Keystone RV Forums - View Single Post - Must lighten rear axle: Tongue Wt vs Weight Distribution Hitch

**sourdough** · 06-16-2018, 01:46 PM

I didn't see one of the important weight limits: the payload of the truck.

By your numbers it looks as if the truck alone weighs 5950 (front/rear axle weights empty). Your gvw is 7000 lbs. so that would leave you 1050 for payload.

GVW of the trailer is 7300 lbs. x .13 for tongue weight and you've got 949 lbs. That leaves 101 lbs. for people (unless people were in the truck when you got 5950 which I would guess at that weight), hitch (you said it wasn't on the truck when weighed), gear etc. The hitch is not meant to "increase" your payload. Your axle weights hooked up were 3100 and 4700 = 7800: 800 lbs. over the gvw of the truck. 4700 on the rear is 750 over your rear gawr.

At weigh in your axles were 3300/3200 with no trailer = 6500 lbs. That leaves you with 500 lbs. for the tongue weight of your trailer before exceeding your gvw. That tells you right there that the bed of the truck needs to be empty. The trailer tongue will weigh almost double that when fully loaded - no matter how you set the WDH. If you're asking if you can't just exceed the gvw/payload etc. and look only at gawr/gcvwr that answer is, or should be, no. The gawr ratings are mandatorily just a bit higher than the gvw to give you a safety cushion and a bit of leeway on loading. However you load, the gvw cannot be exceeded.

At 14,350 you are very close to your gcvwr - closer than I would want to be in a 1/2 ton.

It looks like you are simply overloaded at this point. That is the weakness of a 1/2 ton truck. With a trailer of any size you can't put much in the bed of a 1/2 ton truck much less "a truck bed full of stuff". And yes, all that "stuff" adds up faster than you think and it never looks like you have that much. You could, and will have to, remove most or all of it and see where you are to get somewhere close to your weight limitations.

A lot of stuff to say from where I sit you need to remove a lot of stuff, buy a bigger truck or a smaller trailer. BTW, which equalizer do you have (10k etc.)? This is the reason I don't have a 1/2 ton truck any longer. I hated not being able to take anything with us.
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06-16-2018, 01:46 PM	#4
sourdough Site Team Join Date: Feb 2014 Location: W. Texas Posts: 17,702	I didn't see one of the important weight limits: the payload of the truck. By your numbers it looks as if the truck alone weighs 5950 (front/rear axle weights empty). Your gvw is 7000 lbs. so that would leave you 1050 for payload. GVW of the trailer is 7300 lbs. x .13 for tongue weight and you've got 949 lbs. That leaves 101 lbs. for people (unless people were in the truck when you got 5950 which I would guess at that weight), hitch (you said it wasn't on the truck when weighed), gear etc. The hitch is not meant to "increase" your payload. Your axle weights hooked up were 3100 and 4700 = 7800: 800 lbs. over the gvw of the truck. 4700 on the rear is 750 over your rear gawr. At weigh in your axles were 3300/3200 with no trailer = 6500 lbs. That leaves you with 500 lbs. for the tongue weight of your trailer before exceeding your gvw. That tells you right there that the bed of the truck needs to be empty. The trailer tongue will weigh almost double that when fully loaded - no matter how you set the WDH. If you're asking if you can't just exceed the gvw/payload etc. and look only at gawr/gcvwr that answer is, or should be, no. The gawr ratings are mandatorily just a bit higher than the gvw to give you a safety cushion and a bit of leeway on loading. However you load, the gvw cannot be exceeded. At 14,350 you are very close to your gcvwr - closer than I would want to be in a 1/2 ton. It looks like you are simply overloaded at this point. That is the weakness of a 1/2 ton truck. With a trailer of any size you can't put much in the bed of a 1/2 ton truck much less "a truck bed full of stuff". And yes, all that "stuff" adds up faster than you think and it never looks like you have that much. You could, and will have to, remove most or all of it and see where you are to get somewhere close to your weight limitations. A lot of stuff to say from where I sit you need to remove a lot of stuff, buy a bigger truck or a smaller trailer. BTW, which equalizer do you have (10k etc.)? This is the reason I don't have a 1/2 ton truck any longer. I hated not being able to take anything with us. __________________ __________________ Danny and Susan, wife of 56 years 2019 Ram 3500 Laramie CC SWB SB 6.4 4x4 4.10 2020 Montana High Country 331RL