green18

Just to confirm my understanding because it is embarrassing that I was so focused on tow rating that I was not even thinking payload. I have the same sticker as above, the 1249 cargo capacity. If I am adding roughly 700 pounds with passengers, pets and wdh I am literally limited to a 500 pound tongue capacity on any travel trailer I get? Wow, I really screwed up. Everything I am looking at is around 500 pound hitch, 5000 pound camper. Crud, crud, crud.

flyingpostman

It seems like a common problem, have a walk around the campsite and see the kind of ridiculously large trailers 1/2 ton crew cab pickups are towing.

green18

So does the wdh not really help in payload? I mean isn't a 500 pound hitch weight not really a full 500 pounds if it is on a wdh? I can't believe I can't even tow 50% of my tow rating unless I take no passengers.

NorthernYankee

Its still 500lbs its just not loaded behind the rear axle...the WDH transfers some of the load forward.

green18

Thanks for the info. Wow, what a costly mistake. The whole reason I traded my Jeep for a truck was to tow a light travel trailer. That move gained me absolutely nothing as I still can't take my family of 4 and even a pop-up camper or I will be over payload. My wife is absolutely going to kill me for not understanding this prior to purchase. I saw 9600 pound tow rating and assumed anything less than half that weight would be a no-brainer to haul.

jdog0411

With a WDH the hitch limitations on the truck increase to 1000 pounds tongue weight and 10,500 pounds trailer weight because the WDH will be transferring some of that weight off the rear and distributing it onto the front axle of the truck and some back onto the trailer axles.

Your truck is still limited to 7,200 pounds Gross Vehicle Weight so you can't exceed that, but put your stuff in the trailer rather than the truck (keep the truck loaded with just the occupants if you can) and you should be fine as long as you are not exceeding the Gross Combined Weight Rating of the truck/trailer together.

NorthernYankee

What he said...if its not needed in the cab put it in the trailer and you should be good to go!

green18

That all makes good sense guys and I appreciate it. My problem is a family of 4 averaging 150 pounds nets me 600 + 50 bed liner + 100 WDH + 75 pound lab and I am literally at 375 pounds tongue capacity without bringing an ounce of cargo in the truck. There is very little I can get under 375 pound tongue weight. It is my own fault as I had no idea max tow added payload as well. An extra couple hundred pounds capacity would be like gold. I feel so stupid not having a better understanding of this limitation and it is going to end up costing me.

NorthernYankee

I think you may be misunderstanding that 1249# number...that doesn't necessarily mean that you are limited to 500# tongue in your scenario. The more important number is the CVWR, as long as you vehicle, cargo and tongue weight do not exceed the GVWR you are good to go.

As an example I have a GVWR of 7200#. My truck weighs about 5500# plus ~600# for the family is 6100#. So that leaves me with 1100# for my tongue weight but I am limited there to 1050# with a WDH.

So even with me and my family I could max my tongue weight and not hit my GVWR. Now my trailers tongue is ~600# so I have room to spare. Don't worry you have more capacity then you think.

green18

First of all thanks again you guys are crazy helpful. I thought that I had to take anything added in passengers, cargo, accessories PLUS the weight of the trailer on the hitch (likely 4-500 pounds) and that total number could not exceed the cargo carrying number on the sticker (which is 1200)? I would assume if I exceed that I will also be exceeding GVWR? I assume my truck weighs more than your 5500 or my cargo number would be higher? Is it not really as simple as truck + cargo rating =GVWR? I must really be a pain but you are really teaching me some things here and I appreciate it.