Understanding GVWR

Your hitch weight is unrealistic. Optimum is 13% of the trailer weight. So if you take the dry weight (which you will never see) and multiply by .13 you get 783 lbs. If you use the max gross weight, its 1196 lbs.

Figure about 110 lbs for propane, take the water capacity and multiply by 8 lbs per gallon, then take all the cookware, grill, dump hose, potable water hose, power cord, etc and clothes and personal stuff, extra shoes, etc, it adds up fast.

A realistic tongue weight is more like 950 to 1000 lbs for your situataion. Simply put, your truck is no where close to being capable of doing this.

You need to gas up the truck and go to a scale and spend the $12 or so and weigh it, then you can have some real numbers to work with. Towing capacity is calculated by the manufacturers using a flat bed trailer loaded with (take your pick) bricks/railroad iron/lead/etc and is not representative of towing a big box down the road that reacts to wind and buffeting of trucks. Its simply what the engine, transmission, and rear axle are capable of pulling, and the brakes are capable of stopping, without breaking the first time you tow.

Charles

Charles

CharlesinGA wrote:
Your hitch weight is unrealistic. Optimum is 13% of the trailer weight. So if you take the dry weight (which you will never see) and multiply by .13 you get 783 lbs. If you use the max gross weight, its 1196 lbs.

Figure about 110 lbs for propane, take the water capacity and multiply by 8 lbs per gallon, then take all the cookware, grill, dump hose, potable water hose, power cord, etc and clothes and personal stuff, extra shoes, etc, it adds up fast.

A realistic tongue weight is more like 950 to 1000 lbs for your situataion. Simply put, your truck is no where close to being capable of doing this.

You need to gas up the truck and go to a scale and spend the $12 or so and weigh it, then you can have some real numbers to work with. Towing capacity is calculated by the manufacturers using a flat bed trailer loaded with (take your pick) bricks/railroad iron/lead/etc and is not representative of towing a big box down the road that reacts to wind and buffeting of trucks. Its simply what the engine, transmission, and rear axle are capable of pulling, and the brakes are capable of stopping, without breaking the first time you tow.

Charles

Charles

Well the 595 lb dry hitch weight is what it says on the manufacturer website which would put the tongue weight around 9.8% of the dry trailer weight. Are you suggesting that they have incorrect numbers posted?

Also, I dont see how you came up with the tongue weight at 900 to 1000 lbs for my situation. How do you figure that? It realistically seems like It would be around 750-800 lbs for my loaded tongue weight.

^Experience. That’s how.
However, you don’t say exactly what truck, but 9200lb tow rating and 1200 payload rating = loaded crew cab half ton with average power drivetrain (not deep geared eco boost or 6.2 Vortec).
Sounds like a good match up if you stay away from the rvnet weight cops. Realistic payload on your truck is governed by rawr. And you’ve likely got 2000lbs or avialable payload.
I’d do it and not think twice about it. Except, you say “living” in the RV. Does that mean mostly parked and not a ton of traveling or vice versa?
Flatland, low altitude and not a ton of miles, great. Mountains, altitude and lots of miles would make me want an “overkill” truck just for ease of towing and easier on the vehicle.

Not decided strictly by weight imo but rather duty cycle.

595 lbs for tongue weight. Add 2 batteries @50 lbs each =100
Round up the 595 to 600 lbs for ease of speculation.
Now you're at 700 lbs
Add propane @ 60 lbs = 760 lbs.
Add 100 lbs for a WDH = 860 lbs.
Add 200 lbs for stuff under the bed, in the wards and in the front storage compartment = 1060 lbs.

Pure speculation and assuming the TW is 600 lbs from the factory.

As far as the UVW plus GCWR goes, I don't worry about the GVWR unless the CCC is low. You'll never load the full CCC in that TT so figure on average 1000 lbs added to the UVW as a start. That would put you at about 6500 lbs ready to tow.

Your trucks payload is too low for this TT IMO.

Brochure weights are never correct. They may be close but very rarely are they higher than a delivered unit is. Normally they're low.
My last 5er was pretty close but my current TT is way different.
You can always call a dealer and have them get the as delivered weights off the factory sticker thats on the TT.

CharlesinGA wrote:
Your hitch weight is unrealistic. Optimum is 13% of the trailer weight. So if you take the dry weight (which you will never see) and multiply by .13 you get 783 lbs. If you use the max gross weight, its 1196 lbs.

Figure about 110 lbs for propane, take the water capacity and multiply by 8 lbs per gallon, then take all the cookware, grill, dump hose, potable water hose, power cord, etc and clothes and personal stuff, extra shoes, etc, it adds up fast.

A realistic tongue weight is more like 950 to 1000 lbs for your situataion. Simply put, your truck is no where close to being capable of doing this.

You need to gas up the truck and go to a scale and spend the $12 or so and weigh it, then you can have some real numbers to work with. Towing capacity is calculated by the manufacturers using a flat bed trailer loaded with (take your pick) bricks/railroad iron/lead/etc and is not representative of towing a big box down the road that reacts to wind and buffeting of trucks. Its simply what the engine, transmission, and rear axle are capable of pulling, and the brakes are capable of stopping, without breaking the first time you tow.

Charles

Charles

Well the 595 lbs dry hitch weight is what is listed on the spec sheet of that trailer. That would put it at around 9.8% of the total dry weight of the trailer. Do you think the manufacturer has it labeled incorrectly? I dont really see how you figure that my tongue weight will be over 900 lbs. That doesn't make much sense to me. Also wouldnt a weight distribution hitch help?

It is odd that the maker would setup the TT with less than 10% tongue weight unless they were expecting the added items to make up the difference.
Dealer/sticker tongue weight is based on dry weight. Dry weight is as shipped, empty propane tanks, no battery.
WDH moves, by lever action, weight to the tow vehicle (TV) front wheels and some to the TT axle(s). Mine moved 220# forward and 80# rearward with my previous TV. I was a bit overweight for some specs and did a radical cargo review and removal. Haven’t reweighed since.

And apparently it has over 3000lbs ccc, so who cares.
Put some more weight in the front if it’s light.
It’s not “unusual”, it probably has a lot of expected added weight forward of axles.

Heybro wrote:

CharlesinGA wrote:
Your hitch weight is unrealistic. Optimum is 13% of the trailer weight. So if you take the dry weight (which you will never see) and multiply by .13 you get 783 lbs. If you use the max gross weight, its 1196 lbs.

Figure about 110 lbs for propane, take the water capacity and multiply by 8 lbs per gallon, then take all the cookware, grill, dump hose, potable water hose, power cord, etc and clothes and personal stuff, extra shoes, etc, it adds up fast.

A realistic tongue weight is more like 950 to 1000 lbs for your situataion. Simply put, your truck is no where close to being capable of doing this.

You need to gas up the truck and go to a scale and spend the $12 or so and weigh it, then you can have some real numbers to work with. Towing capacity is calculated by the manufacturers using a flat bed trailer loaded with (take your pick) bricks/railroad iron/lead/etc and is not representative of towing a big box down the road that reacts to wind and buffeting of trucks. Its simply what the engine, transmission, and rear axle are capable of pulling, and the brakes are capable of stopping, without breaking the first time you tow.

Charles

Charles

Well the 595 lbs dry hitch weight is what is listed on the spec sheet of that trailer. That would put it at around 9.8% of the total dry weight of the trailer. Do you think the manufacturer has it labeled incorrectly? I dont really see how you figure that my tongue weight will be over 900 lbs. That doesn't make much sense to me. Also wouldnt a weight distribution hitch help?

That is the brocure weight. The actual yellow sticker weight as built from the factory will be different. So no they did not purposely label it wrong. It's just light in front. and IF you are living in it. you are going to put at least 1500 to 2000lb worth of stuff in it. Weekend camping. not so much.

To safely tow it. You will need between 12, and 14% of the trailer on the tongue. So if you load it to 8000lb say. It should have a minimum of 960lb tongue weight at 12%. at 14% it would be 1120LB. and if you load it to 7500lb. 14% of that is 1050lb .

I got to be honest.. You need more tow vehicle. 1275lb of payload is terribly small. that is down in mid size truck or SUV territory. With the numbers you have given. It is to much trailer for your TV.

Heybro wrote:

CharlesinGA wrote:
Your hitch weight is unrealistic. Optimum is 13% of the trailer weight. So if you take the dry weight (which you will never see) and multiply by .13 you get 783 lbs. If you use the max gross weight, its 1196 lbs.

Figure about 110 lbs for propane, take the water capacity and multiply by 8 lbs per gallon, then take all the cookware, grill, dump hose, potable water hose, power cord, etc and clothes and personal stuff, extra shoes, etc, it adds up fast.

A realistic tongue weight is more like 950 to 1000 lbs for your situataion. Simply put, your truck is no where close to being capable of doing this.

You need to gas up the truck and go to a scale and spend the $12 or so and weigh it, then you can have some real numbers to work with. Towing capacity is calculated by the manufacturers using a flat bed trailer loaded with (take your pick) bricks/railroad iron/lead/etc and is not representative of towing a big box down the road that reacts to wind and buffeting of trucks. Its simply what the engine, transmission, and rear axle are capable of pulling, and the brakes are capable of stopping, without breaking the first time you tow.

Charles

Charles

Well the 595 lb dry hitch weight is what it says on the manufacturer website which would put the tongue weight around 9.8% of the dry trailer weight. Are you suggesting that they have incorrect numbers posted?

Also, I dont see how you came up with the tongue weight at 900 to 1000 lbs for my situation. How do you figure that? It realistically seems like It would be around 750-800 lbs for my loaded tongue weight.

You aren't understanding that brochure/website "dry" numbers are fictional and are based on a stripped-down version of the trailer. No batteries, no factory options, no dealer add-ons and no water and no cargo.
That's why 10%-13% of GVWR is used for a ballpark loaded tongue weight. And 20% of GVWR for 5th wheel pin weight.
There's a lot of deceptive information in the RV Industry, like so-called 1/2 ton towable 5th Wheels.

Yep, it really is unfortunate that the RV industry uses dry weight to push more trailers on the uninformed/unsuspecting buyer.

Our 4 trailers that we've owned scale weighed much closer to GVWR of trailer and no where near the dry weight or UVW.....and ofcourse tongue weight followed suit.