The why of tow ratings.

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Topnotchtree,

Do not believe anything that comes out of a salesperson's mouth, or at least take it with a pound of salt. With very few exceptions, they have no clue about tow ratings. Short of being paid for their knowledge, we have some of the most professional experts on the subject right here; I am not one of them. Give them the numbers they ask for (no more and no less - "Just the facts, Ma'am") and they'll tell you if you're overweight, underpowered, or within the ballpark.
 
When you look at a tow guide you can understand why the confusion, there are abou 60 entries for an 06 Dodge 2500.  cab design, bed design, engine, diff ratio, 2wd 4wd etc. 

The 373 cuts you back quite a bit.  For instance, a 2500 QC LB 4WD with Hemi is 8650, while the same truck in  manual trans and a 410 is 10650.  Yhe guides we have to work with don't give much more as far as bed loading etc. 

If you post the info I'll get you the info I have.  Remember GCVWR, C being combined.  Bigger number, but one not to exceed.  We have a 1000 pound guideline for packed gear and water etc.  Need at least that much capacity.  However based on the trailer, it is just a guideline.  A toy hauler would need much more, a little trailer, a little less.  A 12' trailer probably doesn't have 1000 of Cargo Carrying Capacity. 

Our sales guys are schooled in this stuff, and we will not be allowed to sell something outside of the parameters.  Of course the argument can still be that the 1,000 is way too liberal.  This is why I talk about this issue with my customer.

 
That is a scary video for sure.  I remember in the old days when a lot of cars pulled trailers.  A real rarity now days.  And many had their fair share of problems from over heating to blowing engines and loosing brakes. 
 
topnotchtree said:
I am currently looking to upgrade my tt to a fifth wheel. I have a 2006 Dodge 2500 with the Hemi and I believe they are 373 gears. We had a very nice Cardinal picked out and then I realized it was too heavy for my truck to pull. I argued with the sales lady because she said because it was a fifth wheel with a 2000# hitch weight, I could deduct 2000#'s from the trailer weight because the hitch weight was in the truck bed and not behind it being towed. Sure I understood her point, and with her thinking I was safely in my limits for trailer weight but I was over on my GCWR rating.
Click to expand...

The sales lady is a bit confused.  subtracting pin weight from trailer gross weight will tell you how many pounds are sitting on the trailer axles, to be sure.  And thats a good way to see if the trailer axles are themselves properly sized.  But its not a good way to express towing capacity of your TV  because your truck's engine and drivetrain don't care if the weight is on the truck or on the trialer -- the weight still has to be pulled.  and the towing capacities listed in ower's manuals or spec sheets always assume the truck bed is empty anyway. 

I was looking at Cardinals too when I had a 3/4 ton dodge.  not to repeat the whole wieight discussion again (i.e. meet GVWR, GAWR, GCWR at the same time), I quickly learned to calculate available pin weight by subtracting the truck's own weight from the GVWR.  I traded up to a 1 ton :).  We have a DOT scale here about 20 miles from town.  I waited for a break in the steady stream of comercial trucks coming through, and got the axle weights for my truck.

GCWR is a statement from the manufacturer about the capability of the truck.  it reflects the durability of the drive train and the mfg's obligation to fix something if it breaks while operating within the stated load.

 
I too passed up on the "host" button thinking it was an entrypath for the hosts to log in or something like that.  Nice bio's on all of you.  Thanks for the time that you take to help out here!!!  BTW - Loved the "visual" on the why's of tow ratings!
 
Glad you found us all ihealthi. Good point re the 'Hosts' button; I'll try to make it more obvious in the next major makeover of the forum, which include a new menu system.
 
Woah! :eek:

If that isn't a pucker moment then it is definitely time to change the shorts. Remarkable and spectacular.
The person driving that vehicles is a stupid menace to all living things. Not only should he not have tried it with such a small vehicle, but he should have stopped when everything started smoking instead of speeding up to outrun the smoke.

Also, his experience is just as much a menace and much like it did, he was a bad scene waiting to happen. At one point before the whole rig began to roll aft, it came to a stop. I think I even heard the car go of and trying to start it? That is called the point of no return and the first thing he should have done is jack knife the vehicle, lock the tranni and brakes and step on the emergency brake like you would a bug, before rear ward momentum builds so much that the energy required to stop is exceeded. That whole crap was preventable. Anybody see the rear wheels on the trailer spinning? I wonder what happened to the brakes?

J
 
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