"Dry Weight" Questions
If "dealer installed options" are not counted in the dry weight of a travel trailer, is there a rule of thumb estimate to include when calculating potential GVW? And what would constitute those option...
Forum Discussion
Agreed that in time we tend to "gain weight". I weighed this trailer and truck again this spring because I was resetting the WD hitch. Since the spring of 2012 to the spring of 2017, I've gain 100 pounds. Some of that was in the truck ( more tools ) and some in the trailer.
The point of my post is that it's best to know what the truck weighs, and know what the trailer weighs, rather than just making assumptions such as "go by GVWR of the trailer to determine if you have enough truck".
Some trailers really do weigh close to their stated GVWR. A few, like mine weigh considerably less. In my case, it's a small trailer that is equipped with two axles. Since they fit tandem 3K axles, they assigned a 6K GVWR on a trailer that really weighs 4K pounds ready to roll.
So in this case, brochure dry weight (3060) and yellow sticker weight ( 3327 pounds, it was within 150 pounds of what the trailer weighed, the day I brought it home ) were a LOT closer than "just going by GVWR".
One thing that is interesting to me as I follow these threads is that some posters try to take issues down to a one phrase fits all solution. It's almost as though folks seem to assume newbies are dumb as a box of rocks, and therefore we gotta make it simple for them.
Others go into great detail, making a seemingly basic thing ( go to the scale, get weighed ) seem like rocket science.
Somewhere in all of it may actually be some grains of wisdom.
As the man said: stay within your axle ratings. Hitch it well with a quality WD hitch. Wear your seat belt, and go drive somewhere and camp.
The point of my post is that it's best to know what the truck weighs, and know what the trailer weighs, rather than just making assumptions such as "go by GVWR of the trailer to determine if you have enough truck".
Some trailers really do weigh close to their stated GVWR. A few, like mine weigh considerably less. In my case, it's a small trailer that is equipped with two axles. Since they fit tandem 3K axles, they assigned a 6K GVWR on a trailer that really weighs 4K pounds ready to roll.
So in this case, brochure dry weight (3060) and yellow sticker weight ( 3327 pounds, it was within 150 pounds of what the trailer weighed, the day I brought it home ) were a LOT closer than "just going by GVWR".
One thing that is interesting to me as I follow these threads is that some posters try to take issues down to a one phrase fits all solution. It's almost as though folks seem to assume newbies are dumb as a box of rocks, and therefore we gotta make it simple for them.
Others go into great detail, making a seemingly basic thing ( go to the scale, get weighed ) seem like rocket science.
Somewhere in all of it may actually be some grains of wisdom.
As the man said: stay within your axle ratings. Hitch it well with a quality WD hitch. Wear your seat belt, and go drive somewhere and camp.
