fun2drum
Well-Known Member
- First Name
- Gary
- Joined
- Jul 25, 2020
- Threads
- 12
- Messages
- 447
- Reaction score
- 701
- Location
- Western NC
- Vehicle(s)
- 2020 Jeep Gladiator Sport S
- Vehicle Showcase
- 1
Thanks for that detailed answer. My understanding (from reading somewhere) was that the GVWR includes gas and a 150 lb driver (I'm slightly over that), but I guess anything else including hitch and tongue weight would need to be counted. It seems to be a balancing act of "more weight here means less weight there" as much as it is an actual trailer weight limit. So that 6,000 lbs capacity may actually be 5,500 lbs when the truck is loaded up for the trip.There are a ton of factors that go into it other than the max towing capacity. There are maximum weights that can be on each axle, payload capacity, and Gross Combined Vehicle Weight Rating (GCVWR). There also is usually a max tongue weight but I'm not sure what that is for the JT.
For instance, something like an overland has a max towing capacity of 6000lbs. But the sticker in your door jam will show how much payload capacity you have. Payload may become the limiting factor before the max trailer weight.
So if your Overland has 1000lbs of payload capacity and you loaded up a trailer at 6000lbs, you would have a minimum of 600lbs (10% of trailer weight) going against that payload capacity. Now you have 400 lbs left for any passengers and things you are bringing with. If it's just you in the truck, probably not a big deal. But you're probably not fitting you and 3 buddies or a family of 4 without going over the payload capacity.
Additionally, if the GCVRW of the overland is 11,100 lbs, subtract the 6000lbs for your trailer and you are left with 5100lbs of weight before you reach the GCVWR. The weight of your truck, you, your passengers, and anything else you packed with you has to fit within that 5100 lbs. Jeep shows that the base weight of the overland is something like 4676 lbs meaning you have about 400 lbs left over for you, your passengers, and stuff.
If you notice, that lines up pretty well with the payload measurement above. So, it's probably best to get an idea of what your truck and passengers weigh (with a full tank of gas) and then you figure from there, what kind of trailer you can pull and stay within the GCVWR and payload numbers.
I'll bet a surprising lot of trailers on the road are at the max or running over weight.
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