GVWR

Headed West wrote:
Hello all I have a question regarding GVWR. When the manufacturer figures GVWR are they including or taking into consideration that all the tanks, (Fresh,Grey and Black) will be or can be full? The reason I ask is The wife and I are looking at trading in our travel trailer for a Fifth Wheel. I have read many posts regarding weight of the Fifth Wheel vs Tow vehicle, and how much stuff you will pack into your trailer. The Fifth Wheel we are interested in has a carrying capacity of 2855 Lbs. But it has 2 bathrooms and very large tanks. The Fresh is 81 gallons, the black is 78 gallons and the grey is 132 gallons. If I'm calculating correctly that's over 2,000 lbs in water and waste alone. That would only leave maybe 700lbs for gear if that is the case. Am I correct or are the tanks being full not included in the total carrying capacity calculations of the trailer?

GVW is the max weight that the FW is engineered to carry...PERIOD. This would assume that, if packed with belongings and "stuff" to the GVW, the tanks would have to be empty. If you need, for any reason, to tow with completely full tanks, you'd have to unload "stuff" to get below the GVW to be safe. This being said, it's very rare that you'll ever need to tow with completely full tanks and, IMO, I'd dump all grey water in a heartbeat if I had to to lighten up the load. I'd also dump all but a minimum of fresh water, too. This can be a concern if you're a real boondocker. At the same time, don't forget that if you start out with empty tanks, a lot of your food and drink ends up in the black tank, so it's a bit of a tradeoff! :B

Jayco is nice about putting a visible yellow sticker that tells you what THAT rig's cargo capacity is and includes one 12v battery and 2 full 30 lb propane tanks in this calculation. It also tells you how much a full tank of water weighs, which you then have to figure into how much "stuff" you can carry.

Lyle

Headed West wrote:
I do not ever travel with tanks full. Maybe half a tank of water and that's it. It just struck me as odd. As to say it has very little storage capacity? I thought 2800 lbs was a lot of carrying capacity for the trailer until I thought about the tanks. The 5ver I am looking at is the Keystone sprinter 293FWBHS.

You have to consider YOUR camping style.
Do you have the need to travel with all tanks full?
I have on a few occasions traveled with both grey and black full, however fresh was 1/4 full.
If you are a boondocker waste tank capacity and GVW can be a real concern.
For most camper it is not a major issues however I'm sure there are some that consider the GVW vs. water weight a real issue.

MFL wrote:


BTW...How much does 78 gal of black tank waste weigh?

Jerry

Roughly 650 lbs... and that's a lot of, well - you get the idea.

Rob

Artum Snowbird wrote:
So, then I guess the question becomes... what is included in the dry weight that they tease you with? Does it just include the empty shell, without batteries, without propane tanks, even without ANY options like air conditioners, and certainly without water in any tank?

The only way you can be sure is to take the 5ver to a commercial scale and get it weighed. That weight on the sticker may not include any added items on the trailer.

Artum Snowbird wrote:
So, then I guess the question becomes... what is included in the dry weight that they tease you with? Does it just include the empty shell, without batteries, without propane tanks, even without ANY options like air conditioners, and certainly without water in any tank?

It would be easier to just look at the weight sticker on the trailer. That will tell you the weight as delivered from the factory.

I do not ever travel with tanks full. Maybe half a tank of water and that's it. It just struck me as odd. As to say it has very little storage capacity? I thought 2800 lbs was a lot of carrying capacity for the trailer until I thought about the tanks. The 5ver I am looking at is the Keystone sprinter 293FWBHS.

So, then I guess the question becomes... what is included in the dry weight that they tease you with? Does it just include the empty shell, without batteries, without propane tanks, even without ANY options like air conditioners, and certainly without water in any tank?

Hi,

When I planned on weighing the RV I deliberately filled fresh, gray and black tanks. Gas tank was full and so was the propane tank.

You might travel with your FW tank full, tho most people don't. But why travel with a full black water tank and a full gray water tank? The greatest distance you should travel with those full is to the dump station.

If you are boondocking you might start with a full FW tank, but would have empty BW and GW tanks. The FW would be transferred to the other tanks as you use the water.

GVWR is the max load, so all weight is figured, including full tanks. On RV trailers, the GVWR varies greatly with the running gear, axle, springs, and brake maximums. I have seen the same trailer, with upgraded axles, from 4,400, to 5,200 lb and 2,000 lbs more GVWR.

Rare would be the time when all tanks were full, as most dump ASAP. If boondocking, can't dump, you will only have the water you brought with you, moving into the waste tanks.

BTW...How much does 78 gal of black tank waste weigh?

Jerry