I know this is a stupid question, but how do I know what rear end I have? Also, you say it will get ugly if I have a blow out...exactly how will it get ugly. This is my first LQ trailer, so forgive me for my ignorance.

Certified scale:  ... 3 horse Sundowner loaded for a week trtip with 3 head aboard.  4 foot shortwall NO LQ, just a boot box and a cabinet ....  Truck bed: 12 bales of hay, a bit of firewood and misc stuff.

My rear axle weight was 5700 pounds. My front axle weight was 4140 pounds.

Total rig weight was 17,800

Your weight may be a "bit" more...

PS .. truck was a dually.  I like extra margin.  You may feel okay with less.

I have the same truck with  slightly larger trailer.  My rear axle wt was just over the rated weight for the truck.  A lot depends on how much you carry in the bed of the truck.  If you keep it empty you will most likely be ok but if you carry a large water tank and a few bales of hay you may be over. 

Max load says 3195...I am so confused..

To find out what gears you have look at the window sticker if you have it.  If not, go to the dealer and have them print out a build sheet on the truck by using the vin.  Standard is 3.73 and the option is 4.10's.  If you have nothing listed on the build sheet or the build sheet then you have 3.73.  This is for 03-07 Dodge HD trucks. Supposed to have a new gear 3.42's coming out in 08. With your 3500 you have the same axle and overloads as a dually. You just don't have the tires to carry that much weight.

3195 x 2 =6390 lbs.

That will be your limiting factor on how much weight can be supported on the rear wheels. My Exiss Event 412 hooked to my truck(04 3500 Dodge dually) with no horses, no camping stuff, full of fuel, full of water for the LQ, and no people weighed in at 6740 on the rear axle. I beat yours will be just a close.

So, right now I have E rated tires on my truck..do you suggest me going up to a G rating??

Drumrunner ... Let me cut to the end.. Your truck won't be able to carry the trailer you described fully loaded.  Spooler's trailer is over your ratings WITHOUT the horses or people or camping gear.

Include the horses and other loads and your truck is overloaded.   Tires are not the only part that is overstressed.  Don't do it.  You can expect some sort of break-down soon.  Likely when all the towing services are closed for the holiday, the sky is dark with rain clouds, the horse is colicing, the passengers are whinney. And you have a migraine headache!  enjoy the event.  (Remember to keep a diary so you can tell us all the details.)  LOL   !!

Here is a link to the max trailer weight for all vehicles for 2004, I cannot find a 2005 chart; http://www.trailerlife.com/images/elements/883783_Towing_Guide.pdf

This chart says that a Dodge 3500 regular cab, 5.9 TDI with a single rear wheel tow rating is between 14,500lbs amd 12,500lbs.  I have a Lakota 4 horse with 10' LQ with an empty weight of 8200lbs and I pull it with a Chevy 2500HD 6.0 gas and I an well below my 10,300lbs max trailer weight. 

You will be fine just don't over load the rear axle or tires by taking a full load of water if you can avoid it.

Have you actually weighed your trailer or are you relying on a marketing brochure?  The marketing brochure and even my truck registration grossly underestimate the weight of both my truck and trailer.  The only reliable way to determine the weight of your truck and trailer is to weigh them.

Thanks so much for this information!!

That is the weight the manufacture gave me from the VIN.  The weight they gave me was 8221lbs so it sounds like it was weighed.  I have to take the trailer home on Saturday and plan to stop by the Flying J truck stop and drive over the scales.  I'll report back what the outcome is, I know my truck weighs between 6200lbs and 6500lbs.  When I get rocks from the stone yard I always weigh 6200lbs but the truck has full fuel (150lbs 26 gallons) and a new hitch for an additional 100lbs but I took out a lot of stuff from the black hole that is the back seat, I even found some stuff that I was missing, so the weight may be close to the original 6200lbs. 

Just to clarify here, loaded I will exceed the manufactures max towing ratings for my truck by about 1500lbs.  I will not exceed the max towing capacity of a 2500HD with the bigger engine so I am limited by engine or transmission, both of which have been beefed up.  Do not ever exceed max axle weight rating or tire max load rating. 

My gooseneck Lakota pulls easier than my 2000lbs flatbed with my 3700lbs Jeep on it for 5700lbs on a bumper pull trailer.  Every time I have had the Lakota out it has been rush hour traffic in Columbus, Ohio and I have been taking it to or from Congress to have service and or delivery items dealt with.  During that 25 mile drive in slow and go traffic my transmission temp never exceeded 180 degrees Fahrenheit.  On the way home after rush hour the transmission temp stayed below 150, so at speed the trailer does not appear to put an excessive load on my truck, but that is only 25 miles.  I’ll learn more when we take it for a trip.

Thanks....let me know....I never knew this could be so confusing...I need all the help I can get. The info I got off the sticker in my door jam says Rear axle weight is 6200 and front is 4750...trailer weighs 8460 lbs empty, but it says the GVWR is 14000 lbs....what exactly is the GVWR??

Got the truck and trailer weighted today.  Just to refresh everyone 4 horse Lakota 6' 9" wide with a 10' LQ and a Chevy 2500HD 6.0 gas.  Front axle 3420lbs, drive akle 5140 total on both trailer axles 5900lbs for a total truck and trailer 14460lbs.  If I recall right from looking on my door jam my max rear axle weight is 6400lbs.

I would like to add to this that this is my first goosneck trailer so I am still learning.  Today when I got the trailer home it was raining so I hurried to unhook and get the truck out from under the trailer, do you see where this is going?  Well I got the gooseneck off and the safety chains and unpluggen the pigtail all is good right?  I forgot the tailgate.  Tailgate bend trailer stayed put.

I forgot the tailgate.  Tailgate bend trailer stayed put

That's one I haven't done yet.  I have forgotten to put the foot up after hooking up and it now leans just a bit.  Made a good brake.

I know you read the dry trailer weight rating off the trailer.  Well, that was before they put in the LQ's.  The average weight of that is 300 lbs per foot on the short wall. So, a 10 foot short wall x 3 is equal to an addtional 3000 lbs. So the actual dry weight of your trailer should be very close to (dry weight sticker) + 3000lbs.

Yes, you can upgrade to load range G tires but to do it you will need to upgrade to 19.5 in. rims. That will be an expensive tab (19.5 tires and wheels). Yeap, it is confusing and I didn't know a thing either until after I bought my trailer. I knew just enough before to be dangerous but I did already have a dually. I will never be able to fully load up my trailer. If I do it will be about over my GCVWR (Gross combined vehicle weight rating) and that is 23,000 lbs. with 4.10 gears.