help on tow weights

I got the dry numbers off manufactures websites
site shows the Kodiak with a dry hitch weight of 510 lbs

I used to own a trailblazer swb 5.3 V8 with the 3.42 rear. It was my backup emergency tow vehicle only. Payload and frontal limits kept the tb from doing 60 downhill on a highway grade floored. Not an ideal tow vehicle for hybrids. Awesome for heavy 12 to 14ft popups.

On those old of a hybrid, there is no yellow weight sticker.
You'll find a white weight sticker, on the inside of a cabinet door.
that's its weight when it left the factory.

Is that where you got those "dry" numbers?

crazysimi wrote:
so if i'm following in theory everything could be with in numbers then tongue weight could be heavier and put me over payload on TV. Is this something that could just be adjusted by moving stuff in the trailer to lesson the tongue weight. Is there any way of actual figuring weights without actually buying it and loading it up and getting weighed in.

Also is there a better gearing to have then the other for towing?

Just to be clear. The tongue weight is the weight of the trailer tongue. so any thing you add to the front of the TT will increase the tongue weight.

The TV payload is the weight that the TV can carry. SO IF you weigh 200lb, and DW weighs 120lb, and you have 300lb of children. Your family weighs 600lb. Subtract that 300 from you payload of 1230lb, and you have 630lb of payload left. That is the weight you can carry in the TV. So IF the tongue weight is less than 630lb. You are good to go. You will need to weigh it to find out.

However I suspect the Kodiak will be over 600lb tongue weight when loaded, as it will be between 5500, and 6000lb loaded.

The StarCraft would IMOP be your best bet as it will be between 4500, and 5000lb loaded ready to camp

Plus. IF you are buying new. There should be a yellow sticker on the Trailer. that yellow sticker will tell you the weight of the trailer as it sits on the lot, with out any fluids. So what you see is what you get. WE as an example only added 600lb to the dry weight of our TT, others add more. You CAN hand weigh stuff before you put it in the TT, that way you will have a good idea of the weight you will carry, and the tongue weight.

Aand yes gearing makes a lot of difference, but not to the TV weight. A 3.73 gear is usually preferred because it lets the engine rev higher, and make more power. The higher a gear you get lets the engine make less and less power as you go up. And just so you will know. Cause it is kinda backwards. A 3.73 is a lower gear than a 3.43.

To a certain extent, yes you can move some things to the rear of the trailer. But if you are that close or over your capacity you'll want to be looking a bigger tow vehicle.

crazysimi wrote:


Also is there a better gearing to have then the other for towing?

Not sure what you are asking here. The lower the gear ratio the better it is for towing. Ideally you want the 4:10 gears, but I think the 3:73 were far more common with the V8s on that platform. The 3:73 should be fine.

so if i'm following in theory everything could be with in numbers then tongue weight could be heavier and put me over payload on TV. Is this something that could just be adjusted by moving stuff in the trailer to lesson the tongue weight. Is there any way of actual figuring weights without actually buying it and loading it up and getting weighed in.

Also is there a better gearing to have then the other for towing?

OP Quote:

so do you take the 1230- people weight and gear?
do you subtract the hitch weight also?

YES.

Load the vehicle as if you're going camping & weigh it. Go to any "CAT" scales.

Subtract that weight from the vehicle GVWR & what do you have left-over ?

crazysimi wrote:
ok so here's what i found
Cargo Volume 39.8 cu ft
Standard Payload 1,230 lbs
Maximum Payload 1,230 lbs
Standard Towing Capacity 6,500 lbs
Maximum Towing Capacity 6,500 lbs

so do you take the 1230- people weight and gear?
do you subtract the hitch weight also?

to put it simple, towing capacity is all weight above the vehicle weight, including passengers, trailer, full trailer weight.
Payload is basically downward pressure on the vehicle, which includes all contents of the vehicle, and the downward weight from the trailer that is put on the hitch of the vehicle (trailer's tongue weight)

Welcome neighbor!

Ignore the published dry weight. That's a fictional number. No one tows a trailer at it's dry weight. Dry weight does not include factory installed options, depending on the manufacturer, that could be A/C, awning, spare tire, microwave, and other things. The shipped weight is a better number. But for towing planning, go by the listed GVWR of the trailer.

I think overall though you'll be fine but these are about the biggest trailers I would ever tow with that platform. That Saab is a GMT360, Trailblazer/Envoy platform. I wouldn't pull it with the I6 (I had a Trailblazer with I6, it was great for a smaller trailer but only OK for my current Jayco X20E), but with the 5.3 you should be fine. Check your gearing, that'll make a difference. Look in your glove box for a white sticker with RPO codes, look for one of the following to validate which gears your have.

GU6 = 3:42 ratio
GT4 = 3:73 ratio
GT5 = 4:10 ratio

Verify your towing capacity is really 6500# by comparing your option list and gears to the towing chart in your owners manual.

You will also need to subtract everything inside your TV and the weight of the WD hitch from the rated towing capacity. So if your rated capacity is indeed 6500#, and your family, stuff that travels in the Saab, and hitch weighs 500#, now your towing capacity is 6000#.

When your trailer is loaded is when you should weigh your tongue. For planning though, figure 13% of the trailer's GVWR. So if your payload is 1100# and your tongue weight is 700# and your stuff is 500#, then you are over weight because your payload has been exceeded by 100#. This is why knowing the payload is so critical.

EDIT: Just your post that your payload is 1,230#. Same rules apply though!

I wish you the best!

ok so here's what i found
Cargo Volume 39.8 cu ft
Standard Payload 1,230 lbs
Maximum Payload 1,230 lbs
Standard Towing Capacity 6,500 lbs
Maximum Towing Capacity 6,500 lbs

so do you take the 1230- people weight and gear?
do you subtract the hitch weight also?