cwit wrote:

No matter how wrong you are you are going to try and prove you are right. It won't change what is on the door and never will.You are being baited with true information and so you can show you just like to argue or.

travelnutz wrote:

NEVER, and I mean NEVER exceed your tow vehicle's actual stand alone axle rating and especially not when towing an item that's heavier than the tow vehicle it's self. You'd be asking for an uncontrollable failure and the results and ramifacations that occurs from it. Fools are born every day!

Yers ta Discover wrote:



I see, well, its never happened to me. Maybe your father didn't know his truck's limits.

Next time tell him to wedge a 4x4 between the axle and the frame, it will save him from having to replace his springs.

American Made wrote:

Maybe we can try to keep it civil, not resort to flaming, or pointless criticism and arguing. If you have facts, let me know, but please recognize that I'm trying to research and then describe what I'm actually towing; this is not meant to be bragging about what this truck can do, and is not intended to be a troll for either the weight police or the "my domestic is better than your import" or whatever.

The last thread got shut down, I presume because the arguing got pointless, and taking the risk that this may happen again, I'll post the weights as I committed to when the other thread was open. I stopped by the scales today on the way back from replacing all 4 tires on my trailer (another story for another day) and here are my weights:

I will admit that I overstated my initial weight guesses -- while saying it's probably better to overestimate than underestimate. So as things are, if you don't want to follow the math, I will be hauling more like 10,000 lbs if you include what's in the truck and in the trailer, and not the 12,000 lbs I initially claimed.

First:
Unloaded Truck
(with me in it): 6270 lbs
(The 5th wheel hitch & rails were there, but not generator or other passengers)

Complete rig: truck, trailer, etc: 15,708 lbs

Truck Fr. axle: 3,498
Truck R. axle: 4,532
Truck, both: 8,030
Trailer axle: 7,722

by math:
Just Trailer: 9,482

Other interesting calculations: Pin wt: 1,760, which is very close to 20%.

So before I add passengers or generator, or food, clothing, and bedding to the trailer (my usual camping gear, BBQ, chairs, etc. are already loaded) I'm still under RCGVW, under on trailer weight, and about 400 lbs over the rear axle rating. I'm also 900 lbs over on RGVW for the Tundra. After I add the above, I believe it is reasonable to expect I'll be over the rear axle rating by 600-700 lbs, over RGVW for the tow vehicle by 1,200 lbs, and still be just under the maximum rated towing capacity. RCGVW will likely be exceeded as well.

SO. . . Am I over? yes. so please don't bother stating the obvious.

Is this illegal? Well, I work in various capacities with the Ontario Provincial Police, and I know the Ministry of Transport official who was at the weigh station this afternoon when I weighed the truck and trailer. According to both sources, NO LAWS ARE BEING BROKEN. The vehicle manufacturer gives ratings based upon engineering principles, and accounts for the "weakest link" In the case of this truck, that was the tires, followed by the springs which were adjusted for a car like ride up to ~ 1,500 lbs payload. The design of the rear axle, in engineering terms, doubles the tire and spring capacities. The remainder of the drive train, as well as the brakes, are likewise over-engineered. There are maximum amounts a non-commercial vehicle can tow, and I'm nowhere near that.

Does this mean that you can safely double your rated capacities? Of course not! But it does mean that you can to up to and even above the rated capacities, and still be safe. It is possible to be over the manufacturer's ratings, and still be safe. It would be unwise to exceed these ratings dramatically, as eventually things will break, but ratings are established recognizing that people will by nature push the limits.

As was pointed out in the other thread, before it got shut down, towing ratings generally follow the power and weight of the tow vehicle. Driving this rig, the way it is set up, is in my opinion, the OPP and MTO and mechanical engineering opinions, safe.

This may be too much for the "black and white" thinkers to swallow, but it's the facts. What are yours?

macbwt wrote:

You folks would have had a bad day when that ole boy pulled in this last weekend towing a 5th wheel with a chevy 1500 pickup truck.

Keith99RS wrote:

If you fill it to 50psi, it is at 50psi even under load. You do not increase air pressure by compressing.