Me Again wrote:
sch911 wrote:
That's allot of information you've provided. As an OEM truck engineer I am involved in tow capability testing. You've made a few assumptions which I'm not sure I agree with all of your assessments. Now I cannot speak to the documentation, including what's on the various web sites as it's usually heavily adjusted by the marketing and legal teams.
When people ask me about these things I like to keep things simple:
Tow Ratings are published for marketing purposes ONLY. There are too many variables for the actual tow capacity to be advertised for every combination of vehicle.
Actual payload and towing capacities are easy to calculate.
GVWR - Actual_Truck_Weight = Payload available
GCWR - Actual_Truck_Weight = Trailer tow capacity
Yes, you need to weigh your truck! They are all different.
Yes, you also need to stay under the front and rear axle ratings too.
Bring on the weight police... :)
For pickups GVWR is a manufacturers warranty number and has nothing to do with what legally can be hauled by a pickup truck! My state licensed my 8800 lbs GVWRed truck at 12K. Then there are the federal bridge weight laws that no pickup comes close to. GCWR is also a manufacturers warranty number!!
Chris
Your statement that the GVWR is a manufacturers warranty number is TOTALLY INCORRECT. That number is a legally certified value listed on the FMVSS sticker and is certified thru extensive independent government mandated SAFETY TESTS ... mainly from the braking system perfomance end. While there might not be any "WRITTEN LAWS" directly related to GVWR issues I can easily see how operating a vehicle outside the FMVSS certified limits could easily be considered "NEGLIGENT" or "RECKLESS" operation of a motor vehicle in a CIVIL and even a possible CRIMINAL legal proceeding.
I think you will find every manufacture clearly states that you should NEVER exceed either the GVWR or the RAWR/FAWR certifications listed on that FMVSS label on the drivers door jam.
Now I will agree that GVCWR is more of a performance and hence a warranty issue, but that number is still not just something "DREAMED UP", but has quite a bit of engineering behind it.
Larry
