Tow ratings of Ram's 2500 and 3500

**Booch035** · 06-17-2019

Because of all this I have since decided to just get my Class A CDL but with "air brake restricted" taking the test with my 3500 and horse trailer. Best advice is know your gvwr's and don't haul overloaded. I would say better to go overkill on the truck then cutting it close.

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**hotrodfeguy** · 07-02-2019

A 4.10 gear truck will get you over 21K with a DRW RFE.

I went with this as they wanted another 5K more for the Aisin/HO option.

If you plan on going over 21K go for the HO.

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**AmericanWolver** · 08-01-2019

I don't know if I gonna get flamed for bringing a semi old thread back to life. But, I do have some input in case there are those using the search function. (Also my first post.)

First, about me. I have a CDL-A with my X endorsement. Been driving now for nearly 15 years currently running a 108' long truck with 2 trailers weighing in at 129,000 lbs driving the mountains of Utah hauling crude oil.

Some states do have Non CDL licenses, most don't. Utah and Illinois (as of 2010) do not. With that said, it never hurts to be overqualified and getting the CDL-A isn't a terribly hard thing to do and it does give you something to fall back on for income if need be.

Now, let's talk laws. Near 2 years ago I bought my '14 Mega 2500. One day I had the pleasure of being used as an example by DOT at the weigh station (here we call them Ports of Entry) to show off to the head of the department how to weigh a truck. After that fun, I got pulled in to review paperwork. I took this as a good opportunity to ask him about the limits of my truck in case I needed to fall back on it to make money. He said they see the tow ratings as a non official number established by a non government organization mainly existing to compare vehicles performance. I asked him about axle and tire ratings (seeing as 2500s and 3500s share the same base axle but have a different GVWR), got similar response. He flat out told me as long as I was within the weight of my registration weight, legally, I'm fine. Even said I could overload the truck and they wouldn't care.

Now, lawsuits, that's a different story. With a decent ambulance chasing lawyer and most jury's not understanding basic physics, you're screwed.

Class 8 trucks (think Peterbilt semis) don't have tow ratings. (In fact, it seems the transmission and the 5th wheel are the only things with a rating.) We go by axle weights. On my truck I have a 13.5k steer, 12k drop and 40k drives. I can load those up to those limits and not void the warranty, but I'm limited by a formula as to how much I can load, it's always far less than the design. 65.5k is my design limit, my legal limit is 52k and then I have 77k worth of trailers behind me that have 145k worth of axle ratings. We have 450hp to over 600hp trucks out here hauling 129k. Some just do it slower, but it doesn't lower the tow ratings.

With that understanding, a pickup should be similar. The transmission and hitch are the main variables. Don't overload axles or tires. You will get in trouble, not necessarily by the law, but by safety. You can exceed the design of the engine and transmission, you'll wear them out faster.

Now, here comes the disclaimer. Every state is different, not to mention the interpretation of the law by the officer. This is Utah's view, my not apply in Texas or Colorado... And knowing Utah, it will change with the direction of the wind. My best advice is to stop by your local weigh station or port of entry and ask. Don't ask your local patrol officer, they don't know this section of law and enforcement unless trained to be a DOT officer. (Some local officers are trained and able to enforce commercial vehicle law.) Most of these officers are decent people and would rather help you know the law and get you in its bounds for the state you operate in than to be ignorant and get in trouble.

-AmericanWolver

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**watersupply189** · 08-01-2019

Originally Posted by AmericanWolver

I don't know if I gonna get flamed for bringing a semi old thread back to life. But, I do have some input in case there are those using the search function. (Also my first post.)

First, about me. I have a CDL-A with my X endorsement. Been driving now for nearly 15 years currently running a 108' long truck with 2 trailers weighing in at 129,000 lbs driving the mountains of Utah hauling crude oil.

Some states do have Non CDL licenses, most don't. Utah and Illinois (as of 2010) do not. With that said, it never hurts to be overqualified and getting the CDL-A isn't a terribly hard thing to do and it does give you something to fall back on for income if need be.

Now, let's talk laws. Near 2 years ago I bought my '14 Mega 2500. One day I had the pleasure of being used as an example by DOT at the weigh station (here we call them Ports of Entry) to show off to the head of the department how to weigh a truck. After that fun, I got pulled in to review paperwork. I took this as a good opportunity to ask him about the limits of my truck in case I needed to fall back on it to make money. He said they see the tow ratings as a non official number established by a non government organization mainly existing to compare vehicles performance. I asked him about axle and tire ratings (seeing as 2500s and 3500s share the same base axle but have a different GVWR), got similar response. He flat out told me as long as I was within the weight of my registration weight, legally, I'm fine. Even said I could overload the truck and they wouldn't care.

Now, lawsuits, that's a different story. With a decent ambulance chasing lawyer and most jury's not understanding basic physics, you're screwed.

Class 8 trucks (think Peterbilt semis) don't have tow ratings. (In fact, it seems the transmission and the 5th wheel are the only things with a rating.) We go by axle weights. On my truck I have a 13.5k steer, 12k drop and 40k drives. I can load those up to those limits and not void the warranty, but I'm limited by a formula as to how much I can load, it's always far less than the design. 65.5k is my design limit, my legal limit is 52k and then I have 77k worth of trailers behind me that have 145k worth of axle ratings. We have 450hp to over 600hp trucks out here hauling 129k. Some just do it slower, but it doesn't lower the tow ratings.

With that understanding, a pickup should be similar. The transmission and hitch are the main variables. Don't overload axles or tires. You will get in trouble, not necessarily by the law, but by safety. You can exceed the design of the engine and transmission, you'll wear them out faster.

Now, here comes the disclaimer. Every state is different, not to mention the interpretation of the law by the officer. This is Utah's view, my not apply in Texas or Colorado... And knowing Utah, it will change with the direction of the wind. My best advice is to stop by your local weigh station or port of entry and ask. Don't ask your local patrol officer, they don't know this section of law and enforcement unless trained to be a DOT officer. (Some local officers are trained and able to enforce commercial vehicle law.) Most of these officers are decent people and would rather help you know the law and get you in its bounds for the state you operate in than to be ignorant and get in trouble.

-AmericanWolver

Excellent write up sir.

2016 Ram Laramie 3500, G56, 6.7, MM3 by Double R Diesel, Rough Country Leveling, 35x12.50 Nitto G2, HID headlights, Morimoto LED fogs plus a whole lot more!

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**Power247** · 08-02-2019

Originally Posted by AmericanWolver

I don't know if I gonna get flamed for bringing a semi old thread back to life. But, I do have some input in case there are those using the search function. (Also my first post.)

First, about me. I have a CDL-A with my X endorsement. Been driving now for nearly 15 years currently running a 108' long truck with 2 trailers weighing in at 129,000 lbs driving the mountains of Utah hauling crude oil.

Some states do have Non CDL licenses, most don't. Utah and Illinois (as of 2010) do not. With that said, it never hurts to be overqualified and getting the CDL-A isn't a terribly hard thing to do and it does give you something to fall back on for income if need be.

Now, let's talk laws. Near 2 years ago I bought my '14 Mega 2500. One day I had the pleasure of being used as an example by DOT at the weigh station (here we call them Ports of Entry) to show off to the head of the department how to weigh a truck. After that fun, I got pulled in to review paperwork. I took this as a good opportunity to ask him about the limits of my truck in case I needed to fall back on it to make money. He said they see the tow ratings as a non official number established by a non government organization mainly existing to compare vehicles performance. I asked him about axle and tire ratings (seeing as 2500s and 3500s share the same base axle but have a different GVWR), got similar response. He flat out told me as long as I was within the weight of my registration weight, legally, I'm fine. Even said I could overload the truck and they wouldn't care.

Now, lawsuits, that's a different story. With a decent ambulance chasing lawyer and most jury's not understanding basic physics, you're screwed.

Class 8 trucks (think Peterbilt semis) don't have tow ratings. (In fact, it seems the transmission and the 5th wheel are the only things with a rating.) We go by axle weights. On my truck I have a 13.5k steer, 12k drop and 40k drives. I can load those up to those limits and not void the warranty, but I'm limited by a formula as to how much I can load, it's always far less than the design. 65.5k is my design limit, my legal limit is 52k and then I have 77k worth of trailers behind me that have 145k worth of axle ratings. We have 450hp to over 600hp trucks out here hauling 129k. Some just do it slower, but it doesn't lower the tow ratings.

With that understanding, a pickup should be similar. The transmission and hitch are the main variables. Don't overload axles or tires. You will get in trouble, not necessarily by the law, but by safety. You can exceed the design of the engine and transmission, you'll wear them out faster.

Now, here comes the disclaimer. Every state is different, not to mention the interpretation of the law by the officer. This is Utah's view, my not apply in Texas or Colorado... And knowing Utah, it will change with the direction of the wind. My best advice is to stop by your local weigh station or port of entry and ask. Don't ask your local patrol officer, they don't know this section of law and enforcement unless trained to be a DOT officer. (Some local officers are trained and able to enforce commercial vehicle law.) Most of these officers are decent people and would rather help you know the law and get you in its bounds for the state you operate in than to be ignorant and get in trouble.

-AmericanWolver

This is great information!

Makes complete sense to me and aligns with why (here in NC) you can tag and register your truck for almost any weight you want.

If you get pulled over and are found to be over your registered limit then you get a ticket, but never to they look at the door plate to see the mfg rating.

Greg
2012 | RAM 2500 | CCSB | MM3 tuned by Double R Diesel
2016 | Heartland Pioneer | DS310

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