Towing Weight Limits on a Truck??

[houstoncajun]

just loooking for some opinions on towing my boat with my Tahoe. It has a frame hitch that says 7000 LBS, the book says 7500 LBS for the vehicle but I know to use the lowest number. the trailer weighs 1580 LBS and the dry weight is 5500 LBS of the boat. So I'm right at it, so add gas and age? another 500 LBS or more?

So now I'm a tad over the hitch sticker, being an manufacturing engineer I also know of safety factors but am safety oriented.

one question is do you add the people in the truck and things inside to it also? also going up the boat ramp incline will put more stress on the truck is this something to figure in?

I use it to tow my ski boat all the time and put a new tranny in it a couple of years ago (don't want to have to buy another one)

I won't tow it often at all mostly to pull it out the water for repairs and buffing and so forth.

I do see some small trucks haul some crazy big stuff and think to myself i'll see them on the news

 

[bowman316]

Re: Towing Weight Limits on a Truck??

you need to be below you trucks Gross total weight, this number includes the truck, anything in it, and what you are towing.
the tow rating is assuming no payload. so you would have to subtract any extra weight in the truck.
But the payload would not effect the hitch, that number is just how much the trailer weighs, more payload will not stress that more.

 

[Fl_Richard]

Re: Towing Weight Limits on a Truck??

I'd pull it five miles to the ramp but theres no way I'd tow it cross country.