What is Gross Vehicle Weight Rating or G.V.W.R?
When buying a Tiny House Trailer, it’s important to keep in mind the gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR or GVW) of the trailer.
The GVWR is the maximum amount of weight the trailer is able to safely hold and transport. A trailer’s total GVWR is made up of the weight of the actual trailer and the maximum payload capacity of that specific trailer (AKA the Tiny House Built on top).
What GVWR should you get for your Tiny House Trailer?
The trailer’s axle capacity or Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR) should exceed the anticipated weight of your finished tiny house. As a general rule of thumb, a Finished tiny house weighs, on average, 500 to 550 lbs per linear foot of trailer length. (or about 55lbs – 57lbs per square foot of trailer deck for 10ft – 12ft wide models) So a finished 30ft x 10ft wide Tiny House will average about 16,500lbs to 17,100lbs, and a 30ft x 8ft 6in trailer will average 15,000lbs – 16,500lbs, including the trailer’s weight.
The ideal trailer you buy should have a capacity that exceeds that estimation. Remember that the finished weight of a tiny house varies greatly by design, so your finished tiny house may be lighter or heavier than that estimate, so plan accordingly. It is always better to buy more capacity than you need rather than less. Our Axle capacities come in 3500lbs, 5200lbs, 6000lbs and 7000lbs. The axles will always come in pairs, for a 7k Gross Vehicle Weight Rating tiny house trailer it will consist of (2) 3500lbs axles. a 10k Gross Vehicle Weight Rating tiny house trailer will consist of (2) 5200lbs axles. A 12k Gross Vehicle Weight Rating tiny house trailer will consist of (2) 6000lbs axles. a 14k Gross Vehicle Weight Rating tiny house trailer will consist of (2) 7000lbs axles. A 18k Gross Vehicle Weight Rating Triple Axle tiny house trailer will consist of (3) 6000lbs axles. A 21k Gross Vehicle Weight Rating Triple Axle tiny house trailer will consist of (3) 7000lbs axles. a 28k Gross Vehicle Weight Rating Triple Axle tiny house trailer will consist of (4) 7000lbs axles.