LarryJM wrote:
A vehicles GVWR is not generally limited by any one physical attribute since the individual GAWRs almost always exceed the stated vehicle GVWR to allow for loading variances. A vehicles GVWR is mainly set by the strict FMVSS safety braking performance certification and that's whyt the GVWR is always listed on that sticker on the driver's side door label. Thus according to the Federal government if you exceed the GVWR then you are no longer operating that vehicle in conformance with the federally mandated safety standards. It is extremely expensive to run and document a vehicle thru the federally mandated braking performance protocals and get it thru all the hoops to have it certified for a particular vehicle GVWR. Of course the other major factor that is GVWR is how the vehicle is classified and what other general FMVSS standards it has to meet or what classification that GVWR makes it. One area I'm not sure of is say you test and get for example an F-350 certified for a GVWR of 14,000 can you sticker it at say 9,500 (for state registrations/taxing purposes), w/o tested that same exact vehicle at that second 9,500 GVWR??? ... that I don't know and never asked the brake expert I got most of my other info on this from.
Of course then it really gets complicated when you hook a towed vehicle up since no that combo is surely over the GVWR of just the vehicle alone and while a lot of trailers have brakes what happens when you hook one of say these 2K trailers that don't require brakes up to a vehicle that is say already within 500lbs of it's door sticker GVWR???????. Now you have a vehicle with a certified braking system of say 10,000lbs that weighs 9500 by itself, but is trying to stop a total weight of 11,500 lbs clearly 1,500 lbs over the 10 certified braking performance????
Larry
Larry,
You "MAY" be able to register the F350 at 9500 lbs, depending upon how that state does it licensing laws. BUT, that is the max you can go down the road at weight wise, before being considered overweight if weighed at say 9501+ lbs.
Some states like here in Washington, you take tare times 1.5 then to the next highest ton. OP's rig is will swag 5000 lbs empty. 5000 x 1.5 = 7500, next higher ton is 8000. That is the LEGAL weight he has to pay for, legal weight he would be legal to run down the road at etc etc. Washington state does NOT follow the manufacture warranty/performance ratings on the door tag. My two sons have half ton trucks, both are about 4800-5000 lbs empty, both have 8K registrations. My C2500 is also empty about 4800 lbs. I too have an 8K registration. If I get pulled over at the moor sticker gvwr of 8600, I would be considered 600 lbs overweight, and ticketed accordingly, OR, since I am under the 500 lbs per inch of tire max, I would probably get a 10 day "up the gvw to 10K" notice, then sent on my way.
Marty
