Steer/Axle Weight Question

You can only run up to the rating on your steer axle. Most trucks have either 12,000 or 13,200 steer axle ratings. You can find out what your truck has by looking for a sticker on the driver's door jamb that looks like this:




You can only run up to 20,000 lbs if you have the correct axle/wheels/tires for it.

Slide your fifth wheel towards to back of the truck to transfer some weight off your steer axle and back to your drives.

 

Is your trailer a spread or closed tandem? A spread is legal with your trailer weight as you are allowed 40,000 total, but not to exceed 20,000 per axle. If it is a closed tandem, you need to shift weight to your drives as you can only legally scale 34,000.

 

Yes.

 

I'm guessing it's a very 'springy' ride? Sorta bucks up and down on the drives.

 

You should be riding smooth loaded that way, compared to a 20 foot sailboat on 12 foot waves... (Yes it's beating the hell out of you/trailer/and specifically your steers with the slightest bump in the road I imagine)

I'm also guessing that there's some weird cantilever effect going on because 15 k on your steers should not be happening unless your front end looks like a dump truck's

 

You are well overweight on standard tandem back there. Need to slide them back in order to add weight to the drives. If you cannot then you need to reposition the freight, take 5000 pounds off the rear or split between two trucks.

The steer is not right. I don't know where or how it sees the extra few thousand pounds all the way up there but something isnt right. Maybe the 5th wheel is positioned wrong.

Never allow yourself to be rushed or hurried by the company. That plants a seed for a major problem.

Ride on normal 18 wheelers that heavy on the trailer end is not good. It will try to possess the tractor and take control of it. Worse in rain or snow etc. We usually put 34K on the drives unless with a 10 foot trailer axle spread, then it will accept up to 40,000 back there very well.

This is for a dual axle tractor with two drives. Not for single axle tractors. I am not familiar with single axles, it has been decades since I last touched one.

 

You can find the tire ratings on the sidewall or look up the tire maker's load/inflation tables.

Like others said & showed, hopefully you'll have a sticker or tag in the door telling the axle rating. Also, the right mechanic might be able to look that up from the truck's VIN.

I also have doubts that your steer or trailer weight is legal. The link you quoted is down at the bottom of that web page, where they're talking about OSOW loads. At the top, they say only 34k on tandem & 20k for single axles (40k on a spread).

So I think you need to move your 5th wheel way back & load the trailer a bit more forward to get your axle weights right.

What kind of truck? Short wheelbase daycab?

And I just reread where you said you cross state lines. Forget state regs & stick with the Federal weight limits.

 

Did you set your brakes on the scale when you weighed? Are you absolute sure you didn’t roll the drives slightly onto the steer axle scale?

I think something is wrong with your scale ticket, getting 15k on your steers with your drives that light would put your fifth wheel way In front of your front drive axle.