Continuation of trailer quest. GVWR ?

[Andrew2KRT10]

1. What does GVWR stand for?
2. The rating for my truck as listed on the inside door jam is 5600 lbs., so can I pull my RT/10 in an enclosed trailer?

After reading some of the responces I got on my last post, I'd better consider an enclosed trailer.
Thanks,
Andrew

 

[Matt M PA]

Gross Vehicle Weight Rating. How much your truck can handle..including it's own weight. This really has little to do with towing ability...check with your dealer, or owner's manual to see what weight your vehicle can tow...both tongue weight & total weight.I beleive that your Dakota is not the ideal tow vehicle for an enclosed trailer. Cross winds, passing trucks, and braking, are real concerns with a smaller truck...and an enclosed trailer only makes matters worse. Especially on at highway speeds. Bear in mind that you will need a towing capacity of at least 7000 pounds...as an open trailer will weigh in @ about 2900..plus your Viper's weight.

 

[RECOIL]

My dealer said my Dakota Sport 4x4 wouldn't have a problem towing the Viper. It has the 4.7L V8 engine with tow package.

I'm just passing along what they told me. Is your Dakota a 4x4? I really don't know if that matters but would assume so.

Steve

 

[Janni]

Towing rule #1 - you can never have too much tow vehicle.

Towing rule #2 - everything is heavier than it seems. Refer back to rule #1.

Towing rule #3 - saying something "can" tow a certain weight is a lot different than "should" tow a certain weight. See rule #1.

Whether open trailer or closed trailer, I personally would not tow a car with anything less than a full size pickup / SUV, etc.

YMMV, but we're getting pretty good at this towing thing - 2001 Dodge dually, 48' Featherlite enclosed trailer, tows 2 cars and a variety of stuff. ~ 23,000 pounds GCVW.....

 

[Jon 98GTS]

Recoil, the empty weight of the Sloan is 1950lbs. In this case, I think your dealer was telling you the truth: you can pull a Viper on a Sloan with the 4.7L Dakota. And the only difference the 4x4 makes is that your towing capacity is lowered by a couple of hundrend pounds (since the 4wd is a few hundrend pounds heavier than the 2wd). It's the CGVW that's the limit... which is why I think Andrew will need something other than the Dakota if he wants an enclosed trailer.

I pull my GTS on a Sloan with the 4.7L Dakota and am very happy with it. Even though it maxes out the CGVW, I haven't found a hill yet that I couldn't exceed the posted speed limit...

The only thing you have to watch out for with the Sloan is the tongue weight. It's more than 300lbs empty -- most recommendations I've heard is that more than 500lb tongue weight and you need a weight-distributing hitch.

 

[RECOIL]

I know how car salespeople will tell you what you want to hear. So perhaps this is a case of that.

I haven't towed a thing with the truck yet. I need to find the weight of a carrier like a sloan and add it to the Viper to see if it's within "specs". I haven't done any of that research yet.

How much does your sloan weigh w/ the car?

The same dealership said I could tow with my 5.7 Durango too, when I bought that back in 99 (just FYI).

Steve

 

[GTS Dean]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Andrew2KRT10:
1. What does GVWR stand for?
2. The rating for my truck as listed on the inside door jam is 5600 lbs., so can I pull my RT/10 in an enclosed trailer?

Thanks,
Andrew

<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Andrew,

GVWR is the max load rating for the tow vehicle itself. GVWR minus Curb Weight is the payload rating.

GCWR is the Gross Combination Weight Rating. This includes the GVWR plus the maximum allowable towing load. Max trailer weight is the GCWR minus the GVWR.

From memory, my Ram 360 Quad Cab (2WD) has around a 12,100# GCWR. This is good enough for my 26' open trailer with twin 3500# axles. I found that an extra 150# leaf in each rear spring, plus an upgrade to Load Range "D" 16" tires makes for MUCH more stable towing and an all-around firmer (but not bone-jarring) ride.

Dean