Trailer gross weight

ryanb

Well-Known Member
I have a 5200lb boat trailer. Boat and trailer combined weighs 5500 give or take 200lbs of fuel. I've scaled it at that. I have about 1000lbs of wiggle room between the rated weight and the actual load.

I am thinking about downsizing my tow vehicle, but the one I am looking at has only a 6200lb rating. Now even though the trailer only weighs 5500, my gross weight on the trailer is 6440, so I believe I am not legal to tow that with the 6200lb rated vehicle, is that correct?

Is it possible to get a new sticker to de-rate my trailer?

Thanks
 
The way i understand it, it is the weight you are actually towing that counts, not what the trailer is capable of carrying. If you are towing a boat and trailer whose combined weight is 6200 lbs or less then the truck is OK. If your trailer was empty I could probably tow it legally with a Rav 4
 
You can tow up what the tow vehicle payload is rated for, regardless of what the trailer GVWR is. The tow rating of 6200 LB - is just a marketing number, the real number that you need to look at is the tow vehicle payload rating which is usually a yellow and white sticker on the driver door jamb.
Payload rating typically does not include all people, gear, vehicle accessories such as trailer hitch, spare tire (yes in some cases) You cannot legally exceed that number.

Weigh your vehicle (no trailer attached) with your loaded fishing gear and people etc then subtract that from your GVWR rating. The difference is how much weight you have left for trailer tongue weight. A rough measure for trailers is 10-15% of trailer GVWR tongue weight. Typically though, boat trailers with their longish design are a bit lighter in tongue weight. So for your example, 6440 lbs * 10% = 644 lbs of tongue weight. Now subtract that from your leftover tow vehicle capacity above.

For example, my 1/2 ton truck has a 10,800 lb tow rating, but there is no way I would pull that much with a 1/2 ton as it is simply not safe and I also would legally be way over the payload capacity of the truck which is 1280 lbs.
 
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Forgot to add. The tow vehicle will more likely require a weight distribution hitch (more added weight to count against payload capacity.)
 
Thanks. I have scaled the tongue weight before at 550lbs. Right around the ideal 10%, and under the 620lb max rating for the vehicle under consideration. My 1/2 ton can easily handle the load but we are looking at moving to an SUV as it is a more practical vehicle for our family.

I wasn't sure about actual weight versus gross weight so good to hear the SUV is legal. The gvwr shouldn't be a problem either, but it will require a weight distributing hitch which is something to consider.
 
I pull my 7200 lb boat/trailer with an suv. I used to have a short wheel base Denali with a 7400 lb tow capacity which after using it once I decided to upgrade to one with a 9400 lb Capacity and longer wheel base. Remember, wheelbase is your friend. Longer better as it is leverage against what’s behind you. If you have 20% extra capacity and enough wheelbase you should be fine. I’ve also found with my suv that 15% tongue weight is better when you have a weight distribution Hitch. More weight on the hitch usually helps reduce risk of sway. Which is no fun at all.
 
Some general information:
(Source: https://www.drivesmartbc.ca/rules-road/equipment/brakes-boat-trailers)

The first thing that you need to do is know the total weight involved for the boat (and everything in it) and boat trailer (and everything carried on it) when you are ready to tow it. There are three divisions, total weight of 1,400 kg or less, over 1,400 kg but less than or equal to 2,800 kg and over 2,800 kg.

If your trailer and load weigh 1,400 kg or less, it only requires brakes if that weight is 50% or more of the licensed weight of the tow vehicle:

Trailer brakes

5.02 (3) A trailer shall be equipped with brakes at each end of each axle, but brakes are not required

(b) on any axle of a trailer other than a towing dolly if the licensed vehicle weight of the trailer

(i) is 1 400 kg or less, and

(ii) is less than 50% of the licensed vehicle weight of the vehicle by which it is being towed,

The licensed weight is commonly called the curb weight or what the manufacturer says that the vehicle weighed when it was first built.

If your trailer weights more than 1,400 kg it must be equipped with brakes:

Brakes required on all wheels

6.06 (1) Every bus, truck, truck tractor and commercial trailer shall be equipped with a service brake on each wheel.

Don't let that word "commercial" confuse you. If your trailer weights more than 1,400 kg, it is a commercial trailer by definition regardless of what you might think.

"commercial trailer" means a trailer, or semitrailer, or house trailer, with a gross weight of more than 1 400 kg, but does not include a towed motor vehicle that weighs less than 2 000 kg and is less than 40% of the gross vehicle weight rating of a motor home towing it via a tow bar;

You must also have a breakaway braking device:

Breakaway and emergency braking

6.07 (1) The service brakes with which a commercial trailer is equipped shall be of such manufacture and design and so installed and maintained that they will be applied automatically upon the separation of the commercial trailer from the vehicle by which it is being towed, and so that after such automatic application they will remain fully applied for not less than 15 minutes.

Finally, if the trailer weights more than 2,800 kg it must be equipped with brakes in the same manner as the over 1,400 to 2,800 kg category and those brakes must be able to be operated separately from the tow vehicle brakes by the driver:

5.02 (4) Brakes with which a trailer is equipped shall

(c) where the licensed vehicle weight of the trailer exceeds 2 800 kg, be capable of being applied by the driver of the motor vehicle towing the trailer from his normal seated position.

This essentially means that a surge brake is not acceptable for loaded trailers whose weight is over 2,800 kg.
 
Some more general information - Part II

Provincial Brake Requirements
Source (http://www.rvda.ca/ProvBrakeReqts.asp)

British Columbia
Trailer Brake Requirements

Gross trailer weight of 1,400 kg (3,080 Ibs) or less – Brakes are required if the trailer and its load weigh more than 50% of the licensed weight of the vehicle towing it.
Gross trailer weight of 1,401 kg (3,081 Ibs) to 2,800 kg (6,160 Ibs) – Brakes are required, including a breakaway brake.
Gross trailer weight of more than 2,800 kg (6,160 Ibs) – Brakes are required, and the trailer brakes must be capable of being applied by the driver independently of the towing vehicle's brakes. A surge brake does NOT meet this requirement. A breakaway brake is also required. Brakes are required on all axles.
The sole exemption to this rule is for a 3 axle house trailer, in which case brakes are only required on 2 of the 3 axles.

Towing Dolly Brake Requirements

Gross weight of dolly and motor vehicle carried is 1,400 kg (3,081 Ibs) or less.
Brakes are not required on the dolly if the net weight of dolly plus (+) the gross weight of motor vehicle carried plus (+) the gross weight of tow vehicle equals (=) less than the gross vehicle weight rating of the towing vehicle.
Combinations other than the two outlined above require brakes on the towing dolly. Brakes are not required on the motor vehicle being carried by the dolly.
Tow Bar Brake Requirements

Motorhome and Towed Motor Vehicle – If the towed motor vehicle has a gross vehicle weight of less than 2,000 kg (4,400 Ibs) and is less than 40% of the gross vehicle weight rating of the motorhome, brakes and coordinated brake control are not required.
Commercial Vehicle with GVWR over 5,500 kg (12,100 Ibs) and Towed Motor Vehicle – If the aggregate weight of the combination does not exceed the GVWR of the commercial vehicle brakes are not required on the motor vehicle being towed.
Other Combinations – If the combination is not included in the two situations outlined above, brakes are required on all wheels of the motor vehicle being towed in the same manner as trailer brake requirements.
General Brake Requirements

Brakes with which a trailer is equipped when applied must be adequate to maintain control of the trailer; when applied must not affect the direction of travel of the trailer.
Breakaway Brake – must automatically apply when the trailer separates from the tow vehicle and when applied must be capable of remaining fully applied for at least 15 minutes.
Detached Trailers

No person shall park or leave a detached trailer at any place on a highway unless the wheels are locked so that the trailer will remain stationary at thatplace.
 
I don't mean to be snarky, but where did anyone ask about brake requirements?

No one asked about brakes - but someone did comment: "anything over 6200 pounds has to have Hydraulic over electric brakes as well"
The info I posted was listed as general information, as for some strange reason, brakes and trailers do have something in common...

And yes, you are being snarky.
 
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