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lawrosa's avatar
lawrosa
Explorer
Oct 06, 2013

Chevy 1996 zr2 s10 towing 4135 lb dry camper

Well I bought the camper and am towing it with my s10.. I am worried about the weights and feel I need to take it to a scale to be sure of what I am dealing with.

I do scrap metal at times and can only tell you all the weight of the TV with myself and my 5 yr old with a half tank of gas.. This is at a scale where they weigh you coming in and then out after I unload the scrap metal I may have.

TV GVWR 4900
Payload 765 ( says on door sticker)
axle front and rear 2700.

GVW of TV from scale 4320 with myself and son.. about 250 lbs

I tried to go on the scale with just the front wheels to try to get a weight and do not know how accurate it was but I got 2560 lbs. ( May be irrelevant)

The truck has 3:73 rear and I have WD hitch. I set it up so I restored the height of the front to original. ( They say not to add more to the front. These are 1000 lbs bars.)

This truck has the 4.3 v6 with 190 hp and 235 torque at 2800 rpms.

I put the biggest trans cooler I could fit. A 20k GVW model. I towed once so far about 100 miles and temps never reached 180f at the trans. The gauge is installed after the rad cooler but before the added trans cooler. ( was just more convienent to do it this way)

Could not really fine tow ratings for the truck but what I could shows 5500 lbs in my estimite..

This is how its set by the pics. Any advice or am I doing OK?

Truck pulls fine, handles fine...ect.. Am able to use overdrive on the straights to save gas, otherwise I am doing 2500 rpm in 3rd. Gas guzzler for sure...Converter locks at 35 mph...

Thanks for any advice...

( Will not let me post pics.. Says my preferences are not set right)

Edit.. Just figured it out...LOL











Moderator edit to re-size pictures to forum limit of 640px maximum width.

20 Replies

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  • lawrosa's avatar
    lawrosa
    Explorer
    Oct 12, 2013
    I am not 700 lbs as you stated popupcamping.. Thank you for your concern though.

    your opinion that the TW of that beast is only 435lbs is crazy...I am guessing it is closer to 700 which puts you wayyyyyy over your payload rating.....simple as that

    good luck


    Here is the scale.











    Moderator edit to re-size pictures to forum limit of 640px maximum size.

  • lawrosa's avatar
    lawrosa
    Explorer
    Oct 12, 2013
    Went to cat scale today. Following this from a post I found with how to use the weights.. And from another post I had in towing.

    http://forums.woodalls.com/Index.cfm/fuseaction/thread/tid/27282746/srt/pa/pging/1/page/1.cfm

    Weighing #1 -- TT attached and Weight Distribution Activated
    Let Front Axle Load be "FA1"
    Let Rear Axle Load be "RA1"
    Let TT Axles Load be "TT1"

    Then, while in same position on scales, take
    Weighing #2 -- TT attached and Weight Distribution Not Activated (WD bars unloaded, but hanging in place)
    Let Front Axle Load be "FA2"
    Let Rear Axle Load be "RA2"
    Let TT Axles Load be "TT2"

    Then, drive off scales and drop TT. Return to scales and take
    Weighing #3 -- TV only -- TT Not Attached
    Let Front Axle Load be "FA3"
    Let Rear Axle Load be "RA3"

    From the above values, you can calculate:

    TV weight = FA3 + RA3 4480

    Gross Combined Weight = (FA1 + RA1 + TT1) 8820
    {should also be equal to (FA2 + RA2 + TT2) if scale weights are correct}

    TT Weight = Gross Combined Weight - TV Weight 4400

    Tongue Weight = (FA2 + RA2) - (FA3 + RA3) 420 or [COLOR=]340 with WD

    Load Transferred to TT Axles
    when WD System is Activated = TT1 - TT2 80



    My axle weight ratings on truck are 2700 lbs

    My truck GVWR is 4900 lbs

    This was empty just me in truck. Propane filled. Seems I have 500 lbs to work with on the truck side roughly.

    These #'s look right?

    You see no #'s are over my axle ratings. Also none of the combined axle ratings go over my GVWR


    Here are my 3.

    1 WD activated
    2 WD unhooked
    3 truck only




    WD activated



    WD disconnected.



    Truck only


    Moderator edit to re-size pictures to forum limit of 640px maximum size.

  • dodge_guy's avatar
    dodge_guy
    Explorer II
    Oct 08, 2013
    lawrosa wrote:
    Yes I had it too high in that pic.. I did drop it down a bolt hole..That was my first hook up, and I took it around the block looking for flat ground.

    My driveway was not level and I could not tell if the trailer was level....

    Good eye... You know what your looking at if you caught that...


    Thanks! Yes i pay close attention to little details like that. It seems as though you are happy with it. Just take it out a little at a time and keep getting used to it. Eentually you'll start venturing farther away from home!
  • lawrosa's avatar
    lawrosa
    Explorer
    Oct 08, 2013
    Yes I had it too high in that pic.. I did drop it down a bolt hole..That was my first hook up, and I took it around the block looking for flat ground.

    My driveway was not level and I could not tell if the trailer was level....

    Good eye... You know what your looking at if you caught that...
  • dodge_guy's avatar
    dodge_guy
    Explorer II
    Oct 08, 2013
    I think you`ll be OK. Maybe over on GVWR of the TV, but not extreme. The big thing is don`t go over the axle weights. The only thing I would add on your setup, unless it is just the way the pic is taken, is too drop the hitch head down one set of bolt holes! to get the trailer nose a bit lower, it looks nose high in the pics!

    Good luck. how does it handle right now? if it is OK then I would leave well enough alone and enjoy!
  • lawrosa's avatar
    lawrosa
    Explorer
    Oct 08, 2013
    Im taking it to a cat scale to see what I got exactly....Probably the weekend.
  • popupcamping's avatar
    popupcamping
    Explorer
    Oct 07, 2013
    your opinion that the TW of that beast is only 435lbs is crazy...I am guessing it is closer to 700 which puts you wayyyyyy over your payload rating.....simple as that

    good luck
  • lawrosa's avatar
    lawrosa
    Explorer
    Oct 07, 2013
    Well I would have to get exact weight from a scale.

    I calculate the truck weights 4320 - GVWR 4900 = 580 lbs ???

    Tongue weight with out WD is 435 lbs for TT???

    ( Dont know if correct because thats just the # off the spec sheet)

    That leaves me 145lbs to load the truck???

    But the axles are 2700 each. That would be 5400 lbs right?

    The front axle from the scale if accurate was 2560 - 4320 = 1760.

    1760 - 2700 = 940

    940 - 435 = 505.

    I can put up to 505 in the truck??? If my calc is right then I am right at max...

    Seems scary but truck pulls and handles fine. 55 mph no issue at all. Trailer brake set up stops well. Engine temp normal.. Trans temp never above 180f with that giant cooler I installed.

    Tires are 2270 lbs at 50 psi. I run 40 psi. I could probably run 32 psi and they are rated at 1350 lbs at that pressure which is the axle rating..
  • mkirsch's avatar
    mkirsch
    Nomad II
    Oct 07, 2013
    That sure looks like an awful large travel trailer for that midsize pickup truck.

    As long as you:
    1. Don't exceed axle or tire ratings.
    2. Are happy with the performance.

    Camp on!
  • lawrosa's avatar
    lawrosa
    Explorer
    Oct 07, 2013
    Just figured out how to post the pics....LOL

    This picture makes the truck look small... Ha ha...


    Moderator edit to re-size picture to forum limit of 640px maximum width.

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