It had been stated in another thread that it was a "40' loaded Trails West 4 horse trailer (around 17-k or so loaded)". You are right, GCWR on a Dodge is 23k. Base curb weight is right at 6,000.

Maybe right about the 16,400, but that is on the standard 3500 Dodge truck!  Not the 3500HD cab-n-chassis with firsestone bags.  These truck have a 12,500 gvrw instead of 10-k. 

 And a correction on the gross weight, we scaled in Alliance 2 weeks ago loaded with 52 gallons of fuel, 125 gallons of water, 4 horses, 6 saddles, 4 square bales, food and drinks for the weekend and the rest of the tack and we was only 24,367, sorry about showing 25-k on another post, that was a mistake!  But what difference is 633lbs going to make???

My point being; looks like youre over the manufacturers GCWR by 1367#, yet you 'feel' that rig performs fine.  Your post leads me to believe you are the typical chest thumping "my big truck can handle it" type of person.....which is fine with me, until the BS starts flying.  Now Im not saying your going to burst into flames from being a few pounds over, Ive hauled "overweight" plenty so I know better.  However if your truck can handle being overweight, why cant a 1/2 ton handle what it is rated to haul?  The simple answer is it can, but youre simply not comfortable doing it.....doesnt mean the next guy isnt.

Truth be told, I suspect a 1/2 ton with a 8k trailer will probably stop quicker than a 1 ton with a 16K trailer.....or at the very least be to close to call.  Basic physics.

Yes if my trucwas a standard 1-ton dually I would be 1367lbs over weight, based on the standard 10-k gvwr!  Do some home work and look back a earlier post and see that my truck is a cab n chassis that has a 12,500 gvwr which in turn is 2500 lbs more than the standard 1-ton!  And NO, If I don't feel that my truck will haul the weight in a safe manor, I AM NOT GOING TO HAUL IT!  I have way too much invested to try something stupid like that...  For instance I have a 28' gooseneck flatbed trailer I haul hay with.  The trailer will hold 18 -1000 to 1100lbs round bales, but I will only haul 12 or 13 at a time because of the wieght...

Also look back a earlier post, yes the 1/2 ton can haul the trailer, but it is not designed to haul a GOOSENECK!  Frame is not even close to being as heavy as the 1-ton or even the 3/4-ton for that matter.  Bottom line is if they wish to use a 1/2 ton to do the job that is fine, but the original post was asking for input and that is my input!  Yes it will haul the trailer, safely NO!  Something else she needs to thing about is if the truck in question is still under warranty, she need to get in writing that her warranty will not be removed for using it for something that it is not intended for!  Reason for adding that was last year, I bought a truck from a local auction that was new enough to still have warranty but the warranty was no longer valid because someone had added a gooseneck hitch in the bed of a 1/2 ton truck and then complained that the frame was cracked and tried to blame GM for the defect!

And NO the 1/2-ton will not stop any fast because the brakes on the 1/2-ton are not even near the size of the brakes of a 1-ton.  Common sense!

NEXT!

You don't even remember what the topic was to begain with!

Oh yeah, scroll back, I never said anything aobut a so called gcwr or whatever you put! 

READ BEFORE YOU WRITE!

You are actually incorrect...Traffic laws in the US state that OVERTAKING vehicles must MAINTAIN safe assured distances...which means IF YOU HIT someone who is in FRONT OF YOU, it is going to be YOUR FAULT!!!

Please spend some of your free time to do some reading up on the New Dodge Ram trucks.  A TRUE factory cab n chaissis truck NEVER leaves the factory with a bed, a factory bed will not even fit the chassis because the wheel base is not the same, the axle is not as wide either.  And in the case with the Dodge cab n chassis they all come with a straight axle front end.

1) A Dodge Ram 3500 cab n chassis is just that!

2) If a new truck is sold with no bed, does not make it cab n chassis it is called a "bed delete" and those can be bought in either a 1/2, 3/4 or even a 1-ton for people who wish to install a utility body or something of that nature! 

You are correct about one thing, GCWR and GVWR are two different things, and I never once mentioned anything about the GCWR!  And the 12,500 that I keep talking about has everything to do with it!  So again, please spend some of your free time and educate yourself before you start going off on someone about a post that was left!

Wow...I have been away a few days and look at all that I missed.

To Rockin'TK;

#1. Check out Dodge's website. HD or not, your truck is overloaded. Not saying it isn't capable, because it is, but if you go by true towing specs it is still overloaded.

#2. GM (Chevrolet/GMC) provides towing specs for the 1/2 ton models. In those towing specs, it provides both bumper pull & fifth wheel towing. I have owned many 1/2 tons with gooseneck hitches, and am yet to crack a frame, and yet have a dealer tell me that my warranty is voided. My guess on that would be this...warranty was voided in the manner to which the hitch was installed. I am sure that an attorney would love to have that case if it wasn't considering that they will give you the towing specs freely on the web.

To mgoodma;

To ease your mind, if it needs it, ask your dealer to show you the towing specs for your specific vehicle. They will be able to do so. Get a true weight on your trailer (I think you are close enough on your estimate though). Run the calculations and determine if you feel safe with the weights that you will be pulling. Give yourself adequate stopping distances, keep your brakes in good working order, have fun when you get wherever your travels take you.

You have incorrectly interpreted my post.  I compared the Chevy HD series brakes to the brakes on OTHER 1/2 tons.  I am aware the Chevy 1/2 ton (pickup) brakes are smaller than the HD series.  My point being; no one in their right mind would tell me the brakes on my truck are not big enough, yet they are smaller than nearly every late model 1/2 ton.

Never intended to dispute that.