Limiting factor on GVWR for trailer

We on the outside of the design product team will NEVER know, nor
will they ever tell...part of their secret sauce and potential
liability for us to know their weak link in this food chain down
to the pavement

It could be a bolt, washer, nut, bracket, bearing and a BIG ETC...

It could just be their marketing department...to the service department
who saw too many issues with it in 'that state'...that then applies
to all of their products.

Why always say first decide if you believe in the OEM's ratings
system or not

If not, then do whatever...knowing that you have now taken the
OEM(s) off the warranty & liability hook...

If yes, then learn how that system works and understand and
follow their ratings

Since it is a discussion, my maker bases it on axle rating. And they use the same pair of axles for multiple TT models.

So as you go up in model size, your CCC drops.

At least it is not an equipment trailer or equal. Cargo capacity would be the "sum" of the axle ratings. "Assuming" one has adaquet hutch at. So in a nutshell, axle capacity Plus trailer weight is the gvwr of said trailer.

I would suspect frame as noted by others. I personally would rather suspension components be the weak link. Those are easily fixed or upgrades. A bent frame not so so easy, other than sell to a hi.k yard or scrap what one can.

Marty

only the mfg knows.

They could be setting the GVWR on
1) a number that is set for "1/2" ton towable
2) a large safety margin knowing people may overload
3) a limit set by the trailer frame
4) a limit set by the axles
5) a limit set by the tires
6) a limit set by the springs
7) a limit set by what the tongue is capable of carrying
8) all of the above or many other limits

One can guess all they want, but only the mfg knows, and more than likely they are not going to tell you what set the limit, just that the GVWR limit is XXXX lbs. Nor are they likely to tell you what to do to raise the limit.

Per Jayco

UVW means the typical weight of this unit as built at the factory

GVWR is equal to or greater than the sum of UVW and CCC

CCC is equal to or less than GVWR minus UVW


SO there you go.....straight from Jayco and as clear of a definition as one would want (or bound to get).
Magical Marketing

This is the data sticker on my 5vr with 7K axles & 3750# rated tires

On EDIT:

Image not available.

Data
GVWR----14,375#
UVW-----10,218#
CCC----- 3,435#

The Jayfeathers are lightweights, so as already alluded to above, the frame is most likely the limiting factor. Look at the difference between your frame and the frame on a Jayco SLX (SLX series used to include hybrids but does not for 2016).

What I find interesting is that more often than not the axles and tires are speced to provide "just enough". In your case they give you some margin.

Wondering what is creating the limit of 5500# and why they didn't give this trailer a 6000# GVWR which seems to me would still keep it under the axle and tire limits.

The feds allow the vehicle maker to determine any GVWR or the GAWR he chooses. There is no single formula how all the mfg will make those determinations that I've heard of.

We do know 49 CFR FMVSS fed safety regs that the mfg is required to follow says; This paste and copy is a part of 571.110 regs; 571.110
(snipped)
S9. Each motor home and recreation vehicle (RV) trailer must meet the applicable requirements in S9.

S9.1 On motor homes, the sum of the gross axle weight ratings (GAWR) of all axles on the vehicle must not be less than the gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR).

S9.2 On RV trailers, the sum of the GAWRs of all axles on the vehicle plus the vehicle manufacturer's recommended tongue weight must not be less than the GVWR. If tongue weight is specified as a range, the minimum value must be used.

S9.3 Each motor home and RV trailer single stage or final stage manufacturer must affix either a motor home occupant and cargo carrying capacity (OCCC) label (Figure 3) or a RV trailer cargo carrying capacity (CCC) label (Figure 4) to its vehicles that meets the following criteria: (snipped)
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Now when I purchase a flatdeck or a equipment traileor a car hauler the sum of the axles ratings is usually its GVWR. My last GN trailer was a tri axle with 6k axles and it has a 18k GVWR. The trailer can carry up to 18k on the axles. The truck carries the hitch/pin load.

I believe carringb has your answer and you, yourself, in your second post in this thread.

I would much rather have the axils, tires, hitch, etc. over-rated for the GVWR of my trailer rather just meeting the bear minimum. These components are built in different range capacities, not custom built to each individual trailer. Perhaps the next lighter range of these components may have been under-rated for your trailer.

On another note, it always amazes me of some of the useless comments made on almost any topic. :R

Well if all coupler and the running gear can all take more weight, by process of elimination that pretty much leaves the frame.

FWIW - We had a Jayco previously, and its frame ended up sagging after a while, behind the axles. That, coupled with some other structural problem, promoted us to sell it. Not sure if the newer Jayco frames are better. Ours had a 5" thin-wall tube frame. This go around, the frame was the first thing I looks at when trailer shopping. (since I also had a weekend warrior with a bad frame...)

The axles themselves have a rating of 3,000# each when used as a single axle assembly but when you add another axle into the mix that capacity is reduced. Same is true with tires. If you read on the side of an LT tire it gives you single load and dual load capacities. The reason is that at any given time one tire (axle) in the pair can be carrying more of the load. If they listed your trailers GVWR @ 6,000# and you loaded to that then at some point you would overload one of the axles. Going over speed bumps would be on situation that would do it. There are many that could.

If the axles are torsion sprung then they don't have equalizers so just running a little nose high or nose low would greatly change the weight applied on either of the axles.

Does this make sense?