"Can my xxx tow an Oliver" -It Depends - Playing with Weight on a Scale

[WhatDa]

I see it here and on FB, the question of whether a particular vehicle can tow the Oliver. In the end, it depends - a lot.

 

As part of our little cross country run in the Oliver, I weighed it more than a few times as it was hitched to my Navigator.

 

The specs that are on the doorjamb of my navigator are:

 

Payload 1500lbs (ie factory computed actual curb weight subtracted from GVWR)

Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR): 7800lbs (Total weight on my truck should not exceed this)

Front Gross Axle Weight Rating (GAWR): 3625lbs (the weight on my front axles should not exceed this)

Rear Gross Axle Weight Rating: 4380lbs (the rear limit)

 

The problem is none of this shows up - besides the 6800lbs - in any material available before purchase. Even the axle weight ratings are pretty useless as I have no idea how much of my "5300lbs" of curb weight are on the rear axle to begin with. To really understand capabilities, I need to take this information with me to a scale to see.

 

I haven't had a chance to weigh the empty/loaded truck by itself, so we'll go with the full up loaded truck+loaded trailer scenarios.

 

First we weighed in with our base load including driver, co-pilot, and rest stop dictator (doggo) in the second row:

 

 

Total weight in Tow Vehicle: 7420 - 380lbs below max gross - plenty to spare

 

Rear axle weight: 4340 - only 40lbs under the limit - but legal

 

 

 

So I removed a piece of luggage from the rear of the SUV and put it in the back of the Oliver - we also gained  some other stuff before my next scale date:

 

 

Even though we gained overall weight (40 lbs), the rear axle of the SUV lost weight -- due to the distribution of weight in the trailer.  We still had well over 10% weight.

 

But I needed to carry my all season tires+wheels in the trailer - so I adjusted the Andersen and did a re-weigh:

 

 

Not only did this lower my rear (drive) axle weight by 80 lbs, but it pushed some of that weight not only to the trailer - but to my front tires so that I have a little more steering authority.

 

 

 

So I added the all season tires (and now winter tires are on the SUV):

 

 

Total weight: 7600lbs --  200lbs under gross.

 

Rear (drive) axle weight is now exceeded.  I moved two of the tires to the trailer for the rest of the trip (it was fun moving them back and forth after every stop) and then adjusted the Andersen again - which brought us well within specs on the re-weigh (which I had to get manually printed so it's not included in this post.

 

So what I learned: I'm probably not going to hit max vehicle gross weight before I hit my rear axle weight.   Not without really using the Andersen at max potential to push more weight to the front or without carrying more of the load in the second row floor/where doggo is.  Pilot/Co-Pilot are pretty light in our case.

 

What this means for you: whether your vehicle can tow or not will depend on your vehicle, how it's specifically configured, your weight, your stuff's weight, and where you put your weight.  The Navigator works brilliantly for us, as long as I don't have 340lbs of tires+wheels in it.  It might not work for someone else who needs to carry more stuff in the truck.  The same goes for someone in an F150, Tundra, etc...   Some trucks just won't work - Honda Ridgelines need not apply.

 

For those that want to know how to weigh in - that will be my first reply to this topic.   Please include your results below.

Edited March 20, 2020 by WhatDa
corrected GCWR 6800->7800

[WhatDa]

How to weigh your truck and trailer at a CAT scale:

 

CAT scales are at most rest stops frequented by truckers. They provide your steer axle (front wheels), drive axle (rear wheels), and trailer weight. This lets you know if you are in limits or not.

 

1) find a cat scale - they have big yellow signs that say CAT scale on them. https://catscale.com/cat-scale-locator/ can help

1a) Sign up for Weigh My Truck and download/setup the app if you want to use this service. It lets you get the weight and a PDF of your results without ever having to go into the store and interact with humans. https://weighmytruck.com/ "create driver account" - you'll need to add a payment method. Sign into the app on your phone afterwards and make sure it's working before you are sitting on the scale.

 

2) drive to the scale - I try to use them when there aren't a bunch of truckers queued for them.

3) drive onto the scale, you will see two yellow lines on them - put your front wheels just past the furthest line, and make sure the second line is between your trailer and rear wheels.

4) shift to neutral, use parking brake - this prevents weights being skewed by loads from brakes being applied.

5) either press the button the app (you are done) or press the button on the intercom (it'll probably be a little higher than you'd like unless you have an MDT).

6) get off the scale - get the receipt inside if you didn't use the app.

 

If you want to get an idea of your tongue weight, disconnect in the parking area, and reweigh just the truck. I strongly advise against dropping your trailer on the scale.

 

 

 

[BackofBeyond]

The Navigator works brilliantly for us, as long as I don’t have 340lbs of tires+wheels in it. It might not work for someone else who needs to carry more stuff in the truck.

 

You hit the nail on the head. The vast majority of TV's that are not 3/4 ton trucks , or better, are usually limited on payload, or some other weight rating. I weighted my rig, as you did, soon after getting it home, and as I was well under ANY max rating, I do not worry at all about what I carry, in the truck, or in the Ollie. I posted my result here previously, they are out there some where, I'm not going to go look them up.

 

RB

[WhatDa]

Yes we really wanted a 3/4 ton, but the size is an issue due to spending lots of time in/around cities and ferry restrictions as well. The Navigator has been in every major city on the East Coast and Seattle as well.