Originally Posted By: Ramblejam
I'm talking about legal ratings, and you're discussing gear ratios...
I'm well aware of the fact that we covered two different sides of the same subject.
Quote:
The 2015 Ram figure you quote (30k) is on a truck as follows:
GVWR - 14,000
GAWR - 5,500 (Front)
GAWR - 9,750 (Rear)
Payload - 6,580 (Empty)
Could you please explain to us how a truck with those ratings is going to legally pull a 30k trailer with 7,500lb. pin weight?
No, but I can explain how it will legally pull a 30k trailer that has less than the full 25% of its GTW as vertical tongue weight. One simply makes sure that their load distribution and trailer is appropriate for the more common 6,250 lb. target VTW.
Quote:
Compare that to a Class 7 tractor:
GAWR - 12,000 (Front)
GAWR - 20,000 (Rear)
GVWR - 32,000
SAE J2807 establishes performance requirements. As I said before, and I'll say again for the sake of clarity -- engine power hasn't been the limiting factor for many years, nor has gear ratio for that matter; I have no doubt a new Ram has the drivetrain for 30k. It's the rest of the chassis (axles, suspension) where deficiencies are for these loads, and a 1-ton with those GVWR/GAWR ratings isn't the tool for the job.
Funny, because those trucks that aren't the tool for the job pull up outside my business everyday with some seriously heavy loads. With their DOT and MC numbers labeled on the doors. One such carrier recently delivered 2 13,000 lb. lift trucks for me. I'll make sure to tell all of those companies running their businesses with their wrong tools the error of their ways.
Of course power has not been a mechanically limiting factor. Toyota and VW proved that you can move a space shuttle and a commercial jetliner with less power. Power has been a limiting factor in terms of the drivability of the trucks, given the gearing and loads they have to live with in pursuit of the same goals.
Where medium duty vs. light duty is concerned, there are also legal and municipal issues, since commercial trucks are barred from so many communities and municipalities. For them, a medium duty truck is as good as a bicycle or a team of sled dogs for hauling their boats, campers, business equipment, and what not. A 1-ton truck is about having the best of both worlds; being versatile for all of life's tasks, instead of just one.
This is why the International MXT was such a flop. Medium duty hardware for the daily life doesn't work out. Big price tag, next to nobody would insure one, and had all of the misbehavior of the medium duty truck that it was. Why would Ford, Dodge, and Chevy want to follow a business model already proven to be a failure?
The point is, the power of the current trucks is not an indulgence for wild yahoos like you make it out to be. If the 1-tons had their current weight capacities, and the same old engines, they would be total dogs when hauling at capacity, defeating the purpose of opting away from a commercial vehicle. Not to mention failing to meet their tow capacity goals under the new SAE J2807.
I'm making over 1100 lb/ft of torque, and I absolutely enjoy that I can actually move with traffic under load, and merge onto the highway and through lanes safely. As I enjoy that I can continue up a grade with confidence under load. It may be a pointless endeavor to you, but perhaps you should speak for yourself and not for others.
On a side note, it's a plesant change of scenery to see someone argue that a 1-ton is not enough, as opposed to the usual argument that one should select a Honda Fit over a 1-ton.
