GVWR exceeded, now what??

[akangl]

How the heck do you guys stay under GVWR when towing? We are at 6105 lbs with just the 4 of us (me and hubby plus 2 kids ages 9 & 11), a full tank of gas, and the hitch in the receiver. Hook up to the TT and we are over by around 200 lbs before we even load up.

Our TT has a dry weight of 4476 lbs, a GVWR of 6200 lbs, and a dry tongue weight of 494 lbs.

I'm thinking we are just hosed and will have to leave the TT parked until we can afford to trade the Titan (darn the bad resale too).

Any ideas??

[tnbowhunter]

Looks like the hubby is going to have to stay at home,

[gordon24]

i dont have kids so why dont you give me the truck

[akangl]

lol, gordon, if I could give it away I just might, however I think NMAC might have something to say about it.

As for hubby staying home, that won't help that much, I'll still be over. Heck, we don't weigh THAT much, lol. I honestly don't know what to do, I'm calling the Chevy dealer tonight to see what they can do with rebates and all on a 1500HD or a 2500HD. I'm not sure how much damage will be done to the Titan running it over the GVWR. *sigh* This sucks, I love my Titan and really don't want to drive a Chevy.

[HavockWK]

600 pounds of human flesh plus 6200 pounds of trailer for 6800 pounds of weight being towed by a truck with 9400 pound towing capacity. And your question is? If the you think a Titan can't handle it, why would you look at another half ton truck? You would need to go 3/4.

[akangl]

Originally Posted by HavockWK

600 pounds of human flesh plus 6200 pounds of trailer for 6800 pounds of weight being towed by a truck with 9400 pound towing capacity. And your question is? If the you think a Titan can't handle it, why would you look at another half ton truck? You would need to go 3/4.

First its more like 500 lbs of flesh I think and second its not the weight of the trailer that's the problem, its the tongue weight and the Titan's light GVWR.

See the truck with us in it weighs 6105, add the dry tongue weight (who knows what the loaded tongue weight will be) of 494 lbs and we are at 6599 lbs, already 100 lbs over the truck's GVWR before we even load the travel trailer.

Dodge Ram 1500 has a GVWR of 6650 lbs, Ford F-150 has a GVWR of 6900 lbs, Toyota Tundra has a GVWR of 6600 lbs, and the Chevy Silverado 1500 has a GVWR of 7000. Those are all CC 4x4 trucks.

Now the Silverado 1500HD has a GVWR of 8600 lbs.

Why did Nissan rate the Titan so dang low???

[Justintoxicated]

Originally Posted by akangl

First its more like 500 lbs of flesh I think and second its not the weight of the trailer that's the problem, its the tongue weight and the Titan's light GVWR.

See the truck with us in it weighs 6105, add the dry tongue weight (who knows what the loaded tongue weight will be) of 494 lbs and we are at 6599 lbs, already 100 lbs over the truck's GVWR before we even load the travel trailer.

Dodge Ram 1500 has a GVWR of 6650 lbs, Ford F-150 has a GVWR of 6900 lbs, Toyota Tundra has a GVWR of 6600 lbs, and the Chevy Silverado 1500 has a GVWR of 7000. Those are all CC 4x4 trucks.

Now the Silverado 1500HD has a GVWR of 8600 lbs.

Why did Nissan rate the Titan so dang low???

because they have a more "realalistic" weight. You shoudl not have problems pulling that trailer. My dad just got a 21 foot toyhauler to pull, the people that sold it to him pull it all the time with their titan and said it's not really an issue at all and he could have even got a bigger one!

Chevy may be rated more but it has alot less power so good luck with that. Why not just add another plate to the leaf or get the leaf spring helpers?

[akangl]

I've always been told to NEVER exceed the GVWR of the tow vehicle. The truck has ZERO problems pulling the trailer, sits nice and level, absolutely no issues with it except we know the truck is over its GVWR.

Here's the set up together, you can see the truck has no problem with the trailer, but I was told prolonged use of the truck with it over its GVWR will spell the death of my Titan.

Titan and Wilderness

[HudsonValleyTitan]

You'll tow that little thing around for with no problems. Ours is 6100LBS dry and has an 8300 GVWR. With the WD hitch, I barely know its' there. Relax and enjoy.

[40Niner]

I know 2 guys who have a 1500HD CC 4X4 and they get about 11 mpg.Another who has a 2500HD CC 4x4 and he claims he gets 14.The 2500 guy thinks the 1500HD has a slightly lower geared rear drive.Assuming they are correct,the 2500 beats me.I normally get 12-13.LE CC off-road big tow.But.... I've got more room inside,better safety,style,brakes...well,I won't go there.I considered the 1500HD and was close to getting a 2500 but the Titans gwvr and tow rating met my needs.Hope I don't regret it.Shoot,my 92 GMC ext. cab 4x4 has a gvwr of 6600 lb.

[Mike Up]

Originally Posted by akangl

First its more like 500 lbs of flesh I think and second its not the weight of the trailer that's the problem, its the tongue weight and the Titan's light GVWR.

See the truck with us in it weighs 6105, add the dry tongue weight (who knows what the loaded tongue weight will be) of 494 lbs and we are at 6599 lbs, already 100 lbs over the truck's GVWR before we even load the travel trailer.

Dodge Ram's 1500 has a GVWR of 6650 lbs, Ford F-150 has a GVWR of 6900 lbs, Toyota Tundra has a GVWR of 6600 lbs, and the Chevy Silverado 1500 has a GVWR of 7000. Those are all CC 4x4 trucks.

Now the Silverado 1500HD has a GVWR of 8600 lbs.

Why did Nissan rate the Titan so dang low???

All of those trucks are heavier because their upper end V8 Engines are all cast iron. In fact, they are all about equal within about ~100#. Their payload rating may seem higher because it's based on a completely stripped truck with the lightest engine. After odds are apples to apples, they're in the same payload range as us.

A 2005 SE Standard Bed CC 4X4 has payload of 1339# (1411# on the 2004 because lack of power rear window). Even if you're 220# and your wife is 220#, kids 80# and 100# for their ages. That's only 620#, add your tongue weight of 494# and your still only at 1114#. You have 225# for gear and fuel. You could even save your GVWR by putting the gear in the trailer since that should only add 10% of that weight to your tongue. So even if you have 500# total of gear in the trailer, that's only an additional 50# of weight on the tongue bringing your total weight now to 1164. That leaves 175# for fuel and additional add ons to your truck (step rails, brush guard, utilibed option).

Judging by Nissan's Payload chart on 2004 Titans, an LE is 209# heavier than an SE. The two options that the LE has standard is utilibed and side steps. The utilibed is 86# more and the side steps are 123# more.

Looking at your truck, it looks like you have the additional 209# plus an additional 100# or more from you brush guard. So you would be 134# over weight with no gas. Fill the tank up and guess about 120# for 28 gallons.Your now about 254# over. Lose the brush guard and the kids and you should be O.K. Otherwise, I don't think your really overloading that bad to cause a problem.

*EDIT* Just realized I was incorrect in believeing Curb Weight (GVWR - Curb weight = Payload) was without any fluids. It appears the standard definition of Curb Weight is Base vehicle with all fluid and full tank of gas minus any options. Googled and found this to be the common terminology. So your now only 134# over.

There's no way anyone could prove you overloaded your truck to void any warranty. I'd say your safe but not by the book.

Looks like for the options you wanted, and the capacity you needed, a 3/4 ton would had worked better paper wise. No other 1/2 ton would be any better.

A 'base' XLT Ford F150 CC 4X4 5.4L V8 has a payload of 1560. That's only about 100# more than a comparible equipped 2004 XE Titan. 2005 have standard power rear window which is an additional 50#, it's an option for Ford. Go with a 4.6L and now payload is only a 'maximum of 1360#.

Dodge Ram's 1500 SLT payload is 1420# with the 4.7L. Add the Hemi 5.7L and the payload drops by ~around 150# for the heavier engine.

Chevy/GMC 'stripped' Silverado/Sierra has maximum payload of 1701. That's with the 4.8L. Add the bigger and heavier 5.3L and the payload goes down. Add all the features that the Ford F-150 XLT, Dodge RAM SLT, and Titan XE have, and the payload would probably be right around the others.

On Ford and Chevy/GMC you can add a HD payload package to their 1/2 Ton truck which then essentially gives you 3/4 ton payload capacity. I doubt you get all the upgraded mechanics of a true 3/4 ton truck though.

The Ram and Titan not available with a HD payload package. The RAM also has the lowest payload rating. The Titan is middle of the road.

With all your payload requirements, a 3/4 ton truck would had suited you better.

My Titan as delivered was only $1000 more than the new 2005 Frontiers, equipped the same. So I paid a midsize price and got a full size truck but with 1/2 ton capacities. If I truly needed more truck, a 3/4 ton would had been the way to go.

I only see 1/2 ton trucks in my area as normal daily drivers. People pulling big trailers and needing big payloads usually go with 3/4 tons. I rarely see 1/2 ton trucks used for anything other than daily drivers.

Good luck on meeting your needs.

Have a good one.

[akangl]

We are in the same boat with our 1-ton, we are always running overloaded. That truck on the scales with just hubby and his stuff is 7000 lbs, add in the firewood he hauls and he tops 11,000 lbs easily. GVWR is only 10,500 lbs. Funny thing is that truck ain't happy unless its overloaded............transmission likes a load on it.

We will probably roll with the Titan and hope for the best. The TT we bought is made for a 1/2 ton, its an ultra lite and really not that heavy. I don't know what my Titan weighs completely empty, probably somewhere in the 5500 lb range.

So, how bad is it to run overloaded? Some people say its the kiss of death, others say its no big deal.

Now if the rearend goes out again when we haul the TT next week I guess we will know its a bad idea to run overloaded, lol.

[Mike Up]

All this talk of GVWR brings up another subject that was around here before. That being, even though the Titan is rated to tow 9400#, it's GVWR really limits the towing capacity well below the 9400# rating.

It looks like a 5000# trailer is really all you'd want to tow if you plan to have a truck full of people.

If your towing a tractor or something, then the 9400# capacity would come in handy, but not for recreational items as a Travel Trailer.

Looks like if you were to pull a 9400# trailer, not to go over GVWR would require you to have no more than one person in the 4X4 CC with no other payload in the truck.

Not feeling so bad now about not having the Big Tow package.

Have a good one.

[Justintoxicated]

well I hope your all wrong cause we just purchased a 7000# trailer and was told we should go bigger cause the titan can pull it all day long without any issues. the guy that owns a titan is pulling an 8000lb trailer. He said as long as it's a titan and not a ford or somethign we would be fine...

I test drove a 1500HD 6.0 liter V8 and did not really like it. I would say go test drive one and see what you think, the MPG is 15-16 expected the titan is 18 on the free way. It was not nearly as smooth a ride as the titan. it was not a bad truck either... I still think the titan is under rated though. Everyone tells me it is, even the guys sell trailers telling me what truck to buy to haul them said the titan shouldhave no problems with a 21 foot Toy Hauler compleatly topped off with fluids and hauling a load.. From the picture it looks like a perfect match to me.

My honest guess is that Nissan knew they had the power, so they lowered the rating to avoid lawsuits from people towing ridiculous loads.

[akangl]

I test drove a 1500HD with the 6.0 and a 2500HD with the 8.1, hated both of them. Have test driven a Ford F-250, hated it, a Dodge Ram........gimme a break. ARGHHHH, the only truck I like is the Titan!! LOL, its a sickness........errr something.

My husband says just to deal with it, its not hurting it. The RV dealer said its a perfect match, it certainly looks like it is.

My hubby has been running his Ram 3500 overweight 3 days per week for the past 18 months and has had no trouble with it, so I'm not so sure it really hurts anything.

When we have a big firewood order to deliver we put 3 cords (2800 lbs each for dry spruce) on our 18' trailer (2500 lbs empty) and hook it to the Dodge which is loaded with another cord of firewood.

Ok, so that's 10,000 lbs on the truck before the tongue weight of the trailer (no WD setup), figure the tongue weight is easily 1200 lbs, so we are at 11,200 lbs on the truck. The trailer is at 11,000 lbs, so he is running 22,200 lbs combined........the truck is only rated for 19,000 combined. It has no trouble with this load at all, makes me wonder where they come up with the limits for each size truck.

Me thinks all the drugs are getting to me and I need to stop worrying about going over the dang GVWR, have a good time this summer, and enjoy the heck out of my beloved Titan. Oh yeah and I need to smoke a Hemi too. Ugh, I'm going to bed, its been a long week.