Photo by: Ferdinand Reus from Arnhem, Holland (Safari Uploaded by mangostar) [CC-BY-SA-2.0 (www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
Former Overland Journal editor Jonathan Hanson has written an excellent article on Overland Expo about Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR). I’ve certainly heard it said that one of the best ways to keep a vehicle from failing is to keep the loaded weight under its GVWR. I just had no idea how easy it was to load a truck beyond that limit. Everything counts: occupants, your gear, your steel bumpers.
The article highlights one reader, who weighed everything he typically packs in his 1997 Mitsubishi Montero, and found that his loaded vehicle was 35% over GVWR, that was 2,000 lbs. over the 5,700 lb. limit, in his case. The article makes the case that even at GVWR vehicle handling can be compromised and offers thoughts on addressing the issue.
Read the article here:
Is Gross Vehicle Weight Rating . . . Overrated?
