Payload Capacity Questions

[mrokusek]

2012 Chevrolet Silverado 3500HD Crew Cab Long Bed SRW 4×4 LTZ w/6.6L Diesel with Timbren SES severe kit and Hellwig rear sway bar. See my reply for full specs.

1) Dealer brochure says max payload of 4266lbs for GVWR=11,000lbs. But my door sticker lists GVWR of 11600lbs. So is my official payload 4266lbs or add 600lbs giving me 4866lbs?

2) I just read the Chevy Silverado Payload Warning. The glove compartment sticker recommends a cargo weight rating for truck camper to be 3129lbs. I’m wondering if I can go over their recommendation, but just make sure I do not exceed max payload. What do you think?

[mrokusek]

My Truck Specs:
2012 Chevrolet Silverado 3500HD Crew Cab Long Bed SRW 4×4 LTZ w/6.6L Diesel
Rims: Stock OEM Rims (18X8J)
Tires: Load Range E Max Load Single 3,525lbs at 80PSI
Door Sticker: GVWR=11,600lbs, GAWR FRT=5,600lbs, GAWR RR=7,050lbs
Max Payload from Dealer Brochure: For GVWR of 11,000lbs, the max payload is 4,266lbs
Suspension Upgrades: Timbren Suspension Enhancement System (SES) Severe Service Kit and Hellwig Rear Sway Bar

[John Vansant]

Your GVWR is your GVWR, you can’t change it. That being said many hard side truck campers mounted on a SRW truck exceed their GVWR, we just don’t talk about it…… A SRW truck is ultimately limited by its 4 (typically) E rated tires. Cargo of any type approaching 4,000lbs is best handled by a DRW truck.

[mrokusek]

Thank you John that’s what I gathered. I’m just glad I didn’t go for the slide-out heavier model camper and ended up getting the lighter no-slide-out model. There was another article explaining how the GM/Chevy sticker works it’s just subtracting out passengers’ weights to come up with that number. Ultimately, I’m striving to stay under GVWR but since I’m going to be close, I’ve done the typical upgrades including upgrading from load index 124 3525lb max tires to load index 129 4080lb max tires. DRW is the way to go if you want the ultimate truck camper though.

[John Vansant]

Probably stating the obvious here, but in operating any heavily loaded truck, your biggest operational and safety concern will most often be your brakes. Always be sure to use your transmissions tow/haul or aux. braking function, in order to keep your brakes cool and effective for those unanticipated emergency braking scenarios.

[Wheeldog]

Not gonna tell you what to do, just what I do. I have the same truck as you, only a ’16, it is completely stock. When I scale it, the weight is 8,000 lbs empty….it has been scaled numerous times and always close to the same. If I remember right the sticker on my camper says it’s around 2,500 lbs. When I scale with the camper on and loaded ready to go, I am at 12,000…..done that several times too and it has always been within a few hundred pounds. In the past I have pulled an enclosed trailer with a car in it from Alaska to America and back. Never did weigh the trailer deal. The truck has handled the loads flawlessly.

2016 3500 HD Durmax

1994 S and S 9.5' Camper (SOLD)
1999 S and S 9.5 Camper

[Mello Mike]

Great questions. I just addressed most of these in my latest article on payload including the three differences you discovered. I would take a look.

The Payload Rating: Why it’s Important for Truck Campers

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