increasing GAWR on SRW
From : nathan w collier
Q: since i dont want to trade up to a dually until after the bodystyle change i would like to increase my safe hauling limits on my 08 3500 srw since the pin weight on my 5th wheel camper when fully loaded puts me about 200# over my rear gawr. im seeking wheels and tires or maybe just tires if my factory wheels are rated significantly higher than my factory tires that would be rated high enough to pull my camper within their limits. i dont want to change overall tire diameter significantly since i dont want the overall drive ratio to change i like the way my truck pulls my camper just fine and dont want to lose any authority there but would prefer a more aggressive tire tread similar to a bfg mt or something comparable. thanks -- nathan in montana http//concealedcarryforum.com http//1911talk.com http//hipowertalk.com http//glockcarry.com http//p7talk.com http//ppstalk.com .
Replies:
From : miles
nathan w. collier wrote i slow down....a lot when it gets windy. if i see windsocks doing anything but hanging limp i drop to 55 immediately and slower if need be. guess ive seen some huge campers that dont look safe at any speed i know i sound like ralph nader!. ....dang all this talk im wanting to camping this weekend. - i know a few with smaller campers that allow them to go 4x4ing to some great back country camping areas. wish i could do that with my trailer. .
From : nathan w collier
out of curiosity what do you do to handle winds with your camper i slow down....a lot when it gets windy. if i see windsocks doing anything but hanging limp i drop to 55 immediately and slower if need be. i have seen many others drive fine even on windy days so just wondering what the heck makes the difference i really think its speed more than anything although a lot could be what its loaded with and how high the weight is. my camper holds 800# of water down nice and low so that stablizes it a lot. with the generator and pretty much everything down low my camper is really pretty stable. .....dang all this talk im wanting to camping this weekend. - -- nathan in montana http//concealedcarryforum.com http//1911talk.com http//hipowertalk.com http//glockcarry.com http//p7talk.com http//ppstalk.com .
From : miles
nathan w. collier wrote my truck also pulls my camper with ease. my only concern is suffering a blowout due to exceeding the tires limits. i see 3/4 ton trucks pulling campers just like mine all the time many with off road tires that dont have as much capcity as my stockers...but i would just feel better if i were within what the tires are rated for. out of curiosity what do you do to handle winds with your camper ive ridden in a few trucks with very large campers and it was no fun at all!! rocked back and forth even at low speeds creating a handling nightmare. ive seen a few blown over on the side of the highway. but i have seen many others drive fine even on windy days so just wondering what the heck makes the difference .
From : nathan w collier
my father has a 1998 srw that he uses to pull a 14000lb 5th wheel. he added a leaf air bags changed out bearings and had the tranny beefed up considerably. may have done some engine work too. pulls it with ease. prior to doing so he wiped out the tranny and bearings after a couple years he tows several times a month. ill have to ask him what tires he has these days. i dont think hes changed out the rims. my truck also pulls my camper with ease. my only concern is suffering a blowout due to exceeding the tires limits. i see 3/4 ton trucks pulling campers just like mine all the time many with off road tires that dont have as much capcity as my stockers...but i would just feel better if i were within what the tires are rated for. -- nathan in montana http//concealedcarryforum.com http//1911talk.com http//hipowertalk.com http//glockcarry.com http//p7talk.com http//ppstalk.com .
From : milesmiles
nathan w. collier wrote im not real sure but im within that limit. my only concern is the pin weight which is 200# over my gawr limit. my father has a 1998 srw that he uses to pull a 14000lb 5th wheel. he added a leaf air bags changed out bearings and had the tranny beefed up considerably. may have done some engine work too. pulls it with ease. prior to doing so he wiped out the tranny and bearings after a couple years he tows several times a month. ill have to ask him what tires he has these days. i dont think hes changed out the rims. .
From : nathan w collier
let me re-phrase if anyones running a load-range f or g tire on an aftermarket wheel with a 8-on-6.5 lug pattern with an overall diameter of 34 or less please speak up. ....id say that covers it pretty well thanks! -- nathan in montana http//concealedcarryforum.com http//1911talk.com http//hipowertalk.com http//glockcarry.com http//p7talk.com http//ppstalk.com .
From : nathan w collier
what about over stressing the axle frame springs etc you can beef things up add another leaf air bags tires shocks etc. next beef up the tranny as well. not sure tires alone is the weak spot. the tires alone are the weak spot....possibly the wheels too im unsure of their rating. all else is identical to the drw. -- nathan in montana http//concealedcarryforum.com http//1911talk.com http//hipowertalk.com http//glockcarry.com http//p7talk.com http//ppstalk.com .
From : christopher d thompson
on sun 14 sep 2008 232942 -0600 nathan w. collier wrote let me re-phrase if anyones running a load-range f or g tire on an aftermarket wheel with a 8-on-6.5 lug pattern with an overall diameter of 34 or less please speak up. ...id say that covers it pretty well thanks! http//www.ricksontruck.com/wheelsdodgesrw.html http//www.ricksontruck.com/tires22570r195.html found these on a google search. they seem to fit the bill. my previous comment was out of concern for nate and i know he knows that. -- chris .
From : christopher d thompson
on mon 15 sep 2008 062009 -0700 miles wrote what is the tow rating difference actually gvwr gcwr between the srw and drw i thought i saw a few years ago where the drw had a slightly lower tow rating than the srw but a higher payload capacity. id have to look again but i irrc you lose about 250lbs of gross trailer weight because of the drw. not enough imho to discount the advantages of drw over srw. when i have more time ill try and find those numbers again unless someone else has already posted them. -- chris .
From : nathan w collier
what is the tow rating difference actually gvwr gcwr between the srw and drw im not real sure but im within that limit. my only concern is the pin weight which is 200# over my gawr limit. -- nathan in montana http//concealedcarryforum.com http//1911talk.com http//hipowertalk.com http//glockcarry.com http//p7talk.com http//ppstalk.com .
From : miles
nathan w. collier wrote the tires alone are the weak spot....possibly the wheels too im unsure of their rating. all else is identical to the drw. what is the tow rating difference actually gvwr gcwr between the srw and drw i thought i saw a few years ago where the drw had a slightly lower tow rating than the srw but a higher payload capacity. .
From : miles
tom lawrence wrote what about over stressing the axle frame springs etc you mean the axle frame springs etc. that are the exact same ones used in the drw configuration i didnt think the drw has a higher tow rating just a higher payload rating. does the 1 ton have the same bearings as the 3/4 ton same springs etc let me re-phrase if anyones running a load-range f or g tire on an aftermarket wheel with a 8-on-6.5 lug pattern with an overall diameter of 34 or less please speak up. all others please move on. the stock e rated tires i have will handle the max tow rating of my truck. theyre not pos except for traction in the snow where they suck. if i want to increase the safety margin of towing the max i plan on doing far more than just tires. .
From : peterd
on sun 14 sep 2008 232901 -0600 nathan w. collier this@that.com wrote what about over stressing the axle frame springs etc you can beef things up add another leaf air bags tires shocks etc. next beef up the tranny as well. not sure tires alone is the weak spot. the tires alone are the weak spot....possibly the wheels too im unsure of their rating. all else is identical to the drw. existing wheels should be marked marking is required by dot regs. finding higher rated wheels may or may not! be difficult it is so easy to find bling rated at 2300 lb! wheels but finding reasonable work wheels may be harder. strange as it seems look at some of the commercial sprinter vans... im thinking fedexs trucks for example they may have higher rated wheels/tires. those vans are used to haul a lot of weight at times but cant be drw of course. once when i was looking at wheel/tire combinations i cornered a fedex driver and took a good look at his tires/wheels--and found exactly what i was looking for. .
From : tom lawrence
what about over stressing the axle frame springs etc you mean the axle frame springs etc. that are the exact same ones used in the drw configuration things up add another leaf air bags tires shocks etc. next beef up the tranny as well. not sure tires alone is the weak spot. he doesnt give a flying f*** about the tranny.... he wants a little extra safety margin pulling the weight that hes pulling that if he had 4 tires on the rear axle hed be perfectly fine pulling. his only limitation right now is the weight the stock pos tires are rated for. not his frame not his axle not his transmission.... not his radio and not his air freshener. holy shit if some people here cant read and answer a simple freakin question! let me re-phrase if anyones running a load-range f or g tire on an aftermarket wheel with a 8-on-6.5 lug pattern with an overall diameter of 34 or less please speak up. all others please move on. .
From : milesmiles
nathan w. collier wrote i dont think you understand my objective. im not concerned with the actual rating im concerned with the overall safety. im not asking about a drw conversion now im asking about swapping out my existing wheels/tires for wheels/tires with a higher load rating such as a 19 wheel if this can be done without changing the overall diameter to much. currently my tires are rated for just over 3200# each. if i could find wheels/tires rated for 4000#+ i would be good to go and well beneath their capacities without regard to manufacturer ratings. what about over stressing the axle frame springs etc you can beef things up add another leaf air bags tires shocks etc. next beef up the tranny as well. not sure tires alone is the weak spot. .
From : nathan w collier
if you change your configuration to drw then the truck is still rated by the manufacturer as a srw truck. i dont think you understand my objective. im not concerned with the actual rating im concerned with the overall safety. im not asking about a drw conversion now im asking about swapping out my existing wheels/tires for wheels/tires with a higher load rating such as a 19 wheel if this can be done without changing the overall diameter to much. currently my tires are rated for just over 3200# each. if i could find wheels/tires rated for 4000#+ i would be good to go and well beneath their capacities without regard to manufacturer ratings. -- nathan in montana http//concealedcarryforum.com http//1911talk.com http//hipowertalk.com http//glockcarry.com http//p7talk.com http//ppstalk.com .
From : christopher d thompson
on sun 14 sep 2008 175315 -0600 nathan w. collier wrote since i dont want to trade up to a dually until after the bodystyle change i would like to increase my safe hauling limits on my 08 3500 srw since the pin weight on my 5th wheel camper when fully loaded puts me about 200# over my rear gawr. im seeking wheels and tires or maybe just tires if my factory wheels are rated significantly higher than my factory tires that would be rated high enough to pull my camper within their limits. i dont want to change overall tire diameter significantly since i dont want the overall drive ratio to change i like the way my truck pulls my camper just fine and dont want to lose any authority there but would prefer a more aggressive tire tread similar to a bfg mt or something comparable. thanks nate i would seriously suggest you trade for a drw if that is what you are wanting. the problem that i see is even if you change your configuration to drw then the truck is still rated by the manufacturer as a srw truck. if bad things happen when your pulling over the ratings printed on your truck and the insurance company wants to bawk it could put you 100% financially liable for what happens. right or wrong thats the way i see it bro. but we both know your a big boy and can do what you want. -- chris .