out and replaced it. While I am listing regrets, let me just through in how much I miss my standard shift and long bed.

Shawn

[JIMNLIN]

rhagfo wrote:

JIMNLIN wrote:

some one said wrote:
Sorry I do not believe your 3500srw has a 11,700# gvw rating.

Just for info from Rams Body Builders Guide.
Ram has take a page from Ford F350 SRW with many different GVWR packages for what ever reason. The Ram has 15 different GVWR packages for the 3500 SRW starting at 10200 up to 12400 lbs. Several have payloads in the 4500 lb range. And no their not a stipper model but loaded Longhorn/Lone Star packages.
..10200
..10500
..10700
..10800
..11000
..11100
..11200
..11300
..11400
..11500
..11600
..11700
..12000
..12300
..12400

The new gen trucks aren't the '90's era or even the '00 era trucks by far.

LOL!! :h

I can understand 15 or even 20 different Payload ratings, but WHY so many GVWR??
I wish Ram would have had at least two GVWR in 2001, as I am sure mine would be much higher than the 8,800# it is listed at. They put a 3500 spring pack on the truck, and didn't change the GVWR!! :h

Yeah, IMO GVWR doesn't mean much as far as a trucks potential weight carrying ability. Ford will give you a F350 SRW with a 11200 GVWR or the same truck with a 10000 GVWR. WHY ??
Probable several reasons.
One is Ford knows most of their Super Duty customers don't just pull a RV around on occasion but use their trucks to make a living (private or commercial) and understand DOT doesn't use GVWR to determine loads the truck can carry.

[Bedlam]

What about Ford who will put a bigger cab or bed on the truck and bump up the GVWR so the payload is close to the lighter version of the same truck? All the rest of the components are same.

The same F250 from 2005 can have 9600-10,000 GVWR just because you chose a different cab. If you chose the F350, if could range 10,000-11,500 lbs based on cab selection.

[rhagfo]

JIMNLIN wrote:

some one said wrote:
Sorry I do not believe your 3500srw has a 11,700# gvw rating.

Just for info from Rams Body Builders Guide.
Ram has take a page from Ford F350 SRW with many different GVWR packages for what ever reason. The Ram has 15 different GVWR packages for the 3500 SRW starting at 10200 up to 12400 lbs. Several have payloads in the 4500 lb range. And no their not a stipper model but loaded Longhorn/Lone Star packages.
..10200
..10500
..10700
..10800
..11000
..11100
..11200
..11300
..11400
..11500
..11600
..11700
..12000
..12300
..12400

The new gen trucks aren't the '90's era or even the '00 era trucks by far.

LOL!! :h

I can understand 15 or even 20 different Payload ratings, but WHY so many GVWR??
I wish Ram would have had at least two GVWR in 2001, as I am sure mine would be much higher than the 8,800# it is listed at. They put a 3500 spring pack on the truck, and didn't change the GVWR!! :h

[prfssr]

Go here:

www.cumminsforum.com

There is so much information on there it will make your head spin. These 20,000 members have extreme knowledge on the Dodge Ram, all the way from old ones to the new '15's.

I have a 2013 1 ton dually with the 3:42 gears with the Aisin Tranny that is rated at almost 24,000 lbs. If you were to get a dually with the same tranny and 4:10 gears - towing is at 30K.

Put a set of Firestone Ride Rite air bags under the truck you have, tow the new camper anywhere you want to go. The dually will give you more stability since you have training wheels for the added support. Just remember, 2 extra wheels, heavier truck, extra maint. and DEF needs to be kept full on every oil change. You will love hte new trucks even from a 2011 to a '13 / '14 as I traded in my '05 for a '13. 350 HP with 850 ft. lbs. of torque. Yeat, I like it very much.

Enjoy and be careful on your travels.

Mark

[Bedlam]

If you know you will be doing suspension and wheel upgrades regardless of size of truck chosen, go with the 3/4t. If the 1t SRW will give you sufficient capacity without modifications, it is less expensive to go with that model. In my model year the GVWR could be between 9,600-11,500 lbs even thought the running gear and frame is the same - The only thing that changes is the standard equipment (also available as options on the lower rated trucks) and the model number. Interestingly, you can see identically configured trucks getting different GVWR's so that payload stays at a similar level whether you choose a standard cab or crew cab...

GM limits which body styles and wheelbases are available in 1t verses 3/4t, so that may also be a reason to choose the 3/4t and make your desired upgrades. I know my 142" wheelbase Ford sure turns sharper than these guys with 30" longer ones. My overall length with truck camper is the same as owning a crew cab long bed truck without camper but with a much smaller turning radius.

[afishinado]

Appreciating this thread as I am doing the due diligence part over with on the same question (no tow vehicle picked) vascilating between a 3/4 or a 1 ton SRW.. Once I get my new rig to a scale to find the hitch weight I'll know for sure. Really want as compact as possible pick up as we will do touring without the trailer on our trips when the bikes will stay locked up in the trailer. We like to go off the beaten path into 4x4 country. So I'm paying attention here.

[Bedlam]

Buck50HD wrote:
Also, the F250 with camper package definitely appears to be the ticket if you get a 250. It sits high, with a 2" rake like a 350 and has the same springs and includes a rear sway bar. It's a $160 option and is much better value than paying the extra $900 for the 350 base price. Combine the camper package with the 18" A/T or 20's and you have the same hardware as a 350. I have a hard time paying $900 for an F350 door sticker.

One thing that I really don't like about the base F250's is that they sit perfectly level. Hook up the 5th and you are sure to look funny with the rear sagging. Doesn't make much sense to me on a HD truck. My F150HD bed rails are 57.5" high. F250 are 54.5-55" high and the F350 are around 57.5-58. Don't even need a tailgate step with the 250:) A gas GM 2500HD was around 57".

The F350 still uses a 2" taller block under the rear axle than the F250. I could have thrown that taller block under mine with longer u-bolts, but went with StableLoads and Firestone air bags to level my back end out. I was running the 18" wheels with 3590 lb rated rims until I went to the 19.5's with 4500 lb rims.

[JIMNLIN]

some one said wrote:
Sorry I do not believe your 3500srw has a 11,700# gvw rating.

Just for info from Rams Body Builders Guide.
Ram has take a page from Ford F350 SRW with many different GVWR packages for what ever reason. The Ram has 15 different GVWR packages for the 3500 SRW starting at 10200 up to 12400 lbs. Several have payloads in the 4500 lb range. And no their not a stipper model but loaded Longhorn/Lone Star packages.
..10200
..10500
..10700
..10800
..11000
..11100
..11200
..11300
..11400
..11500
..11600
..11700
..12000
..12300
..12400

The new gen trucks aren't the '90's era or even the '00 era trucks by far.

[Buck50HD]

Been looking a lot at 3/4 and 1 tons. One truck was a 2014 GMC 3500HD cloth duramax with a payload sticker of 3977 lb! The GVWR was 11500. Another I checked out was an F350 XLT 6.2 crew 8' bed and the payload sticker was 3880. For a diesel, the GM's are relatively light.

Also, the F250 with camper package definitely appears to be the ticket if you get a 250. It sits high, with a 2" rake like a 350 and has the same springs and includes a rear sway bar. It's a $160 option and is much better value than paying the extra $900 for the 350 base price. Combine the camper package with the 18" A/T or 20's and you have the same hardware as a 350. I have a hard time paying $900 for an F350 door sticker.

One thing that I really don't like about the base F250's is that they sit perfectly level. Hook up the 5th and you are sure to look funny with the rear sagging. Doesn't make much sense to me on a HD truck. My F150HD bed rails are 57.5" high. F250 are 54.5-55" high and the F350 are around 57.5-58. Don't even need a tailgate step with the 250:) A gas GM 2500HD was around 57".

[transamz9]

john&bet wrote:

transamz9 wrote:

elkbelch wrote:
We do plan to weigh the trailer on the truck as soon as the weather clears. By locally I mean 200 to 300 miles and we do make 1 long trip (1000 plus miles) to a different National Park every year. If we were to go the 1 Ton rout we would certainly go with a DRW as the SRW would offer little practical advantage our current truck. I really have no Idea how much weight we take along, a weeks worth of clothes for the four of us and we generally buy all our groceries before we leave. It will be interesting to see how much we do haul with us.

Not saying it's right or wrong but we see much larger units on 250/2500 series trucks all the time.

My 3500 srw has 2,100# more GVWR than your 2500. I have just under 3,700# payload.;)

Sorry I do not believe your 3500srw has a 11,700# gvw rating.

I'm sorry you feel that way. Maybe you need to go look at some new trucks.:W

[blt2ski]

john&bet wrote:

transamz9 wrote:

elkbelch wrote:
We do plan to weigh the trailer on the truck as soon as the weather clears. By locally I mean 200 to 300 miles and we do make 1 long trip (1000 plus miles) to a different National Park every year. If we were to go the 1 Ton rout we would certainly go with a DRW as the SRW would offer little practical advantage our current truck. I really have no Idea how much weight we take along, a weeks worth of clothes for the four of us and we generally buy all our groceries before we leave. It will be interesting to see how much we do haul with us.

Not saying it's right or wrong but we see much larger units on 250/2500 series trucks all the time.

My 3500 srw has 2,100# more GVWR than your 2500. I have just under 3,700# payload.;)

Sorry I do not believe your 3500srw has a 11,700# gvw rating.

I looked at a door sticker to a sw 3500 GM a few months back. And to my surprise, it had an 11700 gvwr on the door sticker, 300 lbs more than my 05 GM dually! BUT< I still somehow had more payload by 300 lbs or so.

Marty

[john_bet]

transamz9 wrote:

elkbelch wrote:
We do plan to weigh the trailer on the truck as soon as the weather clears. By locally I mean 200 to 300 miles and we do make 1 long trip (1000 plus miles) to a different National Park every year. If we were to go the 1 Ton rout we would certainly go with a DRW as the SRW would offer little practical advantage our current truck. I really have no Idea how much weight we take along, a weeks worth of clothes for the four of us and we generally buy all our groceries before we leave. It will be interesting to see how much we do haul with us.

Not saying it's right or wrong but we see much larger units on 250/2500 series trucks all the time.

My 3500 srw has 2,100# more GVWR than your 2500. I have just under 3,700# payload.;)

Sorry I do not believe your 3500srw has a 11,700# gvw rating.