Gas, Diesel, Gears and Towing
Help me to understand the differences. Why can three trucks that are identical other than engines and transmissions (understanding that a diesel truck will have a higher GVWR and a lower payload becau...
Forum Discussion
Jerry wrote:
Since the gearing changes the workload, 4.10 will have a higher combined towing rating than say 3.73 in the same exact truck.
Jerry
Jerry makes a good point on GCWR differences in the same exact truck. Just one reason a GCWR isn't placarded to a truck...and DOT or civil lawsuits don't happen regarding that brochure number. Not even on the commercial side which is highly regulated.
I've always found it interesting how a one ton DRW truck with a 9900 RAWR and 6000 FAWR can be registered and operated at 15900 GVW.
Then hook up a 22k GVWR GN trailer with 11k axles for hauling commercially.
At that point the truck owner has to declare a GCW operating weight which can be the the sum of all the axle ratings at 37900 lb GCW. This is the declared max weight (GCW) the combo can legally weigh.
And of course steer/drive and trailer axle rating cannot be exceeded.
No we do not face civil lawsuits/ticketed for exceeding the truck mfg GCWR/GVWR.
I did this for 11 years and over 1.2 million miles. I've ran several '70s and '80s one ton DRWs for 250k-275k miles before the truck or trailer started showing its age. Now days many haulers run in the 350k-450k miles before their trucks start aging (wearing out).
Since becoming a member in '03 I've always been curious why RV owners with the same exact truck pulling lighter weight RV trailers seems to wear out or some how break down....or think they will.
Are RV trailers harder to pull ?? Do rv owners trucks some how wear out/break down more than the same truck used in a hauling service.
Mine sure don't
