Truck towing / safe limits

Terryallan wrote:

bmanning wrote:

skipnchar wrote:
I always consider ONLY the trailers GVWR when fitting trailer to truck. Anything else just doesn't cut it. Empty weight is useless as NOBODY drags around a completely empty trailer. Tongue weight is also a factor but I don't go by partially loaded weights there either. I use 15% of the trailers GVWR so I factor in the worst case situation where the tongue is the heaviest it will ever be. From there I see how it fits with the full factory ratings for the truck. My safety margin is not any 80% rule etc. but using the worst case figures up front.
Good luck / Skip

I like that strategy; easy to figure and an effective way to decide if the TV is capable enough...

I don't use the GVW of the trailer. But mostly because I know how much weight I'm going to add to the dry weight. My TT will never even be close to it's GVWR. So for me it's useless. Unless it's only 1000lbs

However. Were I a new TT owner like the OP. It might be good to use for the first time, as long as it does not have 3000lbs of carrying capacity. AFTER ALL. your going to have to load a bunch of junk into A 4800LB dry trailer, to get it to a GVWR of 8000lbs. I don't see it happening. Unless it is a toy hauler,

Mine has a dry weight of 4811 lbs. Wet it weighs 5900lbs. The GVWR is 7200lbs. So I've got 1300 lb of GVWR I will NEVER use. But If I had to buy a TV to tow the weight I don't have. I would need more TV.

True, for those like yourself who are experienced and care enough to cross the scales it'd be unnecessary but for "average Joe & Jane out RV shopping" going by 15% of GVW will save the headache of realizing, after the fact, that they have too little tv.