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❑
Carefully and thoroughly prepare your
vehicle for towing, making sure to use the
right equipment and to attach it properly.
(See
Preparing to Tow
in this chapter.)
❑
Use extra caution when driving your vehicle
while you tow. (See
Driving while you tow
in
this chapter.)
❑
Service your vehicle more frequently if you
tow a trailer. (See
Servicing your vehicle if you
tow
in this chapter.)
Do not tow a trailer until your vehicle has been
driven at least 500 miles (800 km).
Vehicle Loading/Towing
Information
Your vehicle’s load capacity is designated by
weight, not volume, so you cannot necessarily
use all available space with large or heavy loads.
Maximum safe vehicle weights as well as tire,
rim sizes and inflation pressures are specified for
your vehicle at the assembly plant on the Safety
Compliance Certification Label. The Certification
Label is located on the left front door lock facing
or the door latch post pillar.
Trucks, unlike passenger cars, are basically
custom vehicles designed to carry a load. Most
owners start with a base vehicle and add
production and dealer installed and/or
aftermarket components to suit their tastes and
purposes. Even trucks that are purchased for
personal transportation only are likely to have
considerable optional equipment, such as step
bumpers and light bars, for example.
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R
WARNING
Passengers should not be allowed to ride
in the cargo area. Persons not riding in a
seat with a fastened seat belt are much
more likely to suffer serious injury in a
collision. Cargo should always be secured
to prevent it from shifting and causing
damage to the vehicle or harm to
passengers.
Each additional item of equipment affects how
much cargo a vehicle can carry. If a vehicle is
overloaded, performance will suffer and service
concerns may arise.
The following is a typical example of a Safety
Compliance Certification Label and an
explanation of how this information should be
used:
Safety Compliance Certification Label
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Do not use the sample numbers on the Safety
Compliance Certification Label shown. Use the
actual numbers from your vehicle certification
label.
Understanding Loading/Towing
Information
The following terms are used to describe the
ability to carry or tow a load:
❑
Base Curb Weight
❑
Payload
❑
GVW (Gross Vehicle Weight)
❑
GVWR (Gross Vehicle Weight Rating)
❑
GAWR (Gross Axle Weight Rating)
❑
GCWR (Gross Combined Weight Rating)
❑
Maximum Trailer Weight Rating
❑
Maximum Trailer Weight
❑
Trailer Weight Range
Base Curb Weight
The Base Curb Weight is the weight of the
vehicle including fuel, coolants, lubricants,
emergency tools, spare wheel and tire. It also
includes any equipment that is
standard
on that
model. It does not include passengers, cargo or
optional equipment installed by factory, dealer,
aftermarket supplier or customer.
Payload
Payload is the combined, maximum allowable
weight of cargo, occupants and optional
equipment that the truck is designed to carry. It
is Gross Vehicle Weight Rating minus the base
curb weight.
219
Gross Vehicle Weight (GVW)
If you add base curb weight and the weight of a
load (including passengers, cargo and optional
equipment) being carried at a particular time,
you get the Gross Vehicle Weight (GVW).
It is important to remember that GVW
is not a
limit or a specification.
If an owner loads up a
vehicle and weighs it, that’s the GVW at that
moment. If the owner piles on more of a load
and weighs it again, that becomes the
GVW...until such time as the vehicle is unloaded.
Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR)
To avoid overloading a vehicle, the owner
should observe the manufacturer’s specified
Gross Vehicle Weight Rating. The GVWR is the
maximum total weight of base vehicle,
passengers, optional components and cargo that
a particular vehicle was designed to carry.
Gross Axle Weight Rating (GAWR)
We have all seen a car or a truck that is loaded
down in the rear and riding high in the front.
This is a dangerous condition that usually means
that the rear suspension components are under
severe strain and that vehicle handling is
impaired. There is more to carrying a load than
just payload or GVWR.
Your Safety Compliance Certification Label not
only gives the GVWR, it also gives the Gross
Axle Weight Rating (GAWR) which is the
carrying capacity for each axle system. For
trucks, the rear axle will be designed to carry
more weight than the front.
The rating is based on the carrying capacity of
the
lowest rated
axle and suspension component
as well as other factors. This is why it’s so
important to observe vehicle loading ratings.
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