Is GCVWR just a reccomendation?

[wny770]

It suggests with a 150 lb driver with no cargo in my F350 srw, the maximum gooseneck or bumper pull trailer I can tow under warrantee is either 7100 lb or 8600 lb based on the gear ratio, so roughly the same as a Toyota Tacoma. Put that same 5.4L and 4R100 in an F150 a few years later with a weaker (9.5" semi-float vs 10.5" full float) axle and smaller brakes and the tow rating jumps to 13100 lbs. Yes the F150 is lighter which we all know helps make a better tow vehicle (I'm rolling my eyes)

I'd take their old tow guides with a grain of salt, and continue minding my axle ratings, tire ratings and hitch ratings. BTW if you go a few more years into the future, the tow rating war starts and without any significant changes the tow ratings climb and climb. 2005 did introduce larger brakes and stronger 17" rims. BTW the rims and tires are the limiting factor on the rear ends. The 10.5" is rated to 9000 lbs if you have the tires and rims to support it and brakes to slow it down.

Well, my 2012 silverado 1500 5.3 is booked to be able to haul 100 lbs more than a similar 3/4 ton with a 6.0 liter with the 3.73 gears...... Go figure....

 

[Mikeeemo]

The best way to solve all of this, is to weigh your rig. You will know quickly, what your situation is.

I found that i was loading too far forward and overloading the rear axle. For the record, the truck did not 'look' overloaded.

Just weigh it....

 

[techwrtr2]

Its usually in the payload section, not the towing.

As for the 20,000# GCVWR that was mentioned it could be that the lower weight trucks can tow more on paper than a heavier truck like a 4x4 dually F-350.


Chris

You know, it is in the manual. Not sure how I missed it before as it's pretty obvious though I did find it in the towing section. 99 2500 CTD, QC, 4x4, Auto, 4.10 gears - GCVWR 20,000 lbs, max trailer weight 11,700 lbs.

 

[not2old]

The police will ticket and prohibit moving a rig over the GCWR in British Columbia if you are over any rating by 10%. I'm not sure, but I've heard less than 10% can be moved, but you still might get a ticket.

 

[wny770]

Lesson #1.... Bigger is NOT always better. I was contemplating trading the deckover for a lighter drive over fender trailer, but I would not want to place the rear wheels on my tractor on the fenders and drive..... That's a no brainer. Placing them before of after the axles isn't an option either. If I was to shop for a bigger truck, I'd get a rolling pin in my head. At least I have the winter to think about it............:confused2:

 

[Hay Dude]

Around here it's all in how much you paid when you filled out the registration. The more you pay the more you can haul. If you get into an accident then it's a different story.

That's exactly the case here. Let's say you want to go over the GCWR and it's 26,000lbs .You have to have a mechanic sign off on a form stating he thinks the truck/trailer combo can handle say for example 30,000lbs. You take the form to tag store and show them proof of manufacturer's rating and the form. They send it to DMV and render a decision. Usually they give it to you unless it's something that sounds crazy and you ask to exceed mfctr's GCWR by too much.
Then you get your weight decal for the windshield.
But just like Crazyal said, it's a different story if you get into a wreck. Then the plaintiff in an accident could probably sue both you (and maybe the state, but I'd doubt it) and the mechanic if the wreck was caused by any weight on the combo that exceeds mfctr rating.
I don't like exceeding mfctr's GCWR. My 550 is rated for 33,000lbs GCWR and believe me, it can't even handle that without some difficulty-just good to have the flexibility "just in case"..... One of my friend's hauler's trucks was factory rated at 26K GCWR and he took it up to 35K. State allowed it !!
I have 2 other trucks tagged at 60,000lbs and they do check axles when we get pulled over for inspections. You never know where you'll be close on the scales. Sometimes it's the steer axle, sometimes it's the airlift axle.

 

[fabsroman]

How does one officially determine what a particular truck's GCVWR is if there is nothing on the door to indicate it?

The manufacturer will essentially tell you what you can and cannot do with the truck. It is usually in the owner's manual. Think I looked mine up online for my truck. Something like 3,000 pounds in the bed and 12,000 pounds towing with what the truck came with. So, I can tow a trailer with a 12,000 pound GVWR as long as I do not exceed the trailer's GVWR.

here is a list of towing capacities for Ford:

https://www.fleet.ford.com/showroom/rv_trailer_towing/default.asp

Are these "suggestions"? I think they are more like guidelines. Exceed them at your own risk. If you do get into an accident and you have exceeded the GVWR, make sure you have pretty high limits on your liability insurance or that you have no assets worth anything for them to go after and you have the ability to delcare bankruptcy when they garnish your wages.

Do people exceed these guidelines? All the time. My dad is a habitual violator. He has hauled/pulled stuff with my brother's F150 that I would think twice about hauling/pulling with my F350.

 

[slowzuki]

Just a teaser to those who hold the manufacturers GCVWR as a golden number, does that mean you would never put a snowplow on a truck that didn't have a snow plow prep package because the manufacturer says you can't? Not sure about now but at least up to a couple of years ago an F150 was never supposed to be used for plowing, had to buy a Superduty with plow prep, but not a diesel, because the front axle weight only allowed something like 200 lbs for a plow lol. Even still with a plow prep package the "permanently attached components" or whatever they call it weight limit means you aren't really supposed to have a plow with a super duty diesel.

 

[fabsroman]

Just a teaser to those who hold the manufacturers GCVWR as a golden number, does that mean you would never put a snowplow on a truck that didn't have a snow plow prep package because the manufacturer says you can't? Not sure about now but at least up to a couple of years ago an F150 was never supposed to be used for plowing, had to buy a Superduty with plow prep, but not a diesel, because the front axle weight only allowed something like 200 lbs for a plow lol. Even still with a plow prep package the "permanently attached components" or whatever they call it weight limit means you aren't really supposed to have a plow with a super duty diesel.

Depends on what the risks are with the snow plow. I have the plow package on my F350, so could essentially put one on, but have no desire to do so. Maybe a winch at some point. The risks of losing control and having one heck of a deadly accident with an overloaded truck are a lot higher than with a snow plow being put on a truck where the manufacturer does not recommend it.

It is all about the level of risk one is willing to take and the amount of insurance the person has.

If you think our society isn't litigious, think again. Had a client that was trying to pull his truck out of gear using a buddy's truck. Somehow, the truck was stuck in gear and he could usually get it out by pulling it backwards. Well, he attached a tow strap from his buddy's truck to the ball on his hitch. He pulled so hard that the ball broke off the tongue and the tow strap acted like giant sling shot. The ball was launched across the street and through the neighbor's bedroom. Luckily, nobody was injured, but my client was sued for the $4,000 in repairs required to be made to the house. Now, imagine having a situation where you have a runaway truck that has been overloaded and you happen to kill a high earner. The amount of damages would be insane. Now, imagine getting on the stand in front of a jury and having to try to explain why you decided to disregard the manufacturer's recommendation. You had better have one heck of a good list of reasons for doing so, and possibly somebody else (e.g., mechanic that advises you 15,000+ is alright to tow) to counter sue.

Now, no harm no foul, but there is always the what if factor. Me, I am very risk adverse because I have worked way too hard for everything I have which is way too much to lose on taking a risk hauling something.

 

[Diamondpilot]

Just a teaser to those who hold the manufacturers GCVWR as a golden number, does that mean you would never put a snowplow on a truck that didn't have a snow plow prep package because the manufacturer says you can't? Not sure about now but at least up to a couple of years ago an F150 was never supposed to be used for plowing, had to buy a Superduty with plow prep, but not a diesel, because the front axle weight only allowed something like 200 lbs for a plow lol. Even still with a plow prep package the "permanently attached components" or whatever they call it weight limit means you aren't really supposed to have a plow with a super duty diesel.

My 06 F350 SRW has snow plow prep. So did my 04 F250. Both diesel. The 250 had 10,000# gvwr package and the 350 has 11,500#

Chris