4x4 necessary?

2wd ram 3500's & up have had a solid front axle now since 2013. Very similar, if not identical to the radius arm setup the 4wd's. Haven't checked in awhile but the main difference I see is 2wd is good for ~ 5500lbs, & 4wd ~ 6000lbs.

 

THAT is FUUUNNNY... something to it eh?

 

You bet.! For myself, I believe it was just being more sensible about where I could actually get in to make a delivery. Fellow asks, "can you get'er in over there..?" Instead of saying, "sure, I'll give it a whirl. She's 4wd.." I'd just say "nope, you'll have to unload here."

The front axle of my Ram was never above 5100bs. Goose ball was only about 1" ahead of the drive axle, fixed mount, making it virtually impossible to shift any more load weight up there. That 5000lbs, on pizza cutter wide 235mm rubber was useless on soft ground. At 35 or 36k lb gross weight she'd just dig the front on down to the axle..

Now if you're one of these dummy hotshot operators I see running around all the time. Freight loaded at the trailer axles, & behind, thus causing negative pin weight where it actually lifts weight off the drive.. Having 4wd will help you get some traction when the roads are slick, but they're still a jackknife waiting to happen..

 

My empty truck scaled the steer axle at 5460!
5340 with my empty trailer on the back.

I do have the dual batteries in addition to the 205MM HD Front Axle, are my scale numbers correct?

 

Actually, I forgot. Once an ltl was much heavier than advertised. I loaded at the front & went to a scale. Had 5180 on steer & 11,200 on drive. Called shipper to reposition load but they went home for the weekend. Outlawed it & took 2 lanes to make the Monday AM delivery. Rough weekend bouncing off the bump stops. Very lucky I didn't break something on that ride..

Certified CAT scale should be accurate..

The newer trucks, 2013 & up for Ram seem to be heavy pigs IMO. Other makes probably also, but I've only ever owned dodges, so that's all I can really comment on..

My '12 ram was 4wd, crewcab, g56 trans, 8' box pickup. With me, my girl, 70lb dog, fuel, luggage for 3 weeks, cooler, toolbox full of tools scaled @8480. 5060 steer, 3420 drive. With empty trailer it was 5080 steer, 5900 drive, 7800 trailer axle..

Where is your 5th wheel positioned? It should be 1"-6" ahead of the drive, with 3" being ideal IMO..
The steer should gain a little weight, or at the bare minimum stay the same weight as empty. Loss of weight up there will cause it to ride poorly, have less steering control, less front braking effect.. I'd put a car on the front of your trailer, scale again, & see if it gets worse. If it does, I'd think about repositioning the 5th further foward..

 

My 5th wheel is directly above the drive axle. Having just one car at the front of the trailer would definitely lighten the front a bit. My chassis cab is heavier than all the dually pickups scale tickets I've seen.
The trailer has a long tail end past the axles. I plan on loading the heaviest car on it when fully loaded to try and balance it out. I'm afraid that if I move the 5th wheel ahead of the drive I won't have enough clearance from the trailer and it would hit my cab.
After I finish my registration and all I'll load a few friend's cars and head to the scales to figure out how it all sits to stay legal and safe.

 

Weird maybe I'm missing something, but I'm not sure what.?

Did you use the same scale for both times you weighed.?

Were you same on fuel both times?

Were you in the drivers seat, or standing on the doorjam?

Lots of times I scaled in my pickup, the call button is located so high up, I'd stand with my drivers side door open. Hit the call button while standing in the doorjam & holding onto the grab handle to keep my balance. This way my body weight was always in the same place..

My truck now has roughly the same wheelbase as my Ram did. 169.5" ram vs 174" freightliner. My truck now still has a goose ball, not a 5th. It too is only about 1" ahead of the drive. I always scale with half full fuel. My steer ranges from 9100-9500lb, always gaining weight as the drive weight increases. I'm puzzled as to why your steer is lightening..

 

Used cat scale both times, first time in Illinois and the second ticket in Texas.
The first ticket was bobtail, 1/2 tank of fuel and a 300 lb passenger. I want to rescale the bobtail when I get back to Miami next week.
The second scale ticket with just me, a full tank (74 gal), full def, luggage, and an empty trailer.
After I buzz the scale I sit back down in my seat.
If after I load it up and see that the steer gets lighter I'll consider going to get the 5th wheel moved up ahead of the drive. I don't think the steer will go below 5000 lbs fully loaded.

 

Ding Ding Ding Ding!!!! We have a winner!!

It's the missing 300lb passenger. If said passenger was in the front seat, 60-70% of that weight was most likely being carried by the steer. You're probably good..

Let's say the steer carried 50% of that 300lb to make the math easier.
5460-150=5310 bobtail
5340 with empty trailer
Steer gain ~30lbs

With the trailer pin load over the drive or slightly ahead, I have a hard time fathoming how it could possibly lose weight. I think we've got this one licked..