my Payload Capacity

[Benson]

I sure this has already been discussed several times but I wanted to go through the math by myself and see if I'm doing this correctly. I'm buying a new 5th wheel this weekend and want to know all of my weights are correct,
I have a 2022 3500 limited dually with the air suspension and all of the components of the Max Towing package (I didn't get the package because I did not need the hitch so I ordered all of the other components separately. I know having the dually I wont have any problems getting close to the maxes but I just want to know the numbers.
I am attaching pictures of the weigh ticket I got today (equipped as it would be when towing the camper with the exception of the wife and dog), the payload sticker and the manufacturer sticker from the door jam.
So, the manufacturer sticker shows front and rear GAWR as 6,000 front and 9,750 rear which adds up to 15,750. But, the GVWR is 14,000 so I'm guessing that I'm going to use the 14,000 as the Max.
Now the weight ticket shows 5,660 front weight and 4,300 rear weight with a total of 9,960 with me in the truck.
Subtracting the 9,960 from the 14,000 GVWR leaves me with an available payload of 4,040, Correct? The payload sticker shows 5,021 but I have a 60 gal aux tank and the 5th wheel hitch in the bed for I figure that is goo for 600 to 700 off the payload sticker.
The new 5th wheel has a GVWR of 16,500 a dry weight of about 13,700 and a hitch weight of 2,620 so I know I'm not near the maxes of the truck but with the payload sticker showing 5,021 payload.
So with the hitch weight of approximately 2,800 once we add equipment and personal items to the camper subtracted from the 4,040 available payload I should still have 1,240 available payload, correct?
Thank you for any help you can give me. I will redo all of this once we pick up the new camper and get it all loaded with out personal items.
The reason I'm asking all of this is because the camper as a small solar system from the factory and I am wanting to expand it for off the grid camping trips so I need to know how much weight I have available for panels, components and batteries.

 

[Grateful Dad]

You numbers look correct, assuming the pin weight is a good estimate. Which hitch do you have? The aux fuel and tank are probably close to 600 lbs themselves. You’d be surprised how quickly the “little bit of stuff” you have in the truck adds up weight wise.

 

[tchur1]

That hitch weight feels a bit light once you have stuff in the 5ver. 20% of the dry weight would be 2700 lbs. Id bet your closer to 3100lbs on the pin when actually loaded up and driving.

You still have room to play with but maybe just a bit less than initially calculated.

 

[Brutal_HO]

Figure 22% of 5th wheel GVWR as your estimated max and go from there. If you have enough left for the solar, you're probably good.

 

[Benson]

You numbers look correct, assuming the pin weight is a good estimate. Which hitch do you have? The aux fuel and tank are probably close to 600 lbs themselves. You’d be surprised how quickly the “little bit of stuff” you have in the truck adds up weight wise.

I have the Mopar 30k hitch which I think is just a rebadged Curt

 

[Grateful Dad]

I have the Mopar 30k hitch which I think is just a rebadged Curt

First off, good on you to weight your truck, ahead of the game already! That hitch is around 230lbs (not sure if that’s shipping weight or not). 60 gallons of diesel is about 420 lbs (roughly 7 lbs per gallon) and I’d estimate the aux tank is about 160lbs. That totals 810 lbs of the 980 lbs “already missing” from your payload number so add your weight to that and it looks like you’ve accounted for the weight the slip is showing.

The real quandary is your actual pin weight. It looks like you got a pretty good size 5ver so your pin might be on the heavier side (mine is really light on the pin but my 5ver was designed that way). You’re specs look good IMO and I would think you’d have room to expand the solar and not all that weight will go directly on the pin, even if a lot of it is in the front bay. In the end you might be close on payload but remember, the truck has a max rating for a reason, don’t be afraid to use it. You might have to make adjustments to your driving but seeing that you’re already looking into this, I’d venture a guess you already know that.

 

[Benson]

First off, good on you to weight your truck, ahead of the game already! That hitch is around 230lbs (not sure if that’s shipping weight or not). 60 gallons of diesel is about 420 lbs (roughly 7 lbs per gallon) and I’d estimate the aux tank is about 160lbs. That totals 810 lbs of the 980 lbs “already missing” from your payload number so add your weight to that and it looks like you’ve accounted for the weight the slip is showing.

The real quandary is your actual pin weight. It looks like you got a pretty good size 5ver so your pin might be on the heavier side (mine is really light on the pin but my 5ver was designed that way). You’re specs look good IMO and I would think you’d have room to expand the solar and not all that weight will go directly on the pin, even if a lot of it is in the front bay. In the end you might be close on payload but remember, the truck has a max rating for a reason, don’t be afraid to use it. You might have to make adjustments to your driving but seeing that you’re already looking into this, I’d venture a guess you already know that.

I figure once I get the camper all loaded up as if we were going camping for a week with no hook ups including a full tank of water I will have the whole rig weighed and then weigh just the truck again by itself and then subtract the 2 rear axel weights from each other and that should give me my true pin weight, correct?

 

[Benson]

I

First off, good on you to weight your truck, ahead of the game already! That hitch is around 230lbs (not sure if that’s shipping weight or not). 60 gallons of diesel is about 420 lbs (roughly 7 lbs per gallon) and I’d estimate the aux tank is about 160lbs. That totals 810 lbs of the 980 lbs “already missing” from your payload number so add your weight to that and it looks like you’ve accounted for the weight the slip is showing.

The real quandary is your actual pin weight. It looks like you got a pretty good size 5ver so your pin might be on the heavier side (mine is really light on the pin but my 5ver was designed that way). You’re specs look good IMO and I would think you’d have room to expand the solar and not all that weight will go directly on the pin, even if a lot of it is in the front bay. In the end you might be close on payload but remember, the truck has a max rating for a reason, don’t be afraid to use it. You might have to make adjustments to your driving but seeing that you’re already looking into this, I’d venture a guess you already know that.

used to just go by the Max towing capacity, which for my truck is over 36,000 lbs. but I learned from this forum that the payload capacity is the one to watch. If I do expand the solar system I'm the type of guy that I will want to run as many things as I can and I'll want as many panels and batteries as I can hold. I've recently started learning about solar systems also. So it looks like lithium batteries are going to be what I need but they are EXPENSIVE.

 

[Brutal_HO]

I have the Mopar 30k hitch which I think is just a rebadged Curt

It is a Curt A-30

First off, good on you to weight your truck, ahead of the game already! That hitch is around 230lbs (not sure if that’s shipping weight or not). 60 gallons of diesel is about 420 lbs (roughly 7 lbs per gallon) and I’d estimate the aux tank is about 160lbs. That totals 810 lbs of the 980 lbs “already missing” from your payload number so add your weight to that and it looks like you’ve accounted for the weight the slip is showing.

The real quandary is your actual pin weight. It looks like you got a pretty good size 5ver so your pin might be on the heavier side (mine is really light on the pin but my 5ver was designed that way). You’re specs look good IMO and I would think you’d have room to expand the solar and not all that weight will go directly on the pin, even if a lot of it is in the front bay. In the end you might be close on payload but remember, the truck has a max rating for a reason, don’t be afraid to use it. You might have to make adjustments to your driving but seeing that you’re already looking into this, I’d venture a guess you already know that.

That 230 is shipping weight.

My A-25 weighs 168lbs. I've never found out what exactly the difference is between the A25 and the Mopar 30K, likely the same hitch and same weight or awfully close.

If the truck was ordered with the hitch it is included in the payload so no need to subtract for it.

 

[Benson]

It is a Curt A-30


That 230 is shipping weight.

My A-25 weighs 168lbs. I've never found out what exactly the difference is between the A25 and the Mopar 30K, likely the same hitch and same weight or awfully close.

If the truck was ordered with the hitch it is included in the payload so no need to subtract for it.

No the hitch came with the 2019 3500 that I traded in on this one.
The hitch looks just like the A25 so that was the weight that I was going off of.
I just found the weight of my RDS 72743 Aux tank is 96 lbs so rounded off is 100,
The I have never been able to put more that 55 gals in the tank so 385 lbs of fuel
So with all items rounded up it comes to 635 lbs in the bed.

 

[Brutal_HO]

No the hitch came with the 2019 3500 that I traded in on this one.
The hitch looks just like the A25 so that was the weight that I was going off of.
I just found the weight of my RDS 72743 Aux tank is 96 lbs so rounded off is 100,
The I have never been able to put more that 55 gals in the tank so 385 lbs of fuel
So with all items rounded up it comes to 635 lbs in the bed.

Right, I was just confirming that the Mopar 30K is a Curt A-30. That said, they use the Q-20 for the smaller one and they have different heads and main body.

 

[MEGA HO]

I

used to just go by the Max towing capacity, which for my truck is over 36,000 lbs. but I learned from this forum that the payload capacity is the one to watch. If I do expand the solar system I'm the type of guy that I will want to run as many things as I can and I'll want as many panels and batteries as I can hold. I've recently started learning about solar systems also. So it looks like lithium batteries are going to be what I need but they are EXPENSIVE.

36,000lbs? Are you coming off your truck specs or just a number in a brochure. If your is an HO Cummins with AISIN then yes you do have that much, if your is an SO with 68rfe then your in 20-25,000lbs towing range.

 

[tchur1]

36,000lbs? Are you coming off your truck specs or just a number in a brochure. If your is an HO Cummins with AISIN then yes you do have that much, if your is an SO with 68rfe then your in 20-25,000lbs towing range.

He has the HO and 4.10 rear end so 36k is probably close.

 

[Billcf7]

A good way to estimate your loaded pin weight is to use the same percentage as your dry weight. So if your dry weight is 20% use that of the GVWR.