GVW vs Reality

[GFreshour]

When I bought my 06 QC 4x4 with auto, I had a 7000 lb tow behind. We found a killer deal on a 5th wheel on a trip to the East coast and bought it. I was going to put an aux tank in the bed of the truck but decided to weigh it first with the trailer..... The truck with the 5th wheel attached weighed 9850 lbs, the total rig weight was 18580. People have been telling me not to worry about exceeding the gvw. . any thoughts appreciated. . PS I do have a Jake brake and love it.

 

[JSienkowski]

I think it falls into a legality issue, will the truck handle the weight, sure, will you be able to afford a lawsuit should something happen and you are grossly overweight, only your bank account knows. Look at the trucking industry, most states have increased truck inspections because people where running as heavy as they could and it started killing people, I know when you talk about 2000 pounds over at 80,000 gvw it's not much, but I've driven overloaded trucks before, it's all fun until something happens, luckily nothing did.

 

[PatrickCampbell]

The Manufacturers GCWR of a 2500 is 21000 or 23000. The only way to tow 21 or 23k pounds AND stay under the tow vehicle's GVWR is to do it with a tag trailer vs a 5th/gooseneck, which is so dumb, because obviously the 5th/gooseneck are much safer!



You are at 18,500, way below that, but likely over your tow vehicle GVWR. Either way, you should be UNDER your GAWRs on all axles.



Safety wise you are fine. You are under the GAWRs and manufacturer's GCWR. Legally I can't help you. Everyday, on the road you will have no problems. If it comes to an accident, that is where I can't tell you what will happen.

 

[NIsaacs]

Gvw's, Gcw's and Gawr are all subject to interpretation of the manufacturer or owner operator or the state you are trucking in. Take the big rig trucking industry. One state may limit your gcw as 80,000 lbs, yet the next state may allow you to haul 86,000 lbs with a spread axle trailer. The truck is rated the same, the axles, tires and brakes are all the same. Some states allow triples or Rocky Mountain Doubles, the tow truck is the same. In fact, in the case of the truck pulling triples, the tow truck is usually a single drive. Humm, are some of them illegal? I don't think so, yet some of the trucks will be over the rating of the manufacturer. Based on the info of 9850 lbs for your pickup and a total of 18,580 lbs, you are good to go.





"NICK"