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Frequently Asked Questions:

  • Selling trailers on TrailerTrader

    • Can anyone sell a trailer on TrailerTrader?

    • At what price should I sell my trailer?

    • Can TrailerTrader help me set the price of my trailer?

    • Can I edit my listing?

    • My listing has sold, how do I remove my ad?

    • What is the url to my listing on trailertrader.com

  • Technical questions regarding trailers

    • What is my Vehicle Towing capacity?

    • Trailer Hitch Classifications

    • GVWR

    • Payload Capacity

    • Curb Weight

    • Dry Weight

    • GTWRGross Trailer Weight Rating

    • GAWR

    • Vehicle Truck Classification

Selling trailers on TrailerTrader

Can anyone sell a trailer on TrailerTrader?

As a private seller, you can create an account on TrailerTrader for free and then list your trailer or recreational vehicle following a simple process. Click here to list your trailer.

As a dealer or professional looking into easily listing tens of trailers on TrailerTrader, we have multiple solutions for which you can inquire here .

At what price should I sell my trailer?

We recommend that you scroll through trailers listed on TrailerTrader so that you can establish a fair market price from trailers of similar quality, age and make.

Can TrailerTrader help me set the price of my trailer?

No, TrailerTrader’s role is to bring buyers and sellers together through its marketplace.

Can I edit my listing?

Yes, you can make changes to you listing as many times as you want before it is published and while it is published on TrailerTrader. Your updates should appear within minutes.

Sign into your account (top right) and go to the Dashboard. Click on the edit button associated to the listing that you would like to edit. When done with the edits, click on the ‘save and exit’ button. You’ll land back in the Dashboard, your listing is updated.

My listing has sold, how do I remove my ad?

Sign into your account (top right) and go to the Dashboard. If your listing is currently published, you can click on the ‘listing sold’ button and it will be removed from TrailerTrader within minutes.

Listing
What is the url to my listing on trailertrader.com

When you listing is active (published on TrailerTrader), click on the ‘see trailer page’ button to open the page buyers see of your listing on TrailerTrader.

Technical questions regarding trailers

What is my Vehicle Towing capacity

Towing capacity is a measure describing the upper limit to the weight of a trailer a vehicle can tow. In the United States, towing capacity is expressed in pounds, while other countries express the limit in kilograms. Towing capacity, sometimes called maximum towing capacity, is the maximum allowable weight that a vehicle can tow. Towing capacity is specified by the v­ehicle manufacturer and can usually be found in the owner’s manual.

Some countries demand that trucks and buses have the maximum trailer weight and eventually maximum trailer length signed close to the coupling device, while this is rare with smaller cars or pickup trucks.

Trailer Hitch Classifications
Class I — rated to 2,000 pounds (907 kg)
Class II — rated to 3,500 pounds (1,588 kg)
Class III — rated to 5,000 pounds (2,268 kg)
Class IV — rated to 10,000 pounds (4,536 kg)
GVWR

Definition:

The gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) is the maximum allowable total weight of a road vehicle or trailer when loaded - i.e including the weight of the vehicle itself plus fuel, passengers, cargo, and trailer tongue weight.

The difference between gross weight and curb weight is the total passenger and cargo weight capacity of the vehicle. For example, a pickup truck with a curb weight of 4,500 pounds (2,041 kg) might have a cargo capacity of 2,000 pounds (907 kg), meaning it can have a gross weight of 6,500 pounds (2,948 kg) when fully loaded.

Restrictions:

In the United States, two important GVWR limitations are 6,000 pounds (2,722 kg) and 8,500 pounds (3,856 kg). Vehicles over 6,000 pounds are restricted from some city roadways (though there is some dispute about whether this restriction is for actual curb weight or GVWR), and vehicles over the 8,500 pound threshold are required to have insurance under Section 387.303 of the Motor Carrier Act of 1980.

Labelling:

Most U.S. cars have a placard (sticker) with this information. It is located typically either in the driver's side door or doorframe, owners manual, or also may be present on another sticker immediately under the hood near the radiator, although that sticker more typically contains information about the size of the motor, various fluid capacities, etc.

For vehicles containing no fuel or driver, the gross weight is the sum of the tare weight (the unladen vehicle weight) and the weight of the load carried. For the measuring of loads picked up at a depot or materials yard (such as gravel or rock, or other bulk goods), the weight of the driver, fuel, and existing loads are assumed to be constant between the weighing of the vehicle upon entrance (tare) and laden (gross) upon exit. Such weights are determined by a specialized scale called a weigh bridge, and such scales will usually have a computing function within the display to compute tare weight.

Payload Capacity

The Payload Capacity of a trailer is the total weight of the cargo you can safely place on the trailer. The Payload Capacity can be found on the trailer near the VIN#. The Payload Capacity is calculated by subtracting the empty weight of the trailer from the GVWR.

Curb Weight

Curb weight (US English) is the total weight of a vehicle with standard equipment, all necessary operating consumables (e.g. motor oil and coolant), a full tank of fuel, while not loaded with either passengers or cargo.[1][2]

This definition may differ from definitions used by governmental regulatory agencies or other organizations, for example, many European Union manufacturers include the weight of a 75 kilogram driver to follow European Directive 95/48/EC.[3] Additionally, organizations may define curb weight with fixed levels of fuel and other variables to equalize the value for the comparison of different vehicles.

Dry Weight

Dry weight is a technical term that refers to the weight of an automobile (or a motorcycle) without any consumables, passengers, or cargo. It is one of the two common weight measurements included in vehicle specifications, the other one being curb weight.

By definition, dry weight does not include any of the following:
Gasoline or diesel or any other fuel
Engine oil
Coolant
Brake fluid
Power steering fluid
Transmission fluid
Washer fluid

The difference between dry weight and curb weight depends on many variables such as the capacity of the fuel tank.

Over time, most domestic vehicle manufacturers have more commonly used the term 'shipping weight', which refers to the vehicle in as-built, no-option condition. This would include engine oil, coolant, brake fluid and at least some small quantity of fuel, as vehicles have traditionally been driven off the assembly line and these fluids were necessary to do so. Hobbyists have debated the accuracy of these figures, as they often seem low versus occasional real world checks on the same-specification vehicle. One theory is that shipping weight was intentionally calculated on the low side to realize a cost savings in the freight transport of vehicles across the country.

GTWR Gross Trailer Weight Rating

In motor vehicles, the gross trailer weight rating (GTWR) is the total mass of a road trailer that is loaded to capacity, including the weight of the trailer itself, plus fluids, and cargo, that a vehicle is rated to tow by the manufacturer. In the United States and Canada, the static tongue load, the weight of the trailer as measured at the trailer coupling, is generally recommended to be 10-15% of the GTWR.

In the United States and Canada, there are four main weight classes of trailer hitches as defined by the Society of Automotive Engineers(SAE):

Class I — rated to 2,000 pounds (907 kg)
Class II — rated to 3,500 pounds (1,588 kg)
Class III — rated to 5,000 pounds (2,268 kg)
Class IV — rated to 10,000 pounds (4,536 kg)
GAWR

The gross axle weight rating (GAWR) is the maximum distributed weight that may be supported by an axle of a road vehicle. Typically, GAWR is followed by either the letters FR or RR, which indicate front or rear axles respectively.

Vehicle Truck Classification

In the United States, commercial truck classification is determined based on the vehicle's gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR). The classes range from 1-8.[1] It also done more broadly under the US DOT Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Vehicle Inventory and Use Survey (VIUS) standards, which groups Class 1, 2 and 3 as "Light Duty", 4, 5 and 6 as "Medium Duty", and 7-8 as "Heavy Duty".

Class 1

The Class 1 truck gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) ranges from 0 to 6,000 pounds (0 to 2,722kg).[1] Examples of trucks in this class include the Ford Ranger and GMC Canyon.[4][5]

Class 2

The Class 2 truck gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) ranges from 6,001 to 10,000 pounds (2,722 to 4,536 kg).[1] Examples of vehicles in this class include the Dodge Dakota and the Ford F-150.[6][5]

Class 3

The Class 3 truck gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) ranges from 10,001 to 14,000 pounds (4,536 to 6,350 kg).[7] Examples of vehicles in this class include the Dodge Ram 3500, Ford F-350 and the GMC Sierra 3500, both dual rear wheel and single rear wheel.[5] The Hummer H1 is another example of a single rear wheel Class 3 truck, with a GVWR of 10,300 lbs.

Class 4

The Class 4 truck gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) ranges from 14,001 to 16,000 pounds (6,351 to 7,257 kg).[7] Examples of vehicles in this class include the Ford F-450 and the GMC 4500.[5]

Class 5

The Class 5 truck gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) ranges from 16,001 to 19,500 pounds (7,258 to 8,845 kg).[7] Examples of trucks in this class include the International MXT, GMC 5500.[8] and the Ford F-550

Class 6

The Class 6 truck gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) ranges from 19,501 to 26,000 pounds (8,846 to 11,793 kg). Examples of trucks in this class include the International Durastar, GMC Topkick C5500.[9] and the Ford F-650

Class 7

Vehicles in Class 7 and above require a class b licence to operate in the United States.[10] Their GVWR ranges from 26,001 to 33,000 pounds (11,794 to 14,969 kg).

Class 8

The Class 8 truck gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) is anything above 33,000 pounds (14,969 kg).[11] These include all tractor trailer trucks.

TON RATING

When domestic light-duty trucks were first produced, they were rated by their payload capacity in tons (e.g., ½-, ¾- and 1-ton). This has led to categorizing trucks similarly, even if their payload is different. Therefore, the Ford Ranger, Chevy S-10, and GMC S-15 are called quarter-tons (¼-ton). The Ford F-150, Chevy 10, Chevy/GMC 1500, and Dodge 1500 are half-tons (½-ton). The Ford F-250, Chevy 20, Chevy/GMC 2500, and Dodge 2500 are three-quarter-tons (¾-ton). Chevy/GMC's ¾-ton suspension systems were further divided into light and heavy-duty, differentiated by 5-lug and 6 or 8-lug wheel hubs depending on year, respectively. The Ford F-350, Chevy 30, Chevy/GMC 3500, and Dodge 3500 are one tons (1-ton).

Similar schemes exist for vans and SUVs (e.g., a 1-ton Dodge Van or a ½-ton GMC Suburban), medium duty trucks (e.g. the Ford ton-and-a-half F-450) and some military vehicles, like the ubiquitous deuce-and-a-half.

Throughout the years, the payload capacities for most domestic pickup trucks have increased while the ton title has stayed the same. The idiosyncratic ton rating is nothing more than just a colloquial way to designate and compare common trucks and vans.

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