Opinions on towing overweight compared to vehicle weight rating.

rear axle and tire rating seems to be the biggest hurdle when you do all the math. Also double check the rims
 
Oh man, if we are talking bigger tires, I will give my input.

Changing tire size from OEM effectively changes the gear ratio in the diffs.
That change goes in the wrong direction.
For example, you truck comes from Ford with 3.73 gears.
You change tires, always bigger, you change that effective gear ratio down to say a 3.55, depends on tire size change. There are calculators out there to help with that.

GVWR and GCWR are dependent on gear ratio.

Essentially, you change tires to bigger, you change your gear ratio the wrong way, you lower your effective tow ratings. GVWR and GCWR will go down.
This is really getting into the weeds, but it is reality.
 
lincster said:
Oh man, if we are talking bigger tires, I will give my input.

Changing tire size from OEM effectively changes the gear ratio in the diffs.
That change goes in the wrong direction.
For example, you truck comes from Ford with 3.73 gears.
You change tires, always bigger, you change that effective gear ratio down to say a 3.55, depends on tire size change. There are calculators out there to help with that.

GVWR and GCWR are dependent on gear ratio.

Essentially, you change tires to bigger, you change your gear ratio the wrong way, you lower your effective tow ratings. GVWR and GCWR will go down.
This is really getting into the weeds, but it is reality.
Click to expand...
I would definitely keep the stock tire size on whatever I buy.
 
onanysunday said:
I know a lot of people do it but how much is reasonable and what you can get away with? Or do you just flat out weigh everything and make sure you're not going 1 lb over. Example right now is I'm looking at an '06-07 Duramax single rear wheel crew cab 2500 truck. Would like to put a toy hauler behind it with the Funco in it. In my other thread I used an example. That truck has a tow rating of 12,000 lb. Just one of the trailers posted came in at 8,500 lb dry. I have to assume that would be fairly normal weight for a toy hauler of that size. Weight rating on that particular trailer is a little over 14,000 lb and with the buggy and all the gear in it I could see it being easy to get it up to that weight. So how many of you think it is okay to tow a couple thousand over? Or not?
Click to expand...

It's complicated...

Towing capacity means nothing really. The number you want to focus on is the GCVWR. That's what you're truck, trailer, and everything in it weigh on the scale.

Now who actually checks this?? I did, on the way to St Anthony's one year! I was FULLY loaded. Stupid loaded with all the kids crap and everything else you could think of. Firewood, tools, you name it.

My Combined rating was 20k, and I came in at 19.6k!!!

We all weighed our shit, and none of us were over the the combined weight. Phew.

So will you Really be towing heavy? Only one way to find out!

And yes, the wheels and tires need to be rated for the weight your carrying as well.

We regularly made trips to St Anthony's and Oregon Dunes back in the day. For driving days on end, you'd be crazy not to check Every detail. And that includes the ratings on your hitch!

If you're only driving a few hours to the dunes a few times a year??

Use your Best judgement and be safe. 👍🏼
 
rivermobster said:
Towing capacity means nothing really. The number you want to focus on is the GCVWR. That's what you're truck, trailer, and everything in it weigh on the scale.
Click to expand...
I respectfully disagree. I do agree that GCVWR is a critical rating and weight. However, you could be under on GCVWR and still have an overloaded truck axle, too much tongue weight, overloaded trailer axles, etc. This is why when you pull onto a scale it weighs each axle independently and gives you axle weights and total weight.
And tow capacity is also important. It factors in many issues such as hitch rating, driveline ratings, transmission, brakes, etc. As an extreme example, you could remove the hood, front fenders and a bunch of weight from the front of your truck. That doesn't mean you have increased the tow capacity.
 
Dockmaster said:
I respectfully disagree. I do agree that GCVWR is a critical rating and weight. However, you could be under on GCVWR and still have an overloaded truck axle, too much tongue weight, overloaded trailer axles, etc. This is why when you pull onto a scale it weighs each axle independently and gives you axle weights and total weight.
And tow capacity is also important. It factors in many issues such as hitch rating, driveline ratings, transmission, brakes, etc. As an extreme example, you could remove the hood, front fenders and a bunch of weight from the front of your truck. That doesn't mean you have increased the tow capacity.
Click to expand...

Well with all due respect...

Not only are you making up extreme examples, you're quoting what I said out of context! 🤣

In the real world, the tow vehicle needs to be able to control the towed vehicle. And that's what being safe is all about. Correct?

The problem is most situations people think that the "max tow rating" is the FINAL factor in what they are able to tow, and that's not really true at all!

If you maxed out the tow rating, you would most likely be WAY over the combined weight rating. So you would be absolutely pushing the limits of the brakes, trans and everything else that gets your vehicle down the road.

So yeah, EVERY rating SHOULD be checked and adhered to. It's complicated to do it correctly!

For short distances? You can fudge a little. For towing cross country? It's best to be well within spec. Your cooling system will thank you. 👍🏼
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top