TV max tow > TT GVWR - Rule or Guideline?

[Al_Bear]

[NOTE: I also posted this thread under Toy Haulers, TravlelTrailers, etc./Tow Vehicles. Why are there two Tow Vehicles forums on this site? It seems to me that this one, under Motorhomes, should only consider vehicles to be towed by a Motorhome, and it should not be called "Tow Vehicles" but rather "Vehicles to be towed" or "Dolly towing" or whatever. I add this comment just so you all know that I'm not posting this in two places for no good reason.]

Here's a quote from TrailerSafetyWeek.com: "Do not use a tow vehicle with a max tow rating of less than the GVWR of your trailer".

Does anybody know if this is a guideline or a requirement? I searched the California DMV website and couldn't find it there. Is it something required by insurance companies? I'm going to call mine (AAA) about this after the holiday.

Our new-to-us TT has a dry weight of 4520 and we don't bring along any heavy toys. Based on my experience with our prior trailers, I estimate a total TT real-world weight of 4800 for trips without fresh water, or 5200 in the unlikely event that we do carry fresh water. In either case, we will be well under the 7000 max tow of the our 2019 Colorado. (And yes, for those who know that "max tow" is just an approximation, or maybe just marketing b.s., the Colorado will be about 300 lbs. under max payload/GVWR, even with full fresh water in the TT, which brings the actual measured tongue weight to 620.)

The problem is that the TT sticker shows 7400 as the trailer GVWR.

So, if the quote is just a guideline, I would be inclined to ignore it. If it's a regulation, that's something else. We love the trailer--so we would have to get a bigger TV.

 

[TJ&LadyDi]

I don't think you will find many legal references to GCVW and GWV as they pertain to RVs, though some states may have them. What you should be more concerned about is (a) safety and (b) liability. Safety speaks for itself insofar as the driver and his passengers are concerned. Liability speaks to the consequences of an accident and you can be sure a sharp "ambulance chaser" will be looking closely for anything that may have contributed to his/her clients death, injury and/or property damage.

With regard to the vehicle you are referencing, I assume you are talking about what is generally called a "TV" (tow vehicle) rather that a "Toad," a term usually reserved for a vehicle towed behind a motorhome.

TJ

 

[Al_Bear]

Oh, so that's what a TOAD is!
Thanks. I probably can't edit the name of a thread, so I'll have to re-post.

 

[TJ&LadyDi]

Oh, so that's what a TOAD is!
Thanks. I probably can't edit the name of a thread, so I'll have to re-post.

No, you are fine right here. And, yes, I think you can edit the thread name If you want.

EDIT: I see you have already figured out the edit function. Quick learner.

TJ

 

[Al_Bear]

Some websites don't allow you to edit the subject line. Glad to see that this one does.

 

[Gizmo]

When I was new. to RVing, I listened to the truck dealer and the RV dealer than my truck had a towing capacity of. 12,500 and the RV. had GVWR. of 11,999 and I. was good to go. What I didn't understand was that towing capacity is what the truck weights loaded ready camp subtracted from the GCWR. Then I was told on the forums that if I was close to GVWR I was way over the payload. of the truck. I argue that how could I be if was under what the manufacture says I can tow. They said to bring it to a CAT scale and check weights so I did just to prove. them wrong. The scale doesn't. lie. - I was over my GVWR, Axle Ratings, and most dangerous I was over. my rear tire weight ratings. The. RV weight came in at 11760 pounds so I was under the 11,999 pound RV GVWR but I was over the GCWR of the truck. I ended up with 1 ton and well under all ratings.

 

[Al_Bear]

After reading a bunch of forums that included rv'ers, commercial license holders, and even a lawyer or two, (for example, RV.Net Open Roads Forum: Is being a little over GVWR no worse than doing 60 in a 55?), I've come to the conclusion that there is no regulatory reality whatsoever behind the quotation in my original post, where I cited TrailerSafetyWeek.com as saying "Do not use a tow vehicle with a max tow rating of less than the GVWR of your trailer". No need for me personally to contact dmv or my insurer or pester anyone else about it.

Regulatory questions aside, the admonition does not make any sense. The GVWR of a trailer does not indicate what the trailer actually weighs, which is what really matters. If my trailer weighs 5000, my TV needs to be able to handle 5000, not the 7400 GVWR on the sticker for the trailer. Of course, you don't want to overload the trailer itself, but that doesn't have anything to do with the TV capacity.

In case you're wondering why a TT this light would have a GVWR that high, all I can guess is that they might have used the same axles and chassis for models that had slide-outs, which would therefore be heavier. Mine doesn't have slide-outs. Plus it's a Komfort with AlumaKage - an aluminum frame for the body on a steel chassis, which is probably lighter than a wooden frame.

The admonition should have said: "Do not exceed the GVWR for your tow vehicle. Do not exceed the GVWR for your trailer. And make sure that their actual weights when added together do not exceed the GCWR for your tow vehicle." Not as pithy, but accurate.

 

[Gizmo]

I would not get your legal advice from a forum. I sat down with the accident attorney for an hour and he already knew about GVWR and used the example of a 3/4 ton truck pulling a 5er and how many baby boomers. are exceeding the manufacture specs and how that is used on a civil lawsuit. Here is a video I wish everyone would watch and I think at least one trip to the scales should be required. You would be surprised how far off those manufactured RV specs are off.

My Class

Education site for RV Safety and Education Foundation

rvacademy.com

 

[Gizmo]

My Airstream had a heavy hitch it was 17% of the actual weight of the trailer where most fall between 12 and 15%. The Airstream storage was mostly in front of the wheels so a lot of the weight loaded went to the hitch weight. Say your trailer weighs in at 6000 pounds and you have a 15% tongue weight or 900 pounds on the back of your truck. Now add in 100 pounds for the hitch, 400 pounds for people in the truck, and another 100 pounds of other stuff and truck add-ons. Now you need about 1500 pounds or more on the yellow sticker on your door jam to stay within your truck's GVWR. When we had pull behinds we loaded between 1500 and 1800 pounds and if I was to guess I would guess less than 1000 pounds.

 

[TJ&LadyDi]

I would not get your legal advice from a forum. I sat down with the accident attorney for an hour and he already knew about GVWR and used the example of a 3/4 ton truck pulling a 5er and how many baby boomers. are exceeding the manufacture specs and how that is used on a civil lawsuit. Here is a video I wish everyone would watch and I think at least one trip to the scales should be required. You would be surprised how far off those manufactured RV specs are off.

My Class

Education site for RV Safety and Education Foundation

rvacademy.com

Excellent video!

TJ