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Suspension bag burst after connecting 5th wheel

Northome

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We recently purchased a 2020 Ram 2500 and then purchased a 5th wheel camper. It’s GVWR is 10,000 lbs, well under what the Ram can handle, shortly after connecting the bag blew. The computer system says that weight was exceeded. Chrysler is claiming that it isn’t under warranty because we exceeded the weight limit. Our truck has been in the shop for 2 weeks with no resolution. Our new camper is sitting unused in our yard. we have witnesses to the event. We were headed out amping with our next door neighbor that also has a 5th wheel. He and another neighbor heard the bang and came immediately. They know that our camper is well under the weight limit. We are very frustrated as we have a lot invested and can’t even use what we purchased.
 

ColoradoCub

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Wow. What’s the weight on the pin?
^^^^^
This

The GVWR doesn’t mean anything, it’s all about pin weight and the 2500’s are not rated to carry very much weight on top of the axle. I figured that out when I bought my 2500 and then realized that almost every in bed cab over camper was over my payload weight rating except for the chinsy pop up types. The 2500’s aren’t capable of carrying much more than the 1500’s, you can thank them for the rear coil suspension to appease to suburban soccer dads!
 

devildodge

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The problem with the 2500 air suspension is that the air bag actually replaces the coil. There is absolutely nothing that is limited by the coils. But the air bag that replaces it is.

Over at our sister site WWW.HDRAMS.COM we have a member who found this out while towing. His camper was way over weight and he would not believe us.

But RAM replaced it for him.

Are you sure the 10k is GVWR or dry weight.
Even with the 10k being GVWR your tongue weight could be 2500lbs. Add in the hitch and anything else in the truck and well it doesnt take much to get to over limit.

And again coil springs are not the limiting factor in a 2500. Freight cars use coil springs.
20201028_135851_HDR.jpg

The 3500 would have coil springs too...if they could get them closer to the tire.
Which is the issue for the 2500 but it is nit supposed to carry a load that matters. Why there are capacities.

I own a 99 03 and 15 2500. The 15 with coil springs handles the loads much better than either of the coil springs. And I work my trucks often.

Back to the topic. The air suspension has a limit. It can be exceeded. Campers weigh substantially more than you think .

My camper is 5200 GVWR. Here is my CAT SCALE slip. You can see I am quite a bit over that. Did not know this until I hit the scale. And that was with empty tanks. and you can see...even with the 5200 GVWR camper, with the stuff we take I am at almost 10k GVWR.

Screenshot_20200526-084249~2.png

Check out WWW.HDRAMS.COM It is our site for the HeavyDuty. This site is for the 1500 DT. But stick around here too. There is great info to learn from both sites.

The link to the air suspension issue.

 

ColoradoCub

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All I know is somewhere along the way Ram turned 2500’s into 1500’s with the bigger cummins. They can pull a lot but they can’t carry squat. I had a 2001 Cummins powered 2500 with leaf springs and overloads that could carry a 2500 lb camper in the bed and tow a trailer at the same time. My 4th gen 2500 couldnt carrry squat, and then with weight in the bed the coil spring suspension would act like a damn pogo stick on rough roads making it basically unsafe at times.
 

Northome

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^^^^^
This

The GVWR doesn’t mean anything, it’s all about pin weight and the 2500’s are not rated to carry very much weight on top of the axle. I figured that out when I bought my 2500 and then realized that almost every in bed cab over camper was over my payload weight rating except for the chinsy pop up types. The 2500’s aren’t capable of carrying much more than the 1500’s, you can thank them for the rear coil suspension to appease to suburban soccer dads!
We have a Keystone Cougar 25RES and the tongue weight is 1500 lbs.
 

jdefoe0424

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Do you know what the actual pin weight is, not what the manufacturer said it is.
If you don't know what it is, and your neighbor is willing to help out, have him pull it to a CAT scale and get the weights with and without the trailer.
Compare the increase in weight on the truck to the payload of your truck. Also include your hitch weight, weight of passengers and other gear in the truck, any accessories that you have added and were not installed from the factory.

If the number you come up with is less than your payload for the door, then the dealer should warranty it. Be sure to take the weigh slips and all other days with you. If the number you come up with is greater than your payload, then you might be able to file a claim with insurance for repair depending on the cost and your deductible.


From what I've seen, a 5th wheel with a cummins 2500 is severely limited in payload (basically 1500 payload weight). A 5th wheel with the 6.4 is not going to be an issue.
 

Northome

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The problem with the 2500 air suspension is that the air bag actually replaces the coil. There is absolutely nothing that is limited by the coils. But the air bag that replaces it is.

Over at our sister site WWW.HDRAMS.COM we have a member who found this out while towing. His camper was way over weight and he would not believe us.

But RAM replaced it for him.

Are you sure the 10k is GVWR or dry weight.
Even with the 10k being GVWR your tongue weight could be 2500lbs. Add in the hitch and anything else in the truck and well it doesnt take much to get to over limit.

And again coil springs are not the limiting factor in a 2500. Freight cars use coil springs.
View attachment 77731

The 3500 would have coil springs too...if they could get them closer to the tire.
Which is the issue for the 2500 but it is nit supposed to carry a load that matters. Why there are capacities.

I own a 99 03 and 15 2500. The 15 with coil springs handles the loads much better than either of the coil springs. And I work my trucks often.

Back to the topic. The air suspension has a limit. It can be exceeded. Campers weigh substantially more than you think .

My camper is 5200 GVWR. Here is my CAT SCALE slip. You can see I am quite a bit over that. Did not know this until I hit the scale. And that was with empty tanks. and you can see...even with the 5200 GVWR camper, with the stuff we take I am at almost 10k GVWR.

View attachment 77730

Check out WWW.HDRAMS.COM It is our site for the HeavyDuty. This site is for the 1500 DT. But stick around here too. There is great info to learn from both sites.

The link to the air suspension issue.

We have a Keystone Cougar 25RES and these are the specs. All our tanks were empty, they have never been filled yet. For cargo, we had 3 changes of clothes, a set of 4 dishes, pots and pans, 2 camp chairs, and a full refrigerator, as well as an empty cooler.
 

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ColoradoCub

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That’s really not that heavy of a 5th wheel at 1500 lbs of pin weight. But you have to add that to the weight of passengers and cargo inside the truck too, what does the sticker in the door jamb say that your payload rating is?
 

Northome

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The truck is at the dealership in service with nothing happening at this point. I will check tomorrow as I don't remember exactly. We bought the truck first and chose the camper to be well under the maximum allowed.
 

jdefoe0424

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If you have the VIN you can go to the link and click "Look up my vehicle." It will give you exact numbers for your specific truck.


Sent from my Moto Z (2) using Tapatalk
 

devildodge

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We have a Keystone Cougar 25RES and these are the specs. All our tanks were empty, they have never been filled yet. For cargo, we had 3 changes of clothes, a set of 4 dishes, pots and pans, 2 camp chairs, and a full refrigerator, as well as an empty cooler.
It appears you should be fine. I would take this info with you. Did you take any pictures? We're you on any kind of a slope?

My guess is the bags should be good to 3000lbs...but no one can really lock that down.

Good luck
 

cdn.tbird

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My guess is the bags should be good to 3000lbs...but no one can really lock that down.

Good luck
I did a quick search and found RAM's Towing chart. Depending on the exact model/config the OP bought their payload could be as low as 1500lbs, with surprised the f out of me.
1609113698349.png

Add 125 - 150lbs for the hitch and a couple of passengers and you're well over that payload before you put anything in the cab.

Hopefully the OP will add more details about their 2500 so that we can provide more accurate advise rather than just speculating. I wish them well in their fight with FCA.

https://s3.amazonaws.com%2Fchryslermedia.iconicweb.com%2Fmediasite%2Fspecs%2F2020_RAM_2500_3500_HD_TowingChart931nt9qmsd8aerespefd6bsda4.pdf&usg=AOvVaw0muleQRok8-q-BwxkwWaJl
 

devildodge

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I did a quick search and found RAM's Towing chart. Depending on the exact model/config the OP bought their payload could be as low as 1500lbs, with surprised the f out of me.
View attachment 77769

Add 125 - 150lbs for the hitch and a couple of passengers and you're well over that payload before you put anything in the cab.

Hopefully the OP will add more details about their 2500 so that we can provide more accurate advise rather than just speculating. I wish them well in their fight with FCA.

https://s3.amazonaws.com%2Fchryslermedia.iconicweb.com%2Fmediasite%2Fspecs%2F2020_RAM_2500_3500_HD_TowingChart931nt9qmsd8aerespefd6bsda4.pdf&usg=AOvVaw0muleQRok8-q-BwxkwWaJl
That is a Powerwagon. It only has an 8565 GVWR and is limited because of the axles flexy suspension and disconnecting sway bars.

But...a limited Cummins can have about 1800lbs of payload.

GVWR on all 2500s except the Powerwagon is 10k.

We need to know what trim he has. What engine. 4x4 or 4x2 and cab and bes size.

Also hopefully he has the VIN and can use the link provided to give us his payload number.

@Northome can you give us more info about your truck
 

cdn.tbird

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That is a Powerwagon. It only has an 8565 GVWR and is limited because of the axles flexy suspension and disconnecting sway bars.

But...a limited Cummins can have about 1800lbs of payload.

GVWR on all 2500s except the Powerwagon is 10k.

We need to know what trim he has. What engine. 4x4 or 4x2 and cab and bes size.

Also hopefully he has the VIN and can use the link provided to give us his payload number.

@Northome can you give us more info about your truck
That was my point. The OP didn't provide much information and everyone jumped in speculating that it would be more than adequate to handle such a "light" pin weight. I was simply pointing out that there are trim levels that would barely be able to handle the pin weight and nothing else. For what it's worth, if the OP bought a 4x2 Tradesman with a 6.4L Hemi and 8' box, the payload jump up to 4010 lbs.
 

devildodge

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That was my point. The OP didn't provide much information and everyone jumped in speculating that it would be more than adequate to handle such a "light" pin weight. I was simply pointing out that there are trim levels that would barely be able to handle the pin weight and nothing else. For what it's worth, if the OP bought a 4x2 Tradesman with a 6.4L Hemi and 8' box, the payload jump up to 4010 lbs.
I agree with you.

But one of the thing he did give us was GVWR.

I was just pointing out that you showed a Powerwagon. That only has 8565 GVWR.

So we know it is not a Powerwagon.

And I was showing that a diesel can be at 1800ish even with 10k GVWR.

I was just offering more information and clarifying the info you have.

I Wish he would get back to us.

Inquiring minds want to know
 

cdn.tbird

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I agree with you.

But one of the thing he did give us was GVWR.

I was just pointing out that you showed a Powerwagon. That only has 8565 GVWR.

So we know it is not a Powerwagon.

And I was showing that a diesel can be at 1800ish even with 10k GVWR.

I was just offering more information and clarifying the info you have.

I Wish he would get back to us.

Inquiring minds want to know
Until he gets back to us, who knows. :)

When I read the original post, I took it to be the GVWR of the trailer. If you look at the image he did post, the trailer GVWR is 10k.
 

devildodge

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Until he gets back to us, who knows. :)

When I read the original post, I took it to be the GVWR of the trailer. If you look at the image he did post, the trailer GVWR is 10k.
You are correct. It is the trailer. I even realized this when I replied originally

But I can still rule out the Powerwagon. Rear air suspension is not available.

I will stop assuming until he returns.

Come on @Northome
 

devildodge

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Guess he isn't coming back. Would be interested to know what he found out.

I can definitely say the air suspension on the HeftyDuty is no longer a must have.
 

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