CAT Scale weights

[mhs4771]

What those instructions mean my Scale 1, 2, & 3 is that there are three scales there. With the TV front wheels on 1, the rear on 2 and the RW on 3 you get the TV's front and rear axle weights, and the RW axle weights. Go park the RW and come back with the TV solo, front on 1 and rear on 2. Subtract those numbers from the other and it will tell you how much the pin is, plus tell you if you're adding or removing weight from the front axle of the TV. Ideally you want to keep the front axle pretty much the same and carry all the weight on the rear.

[5th_Time]

Rick, why didn't you just ask your wife how much she weighs and add that in?

[Rick and Mindy]

Originally Posted by 5th_Time

Rick, why didn't you just ask your wife how much she weighs and add that in?

That's FUNNY!!

[5th_Time]

You can also get to the same number by the following formula:

Take the weight on scales with you and your wife in the TV
Then subtract the weight of the TV on scales empty
Then subtract your weight = ???

[Geo9350]

Ok I think I'm in trouble, I might have to take the generator out of the front of the RV, I went to the Cat Scale yesterday down here in Phoenix and here are my weights.

Truck only full of fuel 2004 Dodge Ram Laramie 4x4 Quad Cab SRW
Steer Axle 4860
Drive Axle 3580
Gross 8440

Truck with 36RE attached no water or waste in tanks
Steer Axle 4840 (dropped 20 lbs)
Drive Axle 6740
RV Axle 12020
Gross 23600

Truck GVWR 9900
Truck GAWR Front 5200
Truck GAWR Rear 6150

So if I am figuring this right my pin weight is 3140 and I don't know how to figure if I'm over weight or what. Can someone please explain how I figure this out. Thanks.

[GA1817]

2004 RAM Pickup Payload and Towing Charts

[xtasee]

Originally Posted by Geo9350

Ok I think I'm in trouble, I might have to take the generator out of the front of the RV, I went to the Cat Scale yesterday down here in Phoenix and here are my weights.

Truck only full of fuel 2004 Dodge Ram Laramie 4x4 Quad Cab SRW
Steer Axle 4860
Drive Axle 3580
Gross 8440

Truck with 36RE attached no water or waste in tanks
Steer Axle 4840 (dropped 20 lbs)
Drive Axle 6740
RV Axle 12020
Gross 23600

Truck GVWR 9900
Truck GAWR Front 5200
Truck GAWR Rear 6150

So if I am figuring this right my pin weight is 3140 and I don't know how to figure if I'm over weight or what. Can someone please explain how I figure this out. Thanks.

Looks like you may have answered your own question....

Here is one observation that would concern me.

Drive Axle = 6740 /2 (tires) = 3370 per tire. Look at the sidewall of the tire it will show you the Max load rating. Several I have seen are 3195. When you get water, it will be worse.

[Dave&Ginny]

Originally Posted by Geo9350

Ok I think I'm in trouble, I might have to take the generator out of the front of the RV, I went to the Cat Scale yesterday down here in Phoenix and here are my weights.

Truck only full of fuel 2004 Dodge Ram Laramie 4x4 Quad Cab SRW
Steer Axle 4860
Drive Axle 3580
Gross 8440

Truck with 36RE attached no water or waste in tanks
Steer Axle 4840 (dropped 20 lbs)
Drive Axle 6740
RV Axle 12020
Gross 23600

Truck GVWR 9900
Truck GAWR Front 5200
Truck GAWR Rear 6150

So if I am figuring this right my pin weight is 3140 and I don't know how to figure if I'm over weight or what. Can someone please explain how I figure this out. Thanks.

From what I saw on the chart for a dual wheel crew cab diesel is:

Gross combination weight of 23000# which you're over but this as long as your suspension and tires aren't too heavy you should be ok. This isn't ideal though

9350# is the number for your drive axle and according to your cat scale you're under that with only 6740#

5200# is your max on the steer axle and you're under that with 4840#

[Dave&Ginny]

The newer Dodge trucks have heavier weight ratings. What would concern me is not being able to carry water. With the Redwood I carried at least a 1/3 tank of water and many time I had a full tank. With the buss I always leave the house with full water. This is partly because I know the quality of the water at my house (soft water). This water will usually last us about 4 days before re have to refill somewhere else.

[atom ant]

Originally Posted by Dave&Ginny

From what I saw on the chart for a dual wheel crew cab diesel is:

Gross combination weight of 23000# which you're over but this as long as your suspension and tires aren't too heavy you should be ok. This isn't ideal though

9350# is the number for your drive axle and according to your cat scale you're under that with only 6740#

5200# is your max on the steer axle and you're under that with 4840#

Dave, he doesn't have a dually. He is over his drive axle rating, probably payload, and maybe tires too as said by Xtasee.

[Geo9350]

I looked at the tires and they are 3195 lbs at 80 psi so total would be 6390 lbs for the tires so I am over by 350 lbs. I had a mobility scooter in the rear of the truck behind the hitch on both weightings, I know it weighs some over 200 lbs, it is the medium size scooter with 85 ah batteries in it so prob somewhere between 200 and 250 lbs. but that makes it still around 100 lbs over the tire rating even if I move it to the forward end of the bed (8' bed). Up front in the closet I could move some of that aft while hauling, that would bring it back down to close to limit, but that is still pressing it. I have new Goodyear Pro Grade Lt265/70R17 load Range E tires on the truck. Guess the best thing to do is pull the generator out of the front and leave at home. Not sure how much it weights but I'm sure it would drop me down below what the tires can carry. I still don't understand the GVWR of 9900 lbs for the truck and if I am over there, or the fact that the GAWR Rear 6150 lbs and if I'm over there with 6740 on the rear weight. Oh, I looked up payload online for my truck and they use the empty weight total of 7118 and subtract that from the GVWR or 9900 lbs to give you a payload of 2782 but my truck with fuel and all comes to 8440 lbs so if you subtract that from 9900 you get 1460 lbs. But what does that tell you, the RV weight is around 15k, the Dodge site says my truck can pull 16,400 lbs. This is all so confusing. I understand the part of overloading the tires, I don't understand how to figure out the weights off the scale to the GVWR, GAWR's the whole mess.

[shrode]

Maybe I'm missing something but this should be real easy. You need to look at the Monroney Sticker on the drivers door panel. It will list the GVWR, GAWR Front, and GAWR Rear for your truck. I assume that's where you got the ratings listed in your post. You list your GAWR Rear at 6150#, but your measured weight is 6740. You're 590# overweight on that. You list your GVWR at 9900#. Your measured weight is 4840+6740=11580. You're a whopping 1680# overweight on that. You are Waaaay overweight.

[Pete385]

Read the tag on door post. It should have front and rear axle ratings with a tire size and pressure (psi). The axle ratings may total more than your GVW (gross vehicle weight). The GVW number is sometimes a game played by manufacturers to allow you to avoid some DOT requirements, insurance issues and so on. The weight that you can tow (pull) is an engineers calculation (guess) based on factors as engine HP and torque, gear ratio and transmission.

Write down the weights and study them. Lose them. Write them down again. Ask questions. It will make sense...eventually

DO NOT exceed tire rating. You'll see that in many threads here, opting for better/heavier tire for the margin of safety. You can limp to a safe place with many problems but a blown tire is the worst.

[Geo9350]

Ok so if I remove the mobility scooter which weight is around 250 lbs (I had that right behind the hitch so added weight to the rear of the truck) and removed the generator which weight is around 288 to 300 lbs that would drop the rear axle weight down to around 6190 lbs. The sticker in the truck says GAWR Rear is 6150 lbs so I would be about 50 lbs too heavy still on the rear axle. But the scale weight of the front was 4880 and if you add 6190 for the rear you still have a GVWR of 11030 which is still 1130 lbs over the GVWR rating on the sticker of 9900. No matter how you look at it even taking weight out of the front of the RV I will still be over what the truck is rated for. Wow, looks like I need a new truck or have to sell this RV and buy one smaller. Now that stinks, I love both the truck and RV.

[atom ant]

Unfortunately you won't get full credit for removing the generator, because some of that weight is shared by the axles, just because of the position of the generator.

You are EXACTLY where I was when I loaded our 36RL after purchase and weighed in our F350 SB SRW. I was over on tires, and within 350 lbs on the axle (my truck had a 7,000 lb axle). I tried, but never got comfortable going down the highway that way and within a month I traded for a dually. It was refreshing to not worry about the pin weight anymore, or how I loaded it, and it was sure nice to carry a full load of water. That was the extend of my love for the dually - I hated it otherwise

[Dave&Ginny]

Originally Posted by atom ant

Dave, he doesn't have a dually. He is over his drive axle rating, probably payload, and maybe tires too as said by Xtasee.

Thanks Brad!!!! No wonder he was worried. I guess my eye just got rusty. Sounds like it's time to fall in love with another truck

[Pete385]

GVWR is gross vehicle weight rating. Don't confuse that with GVW gross vehicle weight. What is the rating on the tag for the front axle?

Moving your hitch forward will transfer weight to the front axle, remove it from the rear.

The axle ratings are based on the "weakest link" axle, springs, or tires. See if you can obtain that information from the manufacturer.

If it is an easily replaceable item you can increase your capacity, tires or springs. That will buy you peace of mind/safety. To certify your vehicle for the higher weight may or may not be necessary or desirable.

I'm not sure what state you reside in, if I did I don't know their laws/regulations.
What I do know as common sense (why do they call it that) is, your tow vehicle registration show at least match or exceed the weight total of the vehicle (tow vehicle only) in a loaded towing mode.

If your components are adequate and your motor vehicle office (gestapo) will allow you to raise your registered weight you should clear any traffic stops or DOT (department of transportation) checks.

The burden to know and understand your state laws is yours.

The margin of safety you need is somewhat dependent on your driving habits.

Keep asking till it makes sense

[Geo9350]

The sticker on the door reads GVWR 9900 lbs, GAWR Rear 6150 lbs, GAWR Fwd 5200 lbs on my long bed (8') quad cab. I don't think I can move the hitch further fwd or the tail of the truck would hit the RV when turning, not the cab, but the tailgate. I will have to find a different truck. That will have to go on the back burner for right now and the RV will have to set after I get it back home. I live in Arizona, so to get it home I will put the mobility scooter in the RV in the back behind the axles that weight of 250 lbs will help lift some of the weight off the back of the truck and maybe lift the pin weight a little, just to get me home, 288 mile trip. I will baby it all the way home so I won't blow tires on the truck. The tires are brand new so I feel they will do fine. Funny thing is, I have been dragging this around now all over the state and the truck has pulled it just fine, stopped just fine and these new tires have just been for the latest two pulls, before I had old tires that were low on tread and it did fine, but I was worried about blowing a truck tire so got new ones. I wish the salesman at the dealership would have brought it to my attention that I was buying more RV than I could pull, but you know how it is, they just want the money, that's my problem, just like the factory puts cheap China Bombs on just to get it to the Dealer and then it's the customer's problem to buy better tires. The sticker inside the RV says that it's weight from the factory was 13,242, if that had been true, I wouldn't be having this problem. Tired of all the lies and deceit from the factory and the dealers. But as they say Buyer Beware.

[Pete385]

The factory sticker in your redwood is "as built". Does not include anything that you load in or add to.

Before you dump your truck, find someone that can unravel the mystery of the components, rear axle, springs, tires. It is quite possible that upgrading one or two may put you in a "safe" zone with your axle weights.

[Dave&Ginny]

Originally Posted by Geo9350

The sticker on the door reads GVWR 9900 lbs, GAWR Rear 6150 lbs, GAWR Fwd 5200 lbs on my long bed (8') quad cab. I don't think I can move the hitch further fwd or the tail of the truck would hit the RV when turning, not the cab, but the tailgate. I will have to find a different truck. That will have to go on the back burner for right now and the RV will have to set after I get it back home. I live in Arizona, so to get it home I will put the mobility scooter in the RV in the back behind the axles that weight of 250 lbs will help lift some of the weight off the back of the truck and maybe lift the pin weight a little, just to get me home, 288 mile trip. I will baby it all the way home so I won't blow tires on the truck. The tires are brand new so I feel they will do fine. Funny thing is, I have been dragging this around now all over the state and the truck has pulled it just fine, stopped just fine and these new tires have just been for the latest two pulls, before I had old tires that were low on tread and it did fine, but I was worried about blowing a truck tire so got new ones. I wish the salesman at the dealership would have brought it to my attention that I was buying more RV than I could pull, but you know how it is, they just want the money, that's my problem, just like the factory puts cheap China Bombs on just to get it to the Dealer and then it's the customer's problem to buy better tires. The sticker inside the RV says that it's weight from the factory was 13,242, if that had been true, I wouldn't be having this problem. Tired of all the lies and deceit from the factory and the dealers. But as they say Buyer Beware.

The RV sales people rarely tell the truth about what you can pull. When I bought my Redwood I had a brand new F350 SRW 4x4 and the sales guy said that I had plenty of truck for the trailer. According to the Redwood brochure I did have enough truck but the scales said something different. 3 weeks later I had a new F350 dually.

I've seen 3/4 ton trucks hooked up to 17000 lbs trailer and I just shake my head, and stay away from them on the highway.