You cannot exceed GCWR and in addition you cannot exceed the rated capacity of each axle of the trailer and tow vehicle, or in some cases the legal axle load allowed by law in each particular state. So as to how they determine "published" max trailer ratings I don't know must let their ad agencies figure it out.....

Did a quick check on Chevrolet website on 1500 like I currently own just for kicks. Shows GCWR at 16700, tow rating 11000, and curb weight of 5264. So...with an 11000lb trailer you have 450lbs for people fuel and gear? I call that rating optimistic.

What vehicle are you seeing a discrepancy on, could be a misprint

You know whats weird? My 1997 K3500 big block dually, is rated to 10k tow capacity. Heavy duty "E" range tires, huge springs, big ol rear end, big spicer u-joints, class V hitch, trans coolers, oil cooler, steering cooler, beefy frame, dual rear wheels, all the usual stuff a tow vehicle would want.

Then, a soccer mom pulls up in her 2014 Expedition, with that gay 5.4L , pimp daddy wheels, itty bitty brakes, no suspension whatsover, short azz wheelbase, some BS hitch on the back, yet can technically tow a heavier trailer than me? GET THE F OUTTA HERE.

I put about as much faith in tow ratings as I do in the tooth fairy.

You lost me at "Lets say I have a truck"
lol

I know in illinois, from say a "Fine" standpoint, what they care about is whether or not you are "Plated" for the actual weight of the rig. They dont give a rats azz if your towing a 38 Top Gun with a Ford ranger, as long as your Ford ranger, and trailer plate, have enough stated weight capacity on the registrations.

In your case, your truck with the boat hooked up, weighed 11k lbs. You would need what they call here a "D" plate. That is good till 12k lbs for the truck. Now, your trailer weighing in at 12,500lbs, you would need what they call a "TE" plate. Which is good for up to 14k lbs.

Lets say you had a "B" plate on your pickup. That is only good for 8000LBS. You would be 3k lbs overweight on your truck. Or say a "TD" plate on the trailer. Thats only good for 10k lbs, so you'd be over 2500lbs on the trailer. In that scenerio, you would be 5500LBS overweight. So, your fine would be about $1650.00. Thats just how Illinois works that I know of. Not sure in other states.


Up to and including 2,000 pounds overweight: $100
2,001 through 2,500 pounds overweight: $270
2,501 through 3,000 pounds overweight: $330
3,001 through 3,500 pounds overweight: $520
3,501 through 4,000 pounds overweight: $600
4,001 through 4,500 pounds overweight: $850
4,501 through 5,000 pounds overweight: $950
5,001 or more pounds: $1,500 for the first 500 pounds overweight and $150 for each additional increment of 500 pounds overweight or fraction thereof.

Example from 2006 Ford Towing Guide:

2006 Ford F-350 4x4 single rear wheel
GCWR: 23,000#
Tow Capacity: 12,500#

2006 Ford F-350 4x4 dual rear wheel
GCWR: 23,500#
Tow Capacity: 15,000#

Assume single rear wheel weighs 8,000# and a dually weighs 8,500#, which I believe is real close.

In the single rear wheel example, if the truck weighs 8,000#, why doesn't GCWR 23,000# minus truck weight 8,000# equal max tow capability of 15,000# instead of the factory rating of 12,500#?

My dually is works out real close to that. GCWR is 23,500# minus vehicle weight 8,500# equals 15,000# max tow capacity, which is equal to the 15,000# factory rating.

Why/how does the dually gain 2,500# of towing capacity when both trucks are capable of the same 15,000# when taking GCWR minus actual truck weight?

Holy crap, we don't have anything like that in Michigan. For personal use, we all buy the same annual tag for our trucks whether you tow anything or not and a one time permanent trailer plate based on the weight of the trailer itself, not the total load.

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This combo is WELL north of 25k on the Cat scales. Truck full of 150 gal diesel and gear. Boat bout half full of fuel.
AND I didn't even have my 2 spare drives in the bed since the SCXs!!

The 650 is a Heavy MOFO

I would say that you could "legally" haul that load with the SRW truck via the GCWR, but that Ford chooses to list 12500 tow capacity. Most likely because they have read all the threads on OSO about how DRW trucks are superior and SRW trucks are garbage lol.

Follow the original question folks:

It was posed that if you have a 12,500 lbs. trailer TOW RATING...
...and you have a trailer that actually weighs 14,500 lbs...
...that as long as 2000 lbs. of that trailer gets carried by the axles of the truck as if it were cargo...
...is it legal (assuming it falls with the GCWR, CVWR, and GACRs as well.


As I interpret the law and how they certify vehicles...
...I say no, it's not legal or safe.


Bottom line:
If the law wants to investigate your setup, they can and will ask you to disconnect the trailer from the truck. They will roll in the portable scales and measure the trailer. If it's over the trailer capacity weight rating; they are going to find it illegal and ticket you.






Reading between the lines, but actually not enough of them:
This is when weight distribution hitches come into play to meet the upper limits of some towing capacities.
However, I've never seen anything that states exactly how much weight needs to be distributed to the truck frame; away from the trailer.
So there is grey area, but no one seems to know much about it.