Bunkhouses similar to 272BHS with light hitch weight

Acdii wrote:
The post above is right, FORGET DRY WEIGHT, it is a useless number unless you want to estimate.

Also Forget looking at any trailer until you do the most important thing. Weigh your tow vehicle! Load it up with the family, and any cargo you assume you will carry in it, and take it to a CAT scale.

When you do this (and it is excellent advice) either have your WDH hitch with you or take 100 lbs off the payload number you calc out.

100 lbs for the hitch relates to 770 less lb of trailer weight your can pull.

The post above is right, FORGET DRY WEIGHT, it is a useless number unless you want to estimate.

Also Forget looking at any trailer until you do the most important thing. Weigh your tow vehicle! Load it up with the family, and any cargo you assume you will carry in it, and take it to a CAT scale. Pay the $11.50 for the weigh ticket.

Now take your vehicles GVWR and subtract the scale weight from it. That is your available payload. Take that number and divide by .13. That is your available trailer GVWR.

Got all this down?

Great, now go shopping based on the GVWR you calculated.

You don't have it?

Here is an example.

Truck scales at 6000 pounds, GVWR is 6750 pounds, leaving 750 pounds available payload.

750/.13 = 5769

Now you know the max you can tow is 5770 pounds and be right at the limit of the TV.

As others pointed out, 13% tongue weight is smack dab in the middle of the 10-15 % recommended tongue weight, and trust me, you do NOT want to tow a travel trailer with 10% tongue weight. The more weight up front on the ball, the better it handles the wind.

For Safety sake... Forget about Dry Weight.
The weight you want to count is trailer, water, propane, camping utensils,
Outdoor furniture, Groceries ect...
Don't forget to include things like tool boxes, food and bicycles too.

It's awful easy to load heavy and not realize it.
I eventually upgraded to a 3/4 ton F-250 Diesel and E-rated tires.
Towed like a dream.
Fast Forward to today...
We downsized to a 18' trailer, and our TV downsized to a F-150 HD Echo boost,
I still tow with E-rated tires. I like the way they tow.

FWIW: When I set up my hitch, I like to set it for a loaded Trailer.
I go to a junkyard about 10 miles away and for a case of beer, they move me to the front of any line. Funny how that happens. The junkyard weights my truck , camper ect... Doing it that way you want wonder if you have too much weight on the tongue, or too much weight in the rear. Towes like a dream if you plan ahead.

drsteve wrote:

librty02 wrote:
And also if you decide on going to look at a 3/4 ton truck you must also watch their payloads. A 3/4 ton gas truck will have a lot more payload than a 3/4 ton diesel truck does. Heck I've looked at some loaded up 3/4 ton diesel trucks before that had payload capacities as low as the 1600 lb range...most don't go over 2100 lbs unless they are less optioned models. So if you would decide on a diesel I would highly recommend a 1 ton as it will have more payload capacity at very little cost difference than the 3/4 ton. But honestly a 3/4 ton gas would fit your bill perfectly and most likely not cost much more than that 1/2 ton Suburban...good luck in your search

Keep in mind that many 3/4 ton trucks these days are essentially SRW one ton trucks with an artificially low 10,000 lb GVWR limit. The reason for 10,000 lb is that in many states, registration costs go up significantly because >10,000 lb means you pay for commercial plates.

I know for the Ford the 3/4 ton and 1 ton do have different rear axle sizes. They are different in diameter. I've owned both in the past and can tell you that the 1 ton of today will handle a 5th wheels pin weight much more stable than the same exact in a 3/4 ton. The suspension is night and day in the rear.

itsjustjer wrote:
...I understand what you’re saying and that’s fine. My frustration comes from the inability to calculate ANY weight to ANY certain degree seeing as how it’s impossible to know that any weight is actually accurate from the manufacturer. How has anyone ever purchased a vehicle and camper and known they’d be compatible if we can’t rely on payload numbers or tongue weight numbers from the manufacturer?.

Go to the dealer's lot and look at a TT you would like. Look at the sticker on it, it will have a weight on it "As Shipped". Add 1200 lbs to that weight and multiply by 12%; that will give you the tongue weight {close enough; 100 lbs one way or the other ain't going to kill you}.

librty02 wrote:
And also if you decide on going to look at a 3/4 ton truck you must also watch their payloads. A 3/4 ton gas truck will have a lot more payload than a 3/4 ton diesel truck does. Heck I've looked at some loaded up 3/4 ton diesel trucks before that had payload capacities as low as the 1600 lb range...most don't go over 2100 lbs unless they are less optioned models. So if you would decide on a diesel I would highly recommend a 1 ton as it will have more payload capacity at very little cost difference than the 3/4 ton. But honestly a 3/4 ton gas would fit your bill perfectly and most likely not cost much more than that 1/2 ton Suburban...good luck in your search

Keep in mind that many 3/4 ton trucks these days are essentially SRW one ton trucks with an artificially low 10,000 lb GVWR limit. The reason for 10,000 lb is that in many states, registration costs go up significantly because >10,000 lb means you pay for commercial plates.

And also if you decide on going to look at a 3/4 ton truck you must also watch their payloads. A 3/4 ton gas truck will have a lot more payload than a 3/4 ton diesel truck does. Heck I've looked at some loaded up 3/4 ton diesel trucks before that had payload capacities as low as the 1600 lb range...most don't go over 2100 lbs unless they are less optioned models. So if you would decide on a diesel I would highly recommend a 1 ton as it will have more payload capacity at very little cost difference than the 3/4 ton. But honestly a 3/4 ton gas would fit your bill perfectly and most likely not cost much more than that 1/2 ton Suburban...good luck in your search

I have a 27bh but no slide so it's dry weight is in the low 4,000s and it has about 2500 lbs cargo capacity. On a good day I might be hauling an extra 800lbs of gear but not really likely and I honesty don't really care, nor have I ever weighed it.

I tow it with a 3/4 ton Suburban and have done so for years. I don't know if you have considered a 3/4 ton (that would be a K2500 4x4 or C2500 4x2) I run the E rated tires and when not towing I lower pressure to 40 front and 50 rear per GMC's recommendation. This is also our road trip vehicle and has been for the last 15 years. The ride is decent and has never bothered me nor the kids.

If you haven't already you might look and see if you can get a bit more cargo capacity with a 2500 and then buy with the reassurance that you're not going to overload anything. Another way to spot a 2500 is they have 8 lug nuts per wheel instead of 6 lug nuts on the 1/2 tons.

Haven't read all the responses but I can give the OP my personal feelings on these Bullets. I own a 308BHS. They are tongue heavy coaches, especially with the big front passthrough, storage under the main bed, kitchen cabinets in front of the the axles, and the fresh water tank in front.

As others have pointed out already, dry weights and towing capacities are fictitious numbers promoted by marketing teams to sell coaches. The real specs are GVWR (both trailer and TV), GCVWR, axle ratings, tire ratings, and the achilles heel of any 1/2 ton, payload capacity.

We started out with a Yukon XL Denali which had plenty of pulling power. Our 7600# GVR trailer wasn't maxed but it very close. Hitch weight was nearly 1050 lbs. Our trucks payload was just under 1600 lbs. Between the weight of passengers, car seats, a few bags behind the 3rd row, and the WDH (about 100 lbs), we used up all the payload capacity.

A couple white knuckle trips that first season had us upgrading to a Hensley Arrow and a more appropriate 3/4 ton tow vehicle by the start of the 2nd season.

First rule of thumb for any trailer is always use the GVWR. Don't estimate anything based off how much one may or may not load into the trailer. Assume 15% TW. Don't know if there are kids in the equation but if there are, most like to bring toys, bikes, inflatables, camping gear, books, devices, etc etc. Stuff adds up very quickly. Tools, fishing gear, food, pots, pans, toiletries, bbq's, propane all need to be accounted for.

There are 1/2 ton trucks with HD towing and heavy duty payload packages. Unfortunately, the full size SUVs of today aren't optioned with them. A truck's wheelbase is notably longer too, providing for more stability and control.

Many of us have joined the "been there, done that" crowd either because we didn't know any better or just took the ill advice of who didn't either. It's an expensive lesson to learn especially as truck prices keep exponentially.

Good luck and safe travels.

itsjustjer wrote:


I understand what you’re saying and that’s fine.

#1 My frustration comes from the inability to calculate ANY weight to ANY certain degree seeing as how it’s impossible to know that any weight is actually accurate from the manufacturer.

#2 How has anyone ever purchased a vehicle and camper and known they’d be compatible if we can’t rely on payload numbers or tongue weight numbers from the manufacturer?

#3 There are a lot of campers I’ve looked at that state they have close to 3k lbs cargo carrying capacity.

#4 I’ve dragged out everything we had in our old camper and weighed it, plus weighed way more clothes than we’d ever bring realistically, plus so much more gear that we’d probably just shove in the camper to store it and probably never actually use.

All of that weighs about 650 lbs (I think it was 644).

I just rounded that up to 1k lbs because maybe we’ll want to travel with a tank of water sometime.

#5 Now there is a huge difference between adding an additional 1k lbs to the dry weight versus adding an additional 3k lbs to the dry weight.

#6 I’m all for over estimating (as you may have noticed), but over estimating by 2k lbs is kind of overkill considering everything else has been overestimated already.

#7 This is my problem with saying we’ll use the GVWR on a trailer. However, if we can’t rely on the dry weight to be even remotely accurate then how is it even possible for someone to know what weight they’re supposed to add their gear weight onto to find their loaded weight? That’s the frustration.

#1 You way over thinking which is why you are frustrated.

Manufacturers cannot "publish" exact dry weight numbers in brochures, the reasons vary but the gist of it is there are variations in configurations due to options and or materials.

Manufacturers publish numbers based on the IDEAL materials on basic models, add in options and variations of materials and those numbers have gone out the door.

What manufacturers do now days because they are now forced to do is they will weigh each unit before it leaves the factory. That weight is now required to be posted inside the trailer. There will be a paper with all the empty weight specs which will typically be inside a cupboard cabinet in the kitchen.

So, you WILL NEED TO GO FIND A DEALER WITH THE TRAILER YOU ARE INTERESTED IN to get the exact info you are asking for.

However, IF the dealer has ADDED ANYTHING those weight numbers are now out the door.

Complicating things a bit, typically propane and battery ARE NOT INCLUDED ON THE WEIGHT STICKER!

#2 Using the GVWR of the trailer WILL prevent this very issue you are complaining about. That IS why folks here are telling you to buy using the GVWR!

You cannot go wrong with the GVWR, it is that simple.

By trying to weigh out everything including counting the amount of potato chips you can haul you are leaving yourself with zero margin for mistakes.

#3 WHO CARES if you have 3K of cargo capacity of the trailer??? Ignore that and get on with life, be GLAD you have extra cargo capacity that you are not using.. There is NO RULE THAT STATES YOU MUST USE EVERY OUNCE OF CARGO CAPACITY.

I honestly love knowing that I have more cargo capacity than I need, in fact makes things a lot safer since now you have brakes and tires with EXCESSIVE CAPACITY THAT YOU ARE NOT NEEDING TO USE!

#4 Good for you, most folks simply do not have any idea what they are dragging along with them but in reality buying a trailer with lots of cargo means you really did not have to go over the top on this.

#5 WHY all of this obsession with trying to use up all of the cargo capacity? Having more cargo capacity means the trailer is starting MUCH LOWER WEIGHT. Lower weight is good, your vehicle will thank you for not dragging the extra 2K of weight behind it.

#6 For some reason folks seem to think they are getting less of a trailer when it has a much higher cargo capacity.

The truth is you are not.

I suspect a lot of the folks who have trailers with 1K or less cargo capacity are the ones who typically have a lot of axle and tire issues.. You are getting a lot more margin on tires especially and most likely will never need to upgrade the tires to stop excessive tire blowouts..

#7 You are making your life miserable by worrying about dry weights, buying a trailer based on the MAXIMUM GVWR the trailer can haul simplifies your life and having 2K or 3K cargo capacity means you should never ever need to use the entire capacity of the trailer.

In other words, gives you a big safety margin by not ever loading to the maximum GVWR..

Yes, there are a lot of folks on this forum who use the dry weights to justify their (poor or often bad) choice of buying a much larger and heavier trailer than they should..

I call it the "supersize" mentality..

DON'T BE THAT PERSON!