Upgrading Towing Capacity

[Reserector]

Don't forget DOT stops. That was my main concern with having an 1,800 lb camper on top of my seriously built, SAS'ed, V8 powered King Cab. The truck is reinforced, with upgraded axles, but the GVWR rating is only around 5,200 lbs. My rig weighs that EMPTY without the camper.
If DOT were to stop me, they would look at the factory rating, cite me and fine me, and make me flatbed the vehicle out of the environment.


Likely they would do the same to a rig that is towing way more than the factory rating, unless a certified shop did modifications and recertified it to a higher rating, and let's face it; that ain't gonna' happen.


By the way, my camper now rides on a Siverado 2500HD and I sleep good at night.
Just because we can doesn't mean we should.

[Deerhurst]

In reply to dieselpusher, the Kenworth is designed for a 3:1 weight ratio and that weight is spread over quite a long distance. The D21 is not designed to carry weight or interface with a trailer like a semi.



Look at the length too. Everything is just supported so much better. I can stuff a bobcat on a trailer behind my D21 and still be shorter than a semi trailer.

[supersayianjim]

flat tow is ur best bet, and this was kinda hairy, i drove from atl to missouri

[Stinky]

The part about DOT is a valid concern. If something happens, like an accident, w.an injury, you could be charged criminally.

[XoXSciFiGuy]

Originally Posted by ProjectGray

Hey I was wondering if there was a way to get the towing capacity to around 8,000-12,00 lbs.? I know that is a big difference but I plan on fully building the truck over the next 5 years. Things like dropping a slightly built VG30DETT in it with the 5-speed so it has higher torque so if anyone has any ideas, crazy or not please I'm all ears.

It's not just the size of the engine, your suspension, or even adding trailer brakes, anti-sway, or any of that stuff.

Your truck simply isn't BIG enough to haul that kind of weight. Not even close. Let me give an example on how this whole thing works:

My Nissan Xterra is rated to tow up to 5,000 pounds.

A Nissan Frontier with the right engine is rated at 7,500 pounds.

Both have the same cooling systems for the transmission to prevent overheating while towing.

What is the difference? The Xterra is shorter and taller. The Frontier is longer and lower.

A lot of what represents towing capacity is based on the FRAME of the vehicle. You could add all the extras you wish onto that hardbody, and if you try towing much above capacity, either you will blow the clutch pretty quick, or fry your transmission. You could even damage the frame beyond repair. You need a bigger, beefier vehicle to tow that kind of load. Besides, the first time a State Patrolman sees you trying a load like that with a mini-truck, he's going to pull you over and say some pretty nasty things as he writes you the ticket. He will probably freeze the truck in place right there and make you get a tow truck to have the tow load dragged back to your house.

If you don't wreck trying it in the first place...

Look...I once owned that beautiful 1997 King Cab shown below. It was a thing of beauty and fully restored with 132K miles on it. But it couldn't tow much at all.
Then I bought a trailer.
I had to sell the 97 and buy the Xterra. Trailer weighs 3140 unloaded, with the hitch. That's pretty light. And it's still a bit of a challenge towing it with the Xterra, which has 248 HP and good low end torque.
Yeah...I still miss that truck though. Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's....(keep your 94 truck and get something you can safely tow with.) Trust me on something here. You hook up anything much above 3,000 pounds on that hardbody, you will know you made a big mistake the first time you take it above 35 MPH and you will get the holy hell scared out of you.

I do have one possible caveat...just one bit of hope for you. You COULD do the hardbody conversion truck that is famous around here. The Flaming Marshmallow. But you should discuss all this with him before you spend a dime down at the parts store. He has a V-8 in that thing, and a big camper on the back. But I would like to hear what he says about your plan.





For everybody else: Updates and upgrades on the Xterra/Jayco Lite trailer setup: Installed three battery system, all charge with smart charger inside the trailer. (300 amp hours available) Two seven-gallon propane tanks installed inside the forward door on the side of the trailer. 750 watt inverter installed in the forward storage box with alligator clips ready to go. (You hook the clips to any of the three batteries to get AC power) The inverter goes to two additional AC outlets, one in the rear queen bed area, one at the dining area. (So we can run TV both places without the generator.) UHF snap on addition to the TV antenna and new RG-6 coax cable run from antenna to outlets inside the trailer. Antenna has a 50 db signal booster. We trashed the bunkbed above the queen bed to make more room for us. (No kids, we're retired) Already had new flooring, all new electrical system, and new toilet/shower with new water pump. Purchase price, 5700. Solar panel with controller that can be placed on the roof to charge the batteries. It is fully boondock ready now. Camping test last week showed our 7-gallon propane tanks can run everything for at least nine days, and we carry three extra of the five gallon tanks, just in case. You can stay out for at least 12-14 days without resupply now, especially if you have a water source nearby.

We're going for a week to the site shown below, which is on the very edge of the Snoqualmie National Forest, and just west of Tieton, WA. (Yakima suburb)

[Reserector]

Originally Posted by XoXSciFiGuy

I do have one possible caveat...just one bit of hope for you. You COULD do the hardbody conversion truck that is famous around here. The Flaming Marshmallow. But you should discuss all this with him before you spend a dime down at the parts store. He has a V-8 in that thing, and a big camper on the back. But I would like to hear what he says about your plan.

I already "weighted in" on this one. See my comments above. ^^^^^

[XoXSciFiGuy]

Originally Posted by Reserector

I already "weighted in" on this one. See my comments above. ^^^^^

Ah...I see them now.
The Flaming Marshmallow is just so damn famous in Nissan Land. I actually read the entire build thread on it, although that took a couple of weeks here and there until I finished.

We are not...worthy.