True enough Mike.
An example using my Frontier is the rear axle is manufactured by Dana for Nissan. Dana rates the axle limit higher than Nissan assigns as a rear axle weight limit. Which tell us the axle itself (bearings, etc ) has a higher rating than the truck mfr's rating.
So where is the weak link ? My guess is the spring pack, as Nissan specified a somewhat lighter spring rate, most likely to give a softer ride while empty, since they know that 95% of the users 95% of the time are going to be empty.
How strong is the frame ? Good question, but we do know it is near identical to the earlier version of the Titan frame. Get under them and look with your caliper in hand. The Titan had a higher payload rating than the Frontier.
How about tires ? Well the factory fit tires on the Frontier are rated for over 1000 pounds more than the axle GAWR. So we know that's not the weak link.
This becomes my point in these discussions. A person on an individual level with their specific truck will do well to dig deep in the researching of it all to see just where the "limits" are defined.
I concluded in the case of my Frontier, the likely weak link was the spring pack. This was supported ( pardon the pun ) by real world experience. Is there anything we can do to increase the spring capacity ?
Yes, actually there is, and my choice was to add sumo super blue blocks. They work.
Did this change the little sticker on my door post ? Of course not. But it did change the way the truck carries the load and how it drives and handles.
And no, this change ( sumo blue blocks ) did not add huge numbers of dollars to my truck. So no, I could NOT have gone out and "bought a bigger truck" for the money spent. This is an often stated argument here on the forum. "It's cheaper to just go out and buy a bigger truck". Not in my world it's not.
Real world. That's where I live and operate.
EDIT: ps, nice mods to your trailer Mike.
