I have a 2015 Chevrolet 2500 4x4 Crew Cab Diesel Standard Bed truck and currently tow an 8,000 lb TT effortlessly. I am now looking at fifth wheel campers and here is what I cannot understand.GAWR Rear @ 6,200 lbsCombined rear tire rating @ 6390Had the truck weighed rear axle weight @3,220Looks good giving me about 3,000 lbs available.Chevrolet specified about 3,000 lbs pin weight for my truck and it all looks good from this angle.But here is a different approach and I can't understand it.The Truck GVWR is 10,000 lbs.Our truck weighed 8,100 lbs This only leaves 1,900 lbs without a fifth wheel hitch.So for me these numbers just don’t add up. I don’t want to tow at max capacity and don’t want to exceed my vehicle GVWR but how does GM specify 3,000 lbs when that would exceed the truck 10,000 lb GVWR? Please advise.

GVWR at 10,000# is a cross over point. At 10,001# some states require a commercial drivers license to operate the truck. Hence the 10,000# GVWR. Some will tell you that the manufacture listed at 10,000# because there is the entire drive train just not the rear axle and tires to take into account.My 2004 F350 has a GCVWR of 20,000# which means my 8,000# truck leaves me a tow capacity of 12,000# trailer. If you look at the numbers you can go from gas to diesel and it stays at 20,000#. You can go from 3.73 to 4.10 rear axle and it stays at 20,000# you can go from SRW to DRW and it stays at 20,000#. Move to the 2005 truck and now you get credit for all these things.As long as you are not pushing the truck to it's limits you should be fine. I roll through PA on I-80 with my 12,000# 5er, cruise set and enjoying the view.This is just my opinion and sales people write the brochures and legal people write the door stickers.

Just wait the weight police will be here shortly. For good information go to the thread sticky in tow vehicles about weight law.

Where does Chevrolet specify 3000 pin weight, I believe you are reading between the lines. if axle is rated at 6200 docent mean rest of truck is. Some states different to others.Frank.

10,001-14,000 GVWR makes it a class 3 truck.OP, what you have listed is the short fall of class 2 250/2500 trucks. Many ignor GVWR and go by axle ratings. If your state licenses weight like my state, make sure you have bought enough. My 2001.5 2500 RAM was licensed to 12k just like my new 3500.Chris

Slownsy wrote:Where does Chevrolet specify 3000 pin weight, I believe you are reading between the lines. if axle is rated at 6200 docent mean rest of truck is. Some states different to others.Frank.On page 9-89 of my manual us lists 2500 fifth-wheel goosneck @3000 lbs.GM commercial sales brochure max payload @ 2,950 lbs and various searches on the net. I always find the pin weight capacity about 3,000 lbs. But that would exceed the GVWR. So confused.

Help me understand my GVWR | Good Sam Community

filthy_beast
Explorer
May 31, 2016
Slownsy wrote:
Thanks Old -Biscuit it is amazing that peaple only se what they want to see. I prefer to stay inside manufacturers limits.
Frank.

X2, even though my 2500 is the same truck as the 3500.
Me_Again
Explorer III
May 31, 2016
filthy beast wrote:
Slownsy wrote:
Thanks Old -Biscuit it is amazing that peaple only se what they want to see. I prefer to stay inside manufacturers limits.
Frank.

X2, even though my 2500 is the same truck as the 3500.

Yep, throw air bags at it and you are good to go! ;););)

No doubt the new 2500 RAMs with coil springs ride empty better than our 3500, we however bought it to be able to tow a larger 5th wheel trailer.

Believe it or not, but the dealer that just sold us the Bighorn earlier this month wanted all the details of our tow vehicle. Chris
JIMNLIN
Explorer III
May 31, 2016
gbressler wrote:
On a similar issue earlier this year I bought a 2015 1500 Silverado and in the manual it said this vehicle is not rated to tow a fifth wheel trailer. Why do I see ads for 1/2 ton towable campers?

I spent 2 day on a land line with chevy tech folks till I finally got into a gm chassis design engineering area and asked them what was GM reason for the recommendation.
They said it was because of the 5' 8" short bed. GM felt it was just too short for those type of trailers and had noting to do with the trucks tow/haul numbers.

The wifes '06 1500 crew cab chevy 4x4 now has a GN floor plate mounted to the truck frame. Now I can use her 4x4 to pull my heavy (empty/ one at 6820 lbs) GN trailers into and out of muddy work sites and pastures.

Also some of the '00 era 1500 trucks had GVWR numbers up to the 8600 GVWR and and 6000 RAWR and some on full 3/4 ton truck frames with load e tires and wheels.
The Dodge 1500 Mega Cab at 8510 GVWR and 6010 RAWR.
GM 1500 HD at 8600 GVWR and 6000 RAWR.
And Fords F150HD at 8200 GVWR and a 4800 RAWR.

Hopefully the OP has a better grasp what a GVWR does....... and doesn't do.

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