Pickup truck GVWR vs axle ratings - don't add up

My truck can only carry as much as I can afford to buy:)

Sure, but all that means is the manufacturer is providing a reduced GVWR for select commercial customers to allow the to pay lower licensing fees, doesn't have anything to do with the actual truck capability.

Skip has the right answer except the DOT doesn't give a flying rats behind about GVWR except for whatever you paid for (which in most states has no relationship to manufacturer ratings) when registered it. The DOT does care about axle and tire ratings.

Not all states have weights to register our private use trucks at. My state has no registered weight requirements.
DOTs only interested in the trucks axle/tire load ratings as its GVW. A higher registered gross weight above the sum of the axle ratings on a private use vehicle gains nothing in this and other states.

Like the CA size and weights troop commander says when asked about GCWR/GVWR;
(snipped for length)....prohibits the loading of tires above the maximum load rating marked on the tire, or if unmarked the maximum load rating as specified in the applicable Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard, or in a publication furnished to the public by the tire manufacturer. This would most likely happen in the case of a pickup truck towing a large fifth wheel travel trailer, as those types of trailers tend to transfer a larger portion of their weight to the last axle of the towing unit causing that axle to exceed the tire load limits."

Anyhow back to the OP topic,
Yeah Ford shows a (example) 10000 GVWR or a 11200 GVWR for the same F350 SRW 6.7 diesel crew cab 4x4 172" wheelbase truck. Why ??

Probably for several reasons but who cares as the mfg GVWR doesn't determine how much load a trucks can carry out here in the real world of trucking.

Depends upon the state dot you are talking about. Federal level, all they care about is you get a min/max of 20K per axel, IF you have enough tire width to spread/bridge the load across the road, so you do not damage the load.

If you are licensed in Wa st, as I am, they do not give a rats rear end what the manufactures sticker says, You are licensed to the next highest ton by taking your tare wt time 1.5. So if you have a 4800 lb truck as I have, my sons also have a Toyota tacoma and K-1500 equal, mine being a C2500, 4800X 1.5 = 7200 lbs, ALL three of us have 8000 lbs plates. We are legal to that number. Manufacture GVWR and GAWR's mean squat, nada, nothing!

GCWR means nothing no where!

With this in mind, I can see where some jurisdictions where one does not have to pay tonnage with a pickup, unlike here, then a lower manufacture gvwr could be a good thing. BUT< if you have to buy tonnage, why do a lessor amount, if you can go higher, legally carry more etc. All three of the trucks I mentioned earlier, all have 10-10.5" tires, we get 500 lbs per inch width, so we could go as high as 20K per rig, 10K per axel......would that be smart? probably not, but it would be legal. I will also say this, and LEO will get either of the three of us OFF the road if we were anywhere close to 20K gvw. There is a sheet load of laws and rules they can get us off the road with, but damaging the road will not be the issue, ie DOT wt laws and how they are enforced.

marty

06Fargo wrote:
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Did anyone read what Chrysler told me, stated in the original post?

Sure, but all that means is the manufacturer is providing a reduced GVWR for select commercial customers to allow the to pay lower licensing fees, doesn't have anything to do with the actual truck capability.

Skip has the right answer except the DOT doesn't give a flying rats behind about GVWR except for whatever you paid for (which in most states has no relationship to manufacturer ratings) when registered it. The DOT does care about axle and tire ratings.

I think they are getting closer, but all three have been that way for over 50 years. I have no idea why.

I edited my 2015 Ford research out of my original post and left in what applies to the truck I have.

I edited another post that demonstrated I can load my truck axles very near their load rating. It must have been a scale error, because opinion is very much "no way."

Did anyone read what Chrysler told me, stated in the original post?

The sum of the 'parts' don't equal the 'whole'

The axle ratings are for each individual axle
The GVWR includes the tires, suspension, frame and axle as a whole.

You can not perfectly load the truck without overloading one end or other if trying to load to axle rating.

IF your two axle ratings exactly equaled your GVWR then you could essentially NEVER use the entire GVWR because you'd have to load things so that each axle would be maxed out completely which would be nearly impossible to do. Axle ratings equal MORE than GVWR which given you the flexibility to actually USE the GVWR. GVWR ratings by DOT take into account many more items than just the axle rating, including things like engine cooling, braking, transmission and or clutch capability etc.

All of the *RATINGS* matter and they make up the whole system.

To take any one is to out of context

Like MTWR (max tow weight rating) that most take as an absolute. Meaning
that the OEM used a 'curb' vehicle with one option (tow option) and
one 150 lb driver to derive/certify the MTWR

Take my Sub as I know that best

The rear GAWR is 6,000 lbs and know the supplier to GM rates it at
10,000 GAWR. The 1 ton dually of that same year has the same axle
assembly, but has different brake cylinders, MC and proportioning valve

That the front GAWR is 4,250 lbs and I ordered it with the F60 option,
which is the snow plow prep...which begets the 1 ton torsion bars

The 1 ton dually has a front GAWR of 5,250 lbs (IIRC) and I have the
same torsion bars via option F60

So could I then say my 8,600 GVWR is bogus and it should be 5,250 + 10,000 ?
To have a 15,250 GVWR? Nope, there are other factors

The OEMs have to provide warranty and still stay in business. So their
certification process for DOT listing also has baked into those *RATINGS*
whatever is necessary for the vehicle to perform to DOT spec and not
break down in the warranty period

Liability is also on the table and why OEMs publish their specifications
and *RATINGS*
Note that all of those spec areas as a *R* in them...GVWR, GAWR, GCWR,
MTWR, etc

So back to why the differing numbers/ratings? We outsider will never
know. Even most insider do not know, but a very few and that is going
to be held very close to their vest because of warranty and liability issues

There are weak links to those food chains....and yes the OEM can change
those ratings without seemingly mechanical changes. That is done
by knowingly accepting the higher MTBF and the higher warranty claims
that comes with a higher MTBF

There's a second issue in play beyond the DOT requirement, which is indeed very valid and why there is a low GVWR option on some vehicles. The axle ratings are the most each axle can be loaded to. It's remarkably uncommon to have a load that brings both axle to just their rated weight. It's far more common to have one axle heavily loaded while the other axle is lightly loaded, for example a big plow on the front or a heavy fifth wheel right over the rear axle. The GVWR takes this into account, and the load capacity of all of the other systems on the truck - power train, brakes, steering, etc.

In my opinion the axle ratings are the last thing you look at, and only when you know you have an odd load. It would be very rare to be under the GVWR and over an axle load rating.

Brian