Towing higher than trucks GVWR

Silly question or maybe not, I guess they do say there’s no such thing as a dumb question. Is it illegal to tow a trailer with a higher GVWR than the truck even if the trailer is empty? So I have a trailer rated for 7500lbs, is it illegal to tow it with my Tacoma rated for 6400lbs?

 

How much does the empty trailer weigh? It will probably be somewhere between 2000-3000 lbs empty. As long as you don't load over 2000-3000 lbs on it you'll be under the 6400 limit. But you most likely can't tow anywhere near 6400 lbs without exceeding your trucks other posted limits. Trailer weight is only one of several factors to consider. You still have to stay under the trucks payload limit, and the hitch has a weight rating. Unless you are a skinny driver and have no other passengers and cargo in the truck you'll exceed those limits at closer to 4500-5000 lbs. Not 6400.


Is it illegal? If you were ever involved in an at fault accident and it was determined that being overweight contributed to the accident then there is a chance you could be held legally liable. But unless you're hauling commercially there aren't any people checking your weight. I think the odds are better that you might be sued in civil court if being overweight caused an accident.

But to be honest, even at that the chances are pretty slim IMO. Unless you were WAAY overweight.

 

It doesn’t matter what the trailers GVWR is, what matters is what the actual weight of the empty trailer is. If you load the trailer then you combine the weight of the trailer to determine if you are within the trucks tow rating, hitch weight, GVWR etc.

 

That’s what I figured but I had a friend tell me other wise and I couldn’t find the exact answer I was looking for on google so I thought I’d put a quick post here. I just have a 6x14 aluminum utility trailer, it’s registered empty weight is 1200lbs and it has dual 3500lbs axles. Thanks for the replies!