As mentioned earlier, nothing you do to your truck will change the sticker on the door that says 9000 lbs. @ 38-40 ft, you would be better off with a 1 ton dually. You truck can pull that load all day long with a lot of weight to spare but stability could be an issue. In texas, I see 3/4 tons pulling looong A$$ 5th wheels all the time. I tow a 28' 5er with no issues. I believe 4.10 is about as tall as you would want to put in your truck (diesel), 4.56's are usually found in the gassers. Again your truck will tow the **** out of a 40'er, even with 3.73's. Your 5.9 is workhorse. Use your best judgement.

 

Very good point! Many states allow you to register your truck for various GVWR limits. Don't register your truck for a lower rating to save a couple bucks and then tow above that limit.
The resulting ticket if you get caught will cost you a hell of a lot more than properly registering it will.

 

Here in NY they go by registered weight. So in reality I could register my 1500 series truck for 20,000lbs and get away with it as long as I pay the registration fee. Pretty silly right?
My trailer is actually rated for 5,000lbs on the factory tag, but since I have it registered for 7,500lbs I got out of a ticket when they threw me on the scales weighing in at 6700lbs. I only did that because my axles/bearings and frame are all heavy duty 7k rated. I did the extra 500lbs for a saftey measure.
Not all states are the same so check with your local laws. if you get pulled over in another state, they go by your state laws usually since you are a passer through and not a resident.

 

I dont know if they hardly even weigh you here....ive towed a million times and never been weighed.

 

I was weighed on a back road. Normally the Statie's only weigh commercial vehicles, but I had an oversized load of wood and when they stopped to make sure I had a trailer inspection they thought I was overweight so they put my trailer on the scales. Good thing for me getting the trailer inspected every year because most guys don't even bother.

 

ive never got a trailer inspected

 

some things are just a little easier in the south. (insert redneck joke here)...but we don't get hassled for any of the stuff the "yanks" get picked on for i.e. HID's too bright, too wide of tires, bumper's too tall, ...etc. Sure we have state inspection ($40) in metro areas for smog testing and much less in rural areas. Registration for my truck is around $70 yearly. Crazy how different it is around the country. Poor bastards in some states paying $3.25 a gallon for 85 octane and $3k a month for a house that just lost half it's value. I think I just ranted a bit. Sorry, slow night in the ER in Ft Worth, yea it happens. Sorry for Jacking the thread. God Bless Texas!!! So

 

Was always like that in Georgia too. I was amazed at how laid back the cops were compared to NY when I moved south for college in '91.

But times are a changing! I think all towns and counties are seeing the opportunities for revenue by checking and fining for EVERYTHING anymore and it's really pissing off the old timers who are set in their ways and got away with stuff for years that they are getting nailed on now...

 

yep, if its commercial you will, or atleast shift it around until your axle weights are right. after being stopped for being over weight a few times and having to slide the 5th wheel and the tandem axles on the wagon(big truck) i found my way around the scales. if you're worried about being over weight, find out what the limit is on the truck and go hit a cat scale.

 

Trade up to a 3500 and be done with it and it doesn't have to be a dually either unless you want one. There's a lot more to increasing tow capacity than rear diffs and leaf springs. With a 1 ton, everything is upgraded from the factory to handle the extra capacity. 1 ton trucks have heavier duty components than their 3/4 ton counterparts like brakes, suspension, drivetrain and cooling system. Plus the legality of towing rigs rated higher than rated capacity of your truck can be a pain in the *** as well. It's only a truck, not your momma. It can be replaced.