Payload "capacity/rating" - not even the OEM's agree?
There are two things that bother me most on this site, of which too many jump on the band wagon and become self-proclaimed experts repeating the same thing over and over until it becomes gospel.
1) Using GTWR (gross trailer weight rating) to find a tow vehicle to tow said trailer. Rarely will you find this in print anywhere but here. Yes, you’ll end up buying one heck of a TV, have big power, and capacity reserve, but this could easily result in overkill at a very high cost. Or the shopper feels forced to buy something too small and they don’t enjoy fully their experience.
I like what Trailer Life says the best:
When purchasing a trailer, consult the weight sticker on
the unit of your choice on a
dealer’s lot and refer to the UVW and CCC.
Estimate how much cargo you will add,
being mindful of the GVWR, and use that number
while selecting a tow vehicle.
2) Payload is king and cannot be exceeded. Time and time again, I hear “that truck doesn’t have enough payload capacity” and find many pickup trucks have payload caps that match mid-size SUV’s. Which seems crazy. One cant go wrong being conservative, but again, at what point does being extremely conservative begin to unnecessarily cost the buyer.
My stance on payload? Front and Rear Axle ratings, GVR and GCVR are king and can sometimes override payload ratings. If you stick to these ratings, which payload is derived from, you’ll find more realistic towing figures. But what’s in print?
Per Ford and Chevy towing guide, which make little to no mention of payload capacity, seem to be on my side of the fence. Dodge (towing guide) is a real red headed step child that makes little sense to me, as they exclude all towing factors from GVR. And ironically only Toyota (towing guide) mimics most statements on here, but leaves out axle weight ratings completly.
Here are the most relevant quotes related to payload from each recent OEM towing guide;
Ford:
Trailer tongue (trailer king pin for 5th-wheel towing) load weight should be 10-15% (15-25% for 5th-wheel towing) of total loaded trailer weight. Make sure vehicle payload (reduce by
option weight) will accommodate trailer tongue (trailer king pin for 5th-wheel towing) load weight and weight of passengers and cargo added to towing vehicle. Addition of trailer tongue
(trailer king pin for 5th-wheel towing) load weight and weight of passengers and cargo cannot cause vehicle weights to exceed rear GAWR or GVWR. These ratings can be found on the
vehicle Safety Compliance Certification Label.
GCWR column shows maximum allowable combined weight of vehicle, trailer and cargo (including passengers) for each engine/axle ratio combination. Maximum Loaded
Trailer Weight assumes a towing vehicle with any mandatory options, no cargo, tongue load of 10-15% (conventional trailer) or king pin weight of 15-25% (5th-wheel trailer) and driver
only (150 pounds). Weight of additional options, passengers, cargo and hitch must be deducted from this weight. Also check Required and Recommended Equipment.
GMC:
Trailer tongue weight should be 10 percent to 15 percent of total loadedtrailer weight (up to 600 lbs). Addition of trailer tongue weight must not cause vehicle to exceed Rear Gross Axle Weight Rating (RGAWR) or Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR).
FIFTH-WHEEL AND GOOSENECK HITCH NOTES: Trailer kingpin weight should be 15 percent to 25 percent of total loaded trailer weight. For 1500 Series models, the trailer
kingpin weight should be up to 1500 lbs. The addition of trailer kingpin weight cannot cause vehicle to exceed Rear Gross Axle Weight Rating (RGAWR) or Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR). 1500
SERIES MODEL NOTES: For automatic transmission models, an additional transmission oil cooler (KNP) is available.
With trailer towing capacity, you must consider the gross combination weight rating. This figure includes the gross vehicle weight plus the gross vehicle weight of the trailer. When added together, you should never exceed this figure for any reason.
Chevy:
RGAWR AND GVWR: Addition of trailer hitch weight cannot cause vehicle weights to exceed Rear Gross Axle Weight Rating (RGAWR) or Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR). These ratings can be
found on the certification label located on the driver door or door frame.
GCWR: The Gross Combination Weight Rating is the total allowable weight of the completely loaded vehicle and trailer.
TRAILER weight RATING : This rating is determined by subtracting the tow vehicle’s weight (curb weight) from the GCWR. Base vehicle (curb) weight is used, so additional passenger, equipment and
cargo weight reduces this rating.
Maximum trailer weight ratings are calculated assuming a base vehicle, except for any option(s) necessary to achieve the rating, plus driver. The weight of other optional equipment, passengers and cargo will reduce the maximum trailer weight your vehicle can tow.
4 Maximum payload capacity includes weight of driver,
passengers, optional equipment and cargo.
5 Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR). When properly equipped; includes vehicle, passengers, cargo and equipment.
NOTE: Trailertongue weight should be 10 to 15 percent of total loaded trailer weight (up to 1,500 lbs. on 2500HD and 3500HD models). Trailer kingpin weight should be 15 to 25 percent of total loaded trailer weight (up to 3,000 lbs. on 2500HD
models and up to 3,500 lbs. on 3500HD models). • Addition of trailer tongue weight/trailer kingpin weight cannot cause vehicle weights to exceed Rear Gross Axle Weight Rating (RGAWR) or Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR).
Dodge:
Gross Vehicle Weight (GVW) is the total weight of a fully loaded vehicle, including passengers and payload – but excluding all towing.
Gross Combined Vehicle Weight (GCVW) is the total combined weight of a fully loaded vehicle, including passengers, payload and everything in tow.
Toyota:
A truck’s published payload capacity or rating is the starting guideline for carrying cargo. Payload is the weight of everything that a truck can carry and includes vehicle occupants, optional equipment, contents in the pickup bed or cabin and the tongue weight of a trailer.
The maximum payload capacity is determined by subtracting the
vehicle curb weight from the manufacturer’s gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR).
Owners expecting to haul loads approaching the published payload rating for a particular truck configuration should weigh the vehicle at a commercial scale with a full tank of gas to ensure that the GVWR is not exceeded when the expected passengers and cargo are loaded.
Another critical consideration:
Tongue weight must be included in the tow vehicle’s payload.
Finally, Trailer Life Towing Guide, like Ford and Chevy, makes little to no mention of payload "capacity or rating" within their calulations or example. I'm opting not to post the example, but I will post their definitions as they include cargo/payload but not as a rating they utilize.
Gross Combination Weight Rating
(GCWR): The total allowable weight of the tow
vehicle, the trailer, the cargo in each, hitch
hardware, fluids and occupants.
Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR): The
total allowable weight for the vehicle, including
occupants, fluids, options, hitch hardware,
cargo and trailer-hitch weight.
Gross Axle Weight Rating (GAWR): The
total allowable weight on an individual axle.
This includes the weight of the tires, wheels,
brakes and the axle itself.
Maximum Tow Rating: The manufacturer’s
weight limit for towed loads. For conventional
trailers, this normally includes a hitchweight
limit as well; for fifth-wheels, the pin
weight is applied to the truck’s GVWR and its
rear-axle GAWR.
1) Using GTWR (gross trailer weight rating) to find a tow vehicle to tow said trailer. Rarely will you find this in print anywhere but here. Yes, you’ll end up buying one heck of a TV, have big power, and capacity reserve, but this could easily result in overkill at a very high cost. Or the shopper feels forced to buy something too small and they don’t enjoy fully their experience.
I like what Trailer Life says the best:
When purchasing a trailer, consult the weight sticker on
the unit of your choice on a
dealer’s lot and refer to the UVW and CCC.
Estimate how much cargo you will add,
being mindful of the GVWR, and use that number
while selecting a tow vehicle.
2) Payload is king and cannot be exceeded. Time and time again, I hear “that truck doesn’t have enough payload capacity” and find many pickup trucks have payload caps that match mid-size SUV’s. Which seems crazy. One cant go wrong being conservative, but again, at what point does being extremely conservative begin to unnecessarily cost the buyer.
My stance on payload? Front and Rear Axle ratings, GVR and GCVR are king and can sometimes override payload ratings. If you stick to these ratings, which payload is derived from, you’ll find more realistic towing figures. But what’s in print?
Per Ford and Chevy towing guide, which make little to no mention of payload capacity, seem to be on my side of the fence. Dodge (towing guide) is a real red headed step child that makes little sense to me, as they exclude all towing factors from GVR. And ironically only Toyota (towing guide) mimics most statements on here, but leaves out axle weight ratings completly.
Here are the most relevant quotes related to payload from each recent OEM towing guide;
Ford:
Trailer tongue (trailer king pin for 5th-wheel towing) load weight should be 10-15% (15-25% for 5th-wheel towing) of total loaded trailer weight. Make sure vehicle payload (reduce by
option weight) will accommodate trailer tongue (trailer king pin for 5th-wheel towing) load weight and weight of passengers and cargo added to towing vehicle. Addition of trailer tongue
(trailer king pin for 5th-wheel towing) load weight and weight of passengers and cargo cannot cause vehicle weights to exceed rear GAWR or GVWR. These ratings can be found on the
vehicle Safety Compliance Certification Label.
GCWR column shows maximum allowable combined weight of vehicle, trailer and cargo (including passengers) for each engine/axle ratio combination. Maximum Loaded
Trailer Weight assumes a towing vehicle with any mandatory options, no cargo, tongue load of 10-15% (conventional trailer) or king pin weight of 15-25% (5th-wheel trailer) and driver
only (150 pounds). Weight of additional options, passengers, cargo and hitch must be deducted from this weight. Also check Required and Recommended Equipment.
GMC:
Trailer tongue weight should be 10 percent to 15 percent of total loadedtrailer weight (up to 600 lbs). Addition of trailer tongue weight must not cause vehicle to exceed Rear Gross Axle Weight Rating (RGAWR) or Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR).
FIFTH-WHEEL AND GOOSENECK HITCH NOTES: Trailer kingpin weight should be 15 percent to 25 percent of total loaded trailer weight. For 1500 Series models, the trailer
kingpin weight should be up to 1500 lbs. The addition of trailer kingpin weight cannot cause vehicle to exceed Rear Gross Axle Weight Rating (RGAWR) or Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR). 1500
SERIES MODEL NOTES: For automatic transmission models, an additional transmission oil cooler (KNP) is available.
With trailer towing capacity, you must consider the gross combination weight rating. This figure includes the gross vehicle weight plus the gross vehicle weight of the trailer. When added together, you should never exceed this figure for any reason.
Chevy:
RGAWR AND GVWR: Addition of trailer hitch weight cannot cause vehicle weights to exceed Rear Gross Axle Weight Rating (RGAWR) or Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR). These ratings can be
found on the certification label located on the driver door or door frame.
GCWR: The Gross Combination Weight Rating is the total allowable weight of the completely loaded vehicle and trailer.
TRAILER weight RATING : This rating is determined by subtracting the tow vehicle’s weight (curb weight) from the GCWR. Base vehicle (curb) weight is used, so additional passenger, equipment and
cargo weight reduces this rating.
Maximum trailer weight ratings are calculated assuming a base vehicle, except for any option(s) necessary to achieve the rating, plus driver. The weight of other optional equipment, passengers and cargo will reduce the maximum trailer weight your vehicle can tow.
4 Maximum payload capacity includes weight of driver,
passengers, optional equipment and cargo.
5 Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR). When properly equipped; includes vehicle, passengers, cargo and equipment.
NOTE: Trailertongue weight should be 10 to 15 percent of total loaded trailer weight (up to 1,500 lbs. on 2500HD and 3500HD models). Trailer kingpin weight should be 15 to 25 percent of total loaded trailer weight (up to 3,000 lbs. on 2500HD
models and up to 3,500 lbs. on 3500HD models). • Addition of trailer tongue weight/trailer kingpin weight cannot cause vehicle weights to exceed Rear Gross Axle Weight Rating (RGAWR) or Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR).
Dodge:
Gross Vehicle Weight (GVW) is the total weight of a fully loaded vehicle, including passengers and payload – but excluding all towing.
Gross Combined Vehicle Weight (GCVW) is the total combined weight of a fully loaded vehicle, including passengers, payload and everything in tow.
Toyota:
A truck’s published payload capacity or rating is the starting guideline for carrying cargo. Payload is the weight of everything that a truck can carry and includes vehicle occupants, optional equipment, contents in the pickup bed or cabin and the tongue weight of a trailer.
The maximum payload capacity is determined by subtracting the
vehicle curb weight from the manufacturer’s gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR).
Owners expecting to haul loads approaching the published payload rating for a particular truck configuration should weigh the vehicle at a commercial scale with a full tank of gas to ensure that the GVWR is not exceeded when the expected passengers and cargo are loaded.
Another critical consideration:
Tongue weight must be included in the tow vehicle’s payload.
Finally, Trailer Life Towing Guide, like Ford and Chevy, makes little to no mention of payload "capacity or rating" within their calulations or example. I'm opting not to post the example, but I will post their definitions as they include cargo/payload but not as a rating they utilize.
Gross Combination Weight Rating
(GCWR): The total allowable weight of the tow
vehicle, the trailer, the cargo in each, hitch
hardware, fluids and occupants.
Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR): The
total allowable weight for the vehicle, including
occupants, fluids, options, hitch hardware,
cargo and trailer-hitch weight.
Gross Axle Weight Rating (GAWR): The
total allowable weight on an individual axle.
This includes the weight of the tires, wheels,
brakes and the axle itself.
Maximum Tow Rating: The manufacturer’s
weight limit for towed loads. For conventional
trailers, this normally includes a hitchweight
limit as well; for fifth-wheels, the pin
weight is applied to the truck’s GVWR and its
rear-axle GAWR.
