Why doesn't the math work?

ChooChooMan74 wrote:
Your GVWR is 10,000, and your payload is probably 1720lbs. That said, the camper manufacturers probably don't care if you overload your truck. They are just trying to sell you a product.

Yes, this is correct. If I allow 300 lbs. for the hitch, I only have 1420 lbs. left for pin weight. IF my calculations are correct, I can safely tow a 5800 lb. (dry weight) FW. Now that is funny! Where do manufacturers of TVs come up with these figures? Why say that the TV has a GCWR of 23,500 lbs.? Why say that it can tow 15,100 lbs.? RV manufacturers are no better when they give the dry weight of unit and hitch. I realize that there are a lot of people out there towing RVs and they are not within the guidelines of safe towing. They are doing fine, they have no problems. However, I am not a gambler. As much as I prefer the FW I think I will have to settle for a TT.

wildtoad wrote:
I'm not a math guy, nor am I much on hitch, pin, towing weights. But you say you end up with 1,420 lbs for pin weight which is over 1/2 ton.

And are you a fan of Young Frankenstein?

What hump? :B

Your GVWR is 10,000, and your payload is probably 1720lbs. That said, the camper manufacturers probably don't care if you overload your truck. They are just trying to sell you a product.

Abby Normal wrote:
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 EXTREMELY LITTLE cargo is 8280 lbs. This leaves 15,220 lbs. for trailer, hitch, and cargo. If I allow 300 lbs. for the hitch and 1200 lbs. for cargo, I have 13,720 lbs. for trailer, right? Not so fast. If the TV only carries 10,000 lbs. and we weigh 8280, we only have 1720 lbs. left for pin weight. What about the weight of the hitch? If the hitch weighs 300 lbs. we now only have 1420 lbs. left for pin weight. Why do manufacturers sell units as 1/2 ton towable when I can't get the math to work for our F-250 diesel?

I don't think you have a 10,000 lb "payload"....maybe a 10,000 GVWR.

So if your truck's GVWR is indeed 10,000 and it weighs 8280, that leaves 1720 lbs for "payload" which includes the hitch, pin weight, and anything else you put in the truck. Only you can come up with the correct figure.

Ron

wildtoad wrote:
I'm not a math guy, nor am I much on hitch, pin, towing weights. But you say you end up with 1,420 lbs for pin weight which is over 1/2 ton.

And are you a fan of Young Frankenstein?

I noticed his username and thought the same thing! LMBO!

Sorry, back to the topic. The 1/2 ton towable gimmick is nothing more than marketing to sell units to folks who have no clue what they are getting into. A very, very slim number of 1/2 trucks can actually tow a small to medium sized fifth somewhat safely and fall right at the TV specifications (e.g F-150 with max tow and max cargo). But from a marketing strategy, most pick ups on the road are 1/2 ton, so they are trying to appease this crowd and draw them in with what I consider false advertising. Sure, the rig may fall within the 1/2 ton ability completely empty and stripped down. But start adding essential items such as propane tanks, battery, tv's, bed mattress, cook ware, blah blah blah, and presto! Your right at or just north of 10k in most cases. But when it was weighed at the factory it was 1/2 towable. And you'd be amazed at how many people fall for it knowing no better, and how many salesmen say "oh sure, you'll be just fine!". Hogwash and nothing more.

Your truck is class 2 limited. This includes the 10,000 lb GVWR, even though it may have the same setup as the class 3 F350.

Your payload is figured from the weight it left the factory, subtracted from the class limit of 10K. In reality your truck has more capability than the numbers show.

Many just go by RAWR, when a FW is involved, as most all of the pin is carried by the rear axle.

Jerry

I'm not a math guy, nor am I much on hitch, pin, towing weights. But you say you end up with 1,420 lbs for pin weight which is over 1/2 ton.

And are you a fan of Young Frankenstein?

These are not simultaneous equations, they don't all have to work out together. It is perfectly fine for the axles to have one maximum and the trailer weight to be entirely different. The deal is you check each spec and make sure all of them are within limits. If any one of them is over-limit, it does not matter how far under you are on the others, you are not supposed to go there.

Beyond that, do be aware that not all advertising claims are guaranteed true. Politicians, lawyers, lovers, and advertisers are all known liars.

Isnt math fun? NOT!
Take your truck loaded ready to travel to the scales and get an accurate weight. Add your 300 pounds for hitch weight.
Subtract that number from the trucks GVWR as listed on the drivers door post. That is your net cargo capacity, or max pin weight you can add before exceeding the mfgs numbers. It is one of the problems with 2500 series teucks and fifth wheel trailers. Especially diesel trucks. That big chunk of cast iron really eats up cargo capacity.