Maximum Realistic Pin Weight 3/4 Duramax

[Dan50]

Check the white and yellow sticker on the driver's door jam. That will give you the truck's true carrying capacity. Everything else is conjecture.

[CurtPutnam]

Originally Posted by boydn1

Why would the truck “be ready to trade soon”?

If you drive the truck, it will be ready to trade long before a new trailer. The engine may last forever but the rest will start falling apart in a few years.

Stated another way, find the trailer of your dreams and then match the truck to it.

Just sayin' IMO & YMWV

[NMWildcat]

It is my understanding that the OP hasn't even bought a fifth wheel yet, so saying the weight will wear out the truck is a bit premature.
Lots of fivers out there with a dry weight around 10k, GVWR around 12k. Perfect for a 3/4 ton Duramax.
CC is the last capacity suggestion I pay attention to. If I'm under all the other suggestions, and over a bit on CC, and the truck doesn't squat past level, I'm good.
We usually boondock for weeks at a time. So that means we have extra fuel, water, firewood, and propane in the truck bed. Can be 900lbs over suggested CC and the truck isn't even squatted to level with stock springs and no air bags. Truck is a 2007, so I'm guessing it's holding together just fine

[CurtPutnam]

Originally Posted by NMWildcat

It is my understanding that the OP hasn't even bought a fifth wheel yet, so saying the weight will wear out the truck is a bit premature.

Hey Scott - I was not saying the trailer would wear out the truck, merely that trucks wear out faster when used than trailers - IME.

[nutdriver]

Originally Posted by CurtPutnam

Hey Scott - I was not saying the trailer would wear out the truck, merely that trucks wear out faster when used than trailers - IME.

I have thought about possibly upgrading my truck but a 3500 would not fit in my garage and at least for the moment the 2500 is doing all I need. My Duramax is not my daily driver. I seem to be putting about 10,000 miles a year. I also do not see much chance I will want a heavy 5th wheel. I know that can all change but for the moment I am good with the 2500.

My intent in starting this post was to understand the technical and possibly legal limitations with my Duramax 2500 truck.

[CurtPutnam]

Originally Posted by nutdriver

I have thought about possibly upgrading my truck but a 3500 would not fit in my garage and at least for the moment the 2500 is doing all I need. My Duramax is not my daily driver. I seem to be putting about 10,000 miles a year. I also do not see much chance I will want a heavy 5th wheel. I know that can all change but for the moment I am good with the 2500.

My intent in starting this post was to understand the technical and possibly legal limitations with my Duramax 2500 truck.

As you can see, I have the gasser 3/4 Chevy 2. 6'6" box. CC was ~3350 before tonneau cover and nerf bars. It won't go up a mountain at the same speed as your diesel but it will go down at the same speed Assume 200 lbs for cover and bars and I'm at 3150 - enough to pull a small 5er. We are old enough that our current TT is probably the last one

[NMWildcat]

Originally Posted by CurtPutnam

Hey Scott - I was not saying the trailer would wear out the truck, merely that trucks wear out faster when used than trailers - IME.

Ah, sorry for misunderstanding. In our history with trucks and fifth wheels, we have had the trucks longer than the RVs

[Grampareg]

Yes your 2500 can pull it haul it and doesn’t sag but if you ever get in accident and your over your capacity you will be responsible and there isn’t an insurance company will help you out. The authorities will check the trucks sticker then the trailer sticker and if your over along with licences for full weight it’s going to be your responsibility

[Firefighter306]

I had a 2017 3/4 Duramax and I pull a 41 ft fifth wheel no problem at all the only difference with one ton is the springs

[Lighting546]

One thing no one has mentioned is that a short bed truck requires a slider hitch to tow a 5th wheel. The other thing with short bed trucks is that they have a lower GVWR than the same truck with the long bed (8’), and the max pin weight will be lower, this holds true for a gas or diesel powered truck.

I have a 2016 F-350, long bed, DRW and the 6.7L power stroke diesel with a Curt 16K 5th wheel hitch. I pull a 2020 Puma, 30’ 5th wheel with one super slide (12’ long), it’s rated for just under 10K GVWR loaded. My truck has absolutely no problems pulling it or stopping.

I could have pulled it with the F-250 short bed I traded in for the F-350, but, I couldn’t haul RV’s with it because it didn’t meet the minimum requirements that the RV dealers and manufacturers mandate to haul their products.

So I ordered the new truck setup for a max tow capacity of 30K pounds. The large 5th wheel triple axle toy haulers all have pin weights that are heavier than a 3/4 ton truck can safely tow.

6 months after I took delivery of the truck I lost my class A CDL because of a 3rd heart attack and the pacemaker/defibrillator they put in me. Because of that I can’t haul RV’s for a living, so now I’m just enjoying my retirement years.

The moral of my post is; it’s better to have more truck than you need, than it is to have a truck with less than you need to do the job safely, and you won’t be a safety hazard to everyone else on the road. I’m also not trying to be the weight police.

I’m a retired truck driver so I’m much more cautious about adhering to max weight loads than someone that’s never driven a big rig.

[Lighting546]

Originally Posted by Firefighter306

I had a 2017 3/4 Duramax and I pull a 41 ft fifth wheel no problem at all the only difference with one ton is the springs

Your truck may have no problems pulling it, but if you look at the max pin weight for your truck you’ll probably find that you’re way over the max pin weight the truck is rated for.

The best way to get that information is to either go to the Chevy dealer and have them break out the build books for their trucks. Then all they have to do is scroll down the charts and compare what’s in the book with the sticker on your truck. Another way is to email or call GM and talk to one of their light truck engineers. This holds true no matter what brand truck someone has.

[Tall frog]

Originally Posted by CurtPutnam

If you drive the truck, it will be ready to trade long before a new trailer. The engine may last forever but the rest will start falling apart in a few years.

Stated another way, find the trailer of your dreams and then match the truck to it.

Just sayin' IMO & YMWV

I totally disagree with the assumption that pulling my size trailer with my truck will wreck my truck. You didn't read what I said about a 2500hd and a 3500hd are the SAME TRUCK with the only difference being a overload spring. 1 leaf, the reason for the difference is to allow ownrs to not need extra licensing fees or maybe higher insurance or a different driver license. So you are wrong about the "abuse " of the truck
I have over 70,000 miles , 18,000 miles pulling all over good and bad roads. Still no squeak, rattling or other problems.
As for the previous poster about insurance if in an accident your insurance co. could refuse to pay , if you are GROSSLY over loaded maybe but my agent and others I have talked to have told me it would not be a factor if you have a proper hitch, breaks, breakaway switch, and chains , lights.

[B and B]

The mention of Legal should really mean a visit to the DMV in your state to ask what is legal and not believe a word posted here.

[LittleBill]

Originally Posted by nutdriver

I appreciate the input. Good idea about the Timbren overloads. I wondered too if anyone upgraded the rear springs at an axle shop? That is usually a relatively low cost job.

See my signature for TV and 5th. After buying 5th made a couple of trips with it. No problem pulling or handling (barely know it's back there). But did notice a little squat so went to local spring shop anticipating to have a helper spring added similar to what comes on a 1 ton. The spring shop recommended to add the Timbren's, so I did. They installed in the same place that the bump stops are and like the bump stops they don't come into play and affect the ride when empty. When 5th is connected the truck sits level.

I have had the whole unit across Cat scales fully loaded (water, full fuel and DW) and am slightly over payload by about 100 lbs and under the tire rating by about 600 lbs. Combined weight was right at 24,000 lbs.

I haven't had any problem on any of my trips - driving in a 25 mph crosswind to Nebraska on I80, in the hills of Tennessee/Kentucky, or trip to Florida. Getting into Mt Vernon, Ky KOA, there is a very steep incline (had to be what seemed like a 6-7% at the time) into the campground (maybe 1/16-1/18th of a mile long) that my truck pulled the 5th up from a dead stop with no problems (low gear of course).

I hope to get to the Rockies in the next couple of years. I am leaning to maybe buy a DRW before then but not necessary. Thinking more of coming down the mountains and being more stable that the DRW would give me than a SRW.

I like the Timbren's. Another note is if you elect for an automatic slider, I would recommend the Demco over a Pullrite. Don't need a capture plate with a Demco like you do with a Pullrite.

Good luck and Happy camping.

[toddj2]

Originally Posted by GreenImp

Not a single one of these "everything else is the same" posts mentions the tires. Every 3/4 ton truck sitting on the lot at the time I checked them had tires that were each rated to exactly half of the rear axle weight rating. This was also true of the 1 ton SRW trucks with their higher rear axle rating (they had higher rated tires than the 3/4 ton). In other words, the tires were the limiting factor, or at least equal to it. CHECK YOUR TIRES if you are planning to run at, or over, your 3/4 ton trucks weight rating.

For reference, I just checked my 2020 3/4 ton Duramax Silverado High Country.
Rear Axel 6600lbs
Tires 3750 x 2 = 7500lbs

My friends 2020 3500HD SRW has a rear axel rated at 7250 lbs and same tires.

[Firefighter306]

The 2020 GM 2500 HD has a higher GVWR than the previous years. I had a 2017 2500 HD Silverado . I put 300,000 miles on it delivering campers with no problems. Everything from little tow behinds to 44 ft fifth wheels I tried to keep dry weight to 15;000 or less. I did put airbags on. I was required to have a sliding 5 th wheel hitch with the short bed but never slid it . I thought about a dual but the SRW handled everything and had less expense with tires and fuel

[cobaltpap]

Just remember if you get in a wreck, even if it is NOT your fault and they can prove your over payload then your are 100% responsible for that accident because your driving illegally
.

[cmysstailights]

Originally Posted by nutdriver

Thanks for this information. I had seen this somewhere else that the actual differences between a 3/4 and 1 ton Duramax were minimal. The door pillar sticker of course would still have the 3/4 ton limits.

Yes, which to me is bs. In ny 2500 registration can be passenger, 3500.has to be commercial. 90% of my commute is on parkways, no commercial vehicles allowed. If my rear blows, i will look for a diesel rear and swap the gears.

[DouglasReid]

Originally Posted by nutdriver

I appreciate the input. Good idea about the Timbren overloads. I wondered too if anyone upgraded the rear springs at an axle shop? That is usually a relatively low cost job.

Im not sure about 2018, but in 2008 the only differences between 2500 and 3500 was one overload spring added to the bottom of the leaf spring stack on the rear axle and 265 tires instead of 245.

Instead of adding the spring I added air bag instead to get rid of the squat when adding the pin weight to the bed. This does not add to the sticker weights but by lifting the rear back to unloaded it keeps me from blinding oncoming drivers when my low beams are as high as high beams. It also softens the ride.

Consider a 12 volt compressor so you can adjust your rear tire pressures loaded and unloaded as well. It will save on tire wear. I keep mine in the basement right next to the battery for quick easy hookup and airing of tires and air bags.

Keeping them at max (as you want when heavily loaded) will quickly wear only the center unloaded and give you a HORRIBLE ride.

Keeping them lower so you get good tire wear as a Daily Driver will greatly decrease their load bearing capacity.

I also increased my tire size to 285 to gain more load bearing capacity even though I have not exceeded the rear axle weight limit.

[timfromma]

It really depends on the truck. Mine has 2200lbs of cargo capacity. Put in 4 full size adults plus a few other non factory things, I'm down to 1300lbs or so left over for pin / tongue weight. Assuming 20% pin weight, the heaviest 5er I can haul has a GVWR of only 6500lbs.