towing questions

Ok I've been doing some research and not getting a straight answer.

I have a 2002 Chev 1500HD with a towing capacity of 8600#

Say I have a gooseneck trailer that weights 5100# but has a GVWR of 15680#

With this truck/trailer combo, does that mean i can only legally haul a load of the trailer that weights 3500#?

This is confusing me.

As I understand it, that is what your truck is rated to haul. Trailer plus 3500#.
I'm not sure how the "legal" aspect of that comes into play though.
You really need a bigger truck to haul what that trailer is rated for.
I wouldn't want to haul that much with a half ton pickup.
Maybe some of the professional truckers can give you a straight answer.

that was just a trailer i found to use as an example and the 1500 HD isnt a half ton truck, it has the same ratings as a 2500

I'm not intimately familiar with the 2002 1500HD.
Does it have the same axles and brakes as a 2500?
On other trucks they are different even though the springs
may have been boosted to give them extra hauling capacity.
Kind of off the topic I guess.
That trailer as an example works fine to get the answer you need.

the HD has a 6.0 v8 with the 4l80e transmission, 8 bolts axles with 3.73 gears, and heavy suspension.

Can you?
Should you?
What will DOT have to say?
Go read the weight rating on the sidewall of your tires and add up the numbers for the truck and trailer tires, this is the most you would ever legally be allowed to carry if everything else was perfect.
The weight rating you gave for the trailer unless it has more than 4 wheels is factoring in the pull truck tires to equal that capacity.
Then consider;
What are the trailer axles rated for?
Hitch weight on the truck vs the gross axle weight rating.
What size engine in the truck?
What gear ratio in the rear end?
Brake size and rating.
Cooling system?
Transmission cooler?
Sunspension, shocks, sway bars.
And you thought you were confused before.
If you have a dept of hwy weigh station nearby call them up in advance to let them know you want to bring in a trailer empty so you can get the proper weights for registering your truck. I have done this in the past and they have been decent to deal with and very helpful.
As well you get the peace of mind knowing that if the hwy boys stop you everything checks out.
Dave

Yes. This is a prime example of too much trailer to be practicle and excess trailer weight doesn't haul a thing. That gvwr trailer loaded to it's max should never be pulled by that truck and would be illegal to be hauled by that truck. Get a 10,000gvwr trailer that will most likely weigh 2200-2500 # and "load" it up with 7500 # and they won't bother you even tho you are still a few hun over for the truck and that is all that truck should haul safely anyway.

the 1500 designates a 5/8 ton truck...big 3 came out with that size back in early 70's to escape emission laws...you still have basically a heavy duty half ton.

legally its hard to say but if GM says that truck can haul 8600lbs then that is your max safe weight as determined by the mfg.

so you can haul 3500 lbs in that 15k trailer.

If you want an accurate answer, take your information to the nearest State Weigh Station and they will tell you what is legal in your state. I could tell you what"s legal in Oregon but your state may be different. Best to get information for the people that would give you a ticket!

Don't know what legally would be.
Have a 3/4 ton with a truck GVW around 8600, but only so much weight is supposed to go on each axle. My rear axle and tires are good for around 6600 pounds. My gooseneck recommends 10% of the hauled weight on the hitch. You will go over that at times. I can easily load more than the weight recommended to pull by the manufacture for my truck. Do I pull more than recommended yes. Do over 50% of pickups on the road including some one tons pulling a gooseneck pull more weight at times than the factory specified pulling weight, Yes. Accident happening is where the most trouble could be.

i'd still talk to the proper guys but I was certified to do DOT inspections in the state of minnesota which from what I'm told is worse than all states since they just require a Federal inspection. But since you have truck and trailer that makes it a combination vehicle so GVWR of 8600 plus GVWR of 15680 gives you a GCVWR of 24280 cause one of the things that required you to have a MN DOT sticker on truck and trailer was GCVWR of 25,000 or higher and that was only for if you were in it for yourself if you were in business and going out of state then it was 10,000 lbs

A 1500HD is a 3/4 ton truck through and through. 6.0L 4l80e 14bolt sf axle. A frame much better than the 3/4 ton 8600lb gvwr GMT400. It's identical to the early GMT800 2500(not HD). The 2500HD (9200lb gvwr) is the same as a srw 1 ton.

You can not exceed the towing capacity of the truck. GM gave you that number for a reason. So yes you can only load 3500 lbs on that trailer with that truck.

Look at it this way. Do you think it would be safe for this car



to tow this trailer



Same thing with your truck.
You need a bigger truck to use that trailer to its full capacity.

Here is what happens when you try to tow a trailer to big.

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lAfZ1N56qjY">Poke here</a>

Your truck is allowed to weigh 8600lbs. Whether the weight is payload, trailer pin weight, cargo and passengers, etc. The truck has max axle weights of 4500lbs for the front axle and 6000 lbs for the rear axle. Obviously these add up to more than 8600, so if you have 6000lbs on your rear axle, you're only allowed 2600lbs on the front axle. The next thing is the tires. You essentially have to have at least LT235/85/16(3042lbs@80psi) though I think these trucks came with LT265/75/16.(3415@80psi). You're allowed to put tires that have a max weight rating of say 2500lbs, but your rear axle weight limit effectively becomes 5000lbs. I honestly don't think Ontario enforces gcwr. The only place I know of that enforces it in Canada/US is BC. As long as you keep under max gvwr's and gawr's and tire capacitys then I wouldn't worry too much. Next thing is that in Ontario, if your trailer axle(s) weigh more than 3799lb, the gvwr on your truck registration has to include the weight of the trailer. If your registered weight is over 4499kgs, you have to get an annual safety. If your trailer has a gvwr of over 4599kgs, you have to have an A license, even if you're not towing more than 4599kgs. Tires that effectively give the trailer a gvwr of under 4599kgs MAY be the exception. I'm not sure where your 3500lbs comes from. That truck should weight around 6000-6500lbs, giving you 4000-4500lbs of ""legal"" towing capacity in that trailer.

Your state registry is trying very hard to give you a "straight" answer, but perhaps you haven't asked them yet so they have not been able to give you the answer. If you go ask them for the book that you have already paid for you will have it explained to you in text, pictures, and diagrams.

thank you, you pretty much answered my question. Im just in the market for a couple trailers and didnt want to buy a trailer that i couldnt actually put a load on and legally pull. The annual sticker and A licence isnt an issue.

The thing that brought this thought to me was seeing a picture of a SRW truck pulling a tandem dually trailer with a 7000series deere on it. This made me think that was a bit much then got me wondering what i could pull

Until last year I didn't think anyone paid much attention to RV's when a friend in California got ticketed for pulling his triple axle toy hauler with a 2500 Dodge. needless to say he now has a F450 Ford.
Cousin Ben Brown say that in Ky if trailer has tandem duals you had better have duals on the pulling unit empty or not.

Manufacture has a tow rating for trucks and a load rating. Manufacture load, tow rating is to cover them from liability in case of improper use. In my area DOT is more concerned about all safety equipment, proper tags and license and any other paper work that dot requires. Also brakes, tires and steering. If they think you look overweight and decide to weigh, they just make sure no axle on the truck or trailer is overloaded. Never had them concerned about the manufacture tow rating if all axles are under the weight of vehicle or trailer, or license purchased for them. Depends on locations about vehicle or trailer license type.
Example on your truck, not exact. If you put 1500 pounds of the trailer weight on the truck. Truck axle ratings are kept under max with the trailer weight and any extras in the truck. Trailer load is under the axle rating of each axle. Say you have 6900 pounds on each trailer axle. That's 13,800 pounds plus 1500 of that weight on the truck. Total 15,300 pounds. That's over the manufacture tow rating of your truck.
Even so DOT may never check that. In case of liability on your part in a accident, could be.
Even trucks rated for more load than yours have the manufactures tow ratings exceeded when a gooseneck is fully loaded.