Payload vs CWR

ylind wrote:
Original poster back again. I live in Bend, OR, and called my friend the ex-county sheriff, who is also a long time camper guy. He said that in Oregon it is illegal to exceed the GVWR, but that it is never enforced. He has never seen or heard of a ticket or other enforcement action taken against a truck/camper combo that exceed GVWR. In fact, he and all his friends in the sheriff and police departments with campers all knowingly exceed GVWR without worrying at all about legal issues. They only worry about upgrading tires and suspension systems to handle the extra weight, even if that does not legally increase the GVWR.

So, after a lot of great information on this thread and other investigations, here are the conclusions I have come to:

1) I am going to ignore the camper rating in the glove box. It just does not make any sense.

2) The only difference between the higher GVWR rating on a SRW and DRW truck are the additional tires. Axle, suspension, frame, brakes, etc., are the same. So, it is entirely reasonable to upgrade tires on a SRW truck and gain a little more payload, although I will never get to the payload of a DRW truck. (Thankfully, I don't need to.)

3) There are legal issues with this, but in Oregon at least, they appear to be extremely minor. I'm far more likely to get a speeding ticket than be cited for exceeding GVWR, and I have not had a speeding ticket in decades.

Bottom line: I get to buy the 9 foot Lance camper that I want. Fully loaded I will exceed GVWR by a few hundred pounds which I can account for with various modifications.

Thanks for all your comments. They have been very helpful.

I understand your point of view but your lack of concern is for the wrong "legal". Law enforcement DMV/DOT concerns are not the "legal" you need to worry about. The "legal" you do need to worry about is prosecution (in both government and civil suits) if your action causes felony property damage or takes a life and your vehicle is proven to be over whatever your state recognizes as GVWR. If found guilty, you could face estate ruin and/or incarceration.

Enjoy your camping!