Community Forums

wakamicamper · 07-21-2005, 06:39 AM

Hi all,

I was looking at an article in Trailer Life magazine for August 2005 where a Nissan Titan Crew Cab with a GVWR of 9500 lbs, towed a trailer with a GVWR of 9950 lbs. I was wondering if this was a typo error. Someone correct me if I have this wrong, but isn't this over the recommended towing capacity of the truck. Isn't this considered dangerous, especially if the person who owns the rig lives up to maximum allowed weight of the trailer. We all do it, overload our rigs, and then gradually remove items to get down to our routine weights.
I find it hard to believe that Trailer Life would make a mistake like this. Or have the rules changed over the summer?

Comments?

wakamicamper · 07-21-2005, 06:39 AM

Hi all,

I was looking at an article in Trailer Life magazine for August 2005 where a Nissan Titan Crew Cab with a GVWR of 9500 lbs, towed a trailer with a GVWR of 9950 lbs. I was wondering if this was a typo error. Someone correct me if I have this wrong, but isn't this over the recommended towing capacity of the truck. Isn't this considered dangerous, especially if the person who owns the rig lives up to maximum allowed weight of the trailer. We all do it, overload our rigs, and then gradually remove items to get down to our routine weights.
I find it hard to believe that Trailer Life would make a mistake like this. Or have the rules changed over the summer?

Comments?

Alan_Hepburn · 07-21-2005, 07:01 AM

It may or may not be overloaded - it depends on the GCWR of the truck. The GVWR means that the truck axles should not support more than 9500 lbs. Assuming the truck weighs 6000 lbs (I have no clue what a Nissan Titan Creew CAb actually weighs, so 6000 lbs is just a guess) then that means you can't add more than 3500 lbs of tools, toys, people, hitch, and tongue weight without exceeding the limit. Now the trailer in question, if it's a TT then we can expect it to have a tongue weight in the neighborhood of 1000 lbs to 1500 lbs so depending on the actual weight of the truck it is conceivable that it might be within the limits of the truck, but we don't know without knowing what the GCWR and GAWR limits are.

Just so you know:

GVWR = Gross Vehicle Reight Rating
GCWR = Gross Combined Weight Rating
GAWR = Gross Axle Weight Rating

CD · 07-21-2005, 09:41 AM

wakamicamper
The 9500 is tow rating and like Alan said that goes down as you load the TV.The TV's GVWR is 6522 as stated in TL. What I think is very missleading is they are testing an unloaded wet TT and saying how well it does. What will it do when you put in 2K of cargo to bring it up to the 14800 GCWR? IMHO 14k is too much for any 1/2T in an extreme stop and/or maneuver. It's MHO that TL should load the RVs to GVWR w/sand bags or whatever to fairly test & give good advice about them. We don't drag our TTs around with nothing in them. Most of us have a lot that we don't need or use.

RV Dude · 08-02-2005, 04:06 AM

GVWR is 6500 with a curb weight of around 5000 dry. Tow capacity up to 9500 lbs. Throw two adults and 2 kids in the Crewcab, now you are down to 900 lbs dry. 1000 lb tongue weight so now you have overloaded the truck. Throw some toys in the bed and now you are way overweight.

Jumbo Jet · 08-02-2005, 07:00 AM

"How does that Nissan do with that big trailer?" asked our fellow campground occupant as he gave our lashup a steely eyed once-over.

"It's terrific! Takes on the hills with no problem, brakes well going down, feels good in the corners and in general handles the trailer as it should. It's a nice setup," I replied.

I would like to see it in some real hills. That's where the men are separated from the boys. A nice long pull that let's the truck know every pound that it has attached to it.

Reason for wanting to see that - I pulled a trailer with similar weight with a 'chipped' 1997 Chevy 1500 with a 350 ci engine and 4.10 gears and was very disappointed.