GVWR

RoyJ wrote:

RobertRyan wrote:

RoyJ wrote:
With chains it's simple, but vehicles a lot more difficult. All we have to do is look at instances where the OEMs themselves magically raise "tow rating", with ZERO mechanical changes, in the midst of a marketing war (F150 vs Titan early 2000's, Ram vs GM vs F150 early 2010's). Then there are vehicles that are magically rated lower in North America than Europe or Australia (mostly SUVs), knowing we're a sue-happy society...

On the other hand US Pickups are rated a lot lower in Australia. Several factors but payload and type of hitch are some main ones.

Interesting! Are they tongue weight limited? They sure aren't power limited compared to most Aussie powertrains...

Goes to show just how arbitrary "tow ratings" are. Laws of physics are constant on earth, yet ratings are all over the place for a given vehicle.

They take in other factors,that are not included in the SAE ratings. Drops are dramatic, a Sierra 2500 with Diesel is rated at 9,900lbs. Yes the 5th wheel rating is much greater

Our test vehicle was powered by a 6.6-litre turbocharged V8 diesel that had the impressive outputs of 296kW at 3000rpm and 1037Nm of torque at 1600rpm. A heavy-duty tow hitch comes standard as does an electric brake controller on the dash with digital readout on the info screen in front of the driver.

If that’s not enough, you also get an exhaust brake that you can switch on and off via a toggle switch on the centre console. Then there’s the Stabilitrak electronic stability control system as standard, plus the trailer sway control. Maximum towing weight is quoted at 4500kg on a standard hitch.
So you can see that right out of the factory, these rigs are purpose-built to tow.

From GMC website, it is a substantial drop

Maximum conventional trailering capacity of 14,500 lbs2
Maximum fifth-wheel trailering capacity of 18,000 lbs2
Maximum payload of 3,534 lbs3