How much weight is too much?

[Bob3Putt]

I have a 2011 RAM 5.7 Megacab which has a rated towing capacity of 11,150 lbs. I have been pulling a 10,950 lb Cedar Creek trailer for 7 years with it. Fully loaded the gross weight of my trailer is around 11,400 lbs. I have had no problems pulling it from New York to Seattle and up and down every steep pass in 5 states. I feel like the tow guides are a little conservitive and you can probably get away with pulling a somewhat heavier trailer than the truck is rated for. But now I am looking at getting a new 11,500 lb trailer. Fully loaded that would make it around 11,900 lbs. So I am wondering just how much weight I can safely pull. Am I safe in pulling 11,900 lbs with a truck rated for 11,150 lbs or is the extra 600 lbs going to be too much for my truck?

[Grit_dog]

Always gonna be the haters 4x4ord....
But anyone who can back up a trailer at 60km/HR knows wtf they're doing!
Keep on truckin!

[4x4ord]

Geo*Boy wrote:

4x4ord wrote:
^^^^ What does it mean to be able to safely stop a truck and trailer. A Corvette can come to a stop from 60 mph in 90 feet. If I can stop a 100,000 lb legally loaded semi trailer with properly functioning air brakes in 450 feet am I safe? What if I can bring my overloaded 2020 f250 from 60 mph down to zero in 300 feet.... is that safe? What if I'm towing a 1993 5th wheel with a '93 GMC 1 ton and all my weights are within specs and it takes me 400 feet to stop from 60 mph .... am I safe?

When you injure or kill someone, you can ask the court/jury that question.

I suppose there is a possibility that a jury member might have a clue as to what constitutes safe stopping distance but more than likely he won't have any better idea than you or me.

[wnjj]

Geo*Boy wrote:

4x4ord wrote:
^^^^ What does it mean to be able to safely stop a truck and trailer. A Corvette can come to a stop from 60 mph in 90 feet. If I can stop a 100,000 lb legally loaded semi trailer with properly functioning air brakes in 450 feet am I safe? What if I can bring my overloaded 2020 f250 from 60 mph down to zero in 300 feet.... is that safe? What if I'm towing a 1993 5th wheel with a '93 GMC 1 ton and all my weights are within specs and it takes me 400 feet to stop from 60 mph .... am I safe?

When you injure or kill someone, you can ask the court/jury that question.

You could end up in court for not stopping in time in a Corvette. The brakes are only as good as the operator’s attentiveness and travel speed.

As for requirements, one example is Oregon law where combinations must stop within 35 feet from 20 mph without leaving a 12’ wide lane. https://www.oregonlaws.org/ors/815.125

[Cummins12V98]

Grit dog wrote:
They're Michelins and he runs Amsoil and it is a BnW hitch, so it's all cool...

Understood!

[Grit_dog]

Geo*Boy wrote:

4x4ord wrote:
^^^^ What does it mean to be able to safely stop a truck and trailer. A Corvette can come to a stop from 60 mph in 90 feet. If I can stop a 100,000 lb legally loaded semi trailer with properly functioning air brakes in 450 feet am I safe? What if I can bring my overloaded 2020 f250 from 60 mph down to zero in 300 feet.... is that safe? What if I'm towing a 1993 5th wheel with a '93 GMC 1 ton and all my weights are within specs and it takes me 400 feet to stop from 60 mph .... am I safe?

When you injure or kill someone, you can ask the court/jury that question.

Good job 4x4ord getting the weight ninnies all riled up!
Love it. Most of the weight "cops" on here are sorta like the most of the protesters out there. They're crying about something, they just don't know what about, but if they whine loud enough they feel better and have some sense of accomplishment that allows them to sleep better at night vs the insomnia caused by not having a real JOB! LOL

[ppine]

JIMNLIN wrote:
boy..this one was rizzed from the long dead. Looks to beat the dead horse one more time. 🙂

The horse is not the only thing that is going to be dead if people don't wise up. People that deliberately and knowingly tow over the rating of their TV, endanger everyone else on the road. "I couldn't stop" is a poor excuse.

[Geo_Boy]

4x4ord wrote:
^^^^ What does it mean to be able to safely stop a truck and trailer. A Corvette can come to a stop from 60 mph in 90 feet. If I can stop a 100,000 lb legally loaded semi trailer with properly functioning air brakes in 450 feet am I safe? What if I can bring my overloaded 2020 f250 from 60 mph down to zero in 300 feet.... is that safe? What if I'm towing a 1993 5th wheel with a '93 GMC 1 ton and all my weights are within specs and it takes me 400 feet to stop from 60 mph .... am I safe?

When you injure or kill someone, you can ask the court/jury that question.

[JIMNLIN]

dodge guy wrote:

JIMMY034 wrote:
I'm sure it's been said already, but I don't have time to read every reply. You can pull anything, but can you safely STOP what you're pulling?

If it has properly functioning trailer brakes it can!

Some folks will never understand your point.
My fully loaded tri axle GN stock trailer with 7k axle will stop the truck/trailer faster than my other tandem axle trailers or the 5th wheel rv trailer.

JMO but many folks who own a rv trailer have no idea or the know how to make them work at 100 percent efficient at all wheel locations. Checking for 12v at the wheel/brake location doesn't tell the real story. Gotta' have the correct amps to work properly.

[4x4ord]

^^^^ What does it mean to be able to safely stop a truck and trailer. A Corvette can come to a stop from 60 mph in 90 feet. If I can stop a 100,000 lb legally loaded semi trailer with properly functioning air brakes in 450 feet am I safe? What if I can bring my overloaded 2020 f250 from 60 mph down to zero in 300 feet.... is that safe? What if I'm towing a 1993 5th wheel with a '93 GMC 1 ton and all my weights are within specs and it takes me 400 feet to stop from 60 mph .... am I safe?

[dodge_guy]

JIMMY034 wrote:
I'm sure it's been said already, but I don't have time to read every reply. You can pull anything, but can you safely STOP what you're pulling?

If it has properly functioning trailer brakes it can!

[dodge_guy]

Lwiddis wrote:
“I feel like the tow guides are a little conservitive and you can probably get away with pulling a somewhat heavier trailer than the truck is rated for.”

I wouldn't put my family or OTHERS in danger based how you “feel” and can “get away with.”

If he changed gear ratios it could tow more. So how does a performance rating make something dangerous?

[4x4ord]

^^^ They are rated for 3750 lbs per tire. I'm about 2000 lbs over rated capacity per tire in the photo but it was cold out.

[Grit_dog]

They're Michelins and he runs Amsoil and it is a BnW hitch, so it's all cool...

[Cummins12V98]

4x4ord wrote:

Cummins12V98 wrote:

4x4ord wrote:
I've had as much as 11000 lbs on the pin on my SRW F350. The other day I used it to tow a piece of equipment that weighed over 36000 lbs and it seemed safe enough to me so long as I stayed under 50 mph.... it didnt have brakes. I go by you can do what you want as long as it seems safe to you.

Curious how did the rear tires look with 7k pushing down on each of them?

I actually don't recall if I even looked at the tires that particular time, but here is a picture showing a rear tire when I had 8k on the pin:

Those tires are rated for that???

[4x4ord]

Cummins12V98 wrote:

4x4ord wrote:
I've had as much as 11000 lbs on the pin on my SRW F350. The other day I used it to tow a piece of equipment that weighed over 36000 lbs and it seemed safe enough to me so long as I stayed under 50 mph.... it didnt have brakes. I go by you can do what you want as long as it seems safe to you.

Curious how did the rear tires look with 7k pushing down on each of them?

I actually don't recall if I even looked at the tires that particular time, but here is a picture showing a rear tire when I had 8k on the pin: