max capacity tow buffer
10+ years ago when my family first started towing the rule of thumb was leave 15% off of your vehicles maximum tow capacity as a safety buffer to prevent overloading and overtaxing your tow vehicle. ...
Forum Discussion
wing_zealot wrote:
What you say makes perfect sense blt2ski. The thing that I really have an issue with is ppl that say just because you got a 25+ series truck - you got a magic pill-break all the rules. You got a 15 series truck you gotta tow well under all your ratings or you're gonna kill your wife and kids.
For 250/2500 series trucks, the "magic pill" is they are, for all intents and purposes, a 3XXX truck which has higher ratings than their respective 2XXX trucks.
My GVWR is 9900 lbs and rear axle of 6100. I have the camper package. With the exception of the fender emblem and the sticker on the door post, it's a 350. Remove the emblems/labels and no mechanic would know the difference.
So if I creeped over my GVWR or my axle rating, not a big deal. My truck as a 350 would have a 11,000 lb GVWR and a 7000 lb axle rating.
This can't be said for 1/2 tons. Their major components are just that, 1/2 ton ratings and should stay within their ratings. There is no compelling argument that the trucks can withstand exceeding their ratings (within reason).
