I'm certain it's 8000 lbs -- somewhere, I have the paperwork to prove it. A 3/4 ton is only that on the chassis. A friend of ours has an older 3/4 ton and when he took it in to be weighed, he took the back passenger seat out, camper shell off, and a bunch of other non-essential stuff. He found out that it didn't make a whole hill of beans to California, it was going to cost that much even with the seats in it. So we took it in fully loaded.

I decided to call PA Turnpike Customer Assistance....class 2 it is. We did some options around and it would have cost the same amount in extra fuel, so we'll just deal with the costs. (Sigh).

As far as going around Chicago -- we're taking 80, which means only a little bit of toll (if any at all) all the way to I-39 North. (I think that's the #, I'm not at home next to my maps). We want to poke around LaSalle, Peru, Ladd and the area for a little bit, since I still have family in cemeteries in that area. I will drive an extra 100 miles to avoid driving in Chicago, if I have to!


Donna