Home Forums Truck Camper Adventure Forum Gross Vehicle Weight Rating

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    • #46251
      Anonymous
      Inactive

      New to the forum, but not new to TCA or operating medium duty trucks. The GVWR sticker mounted on the door post of my 2019 Chevy truck is a bit confusing.
      It lists the GAWR FRT as being 4800 lbs and the GAWR RR as 7050 lbs add which add up to 11,850 lbs, yet the listed GVWR is only 11,000 lbs.

      Tried to attach a pic of the door post sticker, but no luck…..

      Any TCA’rs have insight into this apparent discrepancy?

    • #46254
      Mello Mike
      Keymaster

      That’s totally normal but it is confusing. Making things even more confusing is that you probably have a truck camper certification form in your glovebox that has a totally different number than your truck’s official payload rating. The number on your truck camper certification form is derived by taking your official payload rating and subtracting 150 pounds for each passenger.

    • #46273
      Scramblion
      Participant

      Great question. My understanding was that you’re not supposed to exceed GVWR but when I was at the Lance dealer and we were discussing this – They went by sum of the two 2 axle ratings which was substantially more than the GVWR.

    • #46279
      Anonymous
      Inactive

      Any TCA’rs out there willing to report the listed GAWR front, GAWR rear and GVWR listed on the door post label of their make and model truck?

      Also – anyone know if these door post labels are an NHSTA requirement…..and if so, are there required guidelines for manufactures regarding the listing of each trucks specifications?

      Any truck dealer guys or gals have any insight as to conundrum?

      In response to Scramblion’s post; I’m not surprised by your report of the Lance dealers interpretation of your trucks gross weight rating, although certainly not the heaviest in the market, my research indicates that the many of Lance’s offerings are slideout models- which tend to fall on the heavy side of the TC spectrum.

    • #46290
      Harvey Shaw
      Participant

      This won’t help you much but when I first picked up my truck I wrote to the Forum here and Ford as the various labels, stickers, documents seem to indicate we couldn’t even load our TC empty on the truck!

      There was the Consumer Information: Truck Camper Loading weight and weight on the door label. These didn’t match up at all.

      I think I wrote NHSTA at the time, I’ll see if I can find the mails and put any useful info on here.

      All in all I recall thinking there must be a way to do this so it just plain makes sense and this question doesn’t keep popping up.

      PS: Is there a way to search the forum for my own posts?

    • #46406
      Harvey Shaw
      Participant

      Johnny V. – Something that might really be a help to you is weighing your truck with and without loaded camper at a CAT scale. This would get you real life weights to work with.

      CAT SCALE LOCATOR

    • #46517
      Anonymous
      Inactive

      Hey Harvey,
      Thanks for your suggestion and the link. I have done this and the truck weighs in at just under 7,000 lbs – 2 passengers with a full fuel tank sans camper and right at the posted 11,000 GVW with camper, gear and water. – But…. this really doesn’t resolve the cryptic numbers listed on my door post label.

      I purchased the truck new and the window sticker clearly states a GVWR of 11,000 LB, so I guess I’m just curious as to whether every make and model truck has this same rating label discrepancy? Or possibly, as in tow ratings, manufactures generate their own numbers – sans a universal testing agency.

      So I guess the fundamental question is how does the truck manufacture arrive at these numbers and why would a discrepancy exist between the sum of the gross axle ratings – and the GVWR of the truck.

      Also, although there are lot’s trucks around the ranch here, none (other than a 1970 C50) even have such a door post tag that’s readable.

    • #46542
      Harvey Shaw
      Participant

      This was received from Ford Engineering if it helps any for you.

      Attachments:
    • #46586
      Anonymous
      Inactive

      Hi Harvey,
      Thanks for posting this info.
      It’s pretty interesting that Ford responded to you with VIN specific payload info! I’ve looked over the information that you attached and it seems to me to be logical and make sense.
      I guess however, it doesn’t really speak to my root question, which is; why on my particular truck is there a discrepancy of 850 lbs. between the posted GAWR FRT (4800 lbs) + GAVW RR (7050 lbs) and the listed GVWR (11,000 lbs)?

      It would seem that the proverbial 1+1 should make 2, yet following the logic of the doorpost label on my truck 1+1 equals only 1 and 58/74th’s !

    • #47837
      Eric
      Participant

      Seems like the front and rear axle rating combined is a bit higher than the overall weight rating, which includes the ability to stop and whatever the trany can take. The axle rating is just the axle rating, don’t read more into it.

      Attachments:
    • #48181

      I am a little late to this discussion but the GVW is around 9% – 10% less the the combined axle weights. This gives you a little wiggle room if you are a little heavy on one axle but light on the other and still at or under your GVW. Most well maintained trucks can haul the combined axle weights without a problem but it may not be completely legal if you are subject to Commercial vehicle Weight enforcement. I found this out when talking to CVE officers after weighing my loaded truck and finding it 200 lbs over the GVW. They told me not to worry as long as I didn’t exceed my combined axle weights. Despite this we had our local spring shop upgrade the trucks springs, shocks and brakes. Hope this helps.

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