Tow Capacity Comparisons For 2015 Trucks
Here are three links to some truck brand comparisons for half-ton, three-quarter and one ton trucks with some jaw dropping surprises. Half-ton Truck Realistic Towing Capacity Three-quarter Ton...
Forum Discussion
Your problem is, you are trying to keep it simple. When in reality, it is NEVER that simple.
At the end of the day, one needs to spec based on multiple items. Yes the typicle gvwr, gawr, gcwr etc. BUT, you need empty axel wts, how much wt of a given type is added to which axel. I found with my 96 crew cab 100% of my families 1200 lbs went to the rear axel. Very little if any was added to the front axel. Add in 1200 lbs of family, 200-400 or so of other items, sometimes more, hw in the 700 lb range on a ball mount. I had a SW 9200 gvwr crew cab truck, base wt of 6600, 4500 on the front, 2100 on the rear, in the 5000-5500 on the rear, 4300-4500 on the front. Typical total gvw I was 9000-9500 lbs. Along with 6000-6500 lbs on the trailer axels. Total, 15-16K lbs, depending upon how and where were heading too etc. Close to 2200-3000 lbs was added to the base trailer axel in clothes, bedding, food, water etc for a family of 6. I even added ski gear in the winter. Then once snow load of 4-5000 lbs to the trailer and another 2-3000 in the truck. Came home after being stuck at the top of I90 and 6' of snow over 48 hrs at just over 20K lbs total! There is a weigh scale part way home..........
It is also not hard if you improperly load a truck, to be over a RA capacity, still be with in gvw if you do not understand how the wts gets transfered thru the suspension.
Get ahold of a FORD or equal cab and chassis design spec book, you will learn way the heck more than you already know. You will figure out, it is also not simple per say to know what you can or can not load etc.
Also, to a degree, while you and others, do not like talking about, or putting the legal aspect into things like this. You had better do so. If this calculator was used for a Type A motor home. The manufacture specs a 25K GRAWR, you can NOT legally put 25K on that axel. You only get 20K lbs per federal law. Just as you are having issues with the loading part of the equation. You can have issues both sides of the manufacture warranty rating, and the legal load rating of a given vehicle. One needs to know both sides!
Marty
At the end of the day, one needs to spec based on multiple items. Yes the typicle gvwr, gawr, gcwr etc. BUT, you need empty axel wts, how much wt of a given type is added to which axel. I found with my 96 crew cab 100% of my families 1200 lbs went to the rear axel. Very little if any was added to the front axel. Add in 1200 lbs of family, 200-400 or so of other items, sometimes more, hw in the 700 lb range on a ball mount. I had a SW 9200 gvwr crew cab truck, base wt of 6600, 4500 on the front, 2100 on the rear, in the 5000-5500 on the rear, 4300-4500 on the front. Typical total gvw I was 9000-9500 lbs. Along with 6000-6500 lbs on the trailer axels. Total, 15-16K lbs, depending upon how and where were heading too etc. Close to 2200-3000 lbs was added to the base trailer axel in clothes, bedding, food, water etc for a family of 6. I even added ski gear in the winter. Then once snow load of 4-5000 lbs to the trailer and another 2-3000 in the truck. Came home after being stuck at the top of I90 and 6' of snow over 48 hrs at just over 20K lbs total! There is a weigh scale part way home..........
It is also not hard if you improperly load a truck, to be over a RA capacity, still be with in gvw if you do not understand how the wts gets transfered thru the suspension.
Get ahold of a FORD or equal cab and chassis design spec book, you will learn way the heck more than you already know. You will figure out, it is also not simple per say to know what you can or can not load etc.
Also, to a degree, while you and others, do not like talking about, or putting the legal aspect into things like this. You had better do so. If this calculator was used for a Type A motor home. The manufacture specs a 25K GRAWR, you can NOT legally put 25K on that axel. You only get 20K lbs per federal law. Just as you are having issues with the loading part of the equation. You can have issues both sides of the manufacture warranty rating, and the legal load rating of a given vehicle. One needs to know both sides!
Marty
