GVWR,GAWR, trailer weight, etc

[great white]

I've gotten my mind all turned around with regards to the above items and need someone to double check me.


The truck in question is my 98 K2500 ECLB.

Some numbers:

Truck -

GVWR - 8600 lbs

Rear GAWR - 6000 lbs

Frt GAWR - 4250 lbs

Max trailer weight rating (from Owners manual for 4:10 gearing) - 8,000 lbs

Trailer-

dry hitch weight - 785 lbs

unloaded weight - 6 379

GVWR - 8 780 lbs

Cargo capacity - 1900 lbs


The Math:

I can't find the actual vehicle weight anywhere (guess a trip to the scales are in order).

I'm going to guess the truck is 6000 lbs, which leaves 2600 lbs of capacity.

Subtract the tongue weight of approx 800 lbs and 300 lbs for the truck bed cap leaves 1500 lbs for fuel passengers and cargo in the truck itself.

The trailer looks to be limited to a GVWR of 8000 lbs due to the truck limit of 8,000 lbs. That leaves 780 lbs of cargo capacity in the trailer I can't use/shouldn't use for a max cargo capacity in the trailer of roughly 1100 lbs.

Sound about right?


The question:

Am I overweight for the truck pulling the trailer or is not using that 780 lbs going to keep me legal?

It's vehicle law in BC that you can't be over the GVWR and that all looks pretty close to the limits to me....

 

[NVW]

I would guess your weight at about 6-800 lbs more, my 1 ton is about 7200 lbs

 

[Brooklyn Tow]

Don't know about BC but NY is GVWR....Check your local laws.....I'm always over weight, never had a problem yet...."Ginx"

 

[DieselCash]

My truck is about 6,600 lbs with me in it. :thumbsup:

 

[schiker]

You are going to hear about as many opinions as people that you ask. Its all pretty ambigious. There is the letter of the law and then there is liability of if an accident happens and different state and officer's interpretation of the laws.

My opinion is you can throw out the 8000 lbs trailer weight rating of the owners manual. I don't believe any law references the owners manual. The stickers on the door is what the transportation police will use.

Don't exceed GVWR or GAWR (GRAWR or GFAWR) stickers and don't exceed tire ratings and you should be legal. And if you don't exceed the license tag weight rating.

Our trucks don't have a gross combined weight rating (GCWR) on a sticker that I have seen so the interpretation of what you can legally tow are varied.

Lots of posts about what if's if you get in a wreck and you uped the tire size or exceed owners manual recommendations will that make you liable for neglegence ???? I guess it depends on the case, state, and details but again I think if you are under the limits on the door individually and for the whole of each vehicle (and trailer) stickers and under tire ratings/tag ratings you should be LEGAL.

 

[schiker]

So this is how I look at it. Pull across a truck scale and it will give you front axle weight, rear (drive) axle weight, trailer axle weight, and gross weight.

You should be legal if

front axle weight is < GFAWR
rear axle weight is < GRAWR

Front axle + Rear axle weight is < GVWR of truck

Trailer axle < its sticker

Gross wieght is < GVWR of truck + GVWR of trailer

And if axle weights don't exceed the sum of tire ratings.


If you have a weight slip with that info I would say most DOT guys would say fine. Now a rookie or pissed off officer could still come up with his own interpretation or measure individual tires and make a ticket up who knows what any individual will do.

 

[Brooklyn Tow]

GVWR on my truck is 15000 lbs.....truck + load is @ 15000 or less = LEGAL.......Period.

 

[WarWagon]

Some places talk about de-rating the trailer by a lower weight rating on the sticker. A truck stop scale weight is a get out of jail free card. Just because the trailer can weigh 8000 LBS doesn't mean it is 8000 LBS.

You want to make sure the tongue weight is balanced at 10-20% of the trailer weight. Adjust the load and/or your hitch height so the trailer and truck look level. A visual rear of truck sagging or front of trailer on the front axle means "target" for enforcement.

Overloading the tongue of the trailer can cause damage/failure even while under the 8000 LB trailer limit. Look at the 6 bolts and the frame extension used for the hitch and bumper. Not as strong as modern full frame designs...

 

[great white]

Overloading the tongue of the trailer can cause damage/failure even while under the 8000 LB trailer limit. Look at the 6 bolts and the frame extension used for the hitch and bumper. Not as strong as modern full frame designs...

My trailer hitch isn't a bumper hitch, it's a class IV frame mount.

 

[schiker]

You'll have to see how much the tagalong fulcrums on the rear axle but here are some numbers I measured on a CAT scale a while back.

My truck 97 ext cab shrt bed 5spd. My trailer is a gooseneck and being a shrt bed the ball is pretty close to right over axle. Weights are in lbs.

"Empty" truck only (just a tool bag jumper cables and a few odds and ends and me ~ I'm 165-170 ish lbs)

Steer axle = 3720
Drive axle = 2720
trailer axle = 00

Gross = 6440

loaded.....

Small farm tractor '72 Ford 2000 (rear tires loaded) & 5 ft mower estimate at 4600 lbs loaded on a 5 ton gooseneck deckover 20 ft + 5ft (has 2 7K lbs axles).

Steer axle = 3800
Drive axle = 4380
Trailer axle = 7680
Gross = 15,860

I think it cost about $6-7 to weigh iirc. Slip was from January 2007.

Its going to be about like going to fly on the airlines be careful what and how you pack.

 

[WarWagon]

My trailer hitch isn't a bumper hitch, it's a class IV frame mount.

Understood, but maybe just the 1993's... The hitch and bumper attach to a 'frame extension' - the hitch only having one bolt in the 'real' frame each side and 2 in the frame extension part. I have had to replace the hitch and frame extensions due to bending and untweak that last frame bolt hole for the hitch. Not as forgiving as the Duramax I had. Unloaded the rear of the trailer while delivering tires and the now unbalanced trailer caused some damage...

 

[great white]

Understood, but maybe just the 1993's... The hitch and bumper attach to a 'frame extension' - the hitch only having one bolt in the 'real' frame each side and 2 in the frame extension part. I have had to replace the hitch and frame extensions due to bending and untweak that last frame bolt hole for the hitch. Not as forgiving as the Duramax I had. Unloaded the rear of the trailer while delivering tires and the now unbalanced trailer caused some damage...

My hitch is attached directly to the frame by two bolts on each side (4 total). There is one bolt on either side that is into the bumper extension in what I would guess is for extra stability. The 4 frame bolts are defiantly the load carriers being larger and having some pretty large side plates bridging the distance between the transverse square tube and the frame attachment point.

Not sure what was going on in your 93, maybe it was the manufacturer/style of hitch?

Anyways, this post was supposed to be about the math on whether I'm over, at capacity or under legal weight.....not my hitch.

 

[540s10]

you can pull whatever weight trailer you like as long as you don't go over the registered weight of the power unit (you can register it for more weight than the factory equipped it for)

 

[WarWagon]

My hitch is attached directly to the frame by two bolts on each side (4 total). There is one bolt on either side that is into the bumper extension in what I would guess is for extra stability. The 4 frame bolts are defiantly the load carriers being larger and having some pretty large side plates bridging the distance between the transverse square tube and the frame attachment point.

Not sure what was going on in your 93, maybe it was the manufacturer/style of hitch?

Anyways, this post was supposed to be about the math on whether I'm over, at capacity or under legal weight.....not my hitch.

No just me getting the bolts backwards... Your are correct it is 2 frame and 1 extension.

Your math looks correct and the above by me is pointing out the balance "gotcha" for tongue weight. :rolleyes5: 2 in the morning and reloading a trailer full of tires, auto parts, engine, and transmission in the way usually for balance... RV's 'dry' are hit or miss for balance as well.

Long as you are at or under the rating for each part from the hitch ball to the lowest number in any "weak link" you should be ok.

That said, a call to the DOT, Department of Transportation, would be informative asking about the trailer rating being higher than your tow rig rating even though it's weight, loaded properly, is less than your rig's rating. Not sure who you call in Canada.

 

[Deere Freek]

I've gotten my mind all turned around with regards to the above items and need someone to double check me.


The truck in question is my 98 K2500 ECLB.

Some numbers:

Truck -

GVWR - 8600 lbs

This is what the manufacturer states the vehicle should not exceed. When you are towing a trailer, your tongue weight on the truck should not make the vehicle exceed this weight. This includes the passengers, fuel, cargo, and tongue weight from the trailer.

Rear GAWR - 6000 lbs

Your rear axle should not exceed this weight

Frt GAWR - 4250 lbs

Your front axle should not exceed this weight. This comes into play when you put a plow on your truck for example.

Max trailer weight rating (from Owners manual for 4:10 gearing) - 8,000 lbs

This is what the manufacturer set as a weight limit for your particular truck to pull (same as mine). You can tow more but you have to be careful your gcvw (gross combined vehicle weight) does not exceed what your vehicle is plated or apportioned for. You should not have to worry about this unless you are a farm or drive commercially. I had my truck apportioned for 36,000 and towed trailers that exceeded 20,000 LEGALLY. The key is you cannot be over your axle weight ratings. My trailer is a gooseneck which helps allot. it keeps most of the weight on the trailer and allows my truck to run lighter.

Again if this vehicle is for personal use then you don't have to worry about most of this. Just make sure that what you are doing is safe. A little bit of common sense goes a long way.

By the way I am a truck driver so i know a little bit of what I'm talking about.

 

[ak diesel driver]

most of the rules we take for granted here in the states mean nothing in Canada. Check with the individual provinces they are all diff from each other. I know some treat non comm private trucks the same as comm. Been there done that