Hi, Mr.Mud, and
and to our campfire.
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Originally Posted by Mr.Mud
Hi so I am new to this and new to forums period so I apologize in advance. So I am looking to get into the towing and hauling business and I understand what GCWR is but why is it so hard to find? I have a 2003 Chevy 1500HD now and I was able to find the GCWR of 14k I believe. I am looking to purchase another truck and trailer and when I find a truck lets say on Craigslist and try to find the specific GCWR for that vehicle it is impossible. So I was wondering if there is a website to go to where you can enter the vehicle and it will tell you the GCWR of that vehicle. I'm looking at a 2004 Chevy 3500HD with the 8.1 liter. Not sure if that will get me to around 18-20k GCWR or not. If not what Chevy or GMC will??? Thanks in advance for your help.
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GCWR is hard to find if you're not an internet search guru. But it not an important spec. You probably don't need to know GCWR to match trailer to tow vehicle (TV). And if you do use GCWR to match TV to trailer, you'll probably wind up overloaded.
GCWR is in the Owner's Guide for the TV. But it's not a simple one-size-fits-all number. To find it in my Owner's Guide, I need to know make and model of TV, cab (regular, supercab or crewcab), wheelbase (long or short or really-short bed), engine, 4x4 or 4x2, and axle ratio. That's too much info to include on a door sticker, so you won't find GCWR on any door jamb.
GCWR tells you the max weight your TV can
PULL without overheating anything in the drivetrain, and without being the slowpoke holding up traffic on steep grades. But it ignores payload capacity, so it gives you good info only on wagon-style trailers that have minimal hitch weight, and with no weight in the TV other than a skinny driver. So ignore GCWR (and the resulting tow rating) and concentrate on GVWR (and the resulting payload capacity).
Payload capacity is usually the limiter as to how heavy a trailer you can tow without being overloaded. For example, my GCWR is 14,000 pounds with tow rating of 8,400 pounds. But I exceed my payload capacity with my TT when it's loaded to less than 5,000 pounds. If I was stupid enough to try to tow a TT that grossed 8,400 pounds, my poor little TV would be severely overloaded. Sure, it could
PULL that heavy a trailer, but the suspension and brakes would be severely overloaded. (The service brakes are designed to stop the TV when the TV is loaded (including hitch weight) to the GVWR, but not when it's overloaded.)
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I'm looking at a 2004 Chevy 3500HD with the 8.1 liter.
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Not enough info to look up the GCWR. In addition to the criteria listed above, for a 3500 you also need to know if it has single rear wheels (SRW) or duals (DRW). So I'll WAG that you're looking at a 3500 4x2 DRW CrewCab. On Edmunds.com, all the specs assume a 6.0L V8 engine. The truck weighs a bit over 6,000 pounds with tow rating of 12,000 pounds, so GCWR must be over 18,000 pounds. With the 8.1L engine, it's probably 20k or so. The link below uses a GMC, but the GMC and Chevy have identical specs. Scroll way down until you reach towing specs.
https://www.edmunds.com/gmc/sierra-3...eatures-specs/
Per the PDF file that Old-Biscuit linked to, the GCWR of the 2004 3500 4x4 DRW CrewCab with 8100 V8 engine, Dual Rear Wheels and 4.10 axle has tow rating of 12,000 lbs. and GCWR of 22,000 lbs.
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