Quick question on tow ratings
When I weight my truck and trailer at the scale and if the ticket says front axle x amount of pounds and the rear axle says x amount of pounds if I combine these two weights that amount should not exc...
Forum Discussion
If I get pulled over at 21000 gcwr in my 1500, pulling a 55k trailer with an 80k gvw registration, from a weight standpoint only, I am legal!
Then comes "OTHER" laws and regs that will get me off the road if I'm truly unsafe etc. "THOSE" rules will hurt me way the heck more than me being over the manufactures ratings etc. I am assuming I am under the legal "engineer designed max road bed load" ratings.
Like not being able to stop the rig with in x' at 20 mph. Failed braking system. Vehicle is impounded on the side of the road, need a low boy in most cases to get said rig to shop to fix "ha ha" the brakes that do not have the ability to stop said load from the get go. This goes on driving record.
Being over a registered weight class, or over a legal axle rating, generally speaking, a non moving violation, getting the local government the tax for the increases damage you are doing to the road.
Is it smart to be over a manufactures gcwr. While not an issue legally speaking, even over a manufactures axle rating is not illegal. Other factors do come into play as I noted. THOSE factors will cause you problems.
Most RV folks stock to manufactures numbers, that can be good or bad.
If you talk about gcwr, manufactures have a minimum grade you can go up before the rig will stall out, or go below a min grade on a freeway grade. If your expecting to.pull a 30% grade, manufactures spec is a 20%. You've gon beyond performance ratings, you may stall out, blow up a trans, clutch or equal. If you expect 60 mph on a 5% freeway grade, the current min spec is is 40mph. You will not probably be going 60! That's with 60 sq ft of frontal area. If you have Cummins12v's trailer, you will be over 100 sq ft. You may not meet that 40 mph spec. Much less your spec of 60 mph!
Reality, just because your under manufactures ratings, you may not be safe, yet someone else over has a better over balanced setup, is better off.
More than one way to play this game.
I have had rigs stall out under gv/cw per manufactures. Other rigs OVER manufactures ratings, not stall out where the better rated rigs blew up, ie literally!
Marty
Then comes "OTHER" laws and regs that will get me off the road if I'm truly unsafe etc. "THOSE" rules will hurt me way the heck more than me being over the manufactures ratings etc. I am assuming I am under the legal "engineer designed max road bed load" ratings.
Like not being able to stop the rig with in x' at 20 mph. Failed braking system. Vehicle is impounded on the side of the road, need a low boy in most cases to get said rig to shop to fix "ha ha" the brakes that do not have the ability to stop said load from the get go. This goes on driving record.
Being over a registered weight class, or over a legal axle rating, generally speaking, a non moving violation, getting the local government the tax for the increases damage you are doing to the road.
Is it smart to be over a manufactures gcwr. While not an issue legally speaking, even over a manufactures axle rating is not illegal. Other factors do come into play as I noted. THOSE factors will cause you problems.
Most RV folks stock to manufactures numbers, that can be good or bad.
If you talk about gcwr, manufactures have a minimum grade you can go up before the rig will stall out, or go below a min grade on a freeway grade. If your expecting to.pull a 30% grade, manufactures spec is a 20%. You've gon beyond performance ratings, you may stall out, blow up a trans, clutch or equal. If you expect 60 mph on a 5% freeway grade, the current min spec is is 40mph. You will not probably be going 60! That's with 60 sq ft of frontal area. If you have Cummins12v's trailer, you will be over 100 sq ft. You may not meet that 40 mph spec. Much less your spec of 60 mph!
Reality, just because your under manufactures ratings, you may not be safe, yet someone else over has a better over balanced setup, is better off.
More than one way to play this game.
I have had rigs stall out under gv/cw per manufactures. Other rigs OVER manufactures ratings, not stall out where the better rated rigs blew up, ie literally!
Marty
