New truck and towing weight questions

[swrock]

I just bought a 2008 c3500 dually regular cab with a small dump body, with 6.6l duramax and allison transmission.

I'm a little confused on how much weight I'm allowed to tow.
Alabama has a GVWR or GCWR of 26000 pounds, above that you need to get a CDL, which I don't have.

In the owners manual it says maximum trailer weight is 16000lbs. and right beside that it says GCWR is 23,500 lbs.
The GVWR is 11400 lbs on the door sticker.
I don't fully understand this. If I add the max trailer weight to the GVWR for the truck then its over the GCWR of 23500 lbs. ???

My tractor, komatsu trackhoe, weighs 11100 lbs.
I need to buy a trailer that will haul my trackhow but not put me over the 26000 lbs limit for now.
What rating trailer do I need to get and be legal for the trucks GCWR?

The way I'm looking at it is if I buy a trailer rated enough to haul the trackhoe then I'll be over the GCWR of the truck?

Sorry for the long post and questions from a newbie and I appreciate any help.

[Tow Master]

Ok this got me thinking for a minute but I think I figured it out.

From what I remember
GVWR is Gross Vehicle Weight Rating
GCWR is Gross Combind Weight rating.

There for Your GCWR is 26000 pounds truck and trailer combind. The truck weighs about 7000 pounds. So if your backhoe weights 11,100 + 7000 = 18,100 pounds. So you can get a trailer that weighs 7,900 pounds

The GVWR 11400 lbs on the door sticker is the truck will be able to haul in the bed so you can haul 11400-7000= 4400 pounds in the bed of your truck.

Sound correct?

[Buck]

yep thats it could not have said it better myself!

[Tow Master]

Originally Posted by Buck

yep thats it could not have said it better myself!

Hey cool!! Now you gotta find my old math teachers and tell them that!

[ronk49753]

Incorrect -- All DOT considers are the stickers on the truck and trailer, both for GVWR only. They have no clue what each actually weighs so they use the math that anyone can figure. ANY combination of GVWR's that is 26,001 and up you better have a CDL. Also if your truck has a 26,000 lb GCVWR figure, you subtract the GVWR for the truck (11,400) and you get the maximum GVWR trailer unit you can tow (14,600). The actual weights of the truck and unit are NEVER figured. Go over and it will be a mega ticket - Washington State = $1500.00

[Electric Boss]

Hey swrock, I'm sure this is gonna hit a tad late but here it goes.
Easy part: DOT, As ronk said they add the GVWR of truck & trailer. Your truck 11,200. So a trailer of 14,000 GVWR is all you can do without a class A. Check your states licensing requirements as they vary. You may need something for being over 10,001/18,001. Here’s the bummer. With that much weight you will probably be over the GVWR of the trailer when you add the trailer weight back in the mix.
Now the little harder part: You will notice some guys have a class A license, 3500 dually or 2500, & regularly haul 30,000 to 36,000 GCWR. How the heck does that work? Well according to some state laws it is their stand that GVWR/GCWR is set by the manufacturer & not by law makers so it is not enforceable by them. So that's part of the reason why the RV crowd gets away with towing so much. If you live in one of those states get a class A & a bigger trailer & forget the GCWR. Of course at your own risk & conscious.
Now the Flat confusing part: I know a guy that has a backhoe. Gets pulled over by the Missouri Highway Patrol DOT. He has a Duramax 2500. He gets told to get a bigger truck & to not be seen hauling again until he does. Now that flies in the face of some of the info above. I personally agree with it but the bottom line here is that there is no consistency. I guess if you’re a commercial hauler or look like a commercial hauler it’s best to be within the limits.
Trailer Part: I also tow a large load on a 14k trailer. DO NOT get a car hauler. Get a deck over. I have had more trouble with tires on that thing. Problem is turning. Really cranks the tires over with that much weight. Bigger tire won’t work. You won’t have the room as they push all the leaf spring mounts out a bit plus the inner fender is too close. If you have already have gotten one you might be ok with the Hankooks. Just look at it closely before you buy them.
Really Tough Part: You will find that hauling that much weight you really need a little larger trailer than a 14k. You will notice in time it just eats em up. Of course that throws you into a class A license. Perhaps that’s no biggie but if DOT begins to clue into GCWR now the truck is too small. Not likely in the short term but as I said above, one guy did it. Who knows. Take care.

[NC4AB]

You might want to check with your local DMV / DOT, in North Carolina towing any trailer (regardless of the weight of the pulling vehicle) that is rated for more than 10,000 pounds kicks you into having to have a CDL license.