Towing Capacity Questions HELP!!

[toro1966]

Edited my original post and believe it to be correct. Let me know if it's not Day.

[DAY11]

so the GVW just can exceed the GVWR and I use the above example?

Yes use the corrected example above to figure what GM says you can tow.

 

Take that info to your DOT or go to your DOT website and see what you can register at and what you need to register at.

 

For example in PA

Class 1 is up to 5000lbs. Cannot register at that as they will not let me register at a weight less than vehicle empty weighs (5500or so.)

 

Class 2 is 5001-7000 lbs. I can register at that but I am leaving a little capability on the table as GM says I am good to 7200.

 

Class 3 is 7001-9000. I can register there but my personal limit is 7200 (not 9000) as that is all the manufacturer says I can go.

 

Then You need to check on your trailer weight and trailer registration too. Remember that your GCWR tops out at 15000.

 

The Trailer cannot exceed the trailer registration max or put your combo weight over 15000

[Stallion225]

I've been following this thread as I'm in the market for a camper myself. Most of my questions have been answered in these posts. The only one I have is what weight should I be looking at on trailers? The unloaded or dry weight? Or the gross weight? To find out what my truck can pull?

 

 

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[redwngr]

so the GVW just can exceed the GVWR and I use the above example?

GVW would be what the loaded vehicle weighs on the scale

 

GVWR is the amount that the the scale weight shouldn't exceed. (it is the amount the truck is rated to weigh)

 

 

The next complication is that both the front and rear axles have weight ratings. GAWR front and GAWR rear. The truck load (passengers, cargo and any weight the trailer applies to the truck) should be distributed so as not to exceed either of those ratings as well.

[BlackZ71Silverado]

Whatever you do don't let the RV dealer tell you what you can tow. They will tell you a Fiat could tow a fifth wheel just to get a sale.

 

That's a cooker dealer for sure if they pull stunts like that because it actually puts not only you, but any other people that may be on the road in danger.

The dealership I use here at home is outstanding! They will NOT sell you a TT that is over the weight rating for your specific tow vehicle.

They go above and beyond to make sure things are going to be right and they also take time to be sure to get you taken care of with the proper weight distributing hitch and set it up before you leave the dealership after purchase. They have been great to deal with and I won't purchase a camper/TT from anybody but the people I deal with. Good, honest dealerships are not easy to find these days, for any type of vehicle.

[jenkins12]

 

That's a cooker dealer for sure if they pull stunts like that because it actually puts not only you, but any other people that may be on the road in danger.

The dealership I use here at home is outstanding! They will NOT sell you a TT that is over the weight rating for your specific tow vehicle.

They go above and beyond to make sure things are going to be right and they also take time to be sure to get you taken care of with the proper weight distributing hitch and set it up before you leave the dealership after purchase. They have been great to deal with and I won't purchase a camper/TT from anybody but the people I deal with. Good, honest dealerships are not easy to find these days, for any type of vehicle.

 

To be honest, I don't know if as much as them trying to sell something and intentionally skewing the weight I can tow, or they are just that incompetent and have no clue as to which rating to go by...either way, you are correct in that the potential for disaster is high...no matter the reason!

[jenkins12]

Gentlemen, I cannot thank you enough for your help!! It amazes me that the folks who are supposed to be SMEs in both my vehicle and campers haven't a clue as to exactly what rating/ratio to go by. I appreciate y'all's patience in breaking this down Barney Style so even I can understand it. This forum is outstanding because of folks like y'all who have the knowledge and the willingness to share it! From the information gained I am going to look for a TT with a dry weight of between 6000 and 6500 lbs. (My wife likes to pack a lot of stuff and I have two huge Golden Retrievers who will eat up a bunch of my GVWR! ha!). Again, thank you!

[G Mcpherson]

There is a sticker on your door jam ( tire and load carry capacity) that will also tell you what you how much weight you can carry in your vehicle. I figures passengers included. Mine is 1532#.

[gmckenzie]

I've been following this thread as I'm in the market for a camper myself. Most of my questions have been answered in these posts. The only one I have is what weight should I be looking at on trailers? The unloaded or dry weight? Or the gross weight? To find out what my truck can pull?

 

 

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Gross, or if it isn't given, dry plus carrying capacity.

 

Honestly, until you run your truck over a scale, it is real tough to know what it's weight is.

 

Weighed mine last trip. Trailer is 6,600 dry with carrying capacity of 1,600 and I was close to that. Weight on the rear axle (this is where you run out of capacity first) was ~4,050 lbs. So if I had the truck in question, I would have been overweight. I have the NHT with a rear axle rating of 4,300 so I'm good. But it does suggest you need to stay under 8K loaded.

[Stallion225]

Gross, or if it isn't given, dry plus carrying capacity.

 

Honestly, until you run your truck over a scale, it is real tough to know what it's weight is.

 

Weighed mine last trip. Trailer is 6,600 dry with carrying capacity of 1,600 and I was close to that. Weight on the rear axle (this is where you run out of capacity first) was ~4,050 lbs. So if I had the truck in question, I would have been overweight. I have the NHT with a rear axle rating of 4,300 so I'm good. But it does suggest you need to stay under 8K loaded.

Thanks for the info! That's good to know as so far I was trying to stay under 8500. Now I need to make sure I stay under 8k.

 

 

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[15silver]

trailer sticker has:

shipping weight - weight of trailer on a scale, dry

GVWR - trailer with all tanks full and camping stuff inside, loaded should not exceed this amount.

 

So you can pull 9200 pounds according to your specific vehicle's options. That's all-in for the trailer, liquids, and stuff you put inside the trailer.

 

Using that, if it were me, I'd set a personal limit of approx 7000 pounds trailer shipping weight, since unless it's taken to a scale and weighed, setup to travel (or returning from trip could be higher if you dont dump first), you won't know your exact trailer true weight.

 

the truck has a gvwr too, but that is truck, people, hitch, tongue weight, and stuff in the back as mentioned already.

 

Tongue weight is approx 10% of trailer weight. Rule of thumb is for anything over 1500lbs trailer weight to use a weight distribution hitch. Seems light for about 150lbs tongue weight, but 2 dealers confirmed that. If you are close to the weight limit of the WDH you are looking at for the trailer you are towing, go up a size up on the hitch.

 

 

- just read page 2 ... looks like all this has been covered - facepalm.

[Britt Lifsey]

trailer sticker has:

shipping weight - weight of trailer on a scale, dry

GVWR - trailer with all tanks full and camping stuff inside, loaded should not exceed this amount.

 

So you can pull 9200 pounds according to your specific vehicle's options. That's all-in for the trailer, liquids, and stuff you put inside the trailer.

 

Using that, if it were me, I'd set a personal limit of approx 7000 pounds trailer shipping weight, since unless it's taken to a scale and weighed, setup to travel (or returning from trip could be higher if you dont dump first), you won't know your exact trailer true weight.

 

the truck has a gvwr too, but that is truck, people, hitch, tongue weight, and stuff in the back as mentioned already.

 

Tongue weight is approx 10% of trailer weight. Rule of thumb is for anything over 1500lbs trailer weight to use a weight distribution hitch. Seems light for about 150lbs tongue weight, but 2 dealers confirmed that. If you are close to the weight limit of the WDH you are looking at for the trailer you are towing, go up a size up on the hitch.

 

 

- just read page 2 ... looks like all this has been covered - facepalm.

 

That is way low for needing weight distribution hitch. In 2015 manual, max tongue weight without WD is 800lb and the recommended trailer weight to go to WD is 7,000lb.

[15silver]

 

That is way low for needing weight distribution hitch. In 2015 manual, max tongue weight without WD is 800lb and the recommended trailer weight to go to WD is 7,000lb.

 

My personal opinion too.. However the 'experts', and I got it from more than one place, independently recommended 1500lbs. Go figure eh?

 

I think 7000 for a WDC is way too high. They have 5000lb WDC's. Just me, but I'd want one when the sag on the rear end is really noticeable, and that's about 3000-4000 on mine. While GM's published info is good to know, I'd want to be conservative in actual use.

[kp52]

The purpose of a WD hitch is to move some of the tongue weight to the front axle. A 1 ton dually is no big deal, but with cargo in the bed and hefty tongue weight a 1/2 ton pickup can easily overload the rear axle. .

 

Cargo capacity is another thing, I had a '13 ecoboost loaded CC, sunroof, factory running boards, just about everything - except the HD towing package. But it was still rated to tow 10K lbs, but the max cargo weight was 1098lbs lol. So if I hitched a 10K trailer to the thing I could carry 98lbs in the truck with 10% tongue weight. Pretty ridiculous. I will never buy another truck without looking at that yellow sticker again. My enclosed trailer at the time ~7000lbs had 850lbs of tongue weight to tow stable, I weigh 235 so that means I could tow the trailer and carry another 13lbs in the truck. Of course there is the whole passenger thing, could have just put the wife and kids in the trailer I guess..

 

Some will say that max cargo rating is BS and put their by 'the man' to keep you down. But those weights are tied to the exact truck, a no option truck will be much higher. Like the new RAM diesel 1500, awesome power but since it weighs more the max cargo is lower that the hemi.

 

I'm not the trailer police, just be realistic on what a 1/2 ton truck can do. You most likely wont get a ticket or pulled over being overweight, but thats not the point, its you and your families safety plus the safety of the people around you on the road. Not all trailer salesmen are bad guys, but they dont know much about real weight or what trucks are capable of.

[sdeeter19555]

Yes use the corrected example above to figure what GM says you can tow.

 

Take that info to your DOT or go to your DOT website and see what you can register at and what you need to register at.

 

For example in PA

Class 1 is up to 5000lbs. Cannot register at that as they will not let me register at a weight less than vehicle empty weighs (5500or so.)

 

Class 2 is 5001-7000 lbs. I can register at that but I am leaving a little capability on the table as GM says I am good to 7200.

 

Class 3 is 7001-9000. I can register there but my personal limit is 7200 (not 9000) as that is all the manufacturer says I can go.

 

Then You need to check on your trailer weight and trailer registration too. Remember that your GCWR tops out at 15000.

 

The Trailer cannot exceed the trailer registration max or put your combo weight over 15000

They go by the titled GVW in PA for registration...9200 for my 2500hd and whatever the trailer, 10k in my case. You don't buy "classes" unless you are commercial or modifying the GVW. You can't register a 1500 as a 2500 to haul more, nor can you register a 2500 as a 1500 to cheat the registration costs (you could at one time, not anymore).

 

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