Trucks are too tall for fifth wheel
I'm presently towing a 1999 Jayco 23' fifth wheel. It's total weight is 6500 pounds loaded. My tow vehicle is a 2006 GMC 1500hd with a tow capacity of 7990 pounds with the 6 liter V8 and a 3.73 rear e...
Forum Discussion
4Kellys wrote:
Those tow ratings are still BS. My 2011 F-150 Eco-boost had a tow rating of 11,500 but I was almost overweight with a trailer weight of 7800.
I'm sure you understand that the "tow rating", which is GCWR (Gross Combined Weight Rating)-truck weight, and the "haul rating", GVWR (Gross Vehicle Weight Rating) are two entirely independent ratings. If you were towing a four wheeled trailer, or one equipped with a Trailer Toad, the truck could handle a 11,500 lb. trailer safely. If you choose to not use a Trailer Toad and instead load the entire tongue weight on the truck, then the truck chassis GVWR will likely be exceeded with a 11,500 lb. trailer. My understanding is that boats may be safely towed with a tongue weight of 5-7% of the trailer weight. For a 11,500 lb. boat and trailer, that would be 575-805 lbs. It would be possible to carry a tongue weight in that range without overloading an F150. Campers should be loaded at 10-15% tongue weight. It's unlikely that a F150 can tow a 11,500 lb. camper without a Trailer Toad without being overloaded.
Since the 2015 model year, the GCWR has been determined by a test, SAE J2807. So now they have to actually test a truck with the total GCWR without exceeding the GVWR. If they show a "tow rating" now, they have actually tested a truck towing a trailer with that weight, without overloading the truck.
The GCWR is a measure of the capability of the engine, transmission, driveline, cooling system and brakes. The GVWR is a measure of capability of the chassis and suspension to support a load on the truck. The truck will perform satisfactorily up to the limit of either. It would take a special circumstance to be able to reach both limits.
I'm not sure how the manufacturer would address your complaint. They say don't exceed either limit. If you can load your particular trailer to get it up to the GCWR without exceeding the GVWR, it will work. If your trailer can't be loaded that way, that is not a shortcoming of the truck manufacturer. Maybe they should say, "Maximum trailer weight of 11,500 lb. if you can load it without exceeding the GVWR or the GAWR of the truck."
Maybe try one of these:
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