Truck weights

[Loraura]

The max weight on each axle is not meant to sum up to the GVWR. You should not exceed any of these limits individually, and depending on what you are towing or hauling the limit you hit first may vary. You need to look at all the individual limits, and stay under the most restrictive one.

[Airmech]

I understand that. But I keep asking the same question as to why 3/4 tons are rated at 10k when they have 1 ton parts. So far the only thing I can uncover is different springs. Now I understand that's​ going to lower the payload, but why not give the option to use the full capability of the truck? They give you an option to derate the truck, why not up it to it's actual capacity? They still sell a truck.

[ricndot]

last week when i was @ my local ram dealer to look for a 2500 ctd truck they brought the 1st one out. it was a long (8ft) bed, cc, 4x4 tradesman with a 10k gvwr. upon checking the door tag its axles were (rated) 5500 front/6000 rear,iirc.
the next 1 they brought out was also a tradesman, 6.4 bed, cc, 4x4 with a 10k gvwr.
no surprises yet....till i checked the door sticker! 6000 lb front axle, 6500lb rear.
physically the same axles, different gawr's!! the difference had to be the oem 17's on the 1st vs 18's on the 2nd.
both had lte rated tires.

[Airmech]

The 18's are the same as the 1 tons and they have 7k rear axle. Now don't yell, I know the ram has different suspension, but just pointing out, the same rims with higher load capacity.

[mtofell]

OP, the reason people are struggling to explain it is because you are essentially proving what makes the weight police uncomfortable to admit - a 2500 truck is the EXACT same truck as a SRW 3500 minus some rear suspension and numbers on the door sticker. Same frame, same brakes, same engine, same front suspension and, with some added suspension parts, a comparable or even more capable rear suspension.

Nonetheless, it will still be argued about until the end of time on forums like this and folks will swear their neighbor's hairdresser's uncle is in prison for exceeding his GVWR by 100#.

You have all the numbers figured out and can make up your own mind.

[Canarado]

larger rear axle tube diameter...larger rear bearing/brake sizes and an extra set of tires are the usual pluses that allow regulators to certify one tons to haul more

[Airmech]

Talking srw, not drw. Trying to compare apples to apples, as much as possible.

[JIMNLIN]

A truck maker may choose any GVWR or FAWR/RAWR he wants for any particular truck. There is no specific formula for that determination that anyone has been able to nail down.

NHTSA says this about components of the GAWR:
"Gross Axle Weight Rating is the rated load-carrying capacity of an individual axle and wheel assembly. (It represents the load that may be steadily sustained by the components in the system; i.e., tires, rims, hubs, bearing, axles, brakes, suspension, sub frame, etc. with the GAWR limited by the components with the lowest working rating".


The truck maker may choose a GVWR up to the sum of the axle ratings.
Ford says;
**4) ..(snipped).... Front and rear GAWRs will, in all cases, sum to a number equal to or greater than the GVWR for the particular vehicle. (snip). **
This is on every page on Fords Fleet service weight specifications.

[Oldelevatorman]

Originally Posted by KD4UPL

It's all about the lawyers and government. Many different restrictions on regulations, licensing, taxes, parking, etc. kick in with a GVWR over 10,000 pounds. So, the 2500 class of trucks will never be rated more than that, no matter what the truck is actually, physically capable of.

Even a 3500 Chevy that normally has a GVWR of 11,400 can be ordered with a GVWR of only 10,000 to get around all the regulations. I drive one at work; my boss ordered it that way. The truck is physically identical to one with an 11,400 GVWR except for the sticker on the door. So, I'm not required to have DOT numbers or run a log book with this truck, among other things we get out of. If it were stickered at the "real" GVWR of 11,400 then I would have to do those things to comply with the law.

Why would you have to do that if it's not used commercially?

[Crasher]

Here's another variation of the same question. My 2013 Avalanche has a gvwr of 7200#, weighs 5800# and has a towing capacity of 8000#. By comparison, a Silverado 4x4 1500 (which weighs less than the Avalanche) towing capacity varies from 6600# for a 2wd with 3.08 gears, up to 9800# with 342 gears and up to 11,200# with 3.73 gears. All have the same brakes and suspension. This suggests that the limiting factor in towing capacity has nothing to do with the brakes, but rather, the gear ratio for acceleration. This seems odd to me.

[bobbin]

agree entirely with the many posters here: it's all about governments, taxes, fines, and lawyers. a 2500 is the same as a 3500, except for rear suspension. swap the suspension, or beef up with airbags, and a 2500 can have equal capacity as a 3500. easily done, and can be for a temporary fix. but then you will be over the legal maximums for the 2500 class, and thus at risk for many legal problems. only you can assess the risks/costs. now, as to fame stress versus axle ratings versus brakes, etc, and how all these combine into a GVWR, well that's best left to the engineers to determine. myself, I try not to go max of tire ratings, but will never go past say 90% of brake ratings. and, at max loads, I become a real slowpoke. imho, better to be safe than sorry. :-)

[Rednax]

The funny part about this thread is that "weight" isn't an important consideration for having a stable towing combination.

It's a distraction. Sort of like TV news going on and on about the irrelevant.

Suspension design -- both TV and TT -- matter most.

WB above 120" confers no real advantage, nor does TV weight above 4000-lbs.

The short answer to "weight" is to look at tire, axle and wheel ratings. The rest is marketing.

Antilock disc brakes from one end of the rig to the other would matter.

Getting bent out of shape over second and third order problems, won't.

[09 harley]

Trucks have the two ratings as you said. If the gvwr is 10k then that is the supposed max. The axle rating should always exceed the gvwr otherwise the axles will be overloaded. Same as a trailer with a gvwr and axles of 3500 per or 7k total. No one would accept that.
What have I missed?
I think the combined gawr will always be greater than the gvwr.
As it should be.

[Airmech]

Trailers are a different story. My 5ver has a gvwr of 15.5k. and my axles are 7k each giving my 14k total. So trailers are a bad example. They expected the extra weight to be transferred through the hitch.