Overloaded RAM truck snapped in HALF...comments??

[Vladimir]

https://www.carscoops.com/2022/12/an-eagle-cap-camper-snapped-a-ram-3500-dually-in-half-to-the-tune-of-17000/

Vladimir

 

[GlennWest]

Overloaded will get you sooner or later

[Kirk W]

Looks like some really talented work with Photo-shop to me. 

[2gypsies]

1 hour ago, Kirk W said:

Looks like some really talented work with Photo-shop to me. 

Nope.

[rickeieio]

Weights and balances.  They clearly had a lot of weight WAY behind the bumper.  I would think it drove really poorly with the front axle being unloaded by the rear biased load.  "but the salesman said it was okay."

The sad part is that we see that kind of thing regularly in the campgrounds.

[bruce t]

Not that rare. We see if quite often in smaller pickups here in Australia.

I wonder who sold them the camper and did they say the RAM would do the job?

Maybe I can smell some lawyers circling!!!

 

[Ray,IN]

That is all over the internet, even on msn.com news page.  That's a long-bed TC on a short-bet truck, with a motorcycle on a lift 6'behind the axle; that's some serious leverage.

He never weighed the truck, just assumed weights, used the truck GVWR for a standard cab gas engine for his crew-cab diesel truck, and several other errors.

An example: A new 2022 Ford F-450 dually 4×4 crew cab has a camper rating of 4,513 lbs. His TC had a dry weight of 4,917# on his F350.

Now he is waiting on his insurance co. to cover the $17,000 damage, but they declined, saying it was overloaded and abused. I doubt at this stage he can prove the truck was not overloaded.

source: This Huge Truck Camper Snapped a Ram HD 3500 Dually in Half - Here Is What Happened and How to Avoid It! - The Fast Lane Truck (tfltruck.com)

Edited January 5, 2023 by Ray,IN

[rickeieio]

1 hour ago, Ray,IN said:

Now he is waiting on his insurance co. to cover the $17,000 damage, but they declined, saying it was overloaded and abused. I doubt at this stage he can prove the truck was not overloaded

So, Ray, are you saying "stupid hurts?"  🤣

[Darryl&Rita]

1 hour ago, Ray,IN said:

That is all over the internet

Given that, then get the facts. That;s a long box truck, as Ram only had the MegaCab as a short box.

[NDBirdman]

24 minutes ago, Darryl&Rita said:

Given that, then get the facts. That;s a long box truck, as Ram only had the MegaCab as a short box.

The truck in the pic is not a Mega Cab.  I have one.

[Danfreda1]

The salesmen said that was the perfect truck. 

[Jinx & Wayne]

Tater was right. You can't fix stupid.

[Pappy Yokum]

Had the owner read the Owner's Manual - he would/should have known!

He needs to hire Glenn West for an expert welding "fix".

Now it's like the Doublemint Gum add.....

"Double your pleasure, double your fun - have TWO trucks instead of just one!"

😁

Edited January 5, 2023 by Pappy Yokum

[GlennWest]

They wouldn't pay my wages. 

[Ray,IN]

On 1/4/2023 at 9:09 PM, rickeieio said:

So, Ray, are you saying "stupid hurts?"  🤣

Nope, ignorance hurts. Stupid means incapable of learning, ignorance means lack of knowledge. For instance I am ignorant of quantum physics, but I think I can still remember a little of college calculus.

 

DarylandRita, What is the diameter of a 16" Load range E tire? Roughly 30½"-31", now compare the tire to bed length.That's how I arrived at my conclusion.

Edited January 6, 2023 by Ray,IN

[rickeieio]

35 minutes ago, Ray,IN said:

Nope, ignorance hurts. Stupid means incapable of learning, ignorance means lack of knowledge. For instance I am ignorant of quantum physics, but I think I can still remember a little of college calculus.

 

DarylandRita, What is the diameter of a 16" Load range E tire? Roughly 30½"-31", now compare the tire to bed length.That's how I arrived at my conclusion.

I agree on the difference between ignorance and stupid, but was making reference to an old series of ads by Honda that showed an elastic bandage with the slogan, "Stupid Hurts."

As to the short bed idea, I believe I can see the rear bumper and tail light in the picture, clearly indicating a short bed truck.  But, my eyes could be fooling me.

[sandsys]

I know nothing about trucks. But, I looked at the length of the cab vs the length of the bed and thought it must be a short bed. Then I looked at the length of the camper overhanging behind the bumper and thought, "Uh oh." I can't believe anyone thought that combo was a good idea. And that was before they hung a bike on the back.

Linda

Edited January 6, 2023 by sandsys

[Darryl&Rita]

Ignore the shadowed area behind the rear wheel. Short beds and long beds are the same in this area. The difference between them lies in the front of the box, between the cab and rear axle. On top of that, Ram didn't offer a short bed on any body, except the Mega Cab.

[justRich]

This story has been out for a couple of months.  I looked into the truck owners Facebook page.
A couple of points the owner posted.  The owner is an insurance agent.  The owner also has a 5th wheel.  The vehicle was in Mexico.

You detective sleuths might conjure up a hypothesis as to what really happened.

 

[JimK]

Sadly, truck campers are very often much heavier than the truck is rated for. 

The CCC of this truck was probably about 5000#.  The owner did not pay attention.  The 7000 some capacity would have been for a truck without a diesel and without an extended cab.

Next the weight of the camper was much heavier than the owner thought.  The base dry weight of this camper is about 5000#.   Water and propane would take the weight to roughly 5600#.  The base weight of the camper does not include what the manufacturer calls "accessories".  Those include A/C, awnings, roof rack, solar, large screen TV, generator and more.  We can at least see awnings, roof rack and solar panels.  The weight calculation now puts the estimate at about 6000# and possibly much more.  Beginners don't realize how much they add in "personal" items.  Those would include food/drinks, plates/pots/pans, bedding, clothing, tools, air compressor, hobby gear, etc, etc.  It is easy to exceed 1000# for these items.  We are now at about 7000# if not a lot more.  The final blow was adding a bracket and 2 electric bikes.  Probably another 250-300#.  It is likely the owner exceed the truck's CCC by 2000 and possibly 3000#.  Manufacturers also warn about loading with proper center of gravity.  The COG needs to be over and ideally at least several inches in front of the rear axle.   Clearly that was not the case and the bikes alone would have violated that requirement.  Harmonics and those bikes bouncing up and down on rough roads were probably the final blow.

This might be an extreme example, but most truck campers are heavily loaded at or often slightly beyond the truck's CCC.  Helper springs, air bags, or other suspension enhancements are common.

This should also serve as a warning for other RVers.  Many trailers are poorly built with marginal frames, suspension and tires.  Small-medium trailers often have CCCs of 1000# or even less.  Beginners especially often don't realize accessories decrease that amount and they don't realize the weight of all the items they are going to carry.  

    
 

[Larry Burkett]

That Dodge doesn't have a Lippert frame does it??  LOL

🤣🤣

[rickeieio]

3 hours ago, Larry Burkett said:

That Dodge doesn't have a Lippert frame does it??  LOL

🤣🤣

Ohhh, that was a good one!!!

[Lou Schneider]

The fact that the frame failed by snapping up instead of down says, at least at the moment of failure, the camper's center of gravity was behind the rear axle.  Probably by a substantial amount.

[Kirk W]

7 hours ago, Lou Schneider said:

at least at the moment of failure, the camper's center of gravity was behind the rear axle. 

Which leads to the question, how could he have steered the truck? As a kid my dad loaded 2 tons of sacked chicken feed on his 1938 International truck, only to discover that he could not steer the truck because the front wheels were barely touching the ground. I would expect that to happen well before both frame rails were to break or fold??? 

Edited January 8, 2023 by Kirk W
t

[rickeieio]

Which is what I wrote 20 posts ago.