Another Truck Weight Question

[reeldirtydawg]

Read through enough threads to make my head spin and my eyes hurt...but still banging my head trying to figure this out

According to RAM
My GVWR is 10,000 lbs(so is that the max my truck can weigh with cargo and trailer connected?
Payload=2,190 lbs



If the above statement is true then I only have 260 lbs available after I connect my empty trailer.

Below is a weight scale of my truck and 1 passenger, full of fuel and the trailer straight from the dealer with nothing in it(batteries and propane) None of the wife's stuff and nothing in the bed of my truck or the wife and dog in the truck=17,260 lbs

#1 ,060 lbs?


Assume if I add the steer weight and drive axle weight above with trailer attached(4880 + 4860=9740 lbs) and subtract the empty weight below(5220 + 3460= 8680 lbs) that will give me a rough of my tongue weight

Truck Scale weight with me, full of fuel and no trailer=8,680 lbs


Not sure were the yellow tire sticker inside the door figures into this:


GVWR Inside the truck door:


Spec sheet for my Truck from Dodge based on my VIN:

[howson]

Read through enough threads to make my head spin and my eyes hurt...but still banging my head trying to figure this out

Brian--both of the CAT tickets are the same. Did you weigh just the truck (without the trailer attached)?

[reeldirtydawg]

Just truck weight

[howson]

Just truck weightAttachment 19779

I see the text now...sorry, skipped right over it. If the STEER was 5220 and DRIVE was 3460, then yes, the difference between this sum (8680 lbs) and the later sum of those two axles (9740) is your tongue weight. 9740-8680=1060.

And yes, you have 260 lbs of payload left for the truck. (10K - 9740 = 260)

Are you going to adjust your weight distribution hitch to get more weight back on the STEER axle? Almost a 400 lbs difference--did the front end feel "light" while towing?

[howson]

Read through enough threads to make my head spin and my eyes hurt...but still banging my head trying to figure this out

Note that a tongue weight of 1060 with a gross of 8580 (gross=trailer axle weight + tongue weight) means your tongue weight is ~12%. Should have towed well at that percentage, given no other issues.

[reeldirtydawg]

Howard,

Weight distribution hitch- that is another headache for me. I purchased the Equalizer 14,000 lbs with Sway control. Installed it per the directions using 5 washers, after weighing the truck and trailer and noticing the front axle weight I added 2 washers and plan on re-weighing the trailer tomorrow when I take it back to the dealer to fix the issues.

Issue is the trailer is empty and the max washers you can install is 8 so not sure how much difference the washers are going to make

It was light in the front end and the trailer had a lot of sway, so far not too impressed with my $700 weight distribution purchase. May end up buying something else that is a little less complicated to get it right.

Once we add clothes, food and other stuff to the trailer(1000lbs) how much is that going to add to the weight of my truck since I only have 260 lbs to play with? I have to subtract my wife's weight and the dogs weight from that 260 lbs as well.

I just paid off my truck and not ready to get back into another truck payment. I have read others on this forum using 3/4 tons to pull the exact same trailer???

[howson]

Howard,

Weight distribution hitch- that is another headache for me. I purchased the Equalizer 14,000 lbs with Sway control. Installed it per the directions using 5 washers, after weighing the truck and trailer and noticing the front axle weight I added 2 washers and plan on re-weighing the trailer tomorrow when I take it back to the dealer to fix the issues.

Issue is the trailer is empty and the max washers you can install is 8 so not sure how much difference the washers are going to make

It was light in the front end and the trailer had a lot of sway, so far not too impressed with my $700 weight distribution purchase. May end up buying something else that is a little less complicated to get it right.

Once we add clothes, food and other stuff to the trailer(1000lbs) how much is that going to add to the weight of my truck since I only have 260 lbs to play with? I have to subtract my wife's weight and the dogs weight from that 260 lbs as well.

I just paid off my truck and not ready to get back into another truck payment. I have read others on this forum using 3/4 tons to pull the exact same trailer???

Hang in there--you'll figure this out. Hopefully @TucsonJim will jump in here soon as he owns a 297 and I *think* has a F-250.

I suspect if most 297 owners (who tow with a 2500) weighed fully ready to camp they'd find they are close, if not over, their GVWR on both the truck and camper. Don't forget you have a max for the trailer, too. With a gross of 8580 you have ~1,400 lbs of trailer GVWR left. (Max is 9995.)

Not sure if you saw this in my electrical thread, but below are recent results of test weighs I did to see how much was added due to my inverter project. These won't provide any "answers" for you, but it's one more view of the numbers that by now you should be familiar reviewing. (Note I don't have the max axle ratings in my spreadsheet. I should have done that. You can find your axle ratings in the pictures you posted.)



I wish I could help with your WD hitch, but I am not familiar with it. If you look again at the numbers above, note how the weight shifts around as I move the number of links on my Blue Ox. In my case I lightened the load on the truck by shifting more back to the trailer. Again--study the numbers and you'll see what I'm referencing.

[backtrack2015]

This isn't crucial since you actually weighed your truck and know your precise numbers, but the value on the door sticker of 1788 lbs is supposed to represent the actual payload of your specific truck with the options/features it had installed at the factory. This is less than the 2190 lbs advertised by RAM because they were using a truck with the lightest possible configuration for that rating. As I said, you know your specific numbers via the scale slip (which is the best way), but you asked about the sticker so I thought I'd respond with the answer.

[reeldirtydawg]

Backtrack 2015-Thank you, makes sense

Howard- Appreciate the spreadsheet, started my own and it will surely help me get some weights to play around with. I can then make a determination if I want to go with another WD system.

[TucsonJim]

Hang in there--you'll figure this out. Hopefully @TucsonJim will jump in here soon as he owns a 297 and I *think* has a F-250.

Unfortunately, I can't give a lot of advice since I have an F350. My 297 runs between 1400 and 1500 pounds of hitch weight, which is heavier than most. I'm using a Blue Ox 2000# hitch.

Jim