Gcwr
Certified Goat Breeder
Joined: Feb 1999
Posts: 6,182
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From: the moral high ground
Moving more GCWR is just half of it.
You gots to be able to stop it and 15,000 additional horsepower won't help you there.
Do not exceed GCWR.
I wouldn't even get close to it.
(Right tool for the job)
You gots to be able to stop it and 15,000 additional horsepower won't help you there.
Do not exceed GCWR.
I wouldn't even get close to it.
(Right tool for the job)
Senior Member
Joined: Jun 2001
Posts: 246
Likes: 0
From: Scarborough, Ontario, Canada
GCWR or Gross Combined Weight Rating is the weight that you can safely tow and carry with your truck and any attached trailer.
Check out www.IRV2.com for more on trailer towing
Check out www.IRV2.com for more on trailer towing
Senior Member
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 4,506
Likes: 6
From: Puyallup, WA
Well, I've seen the GCWR be different for the same physically built truck, but the only difference is the rear end gears... Engine, trans, everything all the same, but one has 3.55 gears and the other has 3.73 gears for example and it has like a #1500 higher GCWR (just an example, but you get the idea....
)
They also seem to increase the GCWR when the more powerful engines are installed as well, compared to the standard engine.
The only thing that seems to remain constant is the GVWR.... That's the one that usually can't be increased, no matter what gear, suspension or how much hp/tq you have...... That's what's printed on your door jamb sticker and what's on your registration.
Most "1/2 ton" trucks, only have GVWR of between #6000 - #6800 for the most part..... (Yes, there are the F150's with the #7700 and of course the '04 F150's have between #7200 - #8200......) I'll bet you will exceed your trucks GVWR before you get close to the GCWR anyway.... Well, mine does at any rate!!
All more power is going to do is allow you to be able to move whatever you have strapped to your butt a bit easier.... You'll still have the same suspension, frame, brakes, drivetrain as you started with. Even if you upgrade all of them, you will still have to stick pretty close to whatever your GVWR is anyway.......
How do you get caught????? Don't know..... I guess you either break or if you "look" like you are overloaded, a cop could pull you over I guess.......
Good luck!
Mitch
)They also seem to increase the GCWR when the more powerful engines are installed as well, compared to the standard engine.
The only thing that seems to remain constant is the GVWR.... That's the one that usually can't be increased, no matter what gear, suspension or how much hp/tq you have...... That's what's printed on your door jamb sticker and what's on your registration.
Most "1/2 ton" trucks, only have GVWR of between #6000 - #6800 for the most part..... (Yes, there are the F150's with the #7700 and of course the '04 F150's have between #7200 - #8200......) I'll bet you will exceed your trucks GVWR before you get close to the GCWR anyway.... Well, mine does at any rate!!
All more power is going to do is allow you to be able to move whatever you have strapped to your butt a bit easier.... You'll still have the same suspension, frame, brakes, drivetrain as you started with. Even if you upgrade all of them, you will still have to stick pretty close to whatever your GVWR is anyway.......
How do you get caught????? Don't know..... I guess you either break or if you "look" like you are overloaded, a cop could pull you over I guess.......
Good luck!
Mitch
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Junior Member
Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 4
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From: Pittsburgh
I was looking into the new 05 Reg Cab f-150 4x4. It has a maximum conventional towing capacity of 9500 lbs. and a GVWR of 8200 lbs. with the Hd. suspension. Does that mean that using the appropriate amount of trailer braking can increase the capacity of GVWR when towing? Thanks for all the info.
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Senior Member
Joined: Jul 2003
Posts: 151
Likes: 0
From: Central Florida
I'll bet you will exceed your trucks GVWR before you get close to the GCWR anyway.... Well, mine does at any rate!!
Russ
Senior Member
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 4,506
Likes: 6
From: Puyallup, WA
Russ,
Not in my case anyway....... I've got a whimpy #6250 GVWR but a nice #12500 GCWR for my rig.... When I weighed the thing with the trailer all hitched up and it was loaded up for only a weekend camping trip, the truck weighed #6300 and the trailer axle weight was #3880. That's only #10180 GCW, but I've exceeded the trucks GVWR by #50......
Not a whole lot loaded in the truck either... I had some firewood, small tool box, full tank of gas and only the wife and I on board. I figure the truck all by itself weighs around #5300 before any additional payload is added.
My owners manual says I have a "max tow weight" of #7700!! Well, that ain't gonna happen! My trailer soaking wet is only #4500 and it's already put my truck over it's GVWR with it's #550 tongue weight and two people inside with some other stuff in the bed....
Of course each setup will be different. I was just going along the lines that "most" 1/2 ton trucks weigh more then their listed curb weight and you won't come anywhere close to being able to tow the listed "max tow weight" without exceeding your GVWR first.....
Now, if I had the "work truck" version of my truck, I'd have more payload capacity for sure......
Mitch
Not in my case anyway....... I've got a whimpy #6250 GVWR but a nice #12500 GCWR for my rig.... When I weighed the thing with the trailer all hitched up and it was loaded up for only a weekend camping trip, the truck weighed #6300 and the trailer axle weight was #3880. That's only #10180 GCW, but I've exceeded the trucks GVWR by #50......
Not a whole lot loaded in the truck either... I had some firewood, small tool box, full tank of gas and only the wife and I on board. I figure the truck all by itself weighs around #5300 before any additional payload is added.
My owners manual says I have a "max tow weight" of #7700!! Well, that ain't gonna happen! My trailer soaking wet is only #4500 and it's already put my truck over it's GVWR with it's #550 tongue weight and two people inside with some other stuff in the bed....
Of course each setup will be different. I was just going along the lines that "most" 1/2 ton trucks weigh more then their listed curb weight and you won't come anywhere close to being able to tow the listed "max tow weight" without exceeding your GVWR first.....
Now, if I had the "work truck" version of my truck, I'd have more payload capacity for sure......
Mitch
Last edited by MitchF150; Dec 17, 2004 at 12:34 PM.
Senior Member
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 4,506
Likes: 6
From: Puyallup, WA
Weigh your truck....... Do the math...... That's what your truck can tow.
All Ford or any truck manufacture quotes as it's "max tow weight" is the trucks GCWR - the trucks curb weight.....
15000 - 5500 = 9500
Now, if you can keep your truck at around #5500 then you can tow a #9500 trailer....
Actually, the truck will be able to move or tow just about anything you feel like hitching it up to.... All I'm saying is that to stay within the trucks other weight limits, you usually won't be able to get a trailer has heavy as what the nice marketing tow rating states....
All Ford or any truck manufacture quotes as it's "max tow weight" is the trucks GCWR - the trucks curb weight.....
15000 - 5500 = 9500
Now, if you can keep your truck at around #5500 then you can tow a #9500 trailer....
Actually, the truck will be able to move or tow just about anything you feel like hitching it up to.... All I'm saying is that to stay within the trucks other weight limits, you usually won't be able to get a trailer has heavy as what the nice marketing tow rating states....
Last edited by MitchF150; Dec 18, 2004 at 02:26 AM.
Senior Member
Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 526
Likes: 0
From: Maine
There is a confusion of terms here!
GVWR or Gross Vehicle Weight Rating is set by the manufacturer and is the gross weight for just the vehicle... This rating is determined by many factors...this rating can vary depending on what engine gears etc.. There is nothing you can do to LEGALLY change this capacity because the vehicle is tagged from the factory with this limit...however you could make the vehicle tow better by changing the gears or tires etc...but that is another story....
The "tow rating" is just that..the max trailer weight to be towed. Each vehicle has a maximum tow rating and it is determined by the vehicles max GCWR minus the trucks actual weight.
Now for the big one, the
Gross Combined Weight Rating:
There is a difference between the manufacturers GCWR and the legal GCWR.
The manufacturer sets the GCWR similar to GVWR according to many variables and this cannot be changed.
However, the legal GCWR is determined by the legal GVWR of the truck combined with the GVWR of the trailer.
this means you simply need a higher GVWR trailer to increase your legal GCWR.
The manufacturers GCWR should not be exceeded, but theirs is just really a suggestion and not a legal barrier by any means!!
BTW, for those of you that think towing a larger trialer requires larger brakes on the vehicle to stop, you are doing it wrong...The larger the trailer the larger the trailer brakes and the pressure is adustable via the brake controller!
GVWR or Gross Vehicle Weight Rating is set by the manufacturer and is the gross weight for just the vehicle... This rating is determined by many factors...this rating can vary depending on what engine gears etc.. There is nothing you can do to LEGALLY change this capacity because the vehicle is tagged from the factory with this limit...however you could make the vehicle tow better by changing the gears or tires etc...but that is another story....
The "tow rating" is just that..the max trailer weight to be towed. Each vehicle has a maximum tow rating and it is determined by the vehicles max GCWR minus the trucks actual weight.
Now for the big one, the
Gross Combined Weight Rating:
There is a difference between the manufacturers GCWR and the legal GCWR.
The manufacturer sets the GCWR similar to GVWR according to many variables and this cannot be changed.
However, the legal GCWR is determined by the legal GVWR of the truck combined with the GVWR of the trailer.
this means you simply need a higher GVWR trailer to increase your legal GCWR.
The manufacturers GCWR should not be exceeded, but theirs is just really a suggestion and not a legal barrier by any means!!
BTW, for those of you that think towing a larger trialer requires larger brakes on the vehicle to stop, you are doing it wrong...The larger the trailer the larger the trailer brakes and the pressure is adustable via the brake controller!