Payload vs Towing Capacity: Everything You Need to Know About Chevy Workhorses and Their Hauling Capabilities

Many customers come to us knowing precisely what they want and need in their next truck, relying on years of experience behind the wheel. For example, they know they need a workhorse capable of towing a fifth wheel or gooseneck trailer, or they want an agile truck that can confidently venture off the pavement. In either case, Newton Chevrolet of Russellville can help as the leading used Chevy dealer in the region.

While knowing what you want in a truck is outstanding, many first-time buyers are still familiarizing themselves with the truck segment. They’re learning about cab configurations, bed lengths, and interior amenities. They’re also learning about payload and trailering capacities—two heavy-hitting numbers that carry a lot of weight (literally) in the lives of truckers.

These capacities are prominent throughout the truck segment, with automakers like Chevrolet, Ford, and Ram touting the highest numbers as they work to build the most capable trucks in their respective segments. But what’s the difference between payload and trailering? Why are these figures important to consider, especially as automakers like Chevrolet introduce more capability and trailering-specific technologies?

Cargo Volume, Payload, GVWR, & Trailering Capacity: What’s the Difference?

The 2020 Silverado is an excellent find on our used lot because it offers many class-leading features, like the largest standard cargo volume at 89.1 cu.ft. and a revolutionary MultiFlex tailgate with six functions that make your cargo more accessible. But how do these features relate to payload and trailering capacities? They prove Chevrolet’s keen awareness of how the Silverado is used as a workhorse and must be designed as such.

Consider the 2020 Silverado’s best-in-class standard cargo volume, a product of the 2019 redesign that stretched the truck in nearly every dimension to enhance its capacity and footprint. The Silverado’s larger and broader stance translates to more cargo space, a bigger cabin, and a higher payload capacity, being how much weight the truck can safely carry—but what does this mean exactly?

Payload = Gross Vehicle Weight – Curb Weight

The 2020 Silverado has a maximum available payload of 2,250 lbs. While this figure may seem random, it’s determined using an industry-wide formula that subtracts a truck’s curb weight from its Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR), which is determined by the manufacturer and is the total weight the truck can safely handle. The curb weight is how much the truck weighs when empty or without passengers and cargo. For example, the 2020 Silverado with a regular cab has a Gross Vehicle Weight Rating of 6,800 lbs and a base curb weight of 4,520 lbs on two-wheel drive models. Subtracting these figures yields a payload of 2,280 lbs, a slight 30 lb difference from the Silverado’s official payload capacity.

But what does the payload include? Well, the Silverado’s 2,250 lb payload can look different depending on how you use your truck. For example, you may reach maximum payload capacity when you load the entire family in the truck and take advantage of the class-leading cargo space in the bed. In other instances, your payload has less to do with passengers and more to do with what’s in the bed; hauling a load quarter-cord of firewood puts 1,250 lbs in the truck bed, while half a cubic yard of sand for your son’s sandbox weighs up to 1,500 lbs. Likewise, a DIY landscaping project around the house might require a load of gravel, which can weigh up to 1,450 lbs.

Towing Capacity = Gross Combined Vehicle Weight – Curb Weight

Think of a truck’s payload like how much weight you can carry on your back. For example, you may have no trouble carrying your 30 lb toddler on your back, but a 200 lb adult is an impossible feat if you don’t have good core strength or proper training. Now imagine towing capacity as your ability to pull that weight behind you, like a toddler in a wagon. Where payload is carrying power, towing capacity is pulling power.

The 2020 Silverado has a maximum trailering capacity of 13,400 lbs when configured as a Double Cab with a standard bed, four-wheel drive, the 6.2L V8 engine, Max Trailering Package, and 20-inch wheels. This capacity is determined by subtracting the Silverado’s curb weight from the Gross Combined Vehicle Weight Rating, which differs from the Gross Vehicle Weight Rating. Where the Gross Vehicle Weight Rating is the amount of weight your truck can safely support, the Gross Combined Vehicle Weight Rating includes the GVWR and the weight of the trailer. As a result, you can expect the GCVWR to be higher than the GVWR.

Let’s put the calculation in perspective. A truck has a Gross Combined Vehicle Weight Rating of 16,000 lbs, a number determined by the manufacturer. The truck has a curb weight of 6,800 lbs, with 150 lbs added to the curb weight for the driver and each passenger. In this instance, one passenger is in the truck, bringing the truck’s weight to 7,100 lbs. Subtracting the curb weight (7,100 lbs) from the GCVWR (16,000 lbs) yields an 8,900 lb trailering capacity—enough to haul a typical camper at 5,000 lbs.

Alternatively, your truck’s trailering capacity is vastly different when traveling with three passengers and carrying a 1,500 lb load of gravel in the bed. In this case, the curb weight increases from 6,800 lbs to 8,900 lbs, which accounts for the 150 lb weights of the driver and three passengers and the 1,500 lbs of gravel. With this load, the truck can safely haul a trailer under 7,100 lbs.

Chevrolet’s Trailering Technology

Understanding the difference between payload and trailering capacity is essential when shopping for a used truck because it helps you determine if the truck can adequately meet your needs. Fortunately, automakers like Chevrolet are pushing the envelope, building bigger, more potent road warriors that can handle heavier loads without breaking a sweat. Used trucks like the Silverado add to this appeal by giving you a front-row seat to industry-leading trailering technology that lessens the learning curve when towing a trailer.

Trucks like the 2019 and 2020 Silverado offer options like the Max Trailering and Advanced Trailering Packages. The former heightens the truck’s capability by equipping it with a 9.76-inch rear axle, a 3.42 axle ratio, specifically-tuned shocks, beefier rear leaf springs, a trailer brake controller, a 220-amp alternator, and an enhanced cooling radiator. The Advanced Trailering Package is more tech-focused, adding Hitch Guidance with Hitch View and the industry’s first in-vehicle trailering app via the Advanced Trailering System.

The Silverado’s in-vehicle trailering app is revolutionary because it lets you create custom trailer profiles, minimizing guesswork over how much you can safely tow or carry with your truck. In addition, you can use the tool to navigate pre-departure checklists to ensure you’re safely hauling within the Silverado’s limits and monitor trailer diagnostics like lighting and tire pressure. Other trailering-specific technologies include an expansive eight-camera system that offers 15 unique views around the truck, in the bed, and behind the trailer. These views give you a quick view of any cargo in the Silverado’s bed, a hitch view to make hooking and unhooking to a trailer easier, and a transparent view behind the trailer to enhance your situational awareness in every condition.

Putting It All Together

The Silverado is one of the most capable trucks in the segment and one of the best finds on a used lot because of its incredible value, innovative technology, and brute strength. It’s a road warrior by every standard, promising exceptional on-road manners as it hauls everything from gravel, sand, and mulch to heavy work equipment or tows the family camper. The Silverado can do it all, and Chevrolet ensures as much by equipping it with tech-savvy features that complement its strength and engineer confidence wherever you go.