when they do the calculations they have one 150 lbs person in the cab. You are correct

 

As long as you aren’t using the truck for commercial purposes and you don’t exceed your axle or tire ratings you’ll be fine safety wise. Those manufacturer weight ratings are mainly so the company can cover their *** legally. You should have no problem towing a smaller RV just check how much the RV weighs first and use a little common sense. Any trailer over 4500 lbs needs brakes legally so it makes sense to have a brake controller since your GCWR allows a 9,000lb trailer. You can have approximately 1,000 lbs tongue weight according to your numbers. Also a weight distributing hitch could help balance out your load. Just rounding the numbers here for easy math. Use your actual numbers but For example If you have a 6,000lb truck with a 9,000lb trailer with a 1,000lb tongue weight. The whole package will weigh 6,000+9000 for a total of 15,000lbs. that number must be under your GCWR. The 1,000lb tongue weight comes into play when checking how much weight is on your rear axle. It must not cause your rear axle weight rating to be over loaded.

 

Thanks for all the reply's. No matter how you slice it, dice it, or mash it, I have 520 pounds of payload. The manufacturers label has all kinds of legal implications and crossing over that is not what I am wanting to do. There is a cottage industry of RV forensic's that replicate accidents. Not how I want to spend my retirement savings. Also no matter how I calculate this truck I am at the margins of towing even at 5,000 pounds so all day on the road I have this burr grinding on me that something could happen. I see so many trucks on the road pulling trailers and I know they are over loaded. My decision is to move to a 3/4 ton gasser or one-ton diesel is set.
Thanks again all - great forum

 

If you plan to tow a lot you will not regret that decision glad we could help. My vote is go diesel but I’m biased.