Overland set-up total vehicle weight...

Weight doesn't just affect payload. It also affects capability, milage, wear and tear, safety, and the occasional ability to use the truck for non-overland truck things.

You are going to have to stop all that mass. Who knows what your braking distance will really be. An off road towing channel had an episode hauling a pig Taco out of a jam. He was surprised (not pleasantly) of how much it weighed and how difficult a pull.

 

Every obstacle has a bypass. You can see the same shit from a different angle. Don't get played.

 

Lol it is real here. It is relaxed there. Pick your poison. Do you want hard fact or do you want to hear what you believe...

 

If you're really concerned about GVWR....you'll plan to that number. I don't see an issue with exeeding that by a couple hundred lbs....but it will take a toll on your vehicle in the way of suspension fatigue...engine and transmisson overloading...and the rest of the drive train. You should just be aware when you're loading that thing up. Alot of people say their truck does just fine when towing or having it loaded down, but what they don't tell you is that they are going up steep grades with the throttle maxed in lower gears, revving the crap out of the engine trying to keep a constant speed, or just keeping up with the flow of traffic. Everything you do will be a compromise to performance. Good luck on the build....sounds like you have a nice wishlist.

 

It's sound advice to head out and wait to see what you really need. I was a regular ground tent (or improvised shelter) camper for a long time. I went out into the woods and worked the entire time, finding wood and cooking raw unprepared food over the fire. I didn't need much then, but I also only went out for a weekend.

Now I go out for a week to a month, and driving pretty far to get there (PA to MT last year, for example). My gear priorities are driven by the trip I want to have. I'm not trying to drive across the country to drag my truck over some rocks so I can drive in a big circle, and I'll be on pavement for 1000's of miles at highway speed. I do like to find challenging forest service roads to get to a good spot. The RTT and refrigerator are game changers for anything longer than a weekend, IMO, and worth their weight in gold.

My truck is not instagram hot but it is finely tuned for my objectives. It also weighs 6k lbs, but has "small" tires, a low mounted tent, and is barely lifted (~1" front, 3/4" rear). Brakes are also upgraded. The weight comes from range/duration related gear and quality of life stuff that enables us to stay out for a long time and/or drive for a long time and still be comfortable. I would not want to do these kinds of trips with 35" mud tires and a ton of armor, as much as I like those builds. With all my weight (and chassis upgrades) it actually drives much better than stock and unladen, except for not holding 6th gear as long, but it almost never goes above 2500 rpm. The brakes still activate ABS on the front wheels on dry pavement. I monitored water and trans temps on some big grades at altitude in CO and had no issues.

Whatever you do, I recommend stopping by a CAT scale before you start building. You'll be surprised how much it weighs with just you and a full tank.

 

If you want to go car camping and not overload your truck...get a trailer.

 

Does DOT have the authority to inspect a vehicle that does not have an MC/DOT number? I believe their authority only extends to those MC/DOT # vehicles.

PA has a state law that says no 2 axle vehicle may have a gross weight above 38k. I am not seeing anything about exceeding the manufacturers rating.

 

I recommend a CAT scale as well. I think a good point was made here as to tire size…for the GVWR is determined using stock tires and rims. Large tires quickly add weight that is often forgotten about. That not only eats up payload but affects your overall stopping capabilities. Read your sticker as each model will have different baselines for weight

 

Honest question, can you point me to a federal or state law about exceeding manufacturers gvwr? I'm finding PA state laws that give weight limits for vehicles depending on the # of axles but nothing on manufacturers rating. I could be wrong, but I don't believe DOT has authority over privately owned and operated vehicles under 26k w/o an MC or DOT #.

 

Stopping? That's why you get bumpers...sheesh. Seriously, that was also a concern. The more I dig into into this topic, the more I'm realizing I might need to rethink my build. I took a look at the sticker in the door jam. Mine says 990 lbs. So, with the plates I already have, my choice of RSI Smartcap and tent, me and dog, that doesn't leave much for anything else. Add fuel and I'm over.
Well, I have time to think this further.

 

My overland kit.
It tips the scales at approx. 1/5th of what my dog Tucker weighs.
I also use my truck for light truck stuff fairly often but between what you see here and what's in a plastic tub from Dollar General and an old milk crate, it works pretty good for my adventuring or overlanding or whatever sleeping in the back of my truck is called these days. 

 

It's not necessarily that they have authority to stop and inspect for that but your payload rating is a federally mandated number assigned to the vehicle by the manufacturer that cannot be changed after the fact. You can add stuff to make the truck carry the weight better but you cannot change that number. If you get in a wreck and are found to be exceeding the payload capacity it opens you up to civil and criminal offenses that could otherwise be avoided.

 

Not stated: That bypass may involve leaving your truck and taking a hike.

I really miss doing this kind of camping. Simpler, singler times.

 

haha. That’s all you picked out? Classic TW extrapolation.

but a good catch… it’s 50lbs. The problem with working night shifts is typing like you’re drunk. Even when you are not.

 

Camping by one self… that is another thing I miss. Not always… but often.

 

I somewhat agree, but what laws are we talking about? I'm not disagreeing about what GVWR is, I'm asking how can it be enforced. The claims appear to be 1) DOT can weigh you and 2) it's illegal to be over gvwr.

From what I understand, DOT, or more accurately, the state cops that enforce DOT, have no authority here. It would probably be an accident reconstructionist, after the fact. I also havent found any laws that say "it is illegal to exceed GVWR."

A lot of different things could be used towards a negligence charge that aren't explicitly illegal, like altering your vehicle's roll center with a lift, reducing braking and handling performance with bigger tires, or altering it's collision performance (a federally regulated performance requirement evaluated by NHTSA prior to sale, as I understand it) with an aftermarket bumper, especially when bodily injury to another party is involved. Alter your vehicle at all and you are accepting more risk. I know some states have laws about bumper height, ride height, # of forward facing lights and other equipment, but I've haven't been able to find a law regarding the manufacturer's gvwr.

Apparently, Aussies can get certified at a higher GVWR then factory. I don't know what goes into it, but apparently to their government it least, it is not a fixed performance value.

 

I'm interested in the payload of tacoma in other countries...or is it US market only thing?

 

There are all kinds of laws, such as you list above, for weight limits on ALL vehicles, not just commercial. For example, I could not build a 100,000 lb vehicle with four wheels and expect to operate it on any road legally. Private or commercial.
Where I think you would have problems is if you were in an accident. If your or the other guy's insurance found out you were driving a pig it could open a world of hurt for you.
Sure, other people do it, but, as my mom said, "If your friends jumped off the empire state building would you do it too?"
Even Trail Mater driver Rory, who was pulling a fat Tacoma up Hells Gate (it literally was so fat it ran out of power) said that "overlanders" are getting dangerous with the weight.
And, let's be honest... You don't need pretty much any of the stuff you have to go down a five mile rocky trail. You need a truck to haul your tent and cooler and chairs. That's it.
However, you lose the cool factor.
Have fun.

 

All payloads are the same for a Tacoma sold anywhere. All laws are not the same depending on the country.

 

Sure, like I said, PA state law says any 2 axle vehicle cannot exceed 38k. I can't find anything about exceeding manufacturers GVWR. These are two separate issues.

Insurance is an interesting, and also separate point (insurance doesn't write or enforce laws). All of my mods are known and covered by my insurance. I will have to look through the paperwork to see if they mention manufacturer's GVWR.