# 2003 dodge diesel, western wide out to heavy?



## gridesnik (Nov 11, 2011)

hey guys have a buddy with a 2003 dodge 3500 quad cab diesel dually 4x4. the western dealer is saying the wide out is too heavy for the truck. Does anyone run this plow with similar truck? have much problems or have to add ballast to the rear of the truck? any thoughts or opinions would be greatly appreciated buying something on monday.


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## 95HDRam (Sep 12, 2011)

A local competitor in town runs the Wideout on a 2004 Dodge 3500 Single Axle without any problem. What is the Front GVW? That would be the only thing I see on Western's website that would make a difference. According to the site the plow weighs just under 1000lbs.


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## ajs (Oct 6, 2009)

They say the plow is o heavy because the truck has a deisel in it which is alot heavier than the gas engine. Probly harder on the wheel bearings and ball jionts if anything.


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## JohnnyU (Nov 21, 2002)

Right or wrong, I hand a much heavier plow hanging off my 2004 until recently. My 810 was about 1100#.


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## ajcoop20 (Dec 4, 2011)

ive got a 8'6 MVP on mine which is around 900 handles it just fine.


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## wideout (Nov 18, 2009)

Same truck as your friends but its a 2006 no problems.


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## justme- (Dec 28, 2004)

This issue has been discussed to death in the past- the issue really is liability, not capability.

The dealer/plow maker has to calculate the capability of the truck and design strength as well as accounting for the trucks systems. The engine weighs several hundred lbs more than a V8, yet the front axle is the same. A standard cab has a different weight bias then a quad cab, or Mega cab, and they have to factor the average load in the truck as well as the max load in the truck- full fuel and full passenger load.
The quad cabs all have more weight forward because of the bigger cab which restricts available front axle load.
Legally, if the plow will be over the design limits and safety limits the truck is engineered for, the plow dealer who installed it can be liable for accidents caused by that condition just as the owner/operator. Panic stop and not stop in time t-boning a car? When the lawyers find out the truck is not rated for that plow they'll be using that against you, and going after the installing dealer.
That said, there are many of us running plows on trucks that were not "approved" combinations by the manufacturers. All diesel 2nd gen Dodges are not approved, but they plow great with standard plows- I would never push it by going from a 700lbs straight blade to a 1000lbs wideout on mine tho. The Dana 60 is already loaded too much.

Over plowing can be helped by ballast and most plow installations are supposed to have ballast anyway to offset the weight bias. Ballast is BEHIND the rear axle not over the rear axle. You'll also notice front end components wearing out faster especially overloading the front end with a 1000# plow. 
I have a truss on my front axle (con-fer) and my front end does wear faster then without a plow, but acceptably to me. Do what you want- you may not find a dealer to do the install, but it can always be done yourself- just know what you're getting into and the possible ramifications of those actions.


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