Gcwr?

[wyo700]

I have a 2005 Nissan Titan and a 2012 sandstorm 203 slc. I use a 1200/12000lb Equalizer hitch. According to Nissan the trucks gwr can be 6522lb and the the max trailer weight can be 9300lb. Which is 15822lbs,, but Nissan says Gcwr of 14822. So how do they come up that when you add the two and its 1000lbs more? And also on the website it show curb weight of 5259 for the model I have and a payload of 1842 which is 7101 gwr not 6522 and then add a 9300 towing capacity and that's 16401. So which is it 14822, 15822, or 16401 Gcwr.

Honestly I don't think I will ever go over 15822 but I was close to 14822. The heaviest my hauler ever was and probably will be is 6800. And I will admit my truck was over the gwr by about 700lbs going off the 6522 gwr. I will need to work on that. But can someone help me try to understand all this.

[MtnGuy]

My truck has a trailer town capacity of 9300 lbs, and a GVWR of 9300 lbs, adding up to 16,500 lbs. My GCWR is 15,000.

If you are going to have a trailer that weights close to the maximum of your tow rating, then you must keep the weight in the truck minimized to stay under the GCWR. If I were to pull a trailer of 9300 lbs, I would need to keep my truck under 5700 lbs.....impossible for me as the truck weighs close to 6000 lbs. with me in the seat and a few personal items and add-ons installed.

Welcome to the world of mis-leading advertising for 1/2 ton trucks.

BTW, many heavy duty trucks also have this problem, but with bigger weights, of course.

[Herk7769]

If you want a full workup, we will need additional information about your truck and trailer.

Year, Make, model, bed length
Engine, trans, rear end ratio
Heavy Duty Towing package or after market receiver?
GVWR of the truck with your options (if you know it)

Year, make and model of your camper
GVWR of the camper

It will take a while but you will get a good idea on whether you are where you want to be, or overloaded. Actual weights using the 3 ticket method would help you as well.

Truck axle weights loaded for camping without the camper

Truck axles and camper axles loading for camping with WD bars disconnected

Truck axles and camper axles loading for camping with WD bars connected

[wyo700]

Truck-2005 Nissan Titan 4x4 6.5 foot bed. With big tow package.
Gvwr says 6522lbs or 7104lbs. Pay load 1800 lbs. max trailer weight -9300lbs
3.36 rear end which Nissan says similar to a 4.10 with a 4 speed tranny mine has a 5 speed.
Engine is 5.6L rated at 305hp and 379 lbft. I have a cold air intake, exhaust and a bully dog programmer.

Toy hauler- 2012 sandstorm 203slc
Dry weight is 5600lbs
Gvwr 7661lbs

Hope this will help

[MtnGuy]

Originally Posted by wyo700

Truck-2005 Nissan Titan 4x4 6.5 foot bed. With big tow package.
Gvwr says 6522lbs or 7104lbs.

The GVWR should be listed on a sticker on the drivers door.

[wyo700]

Originally Posted by mtnguy

The GVWR should be listed on a sticker on the drivers door.

Ok I will look.

[Herk7769]

This is from the 2005 Titan Towing Guide:

So need to clarify model trim as well as bed type.
Still researching specs on the truck itself.

Also makes a difference if you have the Flex Fuel engine or not apparently.

[wyo700]

Herk, I seen that but when the numbers add up it doesnt make sense.

[Herk7769]

Originally Posted by wyo700

Herk, I seen that but when the numbers add up it doesnt make sense.

What do you mean? What model do you have?

Do you have the XE, LE (with Utility Bed), SE with standard bed, or SE with Utility Bed.

Seems you should be able to find that info.

I also need the engine type since the GVWR on the truck changes if you have the Flex engine (down, as it must be heavier).

[Herk7769]

Are you confused about max gross weight and max combined weight?

[Dave_Monica]

Maybe this can clear up some of the confusion. The max tow weight of 9300 lbs also includes the pin or tongue weight...lets say that's 1000 lbs. This 1000 lbs of pin/tongue weight will be bourn by the truck and just happens to put the truck at 6522, the GVWR of the truck. The GCWR of the set up will be 6522 + (9300 - 1000) = 14822 lbs.

All truck ratings are similar:

My Ram 1500 GVWR was 6650, max tow 8900, GCWR 14000
My Ford F250 GVWR is 9400, max tow 14500, GCWR 21000

The GCWR is never the total of the max tow rating and the GVWR of the truck. The max tow weight always include the pin/tongue weight that will be carried by the truck.

Dave

[Herk7769]

I ran into this when I was trying to get "combined weight" straight in my head.

When figuring out how much stuff you can put in the truck, you must figure in all your gear, all the folks, the dog, the hitch, AND the tongue (or pin) weight. That is because the FRAME of the truck has to carry the entire load regardless of what axles eventually carry it. THAT number must be equal to or less than the GVWR of the truck.

When you figure out how much stuff you can put in the camper, you must also add in the weight on the tongue or pin. That is because the frame of the camper "sees" ALL of that weight regardless of how much the truck actually carries. THAT number must be equal to or less than the GVWR of the camper AND be at or below the maximum trailer weight rating of the tow vehicle.

BUT ---- When dealing with combined weight, (The weight of how much the truck can safely pull and stop) you only need to add the actual weight of the truck (without the pin or tongue weight) PLUS the entire weight of the camper (including the tongue or pin). The combined weight of the "rig" must be at or below the Gross Combined Weight rating of the to vehicle.

One more number to worry about is the tongue weight (or pin in 5th wheels). The tongue weight must fall between 10 and 14 percent of the GROSS camper weight.

For example if your camper by itself weighs 10,000 pounds, the camper must be loaded to put 1000 - 1400 pounds of that 10,000 on the truck. For 5th wheels the safe distribution range is 15 - 25 percent, so a 10,000 pound 5th wheel has to have its weight balanced such that the pin load falls between 1500 and 2500 pounds for safe handling characteristics.

This is why most 1/2 ton class trucks can more safely tow a travel trailer (with WD) than a 5th wheel camper of the same weight (provided you stay under your combined weight) rating. It is not the PULLING; it is the "carrying" that keeps them away from most 5th wheels.

[wyo700]

Thank you for the replies guys they are helpful. I need to look the inside of my door because, herk this is why I am confused. If you add the curb weight and payload it comes out to 7101 not the gvw of 6522. Plus trailer weight of max 9300 which is over 14822. See what I am saying.

[wyo700]

The truck gvw is 6522 which tells me I need to put more weight in the trailer. The last time I had around 7000 with the truck. I will also put one more washer in my hitch. Hopefully that will do the trick.

[Herk7769]

I am still trying to figure out your GVWR of the truck.
What is the GVWR from the door post?

The GVWR varies by model.
Curb weight varies by model.
Payload varies by model.
Published model curb weight does NOT include factory options.

[wyo700]

It is 6522 that is directly off the door.

[lbrjet]

Add a 150lb driver and full tank of gas to the curb weight and you are about 5500lbs. Add 9300 and you have your GCWR of 14,800. Every lb that goes into the truck after that SUBTRACTS from the tow rating.

[Herk7769]

Originally Posted by wyo700

It is 6522 that is directly off the door.

So the GVWR of the truck is 6522 pounds.
What is the model trim of the truck? XE, LE or SE?

Where did the payload number and curb weight you used come from?

The curb weight of the truck is listed by Nissan as 5038 pounds. The problem is that this number is for the "base truck" and not specific for your trim. Without knowing which trim package you have it is impossible to determine what your available payload is.

using the base curb weight, your available payload is just (6522 - 5038) or 1484 pounds.

Again using the base curb weight (which is the standard truck with NO OPTIONS, a 150 pound driver and a full tank of gas):

1438 - 100 for the hitch = 1338
50 extra pounds for the driver = 1288 pounds
150 pound wife = 1138 pounds
150 pounds for 2 kids = 988 pounds
miscellaneous gear (200 pounds) = 788 pounds

at 10% loading, your camper can not weigh more than 7,880 pounds.

you still need to stay under your Max CWR of 14650, so the camper can not weigh more than (14650 - 6522) = 8128 pounds.

[wyo700]

Sorry I have the se model with off road and big tow package

[Herk7769]

Originally Posted by wyo700

Sorry I have the se model with off road and big tow package

Those options add weight to the base truck and you would need to take your truck to a scale to weigh it. You may have much less available payload that the post I made previously. Find a scale and weigh your truck, Subtract that from 6522 to find your available tongue load. Divide that tongue load by 0.12 (13%) and you will find the heaviest camper you can safely pull.

For example your SE's max tongue load is 940 pounds; at 13% "optimum" loading for safe handling your maximum camper weight is 7,230 pounds.

The factory calculation was done 12.75% for mx trailer of 7400 pounds.

So say you go weigh your truck with the hitch, gear, family, etc and find you have only 800 pounds of payload left. The heaviest your camper can be is (800 pounds didvided by 0.13) = 6150 pounds.