Determining pin weight capacities on 5'er?

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1mnsurfer

1mnsurfer

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Aug 13, 2010
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Hello all!  New to the forum, looking at purchasing a TV and need some help.  It's a 2010 Silverado 3500 diesel option, with a curb weight around 6000 lbs and a rear axle weight limit of 6900 lbs.  If figuring VERY conservatively a 50/50 weight distribution does that mean my rear axle weight load is less than 3000 lbs, which would give me 6900 - 3000 = 3900 lbs for a maximum pin weight?  That seems pretty heavy to me.  :-\  I'm looking at 5'ers up to 15000 lbs loaded up, so if I use the 20% rule assumed for percentage of total 5'er weight to pin weight, that could put me around 3000.  Thanks ahead for any insight.

Scott
 
Check this site...it may give you what you want  It is a long url not sure why.

http://changingears.com/rv-sec-calc-trailer-weight-fw.shtml?truck_gvwr=13000&truck_gvwr_unit=e&truck_gcwr=20000&truck_gcwr_unit=e&truck_gtwr=12450&truck_gtwr_unit=e&truck_tongue=&truck_tongue_unit=e&truck_rgawr=6000&truck_rgawr_unit=e&truck_gvw=6400&truck_gvw_unit=e&truck_rgaw=3400&truck_rgaw_unit=e&trailer_gvw=9600&trailer_gvw_unit=e&trailer_tongue=&trailer_tongue_unit=e&margin=&tongue_percentage=

Bill T
 
Generally speaking, the 5W pin weight you can carry is roughly equal to the max payload the truck is rated for. This value should be in the truck specs brochure or various places online. I would guess somewhere in the 4000-4400 lb range for a 3500 dually.  The pin weight is carried just barely forward of the rear axle, so most of it rests there but a  percentage distributes to the front axle as well. As you surmise, the rear axle limit is likely to be reached before the max payload is reached.

Your 3900 lb number is possible. The weight distribution will be  heavily forward unloaded, but shift to the back with the max load on.

I do not know of any good way to pre-calculate this. You just have to load it up and weight each axle.

The trailer pin weight will be 20-25% of the trailer actual loaded weight.

I have found this site to be an excellent source for Chevy specs - much easier to find stuff than the Chevrolet site. Select the HD models and scan down to the 3500 Weights

http://www.karltylerchevrolet.com/guide/brochures/2010/silverado/specs_hd.html
 
Interesting sites, thanks for the info!  Trouble is there's always different info floating out there, hard to figure out what to trust.  Guess I'll just get a bigger truck.  8)  Keep the rubber down out there!

Scott
 
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