An Eagle Cap Camper Snapped A Ram 3500 Dually In Half, Mopar Refuses $17,000 Repair Bill
- Thread starter Lord Sparky
- Start date
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Not to hijack the thread, more to accentuate that people just don't know what they are doing, a friend of mine once bought an old travel trailer. One of the old school heavy *** things, about 18 ft if I remember right, and he planned to tow it with his then new Ford Tempo!
After I stopped laughing my head off, I asked him if he had ever looked at the underside of his car, or checked out the towing capacity for it. No on both counts. So I put the car up on a hoist and showed him what little structure existed behind the front subframe. Then I got the owners manual out, and looked at the tow rating, which was something like 1000 lbs, IIRC.
He traded it for a pick up truck the next day.
After I stopped laughing my head off, I asked him if he had ever looked at the underside of his car, or checked out the towing capacity for it. No on both counts. So I put the car up on a hoist and showed him what little structure existed behind the front subframe. Then I got the owners manual out, and looked at the tow rating, which was something like 1000 lbs, IIRC.
He traded it for a pick up truck the next day.
Dale Davies
Well-Known Member
Large industrial engines are run for months at 100% load or duty cycle. They are engineered for that with lots of cast iron.
When dealing with trucks, approaching the load limits dictates serious consideration of purchase of a bigger truck. Physical size may be the same but the under pinnings are built more substantially. RV dealers need to be sued for selling trailers or campers to people that are over the vehicle capability. MT, the truck can just handle the load, but then the customer puts pots, pans, dishes, bedding, cloths, food and probably water in. Now the GVWR is exceeded big time.
Personally I support a RV endorsement like air brakes to tow a trailer bigger than a utility trailer or drive a motor home. How many people got through life driving nothing bigger than a half truck and utility trailer. Now they retire and want to travel. They purchase a pick me up and big RV trailer or motor home and tow a SUV for putzing around.
We have red necks by the score here with chipped 1 ton trucks and big 5th wheel trailers cruizing down the highways at 140 to 150 KPH, 85+MPH. Then they wonder why trailer tires blow, lights fall down and shelves loaded with canned goods collapse. It does not help these RVs are built like cardboard sardine cans. But they gussy em up to look like the Taj Mahal and charge big dead presidents for em.
Dale Davies
Well-Known Member
Then you get numbnutz towing an older tandem axle RV trailer with a minivan at 75 MPH in a 50 MPH crosswind. Lots of wind pressure on the sides, so doh head was using 1 1/2 lanes. I was sure I would see him on the lid in the ditch. Nope and I do not know how he did it. You have to wonder how he gets the wife to warm the passenger seat.
340demon72
Well-Known Member
I agree, it can be plated and welded to good as new. The point is and the picture shows that frame is not nearly the depth it should be at that point for the length of that truck considering its load capacity and torque to the ground that's available.
The frames on the new trucks aint much there reversed engineered to just barely do the job and not for long . Three or four years there rusted out that bad the steering is floating around and won't pass a mvi . i have a 68 1 ton ford wharf truck that has been around salt water and massivly overloaded for 50 years on its 3rd cab and the frame is still solid . Reversed engineered over priced junk .
harrisonm
Well-Known Member
I don't think this hijacked the thread at all. It added nicely.
The truck's rear axle was severely overloaded just sitting in a parking lot. Adding wind pressure over the truck cab at 70 mph makes things worse. Adding wind pressure straight into the camper at 70 mph makes the camper want to slide back and tilt rearward. It's a tall unit. Plus the seesaw action [momentum] when you hit a dipsy do in the road.
I don't have any info on the new stuff, but in the 80's a one ton pickup had a different [weaker] frame than a one ton cab and chassis, which had bigger brakes and a higher gvwr too. There is a plate on the door[?] which states the gvwr. for the truck and gawr for each axle. All three ratings have to be met or you'll get towed home from a weigh station.
I don't have any info on the new stuff, but in the 80's a one ton pickup had a different [weaker] frame than a one ton cab and chassis, which had bigger brakes and a higher gvwr too. There is a plate on the door[?] which states the gvwr. for the truck and gawr for each axle. All three ratings have to be met or you'll get towed home from a weigh station.
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