"This is the maximum safe weight of your combined vehicle and trailer. This weight includes all people, luggage, and other material. If your combined towing setup exceeds this weight, your vehicle's engine, transmission, brakes, and so on will be stressed beyond their design limits."
Now with this being said, how many who tow, have weighed their setup and abided by it? Of those who know or think they might be over the limit, do you know by how much? How many have had any real problems, such as things breaking, falling off, burning up...etc?
Just doing a little survey here, while trying to decide whether or not we should pull our Jeep Wrangler JKU. According to my calculations, we'll be about 2000 lbs over with everything loaded to the hilt. I'm not concerned so much with the flatlands, but mountains could be another story, even with brakes on the toad.
Any and all feedback concerning this issue is most welcome.
"We are often so caught up in our destination that we forget to appreciate the journey."
1998 36ft. National Tropi-Cal Model 6350 on a 1997 Chevy P32
Chassis_7.4 Vortec Engine_4L80E Tranny_slide_tag axle.
Hmm... Well this should result in a great debate before the night is over.
Based on your description of wieghts it sounds like you are already over your GVWR which is much greater concern in MHO (the JK wieghs more than 2000 lbs so if that is how much you are over your GCWR with it then you are definitely over your GVWR with or without it). Your Brakes, suspension, axles, tires and related components are designed around the GVWR not the GCWR. Go get your rig wieghed fully loaded and compare that to your stated GVWR and axle ratings to make sure.
Neither GVWR nor GCWR are legal limits but in my opinion (and that is worth about as much as anyone else's) GVWR is more important than GCWR simply because of suspension and brake issues. I generally stay within my GVWR but I don't get too upset about being a few percent (<5%) over the rating. GCWR on the other hand I don't get to worried about, that is more about engine and transmission longivity. I do routinely tow over the GCWR (I am at about 25k with a rating of 21k, so almost 20% over and no problems.
hmknightnc wrote: Hmm... Well this should result in a great debate before the night is over.
Based on your description of wieghts it sounds like you are already over your GVWR which is much greater concern in MHO (the JK wieghs more than 2000 lbs so if that is how much you are over your GCWR with it then you are definitely over your GVWR with or without it). Your Brakes, suspension, axles, tires and related components are designed around the GVWR not the GCWR. Go get your rig wieghed fully loaded and compare that to your stated GVWR and axle ratings to make sure.
Neither GVWR nor GCWR are legal limits but in my opinion (and that is worth about as much as anyone else's) GVWR is more important than GCWR simply because of suspension and brake issues. I generally stay within my GVWR but I don't get too upset about being a few percent (<5%) over the rating. GCWR on the other hand I don't get to worried about, that is more about engine and transmission longivity. I do routinely tow over the GCWR (I am at about 25k with a rating of 21k, so almost 20% over and no problems.
Your second paragraph sort of describes my line of thinking with this and wouldn't even consider, if I had already exceeded GVWR, but quite the contrary, as I'm about 2500 under, but then the Jeep is going to be about 4500, so there's the 2K I'm talking about.
Your second paragraph sort of describes my line of thinking with this and wouldn't even consider, if I had already exceeded GVWR, but quite the contrary, as I'm about 2500 under, but then the Jeep is going to be about 4500, so there's the 2K I'm talking about.
Hi Tropical: I think one of the two of us is confused about which wieght rating you are concern about. Depending on your vehicle the GCWR is 4k# or more than your GVWR. If your jeep wieghs 4500# and your have a difference of 4000# between GVWR and GCWR and you are within GVWR then the max you could over GCWR is 500#, not the 2k# you mention
GVWR is the manufacture's limit for the vehicle all by itself
GCWR is the manufacture's limit for the vehicle plus towed wieght
If your talking about being 2500# over the GVWR using the total of the vehicle and jeep then you are fine. You won't be over the GCWR
As an example my '06 dually has a GVWR of 12,200# and a GCWR of 21,000#
Your second paragraph sort of describes my line of thinking with this and wouldn't even consider, if I had already exceeded GVWR, but quite the contrary, as I'm about 2500 under, but then the Jeep is going to be about 4500, so there's the 2K I'm talking about.
Hi Tropical: I think one of the two of us is confused about which wieght rating you are concern about. Depending on your vehicle the GCWR is 4k# or more than your GVWR. If your jeep wieghs 4500# and your have a difference of 4000# between GVWR and GCWR and you are within GVWR then the max you could over GCWR is 500#, not the 2k# you mention
GVWR is the manufacture's limit for the vehicle all by itself
GCWR is the manufacture's limit for the vehicle plus towed wieght
If your talking about being 2500# over the GVWR using the total of the vehicle and jeep then you are fine. You won't be over the GCWR
As an example my '06 dually has a GVWR of 12,200# and a GCWR of 21,000#
OK, here's the deal....I don't have a 4000 lb difference between the two.
My weight averages fully loaded, passengers and all around 18,500 lbs.
GVWR is 19,500 lbs. and probably where I confused you, so sorry about that.
The Jeep is about 4500 lbs., so that's a 23,000 lb total.
GCWR is 21,000 lbs. Does this make sense or am I still missing something here.
That clear it up. Your only going to be about 10% over GCWR so I'd do it for whatever that is worth. I would use suppliment brakes on the jeep though since the total wieght is over the GVWR (the previous brake, suspension discussion). Also I'd make sure I had an engine oil cooler and aux tranny cooler and down the road I'd go.
tropical36 wrote: OK, here's the deal....I don't have a 4000 lb difference between the two.
My weight averages fully loaded, passengers and all around 18,500 lbs.
GVWR is 19,500 lbs. and probably where I confused you, so sorry about that.
The Jeep is about 4500 lbs., so that's a 23,000 lb total.
GCWR is 21,000 lbs. Does this make sense or am I still missing something here.
you report that your GVWR is 19.5 and the GCWR is 21. the hitch rating can usually be inferred by the difference in the GCWR and GVWR. a Class II hitch typically has a weight rating of 3500-lbs, a Class III hitch at 5000-lbs and a Class IV hitch at 10,000-lbs. unless you've posted an incorrect number this indicates to me that your hitch cannot support the weight of your jeep, you're done before you start.
the maximum amount of weight you can safely tow will be the *lesser* of the following:
- the GCWR minus the *actual* weight of the MH as it is configured for travel
- the weight rating of your hitch
- the weight rating of your tow bar
73,
rich, n9dko www.bananaboatbytes.com
I know a guy who's addicted to brake fulid. He says he can stop anytime.
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