5er dry weight for a 9,500 pound total?
New truck tows 12,600 and gcwr is 19,800. Truck weighs 6700 empty and will weigh no more than 7300 with us and travel goods. Add 300 for hitch we're at 7600, so call it 8000 gross on the truck. If I u...
Forum Discussion
Well, I started this thread with some guesses. Not wild guesses, but realistic conservative guesses based on experience. So I weighed the truck, full of gas and with all of the stuff that lives in truck all of the time--no passengers or driver. To trucks actual weight of 6940 pounds, 3000 of which is rear axle, I can add 320 for she and me plus 40 pounds of travel stuff like cooler and snacks and I'm right at the 7300 I guessed. Just about to the pound.
My guess of 300 pounds for hitch is conservative by a fair amount, and my rounding of 7300+300=7600 to 8000 pounds of total gross for truck ready to tow was both realistic and conservative. Even if I load our 80 pound generator and some firewood it's pretty realistic and reasonably conservative. If all of that was sitting on the rear axle, right now at 3000, that puts me at 8000 gross, with 4060 on the axle. Even if I hadn't been wrong about my rear axle--it actually being 6500 rather than 6000--I still would have had just about to pound enough capacity left for the 1900 pound pin I was guessing.
So, with all of my guesses about the truck confirmed, and given 2000 pounds left for pin weight, I look again at the camper assumptions.
Our hideout was factory spec 2485 cargo, but the yellow sticker says cargo may not exceed 2040 pounds, meaning the dry weight was 445 low. Covered with my factory lies guess of 500 pounds. Hideout is gross rated at 6800 pounds, we have it loaded with far more stuff than we need, and it scales just under 5800 with 2 batteries, 60 pounds of propane, and a full 45 gallons of fresh water tank. That's basically 1040 pounds for everything. Figuring we'd somehow find the need to carry even more stuff we don't need than we do now, I just used that 1000 pounds as cargo, and added 500 more for utilities and 500 for water. That's enough for 60 gallons of water, 4 batteries, 14 gallons of propane, solar power plant, and Lord only knows what else.
So I come to a number of 7000 pounds as factory ship weight, and figure I'll be safe starting there, no matter what the gross weight is. If I find a 9800 or even 14,000 GVWR 5er, if it's shipping weight is 7000 pounds, I'll still be good to go, and most likely have room to spare.
So, that's how I made the guesses I made. I have ZERO experience with fifth wheel RVs--only with small travel trailer. I tossed my OP out to see if experienced people could/would confirm my train of thought so that I could shop with reasonable confidence. From some of the answers I feel pretty good I'm on the right track, and if anything underestimating.
Thanks to all for your help.
My guess of 300 pounds for hitch is conservative by a fair amount, and my rounding of 7300+300=7600 to 8000 pounds of total gross for truck ready to tow was both realistic and conservative. Even if I load our 80 pound generator and some firewood it's pretty realistic and reasonably conservative. If all of that was sitting on the rear axle, right now at 3000, that puts me at 8000 gross, with 4060 on the axle. Even if I hadn't been wrong about my rear axle--it actually being 6500 rather than 6000--I still would have had just about to pound enough capacity left for the 1900 pound pin I was guessing.
So, with all of my guesses about the truck confirmed, and given 2000 pounds left for pin weight, I look again at the camper assumptions.
Our hideout was factory spec 2485 cargo, but the yellow sticker says cargo may not exceed 2040 pounds, meaning the dry weight was 445 low. Covered with my factory lies guess of 500 pounds. Hideout is gross rated at 6800 pounds, we have it loaded with far more stuff than we need, and it scales just under 5800 with 2 batteries, 60 pounds of propane, and a full 45 gallons of fresh water tank. That's basically 1040 pounds for everything. Figuring we'd somehow find the need to carry even more stuff we don't need than we do now, I just used that 1000 pounds as cargo, and added 500 more for utilities and 500 for water. That's enough for 60 gallons of water, 4 batteries, 14 gallons of propane, solar power plant, and Lord only knows what else.
So I come to a number of 7000 pounds as factory ship weight, and figure I'll be safe starting there, no matter what the gross weight is. If I find a 9800 or even 14,000 GVWR 5er, if it's shipping weight is 7000 pounds, I'll still be good to go, and most likely have room to spare.
So, that's how I made the guesses I made. I have ZERO experience with fifth wheel RVs--only with small travel trailer. I tossed my OP out to see if experienced people could/would confirm my train of thought so that I could shop with reasonable confidence. From some of the answers I feel pretty good I'm on the right track, and if anything underestimating.
Thanks to all for your help.
