The GCVW may mean something entirely different to the dealer where your getting your warranty work done at.
Show up with a truck and trailer combo that easly doubles the gcvw on the door post and they may not be so eager to warranty that transmission or rear end...

It means something to someone, just not to the scale inspector in the province of BC where the vehicle and driver is properly licensed and insured for the load being carried.

 

Who cares about the dealer warranty ! They just keep putting junk back in your truck regardless. Blown tranny ? Dodge would be the last place i took my truck ! I would build a Georend or comparable before i trusted stock parts to go back into my truck. I went down this road with ball joints. Go back over and over to get nothing but junk parts. Carli and Spicer and Timken much much better IMHO ! Scale man and mv guy is all i care about ! These trucks can handle big weight ! It comes down to perception and confidence !

 

Yup
I was referring to two different topics.

The first one was the GCVW. I was fined for exceeding the GCVW on the door sticker in BC commercially. As per the officer, the total weight I could carry in the truck including the weight of the truck was exceeded by 800 kilograms.
This is when I learned that a Mega Cab 3500 dually 4x4 has a much lower GCWR then a quad cab 3500 dually 4x4 of the same year. Mine is 10,500lbs and the quad is 12,200lbs

Separate from that was what SGI wanted from me for 'total' weight of my truck and my trailer/load when I answered 'yes' to if I pulled a trailer. Currently registered at 10,000 kilograms.

I'm less confused now...I think we are saying the same thing.

 

I don't think GCVW is posted on the the doorjam, mine only lists axle weights and GVW. I don't even know where to find GCVW, I think that is just a Chrysler Warranty scam.

 

Errrrmmmmmmm........

I think your still confusing GCVW and GVWR.

GCVW is the weight of both the truck and trailer.

GVWR is the weight of the truck, passengers, fuel and payload.

The '04 dodge has a GVWR sticker of 9900 pounds. GCVW is not listed on the sticker.

Everything you described above sounds like you just exceded the weight in the pickup rather than the combined weight of the pickup and trailer.

 

I need to read the letters closer. Yup I got the GCVW switched with the GVWR. Its the GVWR I got tagged for. I knew what I meant but it still didn't click that I was mixing it up. I'll go to my room for a time out.

OK, I'm back.

I can do ok with GCVW if the pin weight is not too high for this truck. Truck weighs in @ 8700 lbs. with factory tank full and half fuel in the 95 gallon slip tank and tools etc with me in the truck. Doesn't leave a whole lot for pin weight.

I do agree its a bit of a scam from Chrysler because my 07 quad only weighed 400lbs less then the Mega...after it was stretched.

 

You may also factor in that "RVs" fall under an exemption with the DOT. They do not fall under the 10k and above licensing requirements as it is for personal use not commercial.

That being said you are still able to get cited for being over any of your vehicles limits. GVWR/GCWR. Your vehicles manual will list all applicable ratings. It is highly unlikely you will be pulled over for something like this.

As for the perfect vehicle to tow your trailer there are many factors. 4 wheel drove/longer cabs/longer beds all significantly reduce your tow ratings. I am a big fan of the 4500/5500 however If you compare these to a 3500 you will often find very similar towing numbers as the chassis cabs are mainly designed for high payload capacity in the bed.

I would look for a 3500 dually, and truly nitpick at what options you need. I.e. a mega cab is great but has a very low tow rating.

 

True about the private vs commercial. However, our provincially run insurance has now put the trailer weight declaration for any trailer over 10K lbs for private. In order to get a heavy trailer endorsement in Saskatchewan and be insured accordingly you must take a written and driven course to get the endorsement. I kind of think its another cash grab but their reasoning is because of the incidents that occur while towing heavy. DOT up here can and has done RV checks for this endorsement. I doubt there is much they can do to an out of province rig though.

I will go to a 4500 if I ever switch out the truck I have now. Time to buy more lotto tickets. 50 million tonight.

 

I have heard and seen people get cited stateside as well with RVs. I am sure it is the same there, If they really want to get you they will find something.

Have to pick up some tickets as well.

Personally I want the long hauler concept truck.

 

The GCVWR on 3rd gen trucks (as far as I know, all of them)....is 21,000lbs if you have 3.73 gears and 23,000 with 4.10s. That applies to 2500s, 3500 SRW and duallies.

The GVWR is 9000lbs for 2500s, 9900lbs for 3500 SRW, and 12,200lbs. for duallies.

GCVWR (Gross combined vehicle weight rating) is the total of truck and trailer and all cargo, passengers etc. We all know that the "ratings" are way under what the trucks can comfortably pull.

GVWR (Gross vehicle weight rating) is the weight of the truck only and all of it's cargo, passengers, and any tongue weight from a trailer.

..

 

And to add to the confusion or strange way that Chrysler rates all GVWR...
06 Ram quad cab 3500 dually 2 wheel drive is 11,200 lbs. 07 Mega Cab dually 4 wheel drive is 10,500 lbs. And if I remember correctly, the 07 long bed 3500 quad 4x4 SRW is 11,100 lbs.

When a truck weighs in at 8700 lbs and its GVWR is 10,500 lbs even though its GCVWR is 21,000 lbs...its easy to exceed the 10,500. When I got tagged, I was registered for 24,000 lbs. The DOT officer said I was under that but over the GVWR and...even though I was over the 21,000 GCVWR manufacturers spec, he said that was ok. I was always concerned about exceeding what I was registered for in total weight, never considered the GVWR until we both looked at the sticker on the door. He even said if I was headed east and not west into the mountains...he would have let me go. Sure seems like there's a fair bit of latitude on how the laws are defined and enforced.

 

Actually the GCWR is legislated. I think the confusion is that there are 2 different types of licensing required, Drivers License and the vehicles license (i.e., vehicle registration). Either the tow vehicle or the trailer must be registered for the weight of the trailer. Most people put lifetime registration on their trailers so they don't have to renew the registration every year like their trucks. This places 100% of the weight of the trailer on the tow vehicle's registration.

Example: If my truck weighs 10,000 lbs. and I want to pull a 15,000 lbs. trailer the combined weight would be 25,000 lbs. I will need my truck to be registered for maximum 25,000 lbs. This is a number that you set when you register your truck as long as it is within the manufacturers GCWR. Sadly most registry offices go by the tire size and do not use the GCWR set by the manufacturer.

 

Hmm funny, when i talked to the AB/BC government they both stated that GCVWR was not legislated and that they don't check for that. Alberta was tires only and BC was everything on the door ?

Update. I have been hauling my Cyclone with my 2500 with no issues. Pulls perfect and the Goerend is working very well. I have a GVW of 12039 lbs and a trailer weight of 18300lbs. Rear axle is 7000lbs. So this is a little over LOL. I have no problems towing this truck. It seems like a lot of guys get a little wigged out with heavy stuff or when lawyers are involved.

However i have I have decided to purchase a new truck this month. I started doing some serioous number crunching and the only 3500's that work are 2011 and up Dodge and Chev (the only 2 im considering). I have heard the new Dodges blow on fuel. I have some decisions to make i suppose. Will be nice to move into a new truck !

 

You are right, I was only addressing the gross combined weight rating from the perspective of manufacturer specifications and could they be exceeded legaly. Answer is yes, they can be here in BC although I was told they do look for a minimum 30% of the total GCVW to be on the rear drivers. (I have not been able to confirm or locate that rule in wrighting)

Driver licensing and vehicle licensing is a whole other ball game with different rules for different weights. (pretrip inspections, scale stops, log books etc.)

 

My "Redneck" Toyhauler is a bit over 18K when the Jeep is on it. I haul it with a 2003 Ram 3500 dually with manual 6spd and 4.10s. I added some power to it and put in a HD clutch to help things out a bit. I've been into BC a few times, all over southern AB and did a trip from Calgary to Moab Utah. Never been bothered once, never been weighed.

For those in AB that have had problems how did it start? Were you waved into a random check stop where they had a portable scale?