Best Design Trailer for Half-Ton

GordonThree wrote:

APT wrote:
You are really only limited by weight, specifically loaded tongue weight and available payload. Say you have 1400 pounds availabl. 7000 pound loaded TT means 950 for TW. That's only 450 left for people and a bed full of camping gear.

This is what limits my Ram. 10k towing but only 1300 payload. Subtract 550 tongue, 260 for 32 gal fuel tank, 75 spare tire, 80 for two water totes, 100 for Yamaha twins, etc etc. Maxxed out really easy.

It's not about stopping or control, its about stressing components beyond design limits, and liability. Overload and kiss your insurance coverage goodbye, not to mention warranty.

I think fuel and spare tire are part of the vehicle weight and don't bite into the available payload. Losing the spare might be a good way to increase it a bit though. I've noticed with Ram 1500s the payload is a pretty fluid number anyway. Somehow if you go from a quad cab to a crew cab, which weighs a couple hundred pounds more, the payload isn't correspondingly reduced. Instead the GVWR is increased to match. Hmmm... Same axles, wheels, tires, brakes, etc. The springs look identical too.