Hello all,I went camping last week and finally got around to going over a scale at a truck stop with my Tahoe, 23 ft toy hauler TT, 2kids and 2 dogs. Everything except people and dogs were in the trailer, the Tahoe had 1/2 fuel but the fresh water tank on the RV (40 gal) is all the way forward and most of the places we go don't have hookups so the water was full.The results were steer 2600drive 6440Trlr 4300total 13340Holy crap. That's with the WD hitch maxed out. I know the Tahoe weighs about 6300 W/O the trailer so the total sounds right. It sits pretty level and never bottoms the suspension or even feels mushy. As a matter of fact it handles like a dream considering the weight and TV. I can't help but thinking if there really was that much weight on the drives it would be squatting more or bottomed. The tires don't even bulge more with the trailer and they are cheap 6 ply. I am going to get 10 ply E rated soon but haven't yet. I want to add a second fresh water tank at the rear of the trailer to help balance it out when the garage is more or less empty. Right now the toys are the kids bikes and a couple of kayaks. I don't even bring the generator which was in the back now that I've got the solar panel.I know these scales are accurate but how can this be and has anyone installed a second tank and taken pics? The tanks are pretty inexpensive and I would just fill from inside the garage and have a small transfer pump to the front tank where all the regular plumbing would do it's thing.

I think you have a RAWR problem

Your rear axle is carrying what my 3500 SRW truck is with a 14K 5vr.Something isn't right.Either that isn't YOUR weigh ticket OR you are overloading that rear axle and those tires :H

Did you have any toys in the garage? Usually they are tongue heavy without the counter weight of a garage full of toys.EDIT: I see you only had lightweight toys. No motorized ATVs or dirt bikes? Hmmm...yep your drive axle is heavy. I would get some other tire sooner rather than later. Perhaps you can use the old drive tires as steer tires when the first set wears out.

Fixed Sight Training wrote:The results were:steer 2600drive 6440Trlr 4300total 13340If the Tahoe weighs 6300 empty, and steer + drive = 9040, you are adding 2740 lbs? That is a lot....stock 245/75-16E tires are only rated at 3042 lbs each, so 6084 on the axle, so E rated tires would still be overloaded. I went to 265 tires that are rated at 3410 each, and even that would be marginal.I have a hard time believing that the 'Hoe sits level and "drives great" carrying that much weight. I would re-weigh and verify the numbers before I did anything.This was my weigh slip when I was towing the 34' bunk trailer below:I am under axle and tire ratings, but at 8940, I am 340 lbs over my 8600 GVWR for the Burb.

I am going to take it today and reweigh. I know TH's are tongue heavy buy almost 3000# on a 7000# trailer? I'm not sure there are many hitches rated for that. I've driven plenty of overloaded vehicles and this just doesn't feel like it. I'm also going to go get those tires replaced, at least on the back, the front can wait. I still want to add the second water tank, regardless.

Can this weight be right? | Good Sam Community

dodge_guy
Explorer II
Jul 17, 2014
Also on the hitch. you only have 3 links under tension. you want a minimum of 5! and yes those bars do seem underrated, they look like they may be 800lb bars. you want at least 1200lb bars.
Fixed_Sight_Tra
Explorer
Jul 17, 2014
jspence1 wrote:
I've never seen brackets like that how do you load them?

You have to lift the camper and TH enough to just slip the chains over. I intend to get snap brackets but I want to figure out if the reese one's will use the same holes. I'm afraid if they don't I could end up weakening the frame by having two sets of holes right next to each other. But lifting it that much can be a PITA and I have sheered a few roll pins inside the trailer jack. I keep extras now. The first time I had to sacrifice a marshmallow skewer.
jspence1
Explorer
Jul 16, 2014
I've never seen brackets like that how do you load them?
gmw_photos
Explorer
Jul 16, 2014
Edited
Fixed_Sight_Tra
Explorer
Jul 16, 2014
carringb wrote:
I agree you need more weight distribution. Can you add more tilt to the hitch head?

Also, what year Tahoe? If you have the round tube receiver, fix that first before adjusting your WD properly. That hitch is a poor design, and is actually more likely to fail with more weight distributed, because the gussets don't like the upward force that weight distribution applies.

I don't know what the bars are rated for. The info on them has worn off before I bought the RV.
I can tilt the head much more but based on this I am reluctant to try distributing more weight without more info, especially because it handles so well the way it is and because I am going to shift a bunch of weight in the RV by adding another water tank anyway.

Has anyone else heard of this issue with the hitch on a Tahoe?

BTW, I will be painting the hitch, step box and frame around the ramp as well as the ramp where the skid tape is peeling off. I know it looks bad.
BurbMan
Explorer II
Jul 16, 2014

What are those WD bars rated for? It looks like you may need a heavier WD hitch. I would think you would want at least 1000 or 1200 lb bars. If you can't raise or tilt the head to get any more WD, then the bars don't have enough "spring" in them.
valhalla360
Navigator
Jul 16, 2014
The new numbers look closer to realistic but it's still pulling 700# off the front axle.

I'll put in another vote for trying a different scale.
dodge_guy
Explorer II
Jul 16, 2014
If he truly had 6k+ lbs on the drive axle he would know it, because the axle bearings would be worn through the top of the axle tube on a 1/2 ton GM axle! I think there is an issue with the weigh station or the nubers somehow got flipflopped by the scale operator. I have less than 6klbs on the rear of my X and it squats that pretty good!

I would find another scale and reweigh everything.
JIMNLIN
Explorer III
Jul 16, 2014
op says wrote:
No, the numbers weren't flipped but I just got back from the re weigh.

Steer 2600
Drives 3000 (6600- 2600)
Trailer 5400

Hmm sounds like more faulty numbers but sounds closer for your combo.
Scale weighs in 20 lb increments and very rarely hit a rounded to a hundred lb numbers on one axle let along all of them.

Sounds like a new guy behind the scales.
Hybridhunter
Explorer
Jul 15, 2014
I think y'all are missing something here.
It looks like the rear axle number is the total weight of the Tahoe.
Just a thought.

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