Why doesn't the math work?
I have received a lot of education from this forum, but I am back with another question. I have learned that my TV payload is 10,000 lbs. and that the GCWR is 23,500 lbs. The TV with passengers and ...
Forum Discussion
Manufacturers will always choose axles that are rated higher than the trucks GVWR. If you read your own quote from Ford it says exactly that, it does not say that combined axle ratings are a substitute for the truck's GVWR.
As already mentioned, it is not economical to design and build a different axle to match every different GVWR. Also, they have to add axle capacity to account for differences in loading. As 5th wheel owners we are primarily concerned with rear axle limits because we know our pin weight puts little or no extra weight on the front axle, but that same truck has to have enough front axle capacity for the guy in the North who runs around with a snow plow hanging from the front of his truck for most of the year. That does not mean the truck manufacturer is saying it is OK for us to drive down the highway with our rear axle maxed out by a 5th wheel, plus a snow plow hanging from the front of our truck, even if we are within our axle ratings. Also, who hasn't seen one of these trucks with a dirt bike or rack full of fuel cans hanging off the front?
I'm not making assumptions about what the truck manufacturer or NTSA means when they set weight limits, or whether it is OK to exceed them, you guys are. The only assumption I am making is that because GVWR is a limit that is required by law to be placarded alongside AWR's, it must have weight and meaning.
Personally, I don't have a big problem with running two or three hundred pounds over my GVWR. I know that the manufacturer will have built in safety margins because he knows his trucks will be operated overloaded. However, I don't know what those margins are and I don't kid myself into believing that I'm not in unknown territory when it comes to performance, structure and legality. I think it is irresponsible to tell people that they aren't.
As already mentioned, it is not economical to design and build a different axle to match every different GVWR. Also, they have to add axle capacity to account for differences in loading. As 5th wheel owners we are primarily concerned with rear axle limits because we know our pin weight puts little or no extra weight on the front axle, but that same truck has to have enough front axle capacity for the guy in the North who runs around with a snow plow hanging from the front of his truck for most of the year. That does not mean the truck manufacturer is saying it is OK for us to drive down the highway with our rear axle maxed out by a 5th wheel, plus a snow plow hanging from the front of our truck, even if we are within our axle ratings. Also, who hasn't seen one of these trucks with a dirt bike or rack full of fuel cans hanging off the front?
I'm not making assumptions about what the truck manufacturer or NTSA means when they set weight limits, or whether it is OK to exceed them, you guys are. The only assumption I am making is that because GVWR is a limit that is required by law to be placarded alongside AWR's, it must have weight and meaning.
Personally, I don't have a big problem with running two or three hundred pounds over my GVWR. I know that the manufacturer will have built in safety margins because he knows his trucks will be operated overloaded. However, I don't know what those margins are and I don't kid myself into believing that I'm not in unknown territory when it comes to performance, structure and legality. I think it is irresponsible to tell people that they aren't.
