Hey Weight Police

[consolenut]

whats funny is i told him hes over weight.* his words that 350 diesel pulls it no problem.* Lol now* hes looking for a 450 maybe a 550 and wont take any line from a salesman about oh youll be fine.* i imagine the rv dealer salesman will get an ear full too. they said the same thing when he hitched up. you can pull anythimg with that truck. 2 year old truck brand new suites and can go no where. it sucks i bet.

[kdauto]

I've been waiting on my buddy's weigh ticket for years. I told him he's way overweight just looking at it. 16k + lbs heavily loaded 36' 5er on a CCSB 2500 GMC. Pulls fine with the Dmax he says. Has had to add airbags (obviously), reinforce bed with 1" plate, upgrade truck brakes, upgrade trailer brakes (ran through a few downhill intersections too many times)...

I told him no way is that SRW NOT overloaded. He did mention he found it odd his rear tires wore through so fast. I told him he was probably a good 1000lbs over RAWR and tire rating.

[Rhagfo]

Originally Posted by tuffr2

If he plugged the trailer to the truck he would have never been pulled over. You think he would have noticed the 1st time he applied the truck brakes. I know I would have.

Lol - he must not have what I have. my DW would read my pink laminated check list. It has plug in the trailer. It also has put tailgate up bolded.

If the State Police carry scales they must intend on using them.

I questioned a retired Oregon SP office on another forum about being overweight in Oregon. He stated that they would pull over a vehicle that looked overloaded for scaling, no other infraction needed.

I asked as at the time I was towing a 12,500# 5er with a 2,700# pin with a 2001 Ram 250 and 1,700# over GVWR, but inside axle and tires. Towed 100% level on stock springs.

[Hit_the_Rhod]

Originally Posted by consolenut

whats funny is i told him hes over weight.* his words that 350 diesel pulls it no problem.* Lol now* hes looking for a 450 maybe a 550 and wont take any line from a salesman about oh youll be fine.* i imagine the rv dealer salesman will get an ear full too. they said the same thing when he hitched up. you can pull anythimg with that truck. 2 year old truck brand new suites and can go no where. it sucks i bet.

I think a little more information is needed before we can make a blanket statement like that. For instance, how is the RV loaded? Where are the fresh, grey, and black tanks located? (perhaps over the rear axle?) How much water was in the fresh water tank? How full were the grey and black tanks? Or were they empty? How was the rest of the RV loaded? Were the rear storage compartments completely loaded, but the front compartments empty or only lightly loaded? Did he have a "tailgator" or some such on the back with a generator, two scooters, and fuel cans attached?


Need more info before we can state that his SRW truck cannot safely tow this rig . . .

[consolenut]

Here is a copy of the law cited. If anyone wants statutes etc.

https://law.justia.com/codes/oklahom...ion-47-14-111/

[consolenut]

Originally Posted by Hit_the_Rhod

I think a little more information is needed before we can make a blanket statement like that. For instance, how is the RV loaded? Where are the fresh, grey, and black tanks located? (perhaps over the rear axle?) How much water was in the fresh water tank? How full were the grey and black tanks? Or were they empty? How was the rest of the RV loaded? Were the rear storage compartments completely loaded, but the front compartments empty or only lightly loaded? Did he have a "tailgator" or some such on the back with a generator, two scooters, and fuel cans attached?


Need more info before we can state that his SRW truck cannot safely tow this rig . . .

Well it was tanks empty he just got it. Moved in to it and went to weigh it. "Thats where he was going to get weighed at the truck stop." Make no mistake about it. I am sharing this info with fellow forum members and RVer's in general. I don't want the government making any more money then there entitled to. Plus if sharing this info makes people get compliant and drive a lil safer then its a win win. Also if one of you guys gets stopped. It would stink to have the officer make you drop your 5ver and get compliant or call a towing company. Only sharing to better educate whats happening in the real world.

[mrgrayaz]

Originally Posted by Hit_the_Rhod

Need more info before we can state that his SRW truck cannot safely tow this rig . . .

I'm usually with you on this, but this is a DRV Mobile Suites - they start at like 16K UVW lol. He was overloaded.

[Solo_RV_Guy]

Originally Posted by consolenut

Well it was tanks empty he just got it. Moved in to it and went to weigh it. "Thats where he was going to get weighed at the truck stop." Make no mistake about it. I am sharing this info with fellow forum members and RVer's in general. I don't want the government making any more money then there entitled to. Plus if sharing this info makes people get compliant and drive a lil safer then its a win win. Also if one of you guys gets stopped. It would stink to have the officer make you drop your 5ver and get compliant or call a towing company. Only sharing to better educate whats happening in the real world.

I view "the government" as taking the proper action vis a vis law enforcement officers when a vehicle or combination of vehicles is unsafe, and overloading is de facto a safety issue.


In my "day job" of suspending heavy entertainment equipment over audiences, performers and other workers we have have a significant safety design factor included in our calculations (anywhere from 5:1 to 10:1).


What I've found in the RV world is that the comparatively small design factors in towing are laughed at by end users and owners who seem to think if the engine will pull something down the highway that everything else is fine and those of us who look down at such shenanigans are Chicken Littles. This cavalier attitude about the safety of everyone else on the road really chaps my hide. I don't care if you take your own or your family's safety for granted - that's your business - but when it comes to me and the people I care about it's another matter.


For those reading but not posting: don't believe a single thing any RV salesman says about towing. Not a sentence, not a word, not a syllable. They're lying worse the a TV lawyer's advertising. And don't believe most of the anecdotal stuff posted on internet forums from people who say "well, it's over loaded but nothing bad happens". It does. And I'll be applauding when I see a rig pulled onto the Trooper's portable scales.


I'm not a fan of Oklahoma Highway Patrol and try to avoid I-35 between Kansas and OKC, but when it comes to stuff like this they have my support.

[jjackrash]

Originally Posted by consolenut

Here is a copy of the law cited. If anyone wants statutes etc.

https://law.justia.com/codes/oklahom...ion-47-14-111/

This link says that, at least in OK, they can weigh for one axle or gross weight. It seems like with a roadside scale it would be easier to weigh just one axle, but that doesn't necessarily mean they couldn't weigh the whole load if they wanted to.

[consolenut]

Originally Posted by Solo_RV_Guy

I view "the government" as taking the proper action vis a vis law enforcement officers when a vehicle or combination of vehicles is unsafe, and overloading is de facto a safety issue.


In my "day job" of suspending heavy entertainment equipment over audiences, performers and other workers we have have a significant safety design factor included in our calculations (anywhere from 5:1 to 10:1).


What I've found in the RV world is that the comparatively small design factors in towing are laughed at by end users and owners who seem to think if the engine will pull something down the highway that everything else is fine and those of us who look down at such shenanigans are Chicken Littles. This cavalier attitude about the safety of everyone else on the road really chaps my hide. I don't care if you take your own or your family's safety for granted - that's your business - but when it comes to me and the people I care about it's another matter.


For those reading but not posting: don't believe a single thing any RV salesman says about towing. Not a sentence, not a word, not a syllable. They're lying worse the a TV lawyer's advertising. And don't believe most of the anecdotal stuff posted on internet forums from people who say "well, it's over loaded but nothing bad happens". It does. And I'll be applauding when I see a rig pulled onto the Trooper's portable scales.


I'm not a fan of Oklahoma Highway Patrol and try to avoid I-35 between Kansas and OKC, but when it comes to stuff like this they have my support.

If there overweight and they get caught. the govt is entitled to take your money. This instance i have posted on I wanted to shed light on yes its seems there cracking down on it in OK atleast.

[Kahoona]

I am amazed that this is even a discussion! I have seen rigs loose a wheel at highway speeds and don't want to be behind them. People can die. I weigh my rig because I don't want to be hit by the cost of replacing tires or bearings or having to ride out a blowout. Simple logic. Overweight means breaking something and then having to upgrade after anyway or reduce the load. Stupid to play roulette with other people's lives.

[Itchytoe]

Originally Posted by kdauto

Pulls fine with the Dmax he says...

Has had to add airbags (obviously), reinforce bed with 1" plate, upgrade truck brakes, upgrade trailer brakes (ran through a few downhill intersections too many times)... He did mention he found it odd his rear tires wore through so fast.

But, it pulls fine with the Duramax... Pulling is the easy part. Stopping is the hard part.

I'm perfectly fine going over GVWR, or even GCWR because it actually can be done safely. However, if you've upgraded your truck and trailer brakes because you're blowing through intersections you can't stop for, reinforcing your bed to hold the weight, and tearing up tires noticeably faster than normal, you don't have enough truck.

Heck, the very first time I'd blow through a downhill intersection, I'd be looking through the classifieds for a truck upgrade. If that happens in my current F350 dually, I'll be looking for a 550 or something. Blowing through an intersection because you can't stop in time is a terrifying situation. I can't imagine doing it a few times.

[kdauto]

Originally Posted by Itchytoe

But, it pulls fine with the Duramax... Pulling is the easy part. Stopping is the hard part.

I'm perfectly fine going over GVWR, or even GCWR because it actually can be done safely. However, if you've upgraded your truck and trailer brakes because you're blowing through intersections you can't stop for, reinforcing your bed to hold the weight, and tearing up tires noticeably faster than normal, you don't have enough truck.

Heck, the very first time I'd blow through a downhill intersection, I'd be looking through the classifieds for a truck upgrade. If that happens in my current F350 dually, I'll be looking for a 550 or something. Blowing through an intersection because you can't stop in time is a terrifying situation. I can't imagine doing it a few times.

My friend's a great guy, it's just that he tends to do certain "unsafe" things. I doubt I'll see his weigh ticket. I told him I'd pay for it and I wanted him safe.

He was running a B+W ball setup and the bed was starting to tear. The brakes almost caught fire (heavy smoking) the few times he went through the VA mountains.

I agree, I didn't fool around when I looked for my 1st pickup, 3500HD with lotsa RAWR and payload capacity.

[NevadaNick]

So what law did he break ? Over on tire rating ? Or registration ?