Does this work?

[Whiskeymike]

Hello, I have a 22 1500 Rebel GT, and I believe my towing amounts are GVWR of 7100, and total towing is 11,500. I’m considering buying a camping RV and would like to keep it within ratings to avoid any issues with insurance. The RV I’m considering is rated at -
29' - 7"
LENGTH
11' - 2"
HEIGHT
6,358 lbs
DRY WEIGHT
8,250 lbs
GVWR
704 lbs
HITCH WEIGHT

Does the GVWR pose an issue?

 

[Darksteel165]

GVWR is your total vehicle weight, including your hitch weight.
Towing weight is not your limiting factor, payload, IE your GVWR is.

Expect around 10-15% of the weight of the RV for hitch weight so around 900lbs, meaning you need to have an extra 900lbs of payload, so the truck fully loaded including passengers needs to weigh 6,200lbs or less

 

[Whiskeymike]

Sorry, I'm not getting what you are saying. I've watched a ton of videos, read a ton of articles, however, I'm missing out on some basic definition or something.

I'm getting hung up on the truck having a GVWR of 7100 lbs. Yet, being able to tow 11500. If GVWR is 7100 lbs for the truck. Where is the 11500-7100=4400 lbs coming into play?

And the trailer being 8,250 lbs GVWR, yet the truck can only handle 7100lbs, will I exceed the amount the truck can handle?

 

[Whiskeymike]

Ok, I might have figured it out.

Is 7100lbs for the truck, the maximum that the truck can weigh? (Not, the maximum it can tow?) So therefore, you don't compare the 7100lbs the truck states and compare it to the trailer GVWR of 8,250, see that it's 1150 over and determine you can't tow it? I should be using the 11,500, and compare that to the trailer rating?

In my case above... My truck is capable of towing 11,500 lbs maxed out... The max weight (without overloading it) for the trailer is 8,250. SO therefore, the truck is capable of towing the trailer, with extra room to spare? And I could got up a little bit in terms of size, and the 1/2 ton pickup could trailer a bit more?

 

[LaxDfns15]

GVWR is the max weight your truck can be. So if your truck's curb weight is 5500 pounds you have 1600 pounds of payload. The yellow door sticker in the driver's door jamb will tell you how many pounds of payload you have.

Basically you take the number on that sticker, subtract everything you have added to the truck as well as however many passengers you will have, and the number that's left is how much you can add onto the truck. Payload is almost always going to max out before you hit max towing.

If your trailer weighs 8000 pounds loaded you can estimate 10-15% of that weight being on the tongue, which means it's transferred to the truck. That means you'll have 800-900 pounds subtracted from your payload, along with ~100 pounds for a weight distribution hitch. You're already looking at 900-1000 pounds subtracted from your payload.

If your truck is anything like my Rebel, then you have about 1500 pounds of payload to start with. Me, plus my family of wife and 3 small kids are probably around 600 pounds including car seats, plus all the crap I've put in the truck toss on another 200 pounds puts me around 700 pounds of payload left for a trailer. This trailer would be too much for my truck.

 

[Darksteel165]

You can tow more then you can weigh.
With the 1500s your limiting factor is your GVWR ie your payload, which is the maximum your truck cns weigh 7100lbs, minus everything inside it. This would be your hitch weight.

Typically you have 10-15% of the trailers actual weight on the hitch of your truck, this goes against your GVWR.
For example my truck came with like 1300 payload from the factory this is the weight I can add to it.
Once my daily and normal gear and gas is in it my trucks weight goes up and allows me 640lbs of payload before I hit my GVWR.
So this means I need have a hitch weight of 600 or I go over my Gross Vechile Weight Rating. So I would be looking at a trailer around 5000 lbs depending on how I can do the hitch weight

 

[LaxDfns15]

Darksteel and I answered at the same time, but you've got 2 examples now. Heavier trucks (more options) are going to be able to legally tow less. Have certain trucks with certain payloads towed extremely heavy trailers when they aren't supposed to? Of course. You're liable for not only yourself, but anyone else on the road that you affect.

 

[LaxDfns15]

Great guide and discussion on towing: So you want to tow a camper! Discussion thread.

 

[bigdodge]

weigh your truck with everything you are going to put in it including people and pets, without trailer attached.
then post numbers

 

[Whiskeymike]

Got it. Makes sense.. I was just misunderstanding the GVWR listed for the truck. I thought it was.. This is the max GVWR your trailer can be to tow with this truck. But it's actually referencing the truck.
Thanks guys

 

[Darksteel165]

Got it. Makes sense.. I was just misunderstanding the GVWR listed for the truck. I thought it was.. This is the max GVWR your trailer can be to tow with this truck. But it's actually referencing the truck.
Thanks guys

It's very confusing tbh.
Go get your truck weighed. I was able to do mine for I think 8 or 12 bucks. Then you take your weight away from the GVWR and now you know the real number you are working with (take your family if you can)

 

[Whiskeymike]

Makes sense. It just was irritating me, because everyone would say, get your truck and trailer weighed (Seperately, together, etc..). And I'd like to make sure I'm in the ballpark prior to buying the trailer.

 

[devildodge]

Makes sense. It just was irritating me, because everyone would say, get your truck and trailer weighed (Seperately, together, etc..). And I'd like to make sure I'm in the ballpark prior to buying the trailer.

GCWR is Gross Combined Weight rating. This is what your truck, your stuff, your hitch and your trailer can weigh.

That is what you are missing.

GVWR, as exclaimed is your trucks maximum weight.

They are mutually exclusive. Meaning. If your truck is at GVWR you can tow nothing. If your trailer tongue weight takes all your payload you can haul nothing.


It is really very simple.

Using the door sticker you get payload and GVWR.

Say it is 1500 pounds of payload.

7100-1500= your base weight is 5600lbs.

Your truck will have 17000 GCWR. Assuming the rebel still has 3.92.

17000-5600=11400

See how that towing is wrong...you got to drive the truck and have a hitch.

Pretty simple.

Any questions ask.

I explain it all here.

So you want to tow a camper!

The first thing you need to do is decide which camp you fall in. The best camp to be in is to own neither the truck or the camper. This allows you to research and keep feelings out of your decision. This allows you to easily sit back and learn the process. The next camp is owning the truck or...

5thgenrams.com

 

[DEG]

You might also have a door sticker than provides your max cargo weight. The max cargo weight should be the GVWR minus the dry weight of your truck.

The GVWR for my truck is also 7100 and the listed cargo capacity is 1370 lbs. This means the dry weight of my truck without cargo, fuel or passengers should be around 5730 lbs.

Cargo includes any weight you add to the truck (e.g. fuel, passengers, tools luggage AND the tongue weight of a trailer.)

So, with a tongue weight of over 700 lbs, the trailer may not exceed your towing capacity but towing that trailer could very easily exceed your cargo capacity.

Example​

Tongue Weight: 704​

Fuel Weight: 200​

Passenger Weight: 400​

Tonneau Cover Weight: 100​

Weight of stuff in bed of truck: 100​

​

Total Cargo Weight: 1504 LBS (overloaded by 134 lbs)​

Occasionally people are tempted to reduce tongue weight by adding more weight behind the trailer axles, but this can have life and death consequences so how you load your trailer is also important.

 

[Casull]

You might also have a door sticker than provides your max cargo weight. The max cargo weight should be the GVWR minus the dry weight of your truck.

The GVWR for my truck is also 7100 and the listed cargo capacity is 1370 lbs. This means the dry weight of my truck without cargo, fuel or passengers should be around 5730 lbs.

Cargo includes any weight you add to the truck (e.g. fuel, passengers, tools luggage AND the tongue weight of a trailer.)

So, with a tongue weight of over 700 lbs, the trailer may not exceed your towing capacity but towing that trailer could very easily exceed your cargo capacity.

Example​

Tongue Weight: 704​

Fuel Weight: 200​

Passenger Weight: 400​

Tonneau Cover Weight: 100​

Weight of stuff in bed of truck: 100​

​

Total Cargo Weight: 1504 LBS (overloaded by 134 lbs)​

View attachment 177547

Occasionally people are tempted to reduce tongue weight by adding more weight behind the trailer axles, but this can have life and death consequences so how you load your trailer is also important.

Isn't fuel weight included in the dry weight? In other words, you DON'T have to add fuel weight.

 

[DEG]

Isn't fuel weight included in the dry weight? In other words, you DON'T have to add fuel weight.

No, you must add the weight of fuel to determine you total cargo weight. Also remember diesel weights about 1lb more per gallon than gasoline.

 

[devildodge]

No, you must add the weight of fuel to determine you total cargo weight. Also remember diesel weights about 1lb more per gallon than gasoline.

Base weight is a truck empty of cargo and passengers. With full fluids to include fuel.

You need not worry about the weight of fuel. If weighing the truck, you need to have a full tank to get the proper base weight and make your payload door sticker number work.

Effectively, as you tow you gain payload as you use fuel.

 

[devildodge]

Isn't fuel weight included in the dry weight? In other words, you DON'T have to add fuel weight.

You are correct!

 

[DEG]

You are correct!

The dry weight is the weight of the vehicle without fluids; the curb weight is the weight with fluids and normally a full tank of gas.

 

[devildodge]

The dry weight is the weight of the vehicle without fluids; the curb weight is the weight with fluids and normally a full tank of gas.

Come on. What he meant was base weight. Not dry weight or curb weight. Neither have a dog in this fight...