Tow Vehicle Weight Capacity

[jyoung2]

I have a 2009 Silverado 2500 HD (single rear wheels) and a 2010 CF33LFP.<?: prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-comfficeffice" />



I've been investigating my towing set up and the facts are:

1. The GCVWR formy truck is 22,000 lbs

2. My Chev owners manual tells me that I can pull up to a 13,000 lb 5th wheel with a max pin weight of upto 3,500 lbs

3. The sticker on the inside of my front door post on the chev says my max cargo and passanger capacity is 2,200 lbs (tire rating sticker)

4. I looked up the actual max loading for my tires on the Bridgestone website (and confirmed with the writing right on the tires), max load is 3,195 lbs

5. My trailer dry weight is ~9,600 lbs

6. The published dry pin weight for the trailer is 2,136 lbs

7. My total truck weight is 7,562 lbs (no trailer but passangers, 5th wheel hitch and full fuel tank included)

8. The truck front axel weight is 4,453 lbs (no trailer but passangers, 5th wheel hitch and full fuel tank included)

9. The truckrear axel weight is 3,109 lbs (no trailer but passangers, 5th wheel hitch and full fuel tank included

My conclusions are:

Everything seems OK except I am over the max cargo and passenger capacity by ~500 lbs based on the tire rating sticker. What I don’t understand is: the max tire capacity for the rear of the truck is 3,195 lbs/tire x 2 tires = 6,390 lbs. When I add the unloaded rear weight of the truck to the pin weight I get 3,109 lbs + 2,136 lbs = 5,245 lbs. I should still have 1,145 lbs of capacity on the rear tires. (Some of this will be used up by the cargo in the trailer.)



I’ve looked into tire load capacities on the internet and 3,195 seems to be max for 17� tires and I find it hard to believe they equipped the truck with tires that are unsuitable for the truck.



I’m not sure what I am missing here, is the tire capacity sticker wrong?

[KennyB]

Sorry I can't help you with your question but I'm very interested in the answers you'll get.

It did raise a question for me. How and where do people weigh their rigs? Truck scales, if they would allow you to weigh, seem too big to give you a good idea of different axle weight.

[jyoung2]

I found a self weigh station on the highway just outside of Calgary, you just pull up onthe scale and a digital readout gives you the weight. It's quite busy though, lots of big trucks. I plan to weigh my truck/trailer on our next trip (or sooner if I can find the time)

[artgpo]

For what it is worth I tow a 2010 CF 31QB with an '09 2500 Duramax. The dry weight of the Cruiser was 8,105 or 8,120 (senior moment) when I had it weighed. It has been towed over 7,000 miles with no problems. I would not subject myself to an unsafe condition so I investigated and bought the truck then shopped for anRV to be within the capability and safe capacity.

[jyoung2]

As far as I can see the only concernwith my set up is the tire capacity. And that only appears to be an issue if I go by the sticker on the door post, reading the info directly off the tires indicates everything is fine.



I'm confused.

[salda01]

The weight number referenced on the tires themselves is correct. The weight number indicated on the door sill sticker is for that vehicle and the safest margin for that vehicle and the best of ride. On my truck the door sill sticker states to run the tires at 65psi cold, but yet the tires state to run a max load 85 psi. Depending on where and what I'm hauling will dictate the pressures I'll run at. Typically, I run about 75psi. _popupControl();

[ryeja]

Not sure what you are really questioning but the numbers stamped on the tire are correct. Now don't forget that some weight is transfered to your front axles because your 5th wheel sits ahead of the rear axle. If you are truely concerned find a scale on your next outing and get real measuremnets. Also what type and how many ply tires are on your TV. My 18" Toyo A/T are rated for 3640lbs. My tiressay to run 85 psi but I typically run them at around 65psi.Try to keep your trailer balanced weight wise. By that I mean don't pile everything at the front or rear but try to distribute everything evenly and don't haul it with full water/sewer tanks if at all possible.

[jyoung2]

The tires are Bridgestone Duravis 700's, they have a capacity if 3,195 lbs at 80 psi, which should be sufficient.



My concern is that I'm overloading the tires and the situationmay be unsafe. I'll check if the sticker has a pressure quoted on it, maybe the issue is that the lower capacity is at a significantly lower pressure.



Thanks for the reply!

[jyoung2]

I finally figured all of this out a couple of weeks ago and thought I'd provide an update for anyone who was interested.



The GVWR on my truck is 9200 lbs.

The weight of my truck with fuel, passanges and the 5th wheel hitch is 7550 lbs (no trailer hooked up).

The weight of my truck with the trailer hooked up is 9988lbs (with almost no cargo in the trailer and an empty water tank).



This puts me 788lbs over the GVWR. The tires, and rear axel are OK at the weight of the rear of the ruck with the trailer so the concern is with the rear suspension and the frame.



In short, I needed a bigger truck or a lighter trailer.



I traded in the Crusier on a 2010 Keystone Cougar 5th wheel 280BHSWE , I sure will miss the Cruiser though, it had everything I wanted. (guess the Cougar does too but it's 6 feet shorter and does not have that cool loft room).



The Cougar pin weight is 1376 lbs and the cruiser pin weight was 2445 lbs. I doubt anyone else with the same truck has the same issue because the pin weights on most other models of Cruiser are significantly less.