Why does unused cargo capacity of GVWR matter at all?

Reason GVWR is used vs dry weight

IF tow vehicle is adequate to handle trailer GVWR then no issues

If tow vehicle can only handle dry weight plus X amount of cargo then an overloaded condition can easily happen.
Folks 'guesstimate' how much their stuff weighs and are usually under estimating what it really weighs.

How much does that stack of towels weigh, how about all those shoes, what about that patio mat and the chairs, toolbox, just how many shirts and what do they weigh etc etc.

Use the trailers GVWR......match truck to that and load up
Then GO to SCALES and get actual weights. If under......woohoo
If over...downsize before next trip

Yes you can tow 'trailer A' but not if you load it up........and if there is an empty space nature of folks is to FILL it.

Seen weekend campers show up and start pulling stuff out....it was like the old circus car. Stuff just kept coming out and coming out

DutchmenSport wrote:
I think one reason so many are so concerned about these numbers is because, quite frankly .... how many people REALLY weigh each item they put in their campers, then add them all up and get a total amount of all the weight they've just added? Probably no one.

Good point, so if I understand you're pointing out that because we don't weigh our cargo, who knows how much we've added. But 3000lbs is about as much as a Honda Civic. There's simply no way my family is going to be hauling that much gear around in a trailer.

DutchmenSport wrote:
FYI... I fall into that category of people that "just don't get it"... so I decided to drive a big truck so I never have to worry about it. It would take a lot to overload my truck. Now my trailer? I have no clue? how much does a half dozen pair of underware really weight?

To clarify, I am concerned about what is safe to tow. Going by the book would suggest I can't tow the Trailer A. But I don't understand why a trailer of the same real-world weight would be OK to tow...

Rollnhome wrote:
A ton of cargo on trailer B.

Sorry.... 2000 pounds is one ton. He's got half a ton on that trailer! :( There goes the weights!

Those are the numbers for the trailers themselves, not your tow vehicle. Your tow vehicle has its own set of numbers for GVWR and GCWR that you must take into account when towing a specific trailer. As long as your tow vehicle is rated for the heavier trailer, then it would be fine for either trailer. If either trailer was loaded greater than it rating, then that trailer could be problematic.

Rollnhome wrote:
A ton of cargo on trailer B.

As in, storage space? Almost certainly true, but I can't imagine what a family would be likely to pack that would add up to that much of a difference?

I'm no trailer expert, and weights numbers completely confuse me. To me, it's just a bunch of numbers in the alphabet. But... I think one reason so many are so concerned about these numbers is because, quite frankly .... how many people REALLY weigh each item they put in their campers, then add them all up and get a total amount of all the weight they've just added? Probably no one. So that is exactly why the concern... why trailer #1 in your example above would be the better trailer.

BECAUSE, we don't know how much weight we're putting in the trailer, it's extremely easy to overload. Unless you have a trailer that is capable of hauling more weight than you can anticipate, chances are, it will be overloaded very quick.

When it comes to towing, the same thing is true? A vehicle is rated to tow so much. But the owner REALLY has no clue how much he is REALLY towing after he adds all his stuff. Sure, any vehicle can pull anything ... for a while. But how much damage is overloading doing to both the trailer and the tow vehicle?

I think that is the reason so many are so towing weight savvy, and the rest of us just don't get it!

FYI... I fall into that category of people that "just don't get it"... so I decided to drive a big truck so I never have to worry about it. It would take a lot to overload my truck. Now my trailer? I have no clue? how much does a half dozen pair of underware really weight?

A ton of cargo on trailer B.