What is the difference between gross vehicle weight and payload

Note: Payload capacity includes passengers! Towing capacity refers to how much weight you can safely pull behind your truck with a trailer. You can find your truck's towing capacity in the owner's manual or calculate it on your own. It weighs 5, lbs empty and you already have 4, lbs of dirt in the truck bed. Your towing capacity would be no more than 6, lbs. The payload capacity of a Chevy Silverado truck ranges from 1, to 2, lbs.

Remember, this amount refers to how much weight you can add without a trailer. As for towing capacity, a Chevy Silverado can tow anywhere from 7, to 23, lbs, depending on how the truck is configured, notes Chevy. If all these numbers have you "tow" excited, read on! When equipped with an EcoTec3 5. It can tow up to 20, lbs—almost two adult elephants! Mass is different to weight in strict scientific terms but for ease of description here, it means the same thing. All of these weights are expressed in either kg or tonnes.

The easiest way to measure these important weights is by using your nearest public weighbridge for a moderate fee.

They're easy to find with a quick search online or through local business directories. So, let's start at the lightest weight and work our way up. This is the weight of an empty standard vehicle with all of its fluids oils, coolants but with only 10 litres of fuel in the tank. We assume 10 litres was chosen as an industry standard to allow otherwise empty vehicles to be driven to and from a weighbridge.

This is the same as Tare Mass, but with a full tank of fuel and without any accessories fitted bull bars, tow bars, roof racks etc. Think of it as your standard vehicle literally parked at the kerb and ready for you to get in and drive away. This is the maximum your vehicle can weigh when fully loaded as specified by the manufacturer.

You will usually find this GVM figure on the vehicle's weight placard generally found in the driver's door opening or in the owner's manual. So GVM is the Kerb Mass plus all accessories bull bars, roof racks, winches etc and payload see below.

This is simply the maximum load your vehicle can carry as specified by the manufacturer. Don't forget this includes all passengers and their luggage, which can seriously bite into your payload. For example, if you have a light-duty truck with a GVWR of 9, pounds and a curb weight of 6, pounds, the payload capacity will be 3, pounds:.

If you had a trailer, you also need to subtract the tongue weight from the GVWR. For this same example, if you had a trailer that weighs 2, pounds, the tongue weight would be pounds.

The total payload capacity will now drop to 2, pounds:. When hauling cargo in your truck bed, consider the density of the material.

For instance, one-half cubic yard of sand can weigh up to 1, pounds , but the same amount of mulch only weighs pounds. Both take up the same volume, but they each weigh dramatically different amounts since their densities are different. Payload capacity will also decrease if you add any aftermarket options onto the truck.

Subtract the weights of additions such as service bodies, towing attachments, enclosed bodies, platforms or dump bodies from the GVWR and the curb weight to calculate the payload capacity.

For instance, if you were to install a Reading SL service body for a single wheel , inch bed and request steel lids, you will add 1, pounds to your truck.

Installing this onto a 9,pound vehicle with a curb weight of 6, pounds will decrease your payload capacity to 1, pounds:. You can find the weight of truck additions in the specs for the service body.

Total weight depends on the options you choose and the size of the add-on you need. Generally, steel weighs more than aluminum, and if you have a larger truck, your truck body will weigh more than if you have a small pickup.

For customized additions, you will need to get the weight of the truck body from the dealer. Calculating payload capacity only tells you how much weight you can put into the truck. As with payload capacity, towing capacity is another calculation manufacturers make. However, they assume an empty vehicle with only a pound driver. Calculating towing capacity on your own gives you the chance to reach a more realistic value based on all the people in the cab and any cargo.

Subtract the latter amount from the former to find the maximum towing capacity:. This calculation does not consider anything inside your truck other than full fluid levels. Have you ever traveled? If so, you have probably used a suitcase with wheels. If you have used both suitcases and backpacks, you will know how much easier it is to pull a suitcase than to carry a heavy backpack on your back.

The same applies to trucks. The amount of weight your truck can pull is its towing capacity. On the other hand, the amount of weight it can carry is its payload capacity. When you think of it that way, it might be easier to remember which is which and the difference between them.

There are so many confusing terms related to trucks and weight that it can get hard to keep track of all of them. What does curb weight mean? What does GVWR stand for? Is it the same thing as GVWR, and if not, how is it different? These terms can be confusing even for experienced truckers — imagine how they must be for beginners. Fortunately, we will go over these terms in this article so you can better understand them.

Curb weight is what your vehicle weighs when it is empty. Being empty means that your vehicle has nothing in it — there are no passengers and no cargo. There are no extra tires on the back or any tents on the roof, either. It also means that your truck has all the seats installed and intact — they are included in the curb weight, just like the engine is. Include engine oil and brake fluids too.

Dry weight differs from curb weight only slightly. Dry weight is measured when your truck is empty and dry — there are no fluids inside. In other words, your truck has an empty gas tank.

The difference between dry weight and curb weight is not very significant. It will depend on how big your gas tank is, but gas is only a fluid, and it does not weigh that much — even if you have a larger tank — in the greater scheme of things. You will not see dry weight used a lot for trucks.

The reason manufacturers do not use it often is that it can be very deceptive. Most manufacturers and dealers will use curb weight to help you understand how much each truck weighs. If another dealer or manufacturer uses dry weight instead, it can make the truck seem a lot lighter than other trucks when it is not the case — it is just the dry weight vs.

Or does the vehicle have to be completely dry, with no fluids in it whatsoever, including brake fluids and oil? Because of this grey area, you can have two dry weights for the same vehicle. The only place dry weight is used often is for motorcycles. Motorcycles have less fluid, so the difference is not that big.

However, it is not used often for trucks. You will rarely see this term being used. It is even less common than dry weight. Neither dry weight nor shipping weight are used often. If you do see it, however, it is useful to know what it means.

Shipping weight is an alternative to the dry weight that manufacturers use to be a bit less ambiguous. It refers to trucks ready to be driven by potential customers after being moved off the assembly line.