For sure! Thank you! This is a bit beyond my capacity in terms of math, it's so complicated. I need to understand this more...it's so confusing! But I need a10k capacity truck to be safe?
First you should really understand what the numbers mean, it's not all that complicated but unfortunately sometimes when you are trying to read up on it the writer goes way overboard in terms of technical writing. Let's see if I can simplify it.
GVW = Gross Vehicle Weight. This is the actual weight of the vehicle with passengers, cargo and fuel. So what it actually weighs, not what it's rated for. You get these numbers when you weigh at a CAT scale.
** see notes below about scales
GVWR = Gross Vehicle Weight Rating. In a nutshell this is the maximum weight a vehicle (with everything possible you will put in it including passengers, fuel, water, pets, ice chests... everything) is rated for. Your TV (tow vehicle) will have it's own GVWR and your Travel Trailer will have it's own GVWR. The GVWR is not your tow capacity, that comes into play later. GVWR is strictly about the individual vehicle.
GAWR - Gross Axle Weight Rating. The weight rating for each axle of a vehicle. (Don't worry, this is all listed out on the white sticker on the driver side door of every vehicle.).
CGVWR = Combined Gross Vehicle Weight Rating. This is the total weight your vehicle is rated for including everything, TV, Trailer, Fuel, Water, Passengers, Cargo... everything. This is NOT how much you can tow, it's the combined total of everything... the MAXIMUM weight of your entire rig that should not be exceeded.
Tongue Weight = The weight on the hitch when the trailer is hooked up to your tow vehicle. It should be between 10-15% of the (loaded) trailer weight. So if your trailer weighs 8,000 lbs. the tongue weight should be between 800 - 1,200 lbs.
To look at an example, I'll use my own vehicles and break it down each vehicle on its own:
First my Tow Vehicle
GVWR of 7,200 lbs.
*Curb Weight of 5,123 lbs.
*(curb weight typically includes weight of vehicle and a full tank of fuel but no passengers or cargo)
MATH: 7200 - 5123= 2,077. So this means I can carry 2,077 pounds of cargo in the tow vehicle. But that doesn't mean I can throw 2,077 pounds in the back because the weight should be distributed over the axles so as not to exceed my axle ratings of:
GAWR (front) = 3550
GAWR (rear) = 4000
Travel Trailer
GVWR - 9,000 lbs
Dry Weight = 6,695
*(Dry weight typically includes only the weight of the vehicle with appliances and furniture, does not include water, passengers or cargo)
MATH: 9,000 - 6,695= 2,305. So this means I can carry 2,305 pounds of cargo in the trailer.
So what does this all mean? My TV has a CGVWR of 14,000 lbs. My TV has a GVWR of 7,200 and my Travel Trailer 9,000
MATH: 9,000 + 7,200 = 16,200 which exceeds 14,000 lbs. so I know I can't tow with everything fully loaded. However: TV Curb weight of 5123 and Trailer Dry Weight of 6,695 MATH: 5,123 + 6,695 = 11,818 which means I can tow the trailer but I need to minimize the cargo and know what everything weighs. (LOL, you should have seen me with my bathroom scale and luggage scale weighing everything when I was loading). This is why I'm shopping for a new truck now.
Now we get to the CAT scales. Ever been to a LOVES travel stop (or any other similar travel stop where the big rigs pull in to fuel up and sleep)? They typically have CAT scales, which is a big scale you drive on and it weighs your rig and gives you a printout with weight for each axle, FRONT, REAR and TRAILER and Grand Total. It's freaking awesome! You just drive on making sure each axle is on the right scale plate, push the button (or use smart phone app... even better!!) and then you go get your paper with all the numbers.
So I loaded up my rig... cargo, fuel, food, chairs, tools ... most of what I will take with me and went to the CAT scales and here is what my numbers were:
Steer (front) axle: 2880 (so less than my max of 3550)
Drive (rear) axle: 3880 (so less than my max of 4000)
Trailer axle: 6,380
Gross Weight = 13,060 (so less than max of 14,000)
To minimize weight I pulled out the 3rd row seating in the Denali and also traveled with ZERO water on board the trailer.
I did not disconnect and re-weigh to get Tongue weight but I'm assuming (I know, I know) that with the numbers and weight distribution setup I'm ok. I will probably do the official multi-weigh next time to get an official number.
When I first started down this road, the numbers were all a mystery to me too. It didn't take long to get in and figure it out, although my eyes still glaze over when I wade into the deep end of the technical pool and people start talking about torque ratios and suspensions and blah blah blah. For my needs I think the simple approach of just understanding these basic numbers will serve me well. I'm pulling a fairly light travel trailer, not an 18,000 lb. 5er.
I think that about covers the basics and I'm sure if I made mistakes someone will come along and correct me. I really hope I helped and didn't complicate things further but if I did....
TL;DR: When shopping for a TV, don't just believe the salesperson when they say "oh it can tow this or that". Look at the numbers yourself and understand them. I know an F150 can pull my trailer, but honestly, my current SUV is rated only slightly under the F150 on tow capacity. This is why I'm going with the F250, I've looked at the numbers and I'm more comfortable with those numbers (on either the 2x4 or 4x4) for my trailer. Your trailer isn't all that heavy either but it's also not super light so you might not want to go with the bare minimum in terms of towing power either.
** 2 notes about scales:
1. The most accurate way to get exact numbers in terms of how your loaded rig weight is distributed is having each wheel put on a scale independently. I think they might offer this at some of the rallys but for our purposes here and the fact that we are talking about fairly light travel trailers, the CAT scales are more than sufficient. A little common sense goes a long way when loading up the vehicles
2. In case you were wondering, you do not stop at scales on the freeway as those are for the big rigs, not RVers. CAT scales are what you want if you want to know your weight (and you should) and you will find them at Travel stops such as Loves or Flying J. There is a CAT scales app for your smart phone to make things easier.
