Trying to understand payload
We are getting ready to upsize our current truck and camper and hit the road full-time. We have been having trouble finding a truck that can handle the payload of most small to medium 5th wheels. Mo...
Forum Discussion
lanerd wrote:mtofell1 wrote:sch911 wrote:
Payload = GVWR - Actual weight of your Truck
The actual weight should include everything you intend to have on board when towing, including the hitch, all the people, gear, pets, and fuel.
Actual weights must be used. Ratings don't count, neither does the "curb" weight".
Yes it's that simple of a calculation....
One thing to clarify - it's not just the weight of the hitch but also the pin weight. Meaning, the weight the 5th imposes on the bed of the truck. This is where it really adds up. A 5th wheel puts somewhere around 20% of its weight on the pin. So, a 10K 5th adds 2K to the GVWR of the truck. That's why you run out of room so fast compared to a TT.
The OP was asking about "payload" not GVWR. So, you don't add the pin weight to find the payload. And.....you cannot "add to the GVWR". That is a fixed figure and adding the pin weight has nothing to do with it.
You didn't clarify anything...in fact, you muddled it more.
Ron
The OP mixed terms - payload, hitch weigh, etc. and your post, although technically correct, left out an important factor that the OP should consider and may not have been.
OP - without arguing semantics, factor in the weight the 5th sets in the bed along with the other things you have in the pickup as those all count against the GVWR of the truck. This is a point many new to towing don't understand and something RV dealers make a fortune off of people who don't understand. People can label it whatever they want but it doesn't really matter. Firewood, people, dogs, weight of a hitch, weight of a TT or 5th on said hitch, etc, etc. It all adds up to the GVWR which is the weak link in many towing platforms.
