Once again, and as many others have said all over the place, "towing capacity" is NOT the only thing to go by. Just as important is the payload capacity, if not the most important thing. And it needs to be the actual payload capacity, not the published number or the one on the door jamb.
Trailer manufacturers conveniently do not tell anyone about TV payload capacity. They like to flog their towing capacities. The "1/2 ton towable" label is a croc. KZ is now even flogging a "1500 towable" and "2500 towable" label on their units. More croc. They and magazines like Trailer Life tell you that a KZ Durango 5th wheel weighing over 8,000 lbs dry can be towed with a 1/2 ton. That 5-er could have a pin weight around 2,000 lbs and even our 3/4 ton could not handle it. If nobody cares about payload capacity, you can tow just about anything as long as the tires on the TV don't pop, the bumper doesn't hit the ground and you can get the trailer moving. I'd like someone to say what 1/2 ton is truly able to tow this 5th wheel with a 1/2 ton and not go over the payload capacity or RGAWR.
The way the tow vehicle and trailer industry is when it comes to towing capacity is really bad. If the trailer manufacturers don't care about payload limits, how is the average RV-er supposed to know about payload capacities, let alone take it seriously?
SkiMore: Here is what happened with our recently acquired new TT to give you a good example of what happens. It's 29' long and is an "ultralite". Has a factory published dry weight (UVW) of 5237 lbs. Dry tongue wt. of 518 lbs. Sounds pretty good! You'd think a 1/2 ton would be more than adequate. The UVW does NOT include any factory options such as electric stabilizer jacks, fiberglass cap, electric awning, etc. Also does not include dealer installed things like batteries, propane tanks and spare tire. The UVW sticker inside our TT is a couple of lbs higher than the published UVW of 5237 lbs. HOWEVER. After loading our TT with some basic stuff for camping (BBQ, folding alum. chairs, outdoor mat, misc. sewer fittings & hoses, X-chocks, some clothes for 2 of us, a small stock of food supplies, toaster, coffee maker and a small selection of plates, utensils, water & pop, etc.), our trailer weight came in at 6,600 lbs upon weighing at a scale. That's 1363 lbs above the UVW. That's not terribly out of line from the norm. But we could easily pack more into the TT for a longer trip. Problem is, the GVWR is 6800 lbs and we are almost at capacity. We could never travel with a full tank of fresh water even. And with the tongue weight, it's actually 960 lbs -far cry from the 518 lb published figure. Some 1/2 ton trucks would not be able to handle this "ultralite" without overloading it. I know our old F150 would have been overloaded on payload.
I now have to laugh at the cargo carrying capacity labelled on our TT: 1320 lbs. Really??? Not even close to the actual 200 lbs left.... If we weighed our cargo and added 1320 lbs worth, we would be waaay over the GVWR. What the heck??
Another thing that happens if your GVWR is near the max. is that your ST tires may near their max. capacity. Our load range C tires give a max. capacity of 7280 lbs. That's not much over our TT GVWR. Very little safety margin and it will lead to reduced tire life.
Our situation with weight is typical of other brands and models of trailers. We are not alone...
In some cases you must also look at rear GAWR. Using the above KZ Durango example, does anyone at all tell you to check the RGAWR because of the pin weight? Nope. A lot of owners only find out from reading RV forums.
Once you start looking at the reality of the various weight limits and capacities, it's a real eye opener. Another related story: We just had our new TT into a frame shop for insp. by a gov't designated facility. They found the frame has "extreme flex". They said the frame will eventually crack and welds will fail. Actually already showing signs of failure. There is so much frame flex, that I found a separated weld between two aluminum frame members. It's not if the frame will fail - it's when. This is a Lippert frame and they are common to a lot of other brands and models of trailers out there. Point is, if you are running near GVWR, or for those that don't care about overloading, you are putting A LOT of stress on your frame and it WILL eventually have problems. The lower you can keep your total weight, the better. I am so glad we found out at the beginning and have been able to get something done about it. Don't believe me on these frames? Do some googling and read the stories about frame failures.
And don't forget that your WDH is part of the equation. You need to get some of the tongue weight properly transferred onto the front (steer) axles and trailer axles otherwise the drive axle will be taking more weight than it should and you *could* exceed the RGAWR.. I cringe when I see people in our cg pulling trailers with a 1/2 ton with no WDH at all.
The reason some people (the smart ones) say to use the GVWR is that is the absolute max. your TT should weigh. As you can see by our example, it's easy to reach. Not only that, it's easy to end up over it. Do NOT use dry weights for anything - period. Nowadays, trailer manufacturers are flogging their RVS on the basis of dry weights and it's a competition between brands. Payload capacities and safety don't even come up. It's almost criminal. Same with TV manufacturers.
