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jmkraus's avatar
jmkraus
Explorer
Mar 09, 2017

gross combined vehicle weight help

Hello- Newbie here

I am doing some research and am confused regarding my vehicles gross combined weight rating GCWR which is apparently defined as the combined weight of the towing vehicle and rv trailer as well as all passengers and cargo. And this is a limit set by the manufacturer of the vehicle that should not be exceed when towing. My vehicle is a 2005 Lincoln Navigator with a tow capacity of 8600 lbs and a curb weight of 5555 lbs. The GCWR for the vehicle is 11,900 lbs. I am confused as to how the GCWR limit can be lower than the combination of the curb weight and towing capacity (14,155).

I am looking at getting a trailer somewhere in the 5000-6000 lb dry weight range, and this GCWR limit seems to be the one specification that I am having trouble staying under. The navigator should have no problem pulling this weight per all the other towing parameters, but taking into account passenger and cargo weight I am in danger of exceeding the GCWR. I have called some rv dealers and they don't seem to pay much attention to GCWR...

Any help from some expert here would be appreciated as I am brand new to this and I want to make sure I'm not putting my family in danger by driving down the road with an unsafe combination of tow vehicle and trailer. Thank you

The website I used to get my numbers is:

www.new-cars.com/2005/lincoln/lincoln-navigator-specs.html

6 Replies

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  • atwowheelguy's avatar
    atwowheelguy
    Explorer
    Mar 09, 2017
    Since you are towing with a Navigator, I will assume that you will have a few passengers. I expect that you will run out of GVWR before you reach the GCWR of your vehicle. The payload is listed on the tire loading sticker on the edge of the driver's door.


    My toy hauler camper weight varies from 6640 to 7180. The yellow sticker weight on the camper was 5025 (7765 GVWR - 2740 payload). The brochure dry weight was 4650 (!).



    Here is a little table showing my recent efforts to get the load on my truck below the GVWR and below the rear axle GAWR. I managed to move cargo from the truck to the camper to lower the cargo and passenger weight in the truck from 707 to 587 to 367. If all your cargo weight is passengers, you are stuck with it.

    Now my truck is at 94% of GVWR, but only 82% of GCWR.

  • MFL's avatar
    MFL
    Nomad II
    Mar 09, 2017
    GCWR is mostly a drive train rating. This means that if you tow over this manufacturers rating, you will cause stress to your drive train, causing it to wear, or wear out at a faster rate. This number will go up with HD tow packages, such as larger radiator and fan, more transmission cooling, and lower differential gearing. It is more of an excessive wear number, than a safety number.

    Jerry
  • LarryJM's avatar
    LarryJM
    Explorer II
    Mar 09, 2017
    enblethen wrote:
    The correct information is on the door sticker. It is the way the vehicle was built.


    GCWR is NOT one of the FMVSS required numbers on that door sticker label. GCWR will often vary due to specific cooling system design (i.e. extra and/or larger coolers such as tranny/oil/engine, heavier duty tranny and/or TC, rear end ratio, etc. Exceeding it could result in parts breaking more often and things just wearing out sooner. Also, acceptable performance such a accelerating for mergering purposes, etc. could be negatively impacted.

    Larry
  • OutdoorPhotogra's avatar
    OutdoorPhotogra
    Explorer
    Mar 09, 2017
    Ford produces an annual towing guide that is full of great information. I looked up the 2005 expedition since it shoudl be similar.

    The GCWR is 11,800 and 6,000 lb two rating but with heavy duty towing package it is 14,500 and 8,900 tow rating.

    I bet you are looking at GCWR for no tow package and tow rating for with or the link you provided mixed the numbers. As others said, look in your manual and door jamb. Do you own this vehicle or considering purchasing?

    Also, I bet you are close on tongue weight too. You didn't that but cargo is usually the limit that gets folks. My 2007 F-150 maxed out at 6,500 lb loaded TT because of TW despite a 10,000 tow rating.

    2005 Ford Tow Guide
  • enblethen's avatar
    enblethen
    Nomad
    Mar 09, 2017
    The correct information is on the door sticker. It is the way the vehicle was built.
  • mowermech's avatar
    mowermech
    Explorer
    Mar 09, 2017
    The Owners Manual is the final authority, IMO.
    In fact, the Owners Manual is usually the only place where the GCVWR (Gross Combined Vehicle Weight Rating), sometimes shown as Gross Combined Weight Rating, is listed. It is often more or less a Marketing number, and can be changed at the whim of the manufacturer. For instance, the GCWR of my old 1994 Dodge Ram 3500 diesel was, IIRC, 18,000 lbs. Every year after 1994, that rating increased, but little or nothing was changed in the truck.
    When I weighed my rig (Ram 3500 and 32 foot fifth wheel) as loaded for travel, I found that it was under the rated GVWR for the trailer and truck, under all axle ratings, and under the registered GVW, but 3,180 pounds OVER the GCWR.
    I decided I really didn't care.
    Good luck.

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