If I add a 20k pusher can I keep 12k steer?

You can run a 12,000 front with a cheater. The amount on the front will depend on fifth wheel placement. How long is your neck?

 

Oh and get ready.

 

Ok

 

pull out the 12k steer and put a 20k steer on

 

With a lift axle, you'll have to have a pretty long neck and slider to ever get much weight on your steer. It's is all in 5th wheel placement. You can put 12K or 20K on the steer, depending on where you place your 5th wheel.

 

With my 5th wheel almost on my pusher, I'm not even 11k on steer when I have almost 60k on the back 3 axles. The pusher will take a lot of weight off the steer unless fifth wheel is in right spot.

 

257" wheel base. (KW T800) But the same applies to longer wheel base trucks. Your fifth wheel has the be ahead of your pusher, or the pusher will take weight off of your steer. Not add to it. You can add a 20k pusher and make full use of it, even with a 12k steer. It just will get sketchy in the winter because your steer will be so light. But that doesn't matter that much since can't drive while oversize on bad roads anyway.

I don't scale my loads that much, the picture is from my wyoming permit weighed on their dot scale. My pusher is set to around 16,500 on it. and that makes my steer only have 10300 on it when it's down. Mind you my steer weighs over 14k when i'm bobtail.