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
As blt2ski stated, every instance can be different and it's not simple IF you want to push right to the edge of capability. You could reduce the calculation by 10% to 15% to build in a safety margin, but that would be arbitrary and inaccurate. You could and probably should put a disclaimer next to the results saying this is only an estimate based on industry averages. If you will be above 90% (or some other %) please proceed with caution and use the actual weights from your truck and trailer. If you do not know the accurate weights, please weigh at a CAT scale.
The catch 22 is that if you make it too hard people may not understand or use it properly, if at all. I think a calculator makes sense to get you in the ballpark, but it takes a lot of model specific information on the truck and trailer, as well as loading, to make it accurate. The problem is that only the individual user knows how he/she is going to use it. My fiver has a dry weight of 10,600 lbs and a GVWR of 14,000 lbs. Loaded it is about 11,800 lbs or so generally. Neither the dry weight or GVWR of my fiver would be accurate, but as many have stated it is better to use GVWR and be safe than dry weight and be overloaded. I am about 500 lbs below my RAWR on my truck based on loaded CAT scale weight. If I load close to my fiver GVWR and put all the really heavy stuff right at the front, I could go over my RAWR.
All you can do is try to help people get close in this process. No calculator can be precise because all the variables will never be known. It takes people caring and wanting to know and understand, as well as a dose of common sense when distributing weight in the RV. Good luck.
The catch 22 is that if you make it too hard people may not understand or use it properly, if at all. I think a calculator makes sense to get you in the ballpark, but it takes a lot of model specific information on the truck and trailer, as well as loading, to make it accurate. The problem is that only the individual user knows how he/she is going to use it. My fiver has a dry weight of 10,600 lbs and a GVWR of 14,000 lbs. Loaded it is about 11,800 lbs or so generally. Neither the dry weight or GVWR of my fiver would be accurate, but as many have stated it is better to use GVWR and be safe than dry weight and be overloaded. I am about 500 lbs below my RAWR on my truck based on loaded CAT scale weight. If I load close to my fiver GVWR and put all the really heavy stuff right at the front, I could go over my RAWR.
All you can do is try to help people get close in this process. No calculator can be precise because all the variables will never be known. It takes people caring and wanting to know and understand, as well as a dose of common sense when distributing weight in the RV. Good luck.
