How bad is it if I tow more than my trucks towing capacity?
It’s been a long week, and you’re ready to hit the road on a much needed fishing trip with the guys. Luckily, your pickup is full of gas, your gear is secure in the back and rush hour traffic is starting to die down. Then your friend arrives and starts to hook his 20-foot (6-meter) boat onto the hitch. You start to tell him it’s probably not a good idea for your truck to haul quite so much weight but think better of it. Those towing capacities are understated anyway, right? Besides, you’re not going terribly far, and you’ve used your truck to tow before. Bad move. A car’s gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR), also referred to as the truck towing capacity or vehicle towing capacity, is serious business. A towing capacity rating is based on the maximum gross vehicle weight (GVW) (the weight of the fully loaded vehicle or trailer, including cargo and passengers) the vehicle is designed to carry. Exceeding it can not only damage your vehicle, but it also puts your life and the lives of other
