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General Moto | Off-Topic Posts
Chevy Tahoe
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[QUOTE="Highbeam, post: 503610, member: 23735"] Thanks dirt bike dave. You were correct on what I was getting at. The most important thing, and most difficult thing to do, is to weigh your vehicle. The very first thing you should do is load up the tahoe with all the people, gear, fuel, and anything else you might bring along on a trip while towing. To be more accurate, you should even throw all the hitch gear in the back. Weigh this full rig. Record this number. Record the GVWR rating found inside the drivers side door jamb. Subtract these two numbers. The difference is the maximum tongue weight legally allowed. To figure out what tongue weight your trailer applies to the hitch you need to load up the trailer as full as you might ever get it for a vacation. Somehow tow it to the weigh station and unhitch with the hitch jack right on the weigh pad. Step off the scale and record this weight. An alternative to the above paragraph is to weigh the whole truck (not the trailer axles) with the trailer hitched and then weigh the whole truck (not the trailer axles) without the trailer hitched and subtract. The difference is the tongue weight. You can do this with any tow vehicle as the tongue weight form the trailer is constant. The published hitch weight as described in your trailer literature is measured with an empty trailer and is not useful unless you tow empty. Most likely you will exceed the gvwr of your 1/2 ton tow vehicle when you add the above determined true trailer tongue weight to the above determined true tow vehicle weight. This is exactly what the state patrol will do if you are in a wreck. They will use the scales used for commercial enforcement and I guarantee will not care what the "tow rating" is. If your tow vehicle is within the gvwr when fully loaded and hitched to a trailer, you're not out of the woods yet. Refer to your towing guide or the dealer to find the GCWR or the maximum allowed total weight of your rig going down the road. Now add the trailer's GVWR to your trucks GVWR. This sum must be less than the GCWR found above. If both the GVWR and the GCWR are within the ratings, you're not out of the woods yet. Refer to the sticker on your driver's side door jamb. You will find axle weight ratings or GAWR for the front and rear axles. With the trailer and truck connected and fully loaded hit the scales again. Weigh each axle. Record these numbers. Compare them to your limits. You should be fine with a trailer but a fifth wheel can get close. One more thing.... you're not out of the woods yet. Take that axle weight you just measured and cut it in half. Now look at your tires and find their weight rating. Note this is at a pretty high pressure that you need to use to get the weight rating. Your wheels also have a weight rating stamped somewhere inside of them, this may be tougher to find but you must also be with in this rating. All of this jive is the only way to be sure you are legal. Some folks even refuse to tow above 80% of their ratings. There are other rules of thumb, but these are the laws that I am aware of. One more thing, if you tow overloaded it is illegal and you made a mistake. If you run a red light it is illegal and you made a mistake. If you kill another driver as a result of either of these mistakes does your insurance company care which mistake you made? Ask them before you tow overloaded. [/QUOTE]
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MX, SX & Off-Road Discussions
General Moto | Off-Topic Posts
Chevy Tahoe
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