Both GMC and Studebaker were rated at 6 ton for on road use. If you have early manuals for these vehicles the cover actually says 6 ton. I also have later manuals which drop reference to 6 ton on the cover but a couple have this weight in the text still, most late ones just say 2 1/2 ton.
The legal weight for registration would be one of three things:
1. The manufacturer's load ie 6 ton plus the empty weight of the truck. This should be on a firewall plate marked as GVM (Gross Vehicle Mass) somewhere as I can't find it in the manuals.
2. The maximum weight allowed by the axle configuration - in Australia up to the time of modern increased weights in the 80's it would have been 16 ton on the rear and 4 ton on the front ie 20 ton GVM.
3. Of course if you fronted in with an unplated GMC, and they had no manufacturer's records on file, the inspector would look at the skinny 7.50X20 tyres and consult his tea leaves and probably come up with a number something less than 20 ton. This may be why there seems to be a lot of answers. In theory a winch truck could carry less load than a plain vehicle because it was starting at a higher weight.
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