Question about dry weight and actual dry weight

Terryallan wrote:

NC Hauler wrote:

Terryallan wrote:


Actually the GVWR of a TT is a completely USELESS number for me. I only need to know the yellow sticker weight / actual dry weight of the TT as you see it sitting on the lot, to determine if I can tow a TT or not. After all. I know I will NEVER add enough weight to EVER get to the GVWR, UNLESS it is only 1000lbs over yellow sticker weight.

Why in the world would I need a TV that can tow 9000lb, when my TT weighs less than 6000lb loaded????????? Why can't I just use a TV that will easily tow what the TT really weighs, and not some fantasy weight.

I still want to know what y'all put in a trailer that add 2, and 3 thousand pounds. I have every thing I will ever use, and more, and added less than 1000lbs. And it gets lighter every year, as some things I don't use, come out every year.

But then I camp, I don't try to live in it.

The "Fantasy weight" IS the dry weight or "unloaded weight" NO ONE, NOT EVEN YOU, by your own admission tow a unit empty or dry....A fantasy number would be trying to "guess" how much one is going to load their unit to.

Don't recollect ANY ONE stating they add 2 to 3K to the unit...you must have selective reading or do some heavy "reading between the lines"...It's just as fantastical to figure one is going to tow at empty or dry weight as it is to stand there and state, "ok, I'm only going to load this unit to 875#.... Even you state, guess you have weight ticket to prove it, that you load to less than a 1,000#....that's still a lot of weight....

I'd prefer to figure "worse case" and purchase a vehicle that would handle the units GVW, then DON'T load truck to it's GVW, HEY, I'm covered, I'm there, I"ve got enough truck, no white knuckle towing,....Doesn't matter whether I live in it or go camping for a weekend

Yep I weighed it. I added 675lb worth of camping gear. All I will ever need, and in fact more than I need. Included, before I took some out. 8 folding chairs, Sheets, towels for a week, pots pans, cups, plates, silverware, awning mat, grill, campstove, 2 plastic folding tables, 1 large metal folding table, blankets, and pillows. Cloths, and food. On this TT, I am more than 1400lbs UNDER GVWR.

As for folks stating they add 2 to 3000. You don't read much, or you would have seen it.

No I don't tow it empty. But I will NEVER EVER hit the GVWR. And I don't need to worry about it. And I have enough truck. Plenty in fact, NO white knuckles, no sway, and power to spare. towing capacity to spare as well.

I think it is foolish to tell folks they need to buy a TV to tow the GVWR of a TT, Especially if the GVWR is 3000lbs higher then the Yellow sticker weight. I use the yellow sticker dry weight, Because you have to have a starting place.

Actually, I'm not illiterate nor uneducated, and I do read quite a bit....The ONLY thing that I would recommend people to do, seeing as how I CAN'T read peoples minds like some can in here and I CAN'T predict how much some will load their units to....I suggest the "worse case scenario.....use the units GVW...What's the big deal...I had absolutely no clue how much "STUFF" I was going to haul around in my 5er...When we got it, it was mostly the wife and I and two dogs....now we've added a satellite on the roof (weight), we've added a washer/dryer combo (more weight)....oh, now we may have two grandchildren with us, more more clothes and toys......again, unlike you, I'm not psychic.. I will look at GVW, know what I CAN load to, and pick the right TV...I WON'T look at a units dry weight of 14,400# see it can be loaded to 16,950 and "guess"...ok, I'll only load it to 500 or 700# and will only figure I'm going to tow 15,100#....no, I'm sorry, forgive my FOOLISHNESS, but I will ERR towards FIGURING that IF I purchased a unit that has a GVW of 16,950, I may possibly get that high...I'm NOT going GUESS that I'll ONLY fill it to 15,100# and miss it and have a terrible time towing....Last time I weighed the unit it was at 16,050#...oh, hope no one buys a heavy generator...that's more weight, (I got one of those too), it' amazing how the weight will add up....but again, not being psychic or KNOWING by GUESSING, I'll go by GVWR and figure I WON'T get THAT high and I have a truck to tow the weight.

I CERTAINLY won't tell someone to buy a truck to handle dry weight, empty weight or go by empty/dry pin weight....that's even more inane than what you're suggesting I'm doing, just on the other end of the scale. NOR will I suggest they "GUESS" at how much weight they're going to tow...My 4 Grandkids have gotten older, bigger toy's now, more clothes....something I DID think about back in 07 when I purchased the unit...came in handy years down the road.

Go by "assumptions" and figure 600-800#....but you might want to think about if and when" you might add a 200 or more Generator, 200# washer/dryer, 75# satellite and on....oh, and lets not forget that when we add that extra fuel tank in the bed of the truck, it TOO can eat up a lot of a trucks GVWR,or RAWR, whichever one chooses to use., which would/could also affect how much one loads their 5er too, (pin weight in the bed of the truck).....

Nope, I'll try to err to where I'm not sure how much I'll load to, and go from there, seems a bit more practical than just "guessing".....

NC Hauler wrote:

Terryallan wrote:


Actually the GVWR of a TT is a completely USELESS number for me. I only need to know the yellow sticker weight / actual dry weight of the TT as you see it sitting on the lot, to determine if I can tow a TT or not. After all. I know I will NEVER add enough weight to EVER get to the GVWR, UNLESS it is only 1000lbs over yellow sticker weight.

Why in the world would I need a TV that can tow 9000lb, when my TT weighs less than 6000lb loaded????????? Why can't I just use a TV that will easily tow what the TT really weighs, and not some fantasy weight.

I still want to know what y'all put in a trailer that add 2, and 3 thousand pounds. I have every thing I will ever use, and more, and added less than 1000lbs. And it gets lighter every year, as some things I don't use, come out every year.

But then I camp, I don't try to live in it.

The "Fantasy weight" IS the dry weight or "unloaded weight" NO ONE, NOT EVEN YOU, by your own admission tow a unit empty or dry....A fantasy number would be trying to "guess" how much one is going to load their unit to.

Don't recollect ANY ONE stating they add 2 to 3K to the unit...you must have selective reading or do some heavy "reading between the lines"...It's just as fantastical to figure one is going to tow at empty or dry weight as it is to stand there and state, "ok, I'm only going to load this unit to 875#.... Even you state, guess you have weight ticket to prove it, that you load to less than a 1,000#....that's still a lot of weight....

I'd prefer to figure "worse case" and purchase a vehicle that would handle the units GVW, then DON'T load truck to it's GVW, HEY, I'm covered, I'm there, I"ve got enough truck, no white knuckle towing,....Doesn't matter whether I live in it or go camping for a weekend

Yep I weighed it. I added 675lb worth of camping gear. All I will ever need, and in fact more than I need. Included, before I took some out. 8 folding chairs, Sheets, towels for a week, pots pans, cups, plates, silverware, awning mat, grill, campstove, 2 plastic folding tables, 1 large metal folding table, blankets, and pillows. Cloths, and food. On this TT, I am more than 1400lbs UNDER GVWR.

As for folks stating they add 2 to 3000. You don't read much, or you would have seen it.

No I don't tow it empty. But I will NEVER EVER hit the GVWR. And I don't need to worry about it. And I have enough truck. Plenty in fact, NO white knuckles, no sway, and power to spare. towing capacity to spare as well.

I think it is foolish to tell folks they need to buy a TV to tow the GVWR of a TT, Especially if the GVWR is 3000lbs higher then the Yellow sticker weight. I use the yellow sticker dry weight, Because you have to have a starting place.

Yes, that is correct. I also have my TT set up as a small house. I have pretty much anything i need. My dry sticker weight is only Around 20-30 lbs more than the brochure dry weight. So you need to do your homework on any trailer you are looking at. I would never consider the GVWR of my trailer especially with a 4k lb CCC. 12-1500 lbs is a good number to add to the dry weight.

In the end you need to base your dry weight on the sticker and your ready to camp weight on the results of a CAT scale weighing.
Everything else in between is just conversation.
Both empty sticker weight and GVWR have relevance.
Your actual weight will be between those parameters.
For the record my prior TT had the same parameters as Dodge guys. I managed to add 3K to the dry weight and at times could be 10.5K loaded.
I traveled with a 14'Portabote,outboard motor,generator, and everything but the kitchen sink.
I consider my RV a rolling condo and bring it all with me. But I do use a scale and know my actual weights. Sticker and scale eliminates all the guesswork.

NC Hauler wrote:

Terryallan wrote:


Actually the GVWR of a TT is a completely USELESS number for me. I only need to know the yellow sticker weight / actual dry weight of the TT as you see it sitting on the lot, to determine if I can tow a TT or not. After all. I know I will NEVER add enough weight to EVER get to the GVWR, UNLESS it is only 1000lbs over yellow sticker weight.

Why in the world would I need a TV that can tow 9000lb, when my TT weighs less than 6000lb loaded????????? Why can't I just use a TV that will easily tow what the TT really weighs, and not some fantasy weight.

I still want to know what y'all put in a trailer that add 2, and 3 thousand pounds. I have every thing I will ever use, and more, and added less than 1000lbs. And it gets lighter every year, as some things I don't use, come out every year.

But then I camp, I don't try to live in it.

The "Fantasy weight" IS the dry weight or "unloaded weight" NO ONE, NOT EVEN YOU, by your own admission tow a unit empty or dry....A fantasy number would be trying to "guess" how much one is going to load their unit to.

Don't recollect ANY ONE stating they add 2 to 3K to the unit...you must have selective reading or do some heavy "reading between the lines"...It's just as fantastical to figure one is going to tow at empty or dry weight as it is to stand there and state, "ok, I'm only going to load this unit to 875#.... Even you state, guess you have weight ticket to prove it, that you load to less than a 1,000#....that's still a lot of weight....

I'd prefer to figure "worse case" and purchase a vehicle that would handle the units GVW, then DON'T load truck to it's GVW, HEY, I'm covered, I'm there, I"ve got enough truck, no white knuckle towing,....Doesn't matter whether I live in it or go camping for a weekend

I'm with you and I agree folks like Terryallan need to be careful about comparing what they might have for a trailer wt to others. I'm not married to Lucy so no "ROCK COLLECTIONS", but we use our trailer for extended "ROAD TRIPS" of between 1 and 2 months so we have most of our available storage space in the trailer used. The only two items that are outside of what one would call the norm are probably like 3 to 4 VCR sized boxes of various parts for the trailer like PVC fittings, hoses, vinyl insert molding strips, etc., a NORCOLD MRFT-40 portable refer/freezer and one of the convertible coffee tables that can be used as a table. Also, we don't have boxes of extra food, water etc. in the trailer, but carry all that extra wt. in the Van so our cabinets while full aren't crammed by any means.

Our factory sticker shows a UVW of 4917 and a GVWR of 7549. It shows a stated CCC of 2204 and that includes 46gal of FW and 11gal of propane. We typically travel with around 15gal of FW total and two full 30lb propane tanks so for use our adjusted CCC would be in the neighborhood of 2204+258lbs(31gal water less)-14lbs(3 gal propane) 2448. The 7549 GVWR is based on a twin 3.5K axles and a 549 tongue wt. I am always at or slightly over the stated GVWR since my TT axle wts. are always between 6700 and 6900 and my dead tongue wt. as measured with my Sherline scale are between 900 and 950lbs. It's sort of hard to equate these CAT scaled TT axle wts. and the Sherline numbers since the CAT scale wts. are with my WDH engaged so some of that Sherline wt. show up as CAT scale axle wt. However, I would fee safe in saying I'm ALWAYS at or a couple of hundred lbs. OVER what the stated GVWR is for my TT.

There is no way for anyone to GUESTIMATE what someone else may or may not pack or what they take with them so suggesting anyone should "fantasize" some number other than a max would not IMO be the smart thing to do. As the old saying goes there is really no downside to having TOO much TV, but the opposite is definitely not the case.

Larry

Terryallan wrote:


Actually the GVWR of a TT is a completely USELESS number for me. I only need to know the yellow sticker weight / actual dry weight of the TT as you see it sitting on the lot, to determine if I can tow a TT or not. After all. I know I will NEVER add enough weight to EVER get to the GVWR, UNLESS it is only 1000lbs over yellow sticker weight.

Why in the world would I need a TV that can tow 9000lb, when my TT weighs less than 6000lb loaded????????? Why can't I just use a TV that will easily tow what the TT really weighs, and not some fantasy weight.

I still want to know what y'all put in a trailer that add 2, and 3 thousand pounds. I have every thing I will ever use, and more, and added less than 1000lbs. And it gets lighter every year, as some things I don't use, come out every year.

But then I camp, I don't try to live in it.

The "Fantasy weight" IS the dry weight or "unloaded weight" NO ONE, NOT EVEN YOU, by your own admission tow a unit empty or dry....A fantasy number would be trying to "guess" how much one is going to load their unit to.

Don't recollect ANY ONE stating they add 2 to 3K to the unit...you must have selective reading or do some heavy "reading between the lines"...It's just as fantastical to figure one is going to tow at empty or dry weight as it is to stand there and state, "ok, I'm only going to load this unit to 875#.... Even you state, guess you have weight ticket to prove it, that you load to less than a 1,000#....that's still a lot of weight....

I'd prefer to figure "worse case" and purchase a vehicle that would handle the units GVW, then DON'T load truck to it's GVW, HEY, I'm covered, I'm there, I"ve got enough truck, no white knuckle towing,....Doesn't matter whether I live in it or go camping for a weekend

BenK wrote:

NC Hauler wrote:
snip...

Other than someone hauling these units for a lving,from the manufacturer to the dealer, Then, then empty or dry weight is a joke....No person who has purchased a TT or a 5er to camp in WILL NOT tow it empty or dry. I see post after post after post when people are wanting to know if their truck "will tow it", and they give a dry weight or empty weight number and even go as far as using the "dry pin weight" when talking about a 5er...It's a bit deceptive....one would think that one would understand that number means the truck is empty of water, propane, clothese, outdoor chairs, dry good's, pots pans and on and on and on....the EMPTY or DRY weight number is useless IF that number is what the consumer is looking at and trying if they can tow it...the "empty" and/or "dry" weight is useless when trying to match a tow vehicle to the unit

Anyone purchasing a TT or 5er to tow SHOULD use the 5er's GVW when trying to figure out "if their truck and tow it"....not the empty weight...same with pin weight...dry pin weight is yet another joke that people fall into looking at....Common sense would dictate that when one goes camping, they'll be loading up their TT or 5er when they drive off....Again, please do yourselves a favor and use the rv's GVWR when trying to figure out what to tow it with. Until one has purchased a brand new unit and transferred everything from one unit to another, I believe most would be surprised at just how much "stuff" they store in their 5er, especially if they have children....just my .02 and worth much less than that....Common sense seems to have taken a back seat at times when trying to match a tow vehicle to a TT or a 5er and one uses "dry weight" or "empty weight" as the number they're figuring on. It's a number that is almost irrelevant to what one is trying to figure out..

Agree and is the safest way

Try looking at it from the OEM's point of view selling to the public

That public is hell bent on mine's bigger than yours, so the various
bragging points are marketing's demographics

'Dry' is the stripper and so many think since it can't be ordered, nor
sold, it does NOT exist. Ditto for the 'curb' on TV's

These 'Ratings' (the 'R' in the acronyms) are real and part of the OEMs
contract to their buyers.

In order to have the highest CCC/Payload/etc, they take the GVWR and
strip it down to the bare essentials. That provides the maximum bragging
rights and marketing positioning

The Fed's are coming and hope sooner than later. Betcha the OEMs will
continue to figure out workarounds, as their customers will continue
to demand or buy via bragging rights of the biggest, fastest, etc

Oh, on the 'standard' stuff that folks 'think' are included because it
is part of the 'package' or that is the only way you can order one...well
they most likely used the stripper devoid of all those options during
their certification testing...

Also, am sure there are good OEMs out there who do it right or more
correctly, but haven't found one yet...

Actually the GVWR of a TT is a completely USELESS number for me. I only need to know the yellow sticker weight / actual dry weight of the TT as you see it sitting on the lot, to determine if I can tow a TT or not. After all. I know I will NEVER add enough weight to EVER get to the GVWR, UNLESS it is only 1000lbs over yellow sticker weight.

Why in the world would I need a TV that can tow 9000lb, when my TT weighs less than 6000lb loaded????????? Why can't I just use a TV that will easily tow what the TT really weighs, and not some fantasy weight.

I still want to know what y'all put in a trailer that add 2, and 3 thousand pounds. I have every thing I will ever use, and more, and added less than 1000lbs. And it gets lighter every year, as some things I don't use, come out every year.

But then I camp, I don't try to live in it.

NC Hauler wrote:
snip...

Other than someone hauling these units for a lving,from the manufacturer to the dealer, Then, then empty or dry weight is a joke....No person who has purchased a TT or a 5er to camp in WILL NOT tow it empty or dry. I see post after post after post when people are wanting to know if their truck "will tow it", and they give a dry weight or empty weight number and even go as far as using the "dry pin weight" when talking about a 5er...It's a bit deceptive....one would think that one would understand that number means the truck is empty of water, propane, clothese, outdoor chairs, dry good's, pots pans and on and on and on....the EMPTY or DRY weight number is useless IF that number is what the consumer is looking at and trying if they can tow it...the "empty" and/or "dry" weight is useless when trying to match a tow vehicle to the unit

Anyone purchasing a TT or 5er to tow SHOULD use the 5er's GVW when trying to figure out "if their truck and tow it"....not the empty weight...same with pin weight...dry pin weight is yet another joke that people fall into looking at....Common sense would dictate that when one goes camping, they'll be loading up their TT or 5er when they drive off....Again, please do yourselves a favor and use the rv's GVWR when trying to figure out what to tow it with. Until one has purchased a brand new unit and transferred everything from one unit to another, I believe most would be surprised at just how much "stuff" they store in their 5er, especially if they have children....just my .02 and worth much less than that....Common sense seems to have taken a back seat at times when trying to match a tow vehicle to a TT or a 5er and one uses "dry weight" or "empty weight" as the number they're figuring on. It's a number that is almost irrelevant to what one is trying to figure out..

Agree and is the safest way

Try looking at it from the OEM's point of view selling to the public

That public is hell bent on mine's bigger than yours, so the various
bragging points are marketing's demographics

'Dry' is the stripper and so many think since it can't be ordered, nor
sold, it does NOT exist. Ditto for the 'curb' on TV's

These 'Ratings' (the 'R' in the acronyms) are real and part of the OEMs
contract to their buyers.

In order to have the highest CCC/Payload/etc, they take the GVWR and
strip it down to the bare essentials. That provides the maximum bragging
rights and marketing positioning

The Fed's are coming and hope sooner than later. Betcha the OEMs will
continue to figure out workarounds, as their customers will continue
to demand or buy via bragging rights of the biggest, fastest, etc

Oh, on the 'standard' stuff that folks 'think' are included because it
is part of the 'package' or that is the only way you can order one...well
they most likely used the stripper devoid of all those options during
their certification testing...

Also, am sure there are good OEMs out there who do it right or more
correctly, but haven't found one yet...

dodge guy wrote:

bikendan wrote:

rhagfo wrote:

bikendan wrote:
if more prospective RV buyers would simply go and look at the yellow sticker on the RV they're thinking of buying, instead of the ridiculous brochure/website "dry" weights, we'd have a lot less questions, like "Can i tow this?"

Only if they also look at the GVWR! The only ones that tow DRY are haulers!

not all trailers are created equal. some have huge CCC numbers that no one could get close to, so GVWR's aren't always a useful number.
generally, yes, unless it has a huge CCC. i've seen some trailers with "dry" weight around 6000lbs. and then has nearly 3000lbs. of CCC. and they weren't toyhaulers.

Yep, mine being one of them. I have a 4k lb CCC! My dry weight is 7100 lbs and the GVWR is 11,100 lbs. I am at 9200 lbs ready to travel. This is why I say to add approx 12-1500 lbs to the dry weight. And I've seen some trailers that have as low as a 600lb CCC.

And also my trailer model includes awning, microwave and so on. The only options are sky lights, cieling fan and spare.

Your math is a bit off, or are you assuming that the 900 to 600# is the difference between the brochure and actual "Dry" weight?

Once again Dry weight is never towed! People need to be realistic about what they will really be towing at.
I do agree most don't tow at full GVWR, but once again ONLY haulers tow close to the DRY weight!

Most people always want something bigger than their TV is rated to tow, and most can't afford to buy a new trailer, and TV at the same time.

dodge guy wrote:

bikendan wrote:

rhagfo wrote:

bikendan wrote:
if more prospective RV buyers would simply go and look at the yellow sticker on the RV they're thinking of buying, instead of the ridiculous brochure/website "dry" weights, we'd have a lot less questions, like "Can i tow this?"

Only if they also look at the GVWR! The only ones that tow DRY are haulers!

not all trailers are created equal. some have huge CCC numbers that no one could get close to, so GVWR's aren't always a useful number.
generally, yes, unless it has a huge CCC. i've seen some trailers with "dry" weight around 6000lbs. and then has nearly 3000lbs. of CCC. and they weren't toyhaulers.

Yep, mine being one of them. I have a 4k lb CCC! My dry weight is 7100 lbs and the GVWR is 11,100 lbs. I am at 9200 lbs ready to travel. This is why I say to add approx 12-1500 lbs to the dry weight. And I've seen some trailers that have as low as a 600lb CCC.

And also my trailer model includes awning, microwave and so on. The only options are sky lights, cieling fan and spare.

Other than someone hauling these units for a lving,from the manufacturer to the dealer, Then, then empty or dry weight is a joke....No person who has purchased a TT or a 5er to camp in WILL NOT tow it empty or dry. I see post after post after post when people are wanting to know if their truck "will tow it", and they give a dry weight or empty weight number and even go as far as using the "dry pin weight" when talking about a 5er...It's a bit deceptive....one would think that one would understand that number means the truck is empty of water, propane, clothese, outdoor chairs, dry good's, pots pans and on and on and on....the EMPTY or DRY weight number is useless IF that number is what the consumer is looking at and trying if they can tow it...the "empty" and/or "dry" weight is useless when trying to match a tow vehicle to the unit

Anyone purchasing a TT or 5er to tow SHOULD use the 5er's GVW when trying to figure out "if their truck and tow it"....not the empty weight...same with pin weight...dry pin weight is yet another joke that people fall into looking at....Common sense would dictate that when one goes camping, they'll be loading up their TT or 5er when they drive off....Again, please do yourselves a favor and use the rv's GVWR when trying to figure out what to tow it with. Until one has purchased a brand new unit and transferred everything from one unit to another, I believe most would be surprised at just how much "stuff" they store in their 5er, especially if they have children....just my .02 and worth much less than that....Common sense seems to have taken a back seat at times when trying to match a tow vehicle to a TT or a 5er and one uses "dry weight" or "empty weight" as the number they're figuring on. It's a number that is almost irrelevant to what one is trying to figure out..