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Before You Buy That RV, Truck or Other Tow VehicleYour guide to matching any tow vehicle to any towable.
"It's not rocket science!"
THE SCOOP “I’m sorry sir, that truck can’t tow this trailer.” From my personal experience
and the comments of others I’ve read on several forums I wonder if
you’ll hear those words come from a salesperson - unless you pointed
over to a Toyota Tacoma like I did. Of course, I was joking. Any salesperson’s job is to sell. As a buyer, I believe that it is important to have as much information in-hand as possible before purchasing. In some instances, NOT ALL, a salesperson may say whatever is needed to get you to buy without regard to what tow vehicle you have. After informing the salesman I had a 2008 Dodge Ram 2500 diesel, he perked up and assured me my truck was big enough for the 41 foot toy hauler I had my eyes on. “We tow these trailers all the time with 2500s,” the salesman said. To keep a long story short, I’ll tell you this; his untruthful sales pitch was revealed when I saw the bed of my 2500 nearly drop to the axle after raising the landing gear for the first time. This was my first purchase of any RV. Although I had done some research on towing and RVs, I learned quickly how little I knew. I’ve learned a lot since then. Now I hope to pass along some helpful information to you. One of the most common questions for RV buyers is something like this, “Can my truck tow that?” I considered developing an online calculator to help with that. Honestly, there isn’t any need for a specific calculator to assist you with knowing how much your vehicle can tow. All the information you need to know you will find below.
My personal opinion is that
websites attempting to assist RVers with estimating towing weight
is entirely the wrong approach. Estimating is just that, estimating.
I recommend you not waste your time with weight estimation. You have
to use numbers that actually mean something. In connection with
towing weight safety the five most important numbers you should use
are Maximum Trailer Weight (sometimes called Maximum Loaded Trailer
Weight), Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR), Gross Combined Weight
Rating (GCWR), Gross Vehicle Weight (GVW) and a new rating I present
to the RV industry, Gross Hitch Weight Rating (GHWR). I'll
explain more about the new rating below. Every automotive dealer provides a towing guide. In my experience, I've learned that some automotive sales people don’t understand towing capacity. It is your responsibility to find the towing guide for your specific vehicle model. In most cases, you can use the “Tow Ratings” resource provided at FifthWheelSt.com. The critical information you need to find in the tow ratings guide is your vehicle’s maximum trailer weight. WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW In order to find the maximum trailer weight for your vehicle you’ll need to know the following information.
For example, if you have a 2008 Dodge 2500, Quad Cab SLT, 4WD, 8.0 Ft. Bed with a 6.7L I6 Cummins Turbo Diesel Engine and 6-Spd Automatic 68RFE Transmission with an axle ratio of 4.10, your maximum trailer weight is 12,750 pounds. Now you need to look at the certification label on the trailer and find the trailer’s Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR). (Note: Do not rely solely on the trailer brochure or an internet listing.) If the trailer’s GVWR is greater than the maximum trailer weight of your vehicle, then the trailer is too heavy. Always ensure that the trailer’s GVWR is less than the maximum trailer weight for your vehicle. Likewise, if you are buying a new vehicle, ensure that the vehicle's maximum trailer weight is greater than the trailer's GVWR. Another important matter you should know for most vehicle brands is that the maximum trailer weight is calculated assuming only a 150 pound driver is in the tow vehicle and it has all the required trailering equipment. The weight of additional optional equipment, passengers and cargo in the tow vehicle must be subtracted from the maximum trailer weight. ALTERNATE METHOD Here is another method of knowing your maximum trailer weight if you're unable to find the published maximum trailer weight. This method takes into account the actual weight of your tow vehicle. Simply drive your truck onto a truck scale near your location and obtain the scaled weight from the scale clerk. Gross Combined Weight Rating (GCWR) - (minus) Gross Vehicle Weight (GVW) = (equals) Maximum Trailer Weight
The maximum that any trailer should weigh is the difference between GVW and GCWR. If the manufacturer-specified maximum trailer weight is less, then it takes priority.
IMPORTANT NOTE
Some vehicles may have a high GCWR but the hitch or pin weight of some trailers may exceed the vehicle's rear GAWR. It's best to weigh your rear axle with with all the expected cargo. If you don't have a 5th Wheel hitch installed, add 200 pounds to the rear axle weight. Subtract the weighed rear axle weight from the rear GAWR. The difference will be how much more you can safely place on your rear axle. Also note that adding air bags and/or additional springs to the rear axle or changing the axle ratio will not change your certification label on your vehicle.
MORE ON REAR GROSS AXLE WEIGHT RATING
Most RV trailer websites list the hitch weight of the trailer they're selling. That listed hitch weight is based on the trailer's dry weight. You and I know that no RVer will be towing a dry RV to a campground. Actually, you can never be sure of the true dry weight unless you weighed it at the nearest truck scale. Using the dry weight and hitch weight provides little value to knowing if you're looking at a safe towing weight combination. This new second equation is calculating the trailer's Gross Hitch Weight Rating (GHWR). This is the most weight that any trailer should be pressing down vertically on the tow vehicle hitch or on the rear axle. Below is the calculation formula to obtain the Gross Hitch Weight Rating (GHWR) for 5th wheel or gooseneck trailers.
5th Wheel/Gooseneck Towing:
Trailer GVWR X 25 percent (.25) = GHWR
Once you've calculated your trailer's GHWR you need to ensure your truck can tow this amount of weight by not exceeding the truck's rear Gross Axle Weight Rating (GAWR).
5th Wheel/Gooseneck Towing
Some vehicle brochures or owner's manual or towing guides will show the curb weight of the rear axle. Unfortunately these listed weights are not realistic. Therefore I recommend you weigh your truck's rear axle at the nearest scale to obtain an accurate rear axle weight. To ensure your rear axle can safely tow the trailer's GHWR, perform the following calculation formula.
Okay, here's an about-face. Above I said "Honestly, there isn’t any need for a specific calculator to assist you with knowing how much your vehicle can tow." I've changed my mind. I'm currently working a on new calculator that will simplify the above information and have you input some real data, not estimates, that help you know before you buy.
Although I spent a few years of my life as a Field Engineer tracking satellites, rockets and the Space Shuttle, clearly you don't need to be a rocket scientist to figure out what your towing requirements are. But rest assured, a new web based calculator usable on all mobile devices is being developed.
Copyright © 2012, David W. Gray, Reprint by permission only. ************************* RV expert Mark Polk explains the issue tow ratings very well in his article, Caution – Why Truck Tow Ratings don’t Add Up.
"Information without application leads to frustration"
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