GCWR, payload, GAWR—so many terms and so much confusion. There has been an enormous amount of discussion and debate on what a truck can actually tow. For years there were publications such as the Trailer Life Guide to Towing and Ford’s and Chevrolet’s own towing guides published every year regarding truck towing capacity.
It seemed pretty easy: Just find the make, model, cab configuration, and rear end ratio and the towing capacity was right there.
The math has changed!
Back in 2002, I bought a new Chevy Silverado 1500, and the towing capacity was only 5,000 lbs. Back then, there were only a handful of lightweight trailers that fell into my towing category. Then Toyota came out with the first half-ton truck that had a towing capacity of 10,000 lbs. Everyone scrambled to figure out how they could make that claim. After all, the horsepower and torque were not significantly more, or the GVWR (Gross Vehicle Weight Rating).
What Toyota did, and subsequently others, was change the description of the ratings or change the math. With my 2002 model, it weighed approximately 4,200 lbs. while the GVWR was 7,000 lbs. That meant I could load 2,800 lbs. of cargo into it and tow 5,000 lbs.
Today, the towing capacity is designed for a standard truck with no options or fuel and with a 150 lb. driver only, and no other cargo. So that 2,800 lbs. is now shifted to the towing capacity. I have not weighed 150 lbs. for many, many years. So, I decided to find real world numbers and what my newer 2016 1500 can really tow.
Originally, I was told my truck with a 5.3L engine and double cab/standard bed could tow 11,000 lbs. However, I later found that was actually 10,800 lbs. with a rear end ratio of 3.42, and with the maximum towing package—which mine did not have. According to the Trailer Life Towing Guide, my 2016 should have a towing capacity of 9,200 lbs. (g) with the 3.43, which the (g) is a note for.
What is true?
It seems you can ask 10 different people and get 12 different answers. In an earlier post I was asked if a reader’s truck was capable of towing a certain trailer, and we got a lot of good comments. A few stated that if we don’t factor in payload, stop the conversation— to which I agree. Unfortunately, I did not go far enough into these important factors, but rather just glossed over it as checking Gross Axle Weight Rating (GAWR) instead. That is what prompted this research and article.
Where to find weight information
Everyone I talked to said you need to find the Gross Combined Weight Rating (GCWR) of your vehicle, the axle ratio, and payload. These should all be on the data plate either on the inside driver door frame or in the owner’s manual. My data label was on the bottom of the door jamb and did not give axle ratio or GCWR.
So, I searched for the axle ratio and found a Chevrolet website that said the eighth character of the VIN indicates the axle ratio. According to their chart, it was 3.08 and my owner’s manual showed my towing capacity was only 6,200 lbs., with 12,000 lbs. GCWR.
Always ask an expert
So, I contacted Trey Selman, the Executive Director of the RV Safety & Education Foundation (RVSEF). The RVSEF has been working with truck manufacturers, the Tire and Rim Association, and weight coaches for three decades. Trey stated the VIN number is not the best method to obtain information on specifications as they change over the years. He added that it is best to contact your dealer for verification as the eighth digit is most often an engine code. I contacted my selling dealer and the young kid in the parts department told me the axle ratio was 3.42 according to the VIN.
Trey told me that each vehicle has a Regular Production Options (RPO) label with codes, and that was either on the passenger side door jamb or in the glove box. Opening the glove box produced my “go-to reaction” (GTR)—“Huh!” When I was in high school, I worked at a gas station. Whenever I used my GTR, the owner would say, “Kick a hog in the butt and it says ‘Huh.’ I want you to give me an answer!” My point is, I have never seen this label before, and it has so much information.
Free VIN lookup sites don’t have specific information
Trey was correct in his statement that most free generic VIN lookup sites do not have access to the database for each specific vehicle.
That is why it is important to consult the experts. Forums and influencers using A.I. may give small bits of useful tips. However, some of the information could be misleading and actually dangerous!
RVSEF has links to all the codes
According to my Service Parts Identification label, the code GU6 is the ratio. RVSEF has links to all the codes on their website to make sure you have the correct information. You can find them here.
According to the site, my truck has the 3.42 axle ratio. According to my owner’s manual, the 5.3L with 3.42 is listed with a maximum trailer weight of 9,200 lbs. and GCWR of 15,000 lbs. That actually makes sense, as my truck weighs 5,730 lbs. unloaded, so 15,000 – 5,730 = 9,270 lbs.
However, you cannot calculate towing capacity without knowing what your truck weighs with everything loaded for the trip and all people inside, what the combined weight is, the payload, and hitch weight. Check out Part 2 tomorrow and see what my actual weights were and how the math came out. I will also tell you about the RVSEF Truck and Trailer Matching class and have a discount code for those interested in the class.
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You might also enjoy this from Dave
How do we educate the RV consumer about towing capacity?
Dear Dave,
I would hope, with camping season coming up, that current and future RV owners would and should understand better what they are already towing or about to. I bring this up because we know that RV dealers just want to sell RVs. The car dealerships are pretty much the same way. I blame the consumer for not doing a thorough search about the art of RVing.
I met someone while camping last summer with a ‘20 Highlander with a supposed towing capacity of 5,000 pounds and without a trailer package. Of course, the salesperson said it would be fine. When I asked him what about just the dry weight of the trailer, he said that it was about 4,500 pounds. Again, the RV sales guy told him that he would be fine. …My question is: How does all of the deceiving of the public stop? …
Read the rest of the letter/question and Dave’s answer.
Dave Solberg is a leading expert in the RV industry and the author of the “RV Handbook.”
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The problem with towing weights being part of a SAE test is the test consists of a dead weight on a flatbed trailer with no consideration to wind resistance. When you add wind resistance into the equation the rating will drastically reduce. Pulling a flatbed trailer with 8000 lbs on it is nowhere as difficult as pulling a 13’X8 1/2’ wide “brick” down the road. That’s why reducing towing capacity by at least 10% is recommended, I use 15% myself and never worry about climbing the grade or controlling the speed down the hill.
I remember looking dazed at pages and pages of various engines and axle ratios and ‘trims’ for ONE vehicle model. I remember dealing with salesmen who had no idea what a vehicle’s towing capacity was. And you can’t search the car sites using TC as a filter.
Lots of people have to tow occasionally–a U-Haul etc. This is a number which should be stamped on the door of the vehicle, not something you should have to spend a day online tracking down. Just purely for highway safety reasons. I guess the geniuses at the car manufacturers are waiting for it to become a legal requirement. Sad.
My 2002 Chevy 3500 4×4 dually crew cab with 8′ bed had another label on the glovebox area along with the code label. It stated something like “max load in bed not to exceed 3100#. Imagine my disappointment when I found the Lance 1120 I had in the bed weighed 4150# with water and all set up for a month on the road.
If you bought your truck new and saved the window sticker, you will find the rear axle ratio listed there.
What really matters is tow vehicle payload. You’ll usually run out of payload way before tow capacity. Let’s say your tow before has a 10,000lbs tow limit. You better hope you have a 1000lbs tongue load limit at your hitch. You want to pull an 8000 lbs trailer. Usually you are at 12-15% of the trailer weight translating to tongue weight. That might be 1000 lbs right there. What’s your tow vehicle payload? 1500 pounds? If you are already at 1000lbs tongue, you only have 500 lbs left of payload in your tow vehicle. What to do, your passengers, cooler, firewood, dogs, etc weigh? Probably more than 500 and now you’re overloaded at only 80% tow weight limit.
“How do we educate the RV consumer about towing capacity?” Firstly younger folks,and many older ones too, need educated on how to drive a vehicle without any trailer since they think each of them owns the road. Consideration, respect and morals seem to be severely lacking anymore. That said…a CAT scale is the best tool for knowing each persons vehicle limits…as stated in the article.