6 Wheel Truck Capacity

[Vittoria Pretlow]

oemwheels are usually overrated for their intended use- and i'm sure pretty much every truck wheel out there is rated for 2500 pounds per wheel. the door sticker on my 87 1/2 ton GMC truck says it's rated for 11,000something pounds GVWR, and i know the newer trucks have a higher rating than that.

7200 pounds? that's 2300 pounds less than what my truck weighed when i took a decent sized load of scrap iron in a couple of summers ago.. it weighs 5300 pounds empty with one of the gas tanks only 1/4 full..

like i said in my last post, the doorjam sticker on my 87 GMC 1/2 ton 4X4 has a GVWR of over 11,000 pounds.. i was shocked- but that's what it says. that is one application that has 6 lug wheels, but i don't know if they are a different bolt pattern than what you are after.also keep in mind that the trucks are designed so most of the weight is over the rear wheels when fully loaded, so the wheels are going to have to be overbuilt a little bit to compensate for that, too.

As for wheels, check out Crager Soft 8s or similar, they come in the bolt pattern you have. The 17x9 ones I had were rated at 3000 lbs each, so with 4 wheels that would come to 12,000 lbs total, 6K for each axle.

My opinion is that Gross Vehicle Weight Ratings are pretty much meaningless. They basically put a vehicle in a certain regulation position but have little bearing on their real capacities. For instance, my dodge has a GVWR of 8800, and it weighs 7200 empty.

Having said that, GCVW and axle, tire, and wheel weight ratings definitely mean something. In my experience I have broken a wheel that was rated for 3000 pounds hauling 3200 pounds on it. I have also had cords separate on tires that had seen near their limit combined with extreme heat.

The other key rating to look at is the towing capacity. The SRW truck is rated at 17,000 pounds for the 5th wheel configuration and the DRW is rated at 22,700 pounds. Our trailer has a GVWR of 16,800 pounds so technically both trucks are OK there.

In almost every case you will want to tow a Fifth Wheel RV with a long bed truck. Short bed trucks will require a special hitch for the Fifth Wheel due to the decreased turning radius over the bed, which can cause the front of the Fifth Wheel to hit the trucks cab. You are probably going to want to install a truck box in the bed of the truck for extra storage. With a long bed truck this will not be a problem. If you are buying a truck for a Fifth Wheel a long bed is the best investment.

Diesel engines can pull larger 5th wheels than gas trucks. Diesel trucks also tend to get better mileage and last longer than gas trucks when pulling an RV. The main feature of having a diesel engine is the low down torque that a diesel engine provides, which makes towing a large Fifth Wheel easier.Our Fifth Wheel Owner Data tool shows that the majority of 5th wheel owners use diesel trucks to pull their rigs.

We are asked this question many times. For many people it is a matter of choice as to the brand of truck they prefer and the many options that the trucks are fitted with. Todays trucks are more efficient than ever before and all provide basically the same features, but have different towing and payload capacities.

Our Subscribers Fifth Wheel Owner Data tool shows that in 2024 the best truck to pull a Fifth Wheel are Ford trucks. Ford has the best mid-range selection of trucks that have high towing capacities and high payload. There are other brand trucks that have high towing capacities but the payload of the truck cannot handle most Fifth Wheel hitch pin weights, and still provide adequate payload for passengers and cargo without exceding the maximum payload of the truck. You will notice when researching trucks that as the cab size increases, the payload and towing capacity decreases. Ford offers crew and super cab trucks that still maintain high payload and towing capacity. Looking at our Fifth Wheel Owner Data tool we see that few 5th wheel owners use dual rear wheel trucks to pull their rigs. Unless you are hauling a rig with a weight over 20,000 lbs a dual rear wheel truck is probably not needed. 4x4 trucks have slightly lower tow and payload capacities, a 4x4 is not necessary when pulling a 5th wheel unless you need the 4x4 capabilites when the truck is unhitched.

Gear ratio is an important factor when selecting a truck. You will see that certain gear ratios boost the towing capacity considerably while other gear ratios reduce the towing capacity by a thousand pounds or more. The higher the gear ratio the more towing capacity. Gear ratio refers to the trucks rear axle and a 3.55:1 ratio means the drive shaft turns 3.55 times for each turn of the trucks wheel

If you exceed the towing capacity of the truck you will put excess strain on the engine, the transmission and the brakes. The truck will not perform well pulling the Fifth Wheel and steep inclines could overheat the engine. Driving an overloaded truck is stressful and if an accident were to occur, insurance could be affected by the fact the truck was overloaded. Most people look at the towing capacity of the truck as the critical weight, but the payload of the truck is more important.The truck has to have a payload capacity that can adequately handle the 5th wheel hitch pin weight plus passengers and cargo in the truck.The truck payload is the maximum weight that the truck can safely carry on its axles. The towing capacity is the maximum weight the truck can pull.

An overloaded truck is stressful to drive. It perfoms badly on inclines and is slow to accelerate into traffic when merging from a interstate on ramp. As a driver you find yourself speeding up as much as possible down a hill so that you can make it up the other side without losing all your speed.

Tongue Weight, Hitch Weight and Pin Weight all refer to the same thing, which is the amount of Fifth Wheel weight that will be pushing down on the axle of the truck. It is an important weight to know, as it affects the trucks payload capacity.

The maximum payload of the truck, which will be in the truck specs, includes the driver and any passengers, any cargo loaded into the truck and the Fifth Wheel pin weight. It is important to choose a truck that has a payload capacity for the total weight that will be loaded onto the truck.

When the Fifth Wheel is hitched to the truck and the Fifth Wheel is loaded for travel, along with its driver, passengers and fuel, the weight of the loaded truck and the loaded Fifth Wheel should not exceed the Gross Combined Weight Rating (GCWR) shown in the specifications for the truck. This includes kayaks, bikes and if a trailer is being towed behind the Fifth Wheel.

This is a question we get asked often. You want to buy a fifth wheel, but don't want to buy a new truck, or you have your eye on a truck and want to know if it can handle the RV you want. Totally get it, so let's take a look at how to figure this out!

You'll find your model and a grid, showing the truck style, engine, and axle ratio. Line these up and there's your tow capacity. Pretty simple. The reason these numbers are published in a chart like this for each model year, is they are the same number regardless of what options (besides engine and gear ratio) are installed on the truck.

In this chart, are two numbers: towing capacity (on the right), and GCWR (Gross Combined Weight Rating), which we'll touch on later. The max is 18,000lbs for fifth-wheel towing. Many people, including many truck dealers, stop here and think this is what this truck can tow. However, this is only half of the picture. Of equal importance is cargo capacity.

A fifth-wheel will have between 20% and 25% of its total weight on the pin. That means 20-25% sitting in the bed of your truck. The percentage will vary depending on how things are loaded, if there's a generator in the front bay, etc. But, it gives us a range to work with. Knowing this, it's simple math to calculate a general range of the largest fifth-wheel by multiplying your true cargo capacity by 4 for the low end (25% on the pin) and 5 for the high end (20% on the pin).

If you are under your tow rating and under your cargo capacity, you generally don't need to worry about GCWR, but you should know what it is. GCWR is simply the maximum combined weight of the truck and everything connected to it or in it.

You'll find that all of the big 3 truck makers (Ford, Dodge, Chevy) all sell equally capable trucks. Pick the brand you like with the features you like, along with the right specifications for towing and you're golden! Just be aware that RAM does make some strange combinations. When we were truck shopping, we were shown a RAM Cummins Dually with a 68RFE transmission and 3.73 axle ratio that had a great payload (cargo) capacity, but a tow rating of 18,660. Of course, the dealer insisted it could tow a 20K fiver because it's a Dually after all. ? Know your numbers, because there's a good chance the dealer will not.

I am pleased to submit this Report to Congress, prepared in accordance with Section 32802 of the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act (MAP-21) legislation, compiling State truck size and weight limit laws in force as of October 1, 2012.

This report addresses laws related to the National Highway System (NHS) of which the Interstate Highway System roadways are a subset. The States determine laws and regulations affecting truck size and weight on portions of the NHS that are not also a part of the Interstate System.

Current truck size and weight standards are a blend of Federal and State regulations and laws. Federal law controls maximum gross vehicle weights and axle loads on the Interstate System. Federal limits are 80,000 pounds gross vehicle weight, 20,000 pounds on a single axle, and 34,000 pounds on a tandem axle group. There are also Federal standards for length and width on the National Network (NN). The NN comprises the Interstate and certain roadways designated by the States. There are no Federal vehicle height limits.

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