Dealer is asking tow vehicle questions

[tomkatb]

While we were looking at fifth wheels an rv dealer in cincinatti asked about tow vehicles.

He said they would not sell one to anyone with a half ton truck without a waver.

To add to my confusion he said my 3/4 ton could tow most anything.

Showed some towing guide in a magazine that only looked at maximum trailer weight! Toy haulers are really heavy nosed.

[andymil]

I imagine I’ll get some pushback on this but I don’t agree with Josh in that video. He doesn’t really specify what capacity he is talking about, but why would you limit your towing to 80% of rated capacity?

If you have a 7000# GVWR trailer and you’re haven’t overloaded the trailer, or exceeded the payload capacity, GVWR or GCWR of your tow vehicle, I don’t see a problem. They don’t put the ratings on the vehicle so you can whip out your calculator and figure out how much you can tow. If it’s rated for 7000#, then it will safely tow 7000#. There is a safety factor is built in so you can safely tow at or below the maximum rating.

For a lifting devicie such as a chain or sling, the safety factor is usually 2.5 times the maximum rating. Does this mean you should go over the maximum rating? Absolutely not! But you don’t need to limit the load to 80% of the maximum rating.

Are you safer at 80%? Probably. Why not limit your towing to 50%. You’ll be even safer.

Another thing I noticed about my truck is the GCWR is 2500# higher with a 4.30 axle as opposed to a 3.73 axle. The braking, GVWR and payload are the same. Just makes it easier on the engine and transmission. It still has to stop a 2500# greater load.

[Cabinfever97]

Originally Posted by andymil

I imagine I’ll get some pushback on this but I don’t agree with Josh in that video. He doesn’t really specify what capacity he is talking about, but why would you limit your towing to 80% of rated capacity?

If you have a 7000# GVWR trailer and you’re haven’t overloaded the trailer, or exceeded the payload capacity, GVWR or GCWR of your tow vehicle, I don’t see a problem. They don’t put the ratings on the vehicle so you can whip out your calculator and figure out how much you can tow. If it’s rated for 7000#, then it will safely tow 7000#. There is a safety factor is built in so you can safely tow at or below the maximum rating.

For a lifting devicie such as a chain or sling, the safety factor is usually 2.5 times the maximum rating. Does this mean you should go over the maximum rating? Absolutely not! But you don’t need to limit the load to 80% of the maximum rating.

Are you safer at 80%? Probably. Why not limit your towing to 50%. You’ll be even safer.

Another thing I noticed about my truck is the GCWR is 2500# higher with a 4.30 axle as opposed to a 3.73 axle. The braking, GVWR and payload are the same. Just makes it easier on the engine and transmission. It still has to stop a 2500# greater load.

I agree, towing to the max of GVW or GCVW is no problem. My opinion is even a few hundred pounds over wont hurt. The reason a lower gear ups GCVW is more control when stopping. The lower gear slows you down more efficiently than the higher gear.