More confused about towing capacity than before!!

what does the title say? I'm not entirely clear on if TX is concerned with max gross weight of the truck or maximum gross weight of the combined truck and trailer.

 

So I have a 3500 series ford duelly, 8,000lbs weight, my trailer weighs 7,000 lbs. empty weight, combined weighs 15,000 lbs. Trailer is rated for 20,000 lbs, that means for me to stay legal I can only load 5,000 lbs. on trailer. Is that right.

 

You need to know the Gross Trailer Weight Rating which the truck and connection device is rated for. If you have an 8' bed and an adjustable 5th wheel then I think it's rated for 25,000 lbs tow weight. Fifth wheels have different ratings so make sure you know that. If the tow weight is not in the door look in the owners manual. Use the lessor of the two. The truck is only the power unit when you add a trailer. So your concerns are what can the trailer carry and if the truck is rated to pull it.

I would get 26,000 lb tags which doesn't require a CDL, only a medical card. If your trailer is rated for 20,000 then you can load 13,000. But since you have 26,000 lb tags it's 26,000 lbs minus the GCWR which is 15,000 lbs. So your answer is you can legally load 11,000 lbs. Always consider your fuel weight if you load with a partial tank.

11,000 lbs plus trailer weight 7000 lbs = 18,000 lbs so you are well within the GVWR of the trailer and the GCWR of the tags.

Let me add when you load the trailer you want to balance your load appropriately with a positive weight on the 5th wheel. The scales will weigh each axle and the axle group on the trailer. Keep each of them weights within your tires max weight rating (added together)/axle rating and you'll be well within the highway limits.

 

You do not need a class B until you go over 26K GVW. Any class C can drive any vehicle up to 26K GVW. You do however technically need a medical card and log book if you are driving a commercial vehicle over 10K GVW

 

Every state is different in that regards. Illinois "marries" the tags...so you plate the truck for what the truck by itself (without a trailer) will ever weigh with the freight in the bed and passengers in the cab. My F250 only has 8,000 tags on it...more than enough for what I typically do with it. When I pull a trailer, the gross combination weight cannot exceed the truck's 8000 pound tag PLUS whatever the trailer is registered for. For example, if I've got 14,000 pound tags on the trailer, my gross combination weight cannot exceed 22,000 pounds. If I want to pull a 19,000 plated gooseneck trailer, I'd be good to go up to 27,000 gross even though my pickup by itself is only registered to 8000 pounds.

Other states, such as right across the river in Missouri, you've got to plate your truck heavy enough to cover the gross combination of whatever trailer you might decide to hook to. If you've got 8000 pound tags on a full size pickup, you're not going to be able to pull a trailer with anything on it...and might not even be able to pull an empty trailer depending upon what your truck & trailer weigh empty. If you want to pull a 14,000 pound trailer with a truck that weighs 6,000 empty, you'd better plate the truck for at least 20,000.

In regards to Texas, http://ftp.txdmv.gov/pub/txdot-info/vtr/fees/fee_chart_1c.pdf has the following notation where it pertains to truck registration fees:

What stands out there is that it is the empty weight of the vehicle plus the load that will be carried by the vehicle. It says nothing about towing capacity or the weight of the trailer.

Then over at http://www.txdmv.gov/vehicles/drivers/trailers.htm there is another paragraph...

Which leads me to believe they might charge increased fees for heavier trailer weight registrations similar to Illinois....but this is only my best guess at this point...needs further looking into. The local DMV or county assessor's office might be good places to inquire.

Here's a little something else that you might want to ask about: http://www.txdps.state.tx.us/cve/Commerical.htm

That also leads me to believe Texas might be more like Illinois than Missouri where truck/trailer registrations are concerned. They want to make sure they are getting their money. If you buy the cheaper "truck" plate, you can only pull trailers that you have paid for the weight of the trailer, not the cheaper "token" trailer...but if you pay for the entire weight of the "combination" when you plate the truck, they don't care if you pull an expensive weight-based trailer plate or the cheaper token trailer because they've got your money.


...but again, that's all based on assumptions based upon what was easily found online....and you know what they say when you assume. Better to check it out with the appropriate agencies and state offices.