1/2 ton truck towing question

[FL_JasonR]

I am looking for a toy hauler to put a golf cart in. I’ve seen a few but they will be about 10,000 pounds after everything is loaded. Current tow capacity on the truck is 9300lbs. With GVWR @ 7,000lbs. I found a shop that will add an extra leaf to the rear end (.47in steel leaf, was told that would add roughly 600lbs each side) and install HD sway bars. Do you think this will be enough to increase my GVWR?

[richardcoxid]

Remember that nobody but nobody ever complained about to much truck but, a lot of people complains about to little of truck!
Also get a little truck go slow and get PI** poor mileage, get a big truck go fast get Pi** poor mileage.
Seriously often a larger truck/engine loafing along will almost equal the mileage of a smaller truck/engine screaming along at WOT!

[MFL]

Congrats on making a good choice! Your towing experience should be fun, not a chore! Post a pic, here, or on tow vehicles, if you have one. That new GM HD 2500 is a strong truck, as the GVWR implies!

Jerry

[FL_JasonR]

I want to thank everyone for their feedback. I just traded in the 2018 1/2 ton high country with 10,183 miles on it... it hurt but the safety of my family is more important (and all of the others out on the road). Upgraded to the 2020 Chevy 3/4 ton duramax with a few less bells and whistles but should treat me right and I shouldn’t have to worry about weight (GVWR OVER 11k) and I’m excited to go camping and pull the new toy hauler for the first time in 3 weeks.

[1320Fastback]

You don't need a 10,000 pound toy hauler for a golf cart. The 18' Sand Sport we just moved out of would of done it at less than 4,000 empty.

[wing_zealot]

Lynnmor wrote:
I guess that the reason for lengthy accident cleanup is all that weighing of each piece of debris and determining which piece came from what vehicle. :R

What really takes time is mopping up all that water so they can weigh it. And when its raining, then they have to seperate the rain water from the towed water - can take them all day and night.

[time2roll]

Thermoguy wrote:
Some of these comments are interesting...

If you can add an extra leaf spring to a 3/4 ton to give it the capability of a 1 ton, why can't you do the same to a 1/2 ton?

So, the sticker on the door is no longer correct, doesn't mean the leaf spring isn't there doing its job. Yes, you do have to consider everything else to make the truck capable, like tires, engine cooler, maybe brakes. But those things might be easier than buying a new truck.

Sure and most 3/4 and 1 ton SRW are very similar. Potentially you could go from the lowest rated 1/2 ton to the highest rated 1/2 ton vehicle if you changed all components that the factory swaps out. I suspect this will be a bit more involved than just a leaf spring.

[Grit_dog]

Bottom line, the reason for the mfgs ratings and the ensuing numerous debates is that your average driver/ owner has no clue what a vehicle’s safe capacity or capability is. And on top of that, there are many opinions, whether founded or not, as to what is safe.
So, to prevent being sued by every idiot who doesn’t know that you probably shouldn’t throw 3000lbs in the bed of a half ton and hook a 10ton trailer and drive down a mountain pass, the Mfgs “establish” a very safe “rating” for their vehicles that is pseudo idiot proof and also to allow themselves an out when said idiot tries to sue them over his stupidity.

[valhalla360]

blt2ski wrote:
Manufactured warranty rating is not a legal amount you have to stick to driving down the road. You registered GVW is. My C2500 I get 8000 lbs, NOT the door sticker if 8600. I'm 600 lbs over wieght per Every LEO/CVEO in Washington state, probably every other jurisdiction I dirive in and out of including Canada. If I buy the next higher rating in 2000 lb increments, I am legal to that amount, as would you.
Ice been pulled over, wieghed, pulled into wieght scales OVER my door sticker, under paid for rating, and have yet to get an over wieght ticket.
The only place a manufactured rating will mean anything is in a civil case trial. Even at that, if may not.
I'm not worried about what my door sticker says, as last I checked, manufactured do not make up laws police ticket you on.
This is no different than insurance not paying out, they, will, then cancel you. Warranty repairs on other hand, if beyond their terms, they don't have to pay out.

Marty

You were the one implying a shop will change the manufacturers rating by adding a note on the sticker.

[valhalla360]

Thermoguy wrote:
Some of these comments are interesting...

If you can add an extra leaf spring to a 3/4 ton to give it the capability of a 1 ton, why can't you do the same to a 1/2 ton?

The difference is for many years (some of the newer models it's no longer true), the ONLY difference was the rear springs (and maybe wheels/tires). The brakes, frame, axles, motors, transmissions, etc...were identical to the SRW 1 ton trucks. So if you checked the springs, wheels & tires were upgraded...you had a truck that was identical to the SRW 1 ton.

1/2 ton trucks have different frames, axles, brakes, transmissions, etc... so unless you go thru all those things and upgrade them, you haven't built a 3/4 or 1 ton out of a 1/2 ton.

[blt2ski]

valhalla360 wrote:

blt2ski wrote:
The person company that installs springs, can put an addendum on door pillar to the effect that rear spring capacity increased by 1200 lbs, increased wieght of vehicle by 100lbs or whatever the springs added in capacity and wieght to the ruck.

Marty

They can put a sticker on the door pillar that says the truck can time travel...doesn't change the manufacturer's rating.

Manufactured warranty rating is not a legal amount you have to stick to driving down the road. You registered GVW is. My C2500 I get 8000 lbs, NOT the door sticker if 8600. I'm 600 lbs over wieght per Every LEO/CVEO in Washington state, probably every other jurisdiction I dirive in and out of including Canada. If I buy the next higher rating in 2000 lb increments, I am legal to that amount, as would you.
Ice been pulled over, wieghed, pulled into wieght scales OVER my door sticker, under paid for rating, and have yet to get an over wieght ticket.
The only place a manufactured rating will mean anything is in a civil case trial. Even at that, if may not.
I'm not worried about what my door sticker says, as last I checked, manufactured do not make up laws police ticket you on.
This is no different than insurance not paying out, they, will, then cancel you. Warranty repairs on other hand, if beyond their terms, they don't have to pay out.

Marty

[Thermoguy]

Some of these comments are interesting...

If you can add an extra leaf spring to a 3/4 ton to give it the capability of a 1 ton, why can't you do the same to a 1/2 ton?

So, the sticker on the door is no longer correct, doesn't mean the leaf spring isn't there doing its job. Yes, you do have to consider everything else to make the truck capable, like tires, engine cooler, maybe brakes. But those things might be easier than buying a new truck.

[ppine]

No.

[Lynnmor]

I guess that the reason for lengthy accident cleanup is all that weighing of each piece of debris and determining which piece came from what vehicle. :R

[GDS-3950BH]

wing_zealot wrote:

theoldwizard1 wrote:
Worst case scenario. You have an accident while towing. You insurance company voids your policy because you knowingly modified the vehicle to EXCEED its capacity !!

You may be canceled, but it will be after the claim is paid Think about it, you're drunk, hop in your car, hit a telephone pole and cause a couple hundred thousand $ of damage. Your still covered. May get canceled, but it will be after the fact. Insurance companies can't decide just to void your coverage just beacause you do something stupid. If they could, they'd do it every time someone got in a accident.

ROFLMAO....yet this BS gets repeated over and over on forums and has since the internet was invented by Al.