mkirsch wrote:
While this is a great HYPOTHETICAL discussion, in real life IT DOES NOT HAPPEN.
What DOES NOT HAPPEN?
Are you saying that everyone always ends up towing at close to 100% of the trailer's GVWR?
If a trailer has 2000# of CCC, will all of it always be used?
If a trailer has 3000# of CCC, will all of it always be used?
I prefer to believe some, perhaps most, people are capable of controlling how much stuff they load into a trailer.
Just because you have 3000# of CCC doesn't mean you are forced to use it.
I think it's silly to tell people they have no idea what their trailer will ultimately weigh, so their proper approach is to assume the trailer will be loaded to GVWR.
If we don't believe they can control the loading, what reason to we have to believe they will automatically stop when the GVW is equal to the GVWR.
Instead, let's help people to understand how to make realistic estimates of how much their trailer might ultimately weigh.
Let's help them to avoid purchasing a tow vehicle with more capacity than they need or want.
Let's help them to avoid purchasing a trailer which they will tow at close to 100% of GVWR when they could purchase a trailer with greater CCC and greater GVWR and tow at less than 100% of GVWR.
Unused CCC does not causing any additional loading of the tow vehicle.
However, having unused CCC does make for potentially fewer repairs and potentially safer towing due to the tires/axles/brakes/suspension not being loaded so close to their maximum allowables.
Assuming your trailer has a loaded GVW of 7800# and you have no intention of loading to more than 7800# and your tow vehicle can safely tow a trailer weighing 7800# --
would you rather have a trailer with a GVWR of 8000# or would you rather have a GVWR of 10000#?
Ron
