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Ram 4500/5500 crawler hauler

Mad Max

Mad Max

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May 19, 2020
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Want to do a crawler hauler that will also comfortably haul our 3 kiddos. A good friend just got a 06 GMC Top Kick and outfitted the flatbed deck to serve as a crawler hauler, and it works great. But the T.K. is pretty brutish...and we're wanting to do the same thing with a 2013-up 4500/5500 Ram. The plan is this: Get a Ram 4500/5500, dovetail the deck a tad, and haul my '14 JKU on it...more or less like this -

rw95HCe.png


We almost bought one yesterday but it sold 10 minutes before our appointment to test drive it. Still...we can't think of any reason(s) why that idea wouldn't work. The payload capacity (bed capacity) of these 4500/5500s is between 8000-1100 lbs depending on the years - my Jeep won't weigh more than about 6500 lbs. The math is solid. Thoughts.

- Sam
 
If the rear axle and tires are rated for it, then have it.

I have about 22k miles on this setup. I would say atleast 20k of it was hauling a rig.
 

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...a'ite so to check my brain, according to the Ram Canada website (https://www.ramtruck.ca/en_dir/pdf/2015/specifications/chassis.pdf), these are the specs:
4500 FAWR/RAWR (Front/Rear axle weight ratings, correct?) - 7250/12000 lbs
- Payload capacity - 7710 lbs
5500 FAWR/RAWR - 7250/13500 lbs
- Payload capacity - 10910 lbs

So...I've always presumed 'payload' capacity is "how much you can put in the bed", correct? If so either is rated high enough, tho I would opt for the 5500 just for more butchier rear axle.

l5PUSUq.png
 
My original setup had 13,500 lbs axle rating and suspension.

That was sufficient for my H3 (similar weight to JK)

I upgraded to a later to 14,706 axles and suspension since they had 400k miles on it.
 
Ferd more better imo, but solid idea. I had planned on doing a car hauler conversion on my f550 but elected not to so I could use it for multiple things.
 
Mad Max said:
...a'ite so to check my brain, according to the Ram Canada website (https://www.ramtruck.ca/en_dir/pdf/2015/specifications/chassis.pdf), these are the specs:
4500 FAWR/RAWR (Front/Rear axle weight ratings, correct?) - 7250/12000 lbs
- Payload capacity - 7710 lbs
5500 FAWR/RAWR - 7250/13500 lbs
- Payload capacity - 10910 lbs

So...I've always presumed 'payload' capacity is "how much you can put in the bed", correct? If so either is rated high enough, tho I would opt for the 5500 just for more butchier rear axle.

l5PUSUq.png
Click to expand...
The payload is all the payload though. The weights are usually really conservative for empty weights.
So it's gonna weigh a little more than the book says and the payload is deducted from all the people, dogs, beer, chips, flatbed hitches etc.
 
Seems like you will possibly exceed front axle weight?

06h3
What is your front axle weight loaded?
 
here's a better 'minds eye' of what I'd be doing - I will sink the Jeep as far into the deck as possible - seems to me the vast majority of 'weight' will be over the rear axle if not all of the load - and it seems a 5500 wouldn't care at all with a measly 6k lbs on it...just enough to make it ride nice :flipoff2:

ayejaSY.jpg
 
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I chuckle that Ford and Ram both have GAWR's (when added together) over 19,500 when the limit is 19,500 in Class 5.

I have seen F550s with a door tag that says 7k front GAWR and 14,706 rear GAWR (21,706 lbs) but GVWR is 19,500 lbs.
The ram you have list is 7,250 front and 13,500 rear (20,750 lbs) but 19,500 lbs max. I guess it allows flexibility on where you mount your stuff but older trucks usually just had GAWR front and rear added together and that was your GWVR. I just think the technology in newer trucks is exceeding class 5 max rules.

With that said, I take going over GAWR's seriously but been over GVWR before. I used to worry about GVWR but saw a guy on facebook with a weight slip that had 28k ON the F550 chassis. Even if he went 10 miles with that setup that is insane. So, if I am, on occasion, at 19,800 lbs no one will die but if I am pulled over I am probably fucked.
 
loaded I think my GVW will be in the 17k range, so well within. This is the ultimate plan -
aZtqIuU.jpg
 
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I think you will be closer to 18k but still well within the 19,500 lb range.

How much does your JK weigh? Have you weighed it? My brothers JK with a 3.8L 42RLE/rubicrawler/np241/SD60/14bolt winch bumper, rear tire carrier, mostly stock skids, 40s and beadlocks is 6100 lbs not packed for a trip. I assume yours will be over 6k too.

I see 19,500 lbs minus 10,910 payload, that means the truck weighs 8,590 with no flat bed and no people I am assuming? My buddy's bed was about 1,000 lbs. so thats 9,590 lbs. plus people and the crap you pack. So lets say 10,500 lbs. (3 people at 200 lbs a piece) plus 400 lbs of crap.

So that is 10,500 plus 6,500 lbs. That is 17k right there. I do not know the weight of your trailer but add that for tongue weight.

Buddy's flatbed he made.

irate4x4.com

The Tranny, E-450 Crawler hauler

What do you get when you cross a van with a truck? A Trans! With that in mind I am building a flat bed and beaver tail on the back of a former Uhaul E-450 cutaway chassis. This truck has 137k miles, V10, 5R110 and a Super 70 rear axle. Should work good!
irate4x4.com irate4x4.com

1729879072343.png
 
yah my '14 JKU M380 should be in the 6000-6500 range combat ready, family of 5, etc, hence the 5500 vs the 4500. The math looks good, but I always over-analyze stuff like this to ensure I've beat any potential issues to death, and it looks like the evil plan will work nicely, especially if I don't have to lug a flatbed trailer around all the time 👍 .
 
:lmao::lmao::lmao::lmao::lmao:

GAWR and GVWR are only recommendations...at least for snow hoes and landscapers.

We ran our 550s with 1500# plows hanging off the front. Axle was kinda OK, frame was not.

Currently I have 2 5500's with Boss 10' V plows. Supposedly 1200#, give or take.

They both get loaded with 3-4 tons of salt before leaving the shop.

One has a dump box with undertailgate spreader and backpack toolbox, the other has a SwitchNGo system.

Throwing a Jeep on the back is nothing. If anything, you might be a little light on the front axle with it that far back.
 
Yeah he's getting wreckless with JK placement.

Shit gets heavy in a hurry.
Ramchargers megacab 3500 weighs 10K+ empty.
 
JD Mark said:
:lmao::lmao::lmao::lmao::lmao:

GAWR and GVWR are only recommendations...at least for snow hoes and landscapers.

We ran our 550s with 1500# plows hanging off the front. Axle was kinda OK, frame was not.

Currently I have 2 5500's with Boss 10' V plows. Supposedly 1200#, give or take.

They both get loaded with 3-4 tons of salt before leaving the shop.

One has a dump box with undertailgate spreader and backpack toolbox, the other has a SwitchNGo system.

Throwing a Jeep on the back is nothing. If anything, you might be a little light on the front axle with it that far back.
Click to expand...
This is why I don’t have to worry too much. The amount of leverage on a 1500 lb snowplow has to be nuts too.

I know the guys in the trades are overloaded EVERY damn day.

I’m overloaded on half (or less) of my 3-4 trips a year where I don’t just drive my rig to and from the trail. What you guys do in a month from an abuse standpoint will probably take me years to hit that same level of abuse
 
I was rear axle overloaded pretty good on my Terrastar, and bent two axle housings to prove it.:idea:
 
CarterKraft said:
Yeah he's getting wreckless with JK placement.

Shit gets heavy in a hurry.
Ramchargers megacab 3500 weighs 10K+ empty.
Click to expand...
I wonder how honest that GVWR sheet is that was posted. My truck is 12,900 empty. I get mine is a longer flat bed, stretched frame that’s double wall C channel is many areas, that stupidly overbuilt and heavy as fuck top rack I need to cut off and insanely heavy ramps. I know I can shave 500 lbs off easy but that’s still 12,400 lbs.

I reached out to Knapehide who made my bed and gave them the serial #. My bed was built in 1996 and weighed in at 1,764 lbs. my buddy built his bed at 1000 lbs. so bed choice will determine a lot.
 
You mentioned class 5 is 19,500 max?

You think that's a hard limit?
My new international CV has the 23k weight rating
 
IMG_2627.png



I would say yes, and ford came out with the F600 which is the size of the F550 but above 19,500 lbs.

I think the manufacturers should stop giving a shit that 550 means class 5.

A 1 ton truck could haul 1 ton in the bed. That was a LONG time ago. They didn’t stop calling them 1 tons once they could carry more than 1 ton
 
06h3 said:
This is why I don’t have to worry too much. The amount of leverage on a 1500 lb snowplow has to be nuts too.

I know the guys in the trades are overloaded EVERY damn day.

I’m overloaded on half (or less) of my 3-4 trips a year where I don’t just drive my rig to and from the trail. What you guys do in a month from an abuse standpoint will probably take me years to hit that same level of abuse
Click to expand...

Long, long ago before pretty much anyone in our industry paid any attention to GVWR we had an '87 W350 for a salt truck. I left our shop every snow event with 4 tons of salt on that thing.

Really not sure how it survived as long as it did. We beat the ever loving shit out of that truck for many years.

Topped out at about 63 MPH...360 4 barrel and 4.56 gears.

Talked my dad into buying an F800 when we replaced it. Then we overloaded that. lol

And yes, 1500# hanging a good 4' in front of the axle makes it all the worse.
 
06h3 said:
To the NHTSA and the govt. Probably....

but were irates. Fuck it :smokin:

I know I have had more than 19,500 lbs on the chassis and didnt kill anyone.
Click to expand...
Well I just mean the commercial license requirement is not classed around the 19,5 limit, so what really happens between there and 26k?
 
Oh I think the licensing requirements and vehicle requirements do work in conjunction. They are totally separate
 
My rollback is a Ram 5500 so it should potentially be ok. The axles are huge.
 
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CarterKraft said:
Well I just mean the commercial license requirement is not classed around the 19,5 limit, so what really happens between there and 26k?
Click to expand...

It's not a commercial vehicle if he's hauling his rock crawler.

There are no licensing requirements for him other than a normal DL.
 
JD Mark said:
It's not a commercial vehicle if he's hauling his rock crawler.

There are no licensing requirements for him other than a normal DL.
Click to expand...
Yeah for sure I was just questioning what is the genesis of the class system, especially if it doesn't matter?

Commonly we buy 33k rated chassis and derate them to 26k to avoid the obvious BS, I imagine that defeats the system.
 
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