[scrubjaysnest]

Originally Posted by PopBeavers

I was probably overloaded with my 1500HD Chevy. A WD hitch might have reduced the sag enough to get the front wheel off of the TM.

Instead I added a 2500HD truck. It has quite a bit more capacity.

Consider this test:

Load TV and TM to the most you would ever expect to carry.
Drive drown a gravel road. pick a speed suitable for that road.
Find a gentle turn.
Slam on the brakes until you come to a stop.
How comfortable were you?
Find another dirt road, downhill, 90 degree blind turn, off camber.

Repeat the test.

This only applies to people that go where I go.

Another TV issue. My 2500HD truck has an IBC (Integrated Brake Controller). According to the owners manual, when ABS is engaged it pulses the power back to the TM brakes. Sounds like a good idea to me.

I will never tow a large trailer again without IBC. But this is a bit off topic. The question was regarding weight capacity. There have been a few tangents to the core topic, so I will add my own wrinkle.

BTW, both trucks are my daily commuter. I alternate between them. I get around 13 MPG commuting 20 miles round trip. At $3.76 per gallon that is $5.64 per day.

My wife's Lexus SUV gets 22 mpg. $3.56 per day. So I would save about $2.00 per day. Make that $10.00 per week. That is about $500 per year.

I spend $4.30 per day on coffee. I spend another $5.00 on lunch.

I could buy a daily commuter that gets around 20 mpg, but that is not economically viable. Even 30 mpg is not economically viable.

I'll stick with my pair of trucks. I buy vehicles that meet my needs. I do not buy fuel efficient vehicles that do not meet my needs.

If my commute was substantially longer then the numbers go up. That can be fixed by moving.

Another outstanding post by PopBeavers. My daughter wanted a new vehicle, got a Ford Focus, gets 34 mpg, can't get into the house the ruts are to deep. She got transferred so moved back home. She is driving TV2, 12mpg Grande Cherokee that has 6000# tow capacity and four wheel drive. Oh the Focus has no tow rating.