# 85 K-30 Gvwr?



## paul soccodato (Nov 9, 2002)

hey guys got a question,

my 85 k-30 rack dump, has no gvw sticker on it anywhere.

Ive been told that they were either 10,000 or 11,000. the title and old registration were both way off,(it was registered as a pickup)

according to the vin #'s on chucks Chevy site, the 4th digit is a j, which puts it as a 10001-11000.

anyone have any input?

thanks


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## Chuck Smith (Dec 30, 1999)

If you go by the VIN#, that is for the brake system rating. So your brakes are rated to stop between 10 & 11K#.

Is there a decal in the glove box with camper loading data on it? Usually the GVWR will be listed there, or on the RPO decal in the glove box. The decal on the door jamb may get lost, but the one in the glove box usually lasts longer.


~Chuck


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## paul soccodato (Nov 9, 2002)

chuck, 

the sticker is on the door, but it just a cab and chassis sticker with the model year.

the rpo decal in the glove box has all the options, but says nothing about gvwr.

will one of the codes decifer it?


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## Chuck Smith (Dec 30, 1999)

That is standard for cab n chassis models, to not have a GVWR on the plate. It is a law that upfitters add one, once they add a body. This is on pickup cab n chassis, all the way up to the 29K+ GVWR trucks.
The catch is, your brake system is a "locked in amount", so to speak. I would figure it as 11,000 GVWR. Get it on a scale, and see what your payload is. Be rady for a hefty increase if you change the GVWR on the registration.

Dealers are dumb in the sense that they register all pickups they sell at 5,000# GVWR.

I changed my 77 to 8,400, because emissions levels are acceptable at higher amounts as the GVWR goes up.

We had a tough time adjusting the carb on my 77 to get the levels down to pass for a 5,000 GVWR vehicle, but it was well within the limits for an 8,400# vehicle. The State computer knows what is on the registration, so that is the figure the shops have to use.

I think it was around 1980 that the Feds raised the HD Emissions weight from 8,400, to 8,600, so the big 3 made their HD models have a 8,600# GVWR to keep building trucks with no cats on them.

I don't think there is an RPO for the brakes, other than "Hydroboost", or whatever system type you have. The brake range is in the VIN, and that is more important.

~Chuck


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## paul soccodato (Nov 9, 2002)

chuck, the truck does have a hydroboost setup.

the truck was built by hobbs in norwalk conn. it has a knapheid 10' rack on it. the truck also has an 84" ca.

last week i had it on the scale at the transfer station, and empty with me and one passanger it weighed 7960. the both of us can't be more than 300#'s.

thanks for your help.


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## Chuck Smith (Dec 30, 1999)

I forgot to say that the reason the manufacturer does not list a final GVWR, is because they have no idea how much the body that gets installed will weigh. That is why it is left to the upfitter to install a plate. The upfitter also has to add a decal if they change the GVWR of a truck, by changing a body on it, or the wheelbase, etc.

The best the manufacturer can do is add a code for the brake system, which GM does (though they didn't on pre 1981 models).

~Chuck


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## Pelican (Nov 16, 2001)

The GVWR really shouldn't be affected by the type of body, the net load capacity would be affected instead. The chassis is assigned a maximum GVWR from the factory, this can not be exceeded (at least in NY) unless an upfitter certifies that proper modifications have been to to allow it. Good luck finding an upfitter willing to assume the liability.

I couldn't find the sticker on my '92 C-3500 either, I've got it registered for 10,000 GVW. If you can get 11,000, I'd go for it, it will save you trouble with DOT.


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## Chuck Smith (Dec 30, 1999)

Pelican, I understand what you are saying about the net load capacity, but I think it also has to do with the fact that the cab n chassis is a base, that the upfitter can build on. That often involves shortening the frame, lengthening the frame, changing axles and drivetrains, etc. All the manufacturer can do is cover themselves by giving the brake system a rating that the truck leaves the factory with. Once an upfitter changes anything, the liability is all theirs, unless they do the work for a dealer who sells the truck new, and even then I would wonder if the dealer would own up to anything if things got serious.  

A perfect example of modifications is that Paul's truck has a 10K - 11K brake system, but the highest GM offered that year for a 30 model is 14K. Upfitters can make changes that would increase the GVWR to bring it closer to that 14K IMO.

~Chuck


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## Pelican (Nov 16, 2001)

I think with older trucks this may be a gray area, but newer trucks have a factory rating, Ford posts it on the driver's door jamb, that lists the MGVW. I tried to register my '97 F-350 for greater than the 11,000 posted on the door but was stopped cold. They said the truck would have to be certified by a licensed upfitter to do that.

I went back to the guy I do business with and asked what we could do, he just laughed and wouldn't even consider it. Too much liability in the event something went wrong. The upfitters can make all the mods they want, but the GVWR can not be increased (legally) without having the truck certified. On small trucks, the cost would be prohibitive. This is the way NY law works. Is NJ different?


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## Chuck Smith (Dec 30, 1999)

I don't know if NJ is different, but the company I used to work for had the certification decals on the doors jambs. One of them started out as an International tractor, and then the frame was lengthened, and the truck was turned into a dump. I am not sure what the second truck with the decal started out with, but it too had a recertification decal on it from an upfitter.

There was another International in the fleet which was an 86, and we could not find any mention of a GVWR anywhere on the truck. It was registered pretty high IMO. It started life as a water tanker, and had a dump on it when we got it.

And yes, I am sure the restrictions and laws that apply to newer trucks are getting tougher every year.

~Chuck


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## paul soccodato (Nov 9, 2002)

Hey Guys, i have another question about this k-30

what is the towing capacity of this truck?


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## DrMaserati (Apr 5, 2003)

It would be the difference between the actual weight of the truck and the Gross Combined Weight Rating (GCWR), but not greater than the hitch rating. 

If your actual weight is 6000#, and your GCWR is 13,500# it would seem to be 7500#. But if your hitch is only rated for 5000#, that would be your towing capacity. (Time for a new hitch.)


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