Help with Truck and 5th wheel weight

[ricknaz]

I went to the CAT scale with my Ram 3500 Laramie 6.7 HO Asin 4:10 DRW and Solitude 382WB weighed it and used a tool to get the pin weight result of 18.7%.
I don't have a problem with towing..no sway.
I know I am 240lbs over on my FW axels.
I'm just not sure if the pin weight is where it should be as I've read I should have 20 to 25% pin weight.
Am I ok with these numbers? If I need to add more pin weight where would I need to add it?

Thanks for any observations and recommendations.

Weight #1 - Truck and Camper Hooked Up
Steer Axle (aka Truck's Front Wheels) 5600
Drive Axle (aka Truck's Rear Wheels) 7540
Trailer Axle (aka Trailer's Wheels) 14260

Weight #2 - Truck Only
Steer Axle (aka Truck's Front Wheels) 5440
Drive Axle (aka Truck's Rear Wheels) 4420

Results
Gross Combined Weight
27,400
Truck Weight (hitched)
13,140
Truck Weight (truck only)
9,860
Camper Weight
17,540
Pin Weight
3,280
Pin Weight Percentage
18.7 %

 

[txloser]

7k axles? I’d think it would have 8k axles at that size.

As to the pin weight, if it tows ok, no sway and comfortable overall, I wouldn’t worry too much about it. I know my 310GK has a fairly light pin with no generator or washer/dryer. I need do a couple weighs, but earlier math had it south of 20% as well.

 

[Bungy]

I went to the CAT scale with my Ram 3500 Laramie 6.7 HO Asin 4:10 DRW and Solitude 382WB weighed it and used a tool to get the pin weight result of 18.7%.
I don't have a problem with towing..no sway.
I know I am 240lbs over on my FW axels.
I'm just not sure if the pin weight is where it should be as I've read I should have 20 to 25% pin weight.
Am I ok with these numbers? If I need to add more pin weight where would I need to add it?

Thanks for any observations and recommendations.

Weight #1 - Truck and Camper Hooked Up
Steer Axle (aka Truck's Front Wheels) 5600
Drive Axle (aka Truck's Rear Wheels) 7540
Trailer Axle (aka Trailer's Wheels) 14260

Weight #2 - Truck Only
Steer Axle (aka Truck's Front Wheels) 5440
Drive Axle (aka Truck's Rear Wheels) 4420

Results
Gross Combined Weight
27,400
Truck Weight (hitched)
13,140
Truck Weight (truck only)
9,860
Camper Weight
17,540
Pin Weight
3,280
Pin Weight Percentage
18.7 %

What is your trucks allowable payload? Hopefully it’s more than the 3280 you have now.

 

[Hoopy Frood]

Our Momentum has a pin weight of about 17% with no towing issues. And our axle weight is also about 400 lbs. over the axle rating of 14,000 lbs. You might check your springs to see if they're flattening out, not an unusual phenomenon. I replaced our 3,500 lb. rated springs with 4,000 lb. rated springs. They were very flat after about 3 years.

 

[JKellerJr]

When did GD start putting 8k axles in standard? I can't remember.

If you have 7k axles that means you have a 16,800GVWR on the 382 so your over 740 pounds right there. Welcome to probably 75% of the rest of the RV world. As far as the 20-25% number, thats just a generic number everyone uses. Rear basement units like yours and toy haulers can buck that trend as a lot of weight gets added behind the axles that usually is in front of them. It can actually lower the pin weight. If it tows well than it doesn't matter.

As far as being over on the axles that's more of a gray area. If it were me I would at the very least upgrade the springs. The OEM springs can barely handle the rated weight. I would upgrade the axles at the same time. It won't change the sticker weight but you'll have all the same equipment as the units that went out the door with a 18K GVWR.

Or put the trailer on a diet which isn't easy

 

[ricknaz]

7k axles? I’d think it would have 8k axles at that size.

As to the pin weight, if it tows ok, no sway and comfortable overall, I wouldn’t worry too much about it. I know my 310GK has a fairly light pin with no generator or washer/dryer. I need do a couple weighs, but earlier math had it south of 20% as well.

You would think 8K for this size right!
Yeah, it pulls without any problems and am very confident going down the road.
Thanks, txloser!

 

[ricknaz]

Our Momentum has a pin weight of about 17% with no towing issues. And our axle weight is also about 400 lbs. over the axle rating of 14,000 lbs. You might check your springs to see if they're flattening out, not an unusual phenomenon. I replaced our 3,500 lb. rated springs with 4,000 lb. rated springs. They were very flat after about 3 years.

We've had it a year and the springs still look ok.But will keep an eye on them. Thanks

 

[JKellerJr]

What is your trucks allowable payload? Hopefully it’s more than the 3280 you have now.

Its probably 3800-4K for a SRW depending on trim level. Obviously a dually will be much higher. But If I remember correctly SRW Ram's have a 7K rear axle so if its a SRW he's over there also

Edit: I missed it in the OP, its a DRW wheel so he's well withing limits there.

 

[JKellerJr]

You would think 8K for this size right!
Yeah, it pulls without any problems and am very confident going down the road.
Thanks, txloser!

It is, especially for the rear basement units but it was an option for quite a while and a lot didn't get ordered with them

 

[ricknaz]

When did GD start putting 8k axles in standard? I can't remember.

If you have 7k axles that means you have a 16,800GVWR on the 382 so your over 740 pounds right there. Welcome to probably 75% of the rest of the RV world. As far as the 20-25% number, thats just a generic number everyone uses. Rear basement units like yours and toy haulers can buck that trend as a lot of weight gets added behind the axles that usually is in front of them. It can actually lower the pin weight. If it tows well than it doesn't matter.

As far as being over on the axles that's more of a gray area. If it were me I would at the very least upgrade the springs. The OEM springs can barely handle the rated weight. I would upgrade the axles at the same time. It won't change the sticker weight but you'll have all the same equipment as the units that went out the door with a 18K GVWR.

Or put the trailer on a diet which isn't easy

So what would replacing 3,500lb with 4,000lb rated springs actually do for me if I didn't replace the axles?
Yeah, diets are no fun!

 

[ricknaz]

Its probably 3800-4K for a SRW depending on trim level. Obviously a dually will be much higher. But If I remember correctly SRW Ram's have a 7K rear axle so if its a SRW he's over there also

Edit: I missed it in the OP, its a DRW wheel so he's well withing limits there.

Yeah, np. 5021 on payload.

 

[JKellerJr]

So what would replacing 3,500lb with 4,000lb rated springs actually do for me if I didn't replace the axles?
Yeah, diets are no fun!

Really nothing until they flatten or worse. The OEM springs are famous for flattening out even on rigs that are within spec. Our '18 377 springs were flat within a year and it was within spec.

I frankly don't like the GD suspension design. Its the absolute bare minimum. So I prefer to be ahead of the curve.

My Dad's pinnacle with the same 7k axles has a subframe with cross members that the suspension is mounted to and the axles are mounted on top of the spring instead of underneath. The whole thing looks so much stronger the what was under our 377 but I'm no engineer.

We went with Moryde IS on are current 375 which is very similar to your 382. Basically a reverse layout

 

[Hoopy Frood]

So what would replacing 3,500lb with 4,000lb rated springs actually do for me if I didn't replace the axles?
Yeah, diets are no fun!

My reasoning was the 3,500 lb. rated springs basically were maxed out before the trailer even moved down the road, therefore leaving little range for the flex needed to keep the wheels on the road, and beating up the trailer, or worse. I also replaced the Lippert EquaFlex with the Dexter EZ-Flex. The rubber in the EquaFlex was basically destroyed when I replaced them. They looked like a poorly designed part for a heavy trailer. All JMO of course.

 

[ricknaz]

My reasoning was the 3,500 lb. rated springs basically were maxed out before the trailer even moved down the road, therefore leaving little range for the flex needed to keep the wheels on the road, and beating up the trailer, or worse. I also replaced the Lippert EquaFlex with the Dexter EZ-Flex. The rubber in the EquaFlex was basically destroyed when I replaced them. They looked like a poorly designed part for a heavy trailer. All JMO of course.

I think I will replace the springs and EQs with 4Klbs rated when they start to flatten.