GMC vs Nissan diesel
We (my wife and I) will be upgrading our rig next year (when I retire) from a 24' TT to a 29' or 30' TT. Will also be trading in my 2016 GMC Canyon (3.6 ltr. v-6) for a diesel full size truck. My...
Forum Discussion
Fast Mopar wrote:Fast Mopar, couldn't help but notice you prefaced "754 lbs. of tongue weight" with the word "advertised". Good choice of words.
. . . I think it is wise for the OP to at least consider the Nissan's factory payload rating to be sure that his advertised 754 lb tongue weight was not out of line for the truck. Just my opinion and nothing more.
Many discussions about payload vs. tongue weight quote the TT manufacturer's empty tongue weight rating like it's some kind of accurate, static, unchanging number.
Everyone knows (or should know) the manufacturer's tongue weight rating is a low-ball number based on the lightest version of that particular model TT completely stripped, with no factory or dealer options---in some cases doesn't even include the weight of batteries or propane. Manufacturer's empty tongue weight ratings can, and quite often do, go 20-50 percent higher, loaded for realworld use. Important to remember, manufacturers know lighter TT's (at least on paper or a .pdf) sell more TT's---there's a very strong incentive for them to advertise the lowest number possible.
Most any 3/4-ton or 1-ton truck can pull the vast majority of bumper-pull trailers without any concern about tongue weight. However, this is not the case with the vast majority of 1/2-ton trucks, or a well-equipped Nissan Cummins with 1,500 lbs. of payload.
If the OP would have chosen the Nissan Cummins, chances are he could have been at, near, or even over the maximum payload rating for this truck even with this so-called 754 lbs. of tongue weight. A manufacturer's empty tongue weight rating of 754 lbs. can easily evolve into 1,000-1,100 lbs. of tongue weight loaded for realworld use. Secondly, don't forget to add in the weight of a few passengers (150-450 lbs), 50-100 lbs. for the WD hitch, and maybe 150-300 lbs. of misc. gear . . . suddenly the picture (i.e. payload) changes dramatically.
There's no way I (just speaking for myself) would attempt to match up (or spend $50,000-$75,000 on) a TT and 1/2-ton truck based solely on the manufacturer's empty tongue weight rating. Most 1/2-ton trucks just don't have enough payload to afford that kind of assumption.
