[JRTJH]

Another "exclusion" to keep in mine is the GCWR (truck and trailer max combined weight)....

If you do the math, you'll see that the truck manufacturers and RV salesmen "use" that GCWR as a "smoke and mirrors" advertising gimmick...

If you look at the truck with a GCWR of 24000 pounds and a maximum trailer rating of 17500 pounds, just subtract the maximum trailer weight rating from the GCWR and you'll see what the truck has to weigh at that set of values...

Example, 24000 - 17500 = 6500 pounds... So in this example, if you're trying to tow a 17500 pound trailer, to stay under the GCWR, the truck can't weigh more than 6500 pounds.... Compare that to the "reality" of trying to tow an 11000 pound fifth wheel and keeping the truck under the 10000 pound GVW... If you can't hitch an 11000 pound trailer without being "at/over the truck GVW" you sure can't hitch a 17500 pound trailer and make the truck lighter..... So, "smoke and mirrors"...

NEVER USE OR RELY ON THE GCWR for any "real world trailer calculations.... You'll always exceed payload before you reach GCWR with a fifth wheel. That GCWR relates to things like a well balanced boat on a marine trailer or to a bull dozer on a flatbed trailer (where you can move the equipment forward/aft to adjust the tongue weight (changing the truck payload)... You can't do that with a travel trailer or a fifth wheel.... So, GCWR is irrelevant to almost all RV calculations.....