Towing rating vs GVW

as long as you stay under what your apportion plated for your fine.

 

If the max towing capacity of your truck is 17k, then yes, you really don't want to drag over 17k. If you do, then you could think of yourself as just another vacationer. You've seen them, the kind with a tiny little Jeep Liberty dragging a 30' travel trailer. LOL.
No, it wasn't a dumb question, this confuses many people.
I guess something to remember, no matter the gross capacity of the trailer, you still shouldn't tow anymore than the manufacturer of the tow vehicle recommends. As it is, I think the big three overstate what some of their vehicles are good for.

 

true but stricttly from a legal point, you cant get in trouble as long as your plated for what your pulling. i hear horror stories of dot reading the gvw off the trailer, but i myself have been dot'd and never had trouble.

 

Your partly correct. I pull a 40' with a F350. The truck is apportioned at 37000lbs. Thats heavier than I will ever get. We are required to haul at least 15000 which puts me in around 31000 truck trailer and load. They do not care what the manufacturer recommends as a towing weight. They do care about the axle weights as you mentioned and your gross weight. They will also look at your tires to make sure they are rated for the weight they have on them.

I'm going to give you a little advice that will make your life a lot easier. If you have never pulled a 40' gooseneck then you are in for a real treat lol. Most manufacturers use a equalizer bar suspension on these trailers. These trailers on rough roads will beat the ever loving crap out of you and your truck. You at least need to make sure when you buy a trailer to buy one that has a suspension like a big truck ie the axles are independent of each other. I just had air ride put on mine and the difference was incredible. Empty, you dont even know the trailer is back there, and loaded you can actually sit back in the seat and not be concerned with serious kidney damage.

The guys with the spread axles and those who have installed Hutch suspensions all say they do much better than before. The air ride is awesome but is a bit pricey. Dont get cheap on anything either. Money spent on these things really matters. A good brake controller like the Tekonsha P3 (I think I spelled that right lol) will run you around $280 to $300 but is well worth the money trust me. You shouldnt have any trouble with the truck, Dodge trucks are popular with this line of work. I would recommend a Reese hitch if you dont already have one. I have my first and last B&W hitch and its junk. Its come loose 2 times. It hits the exhaust pipe, the shock and the drop bracket rattles and squeaks. They have adjusted it both time it came loose and even added more bolts the last time, but it still isnt right. It will be replaced with a Reese. OH...for the trolls...the trailer is never over 24000 and the hitch is rated at 30000 so its not that the hitch is overloaded.
Good Luck

 

I just noticed your from Lake Charles... give Acme a call, and Mark Pederson equipment in Lake Charles carries PJ trailers. PJ can build you an air ride trailer if you want to go that route. Acme hauls a lot of oil field and refinery equipment. Get your TWIC card if you havent already, you will need it. A Hazmat endorsement is nice to have too.