Help with TV concerns - new to towing trailer
Hello All, I'm new to towing a trailer and this is my first post. We have a 1999 GMC Sierra 5.3l with tow capacity given at 8200lbs. I checked as many blogs as I could, asked GMC dealership and towi...
Forum Discussion
TerryandKim wrote:With many TV's, it's not a matter of how much it call pull -- it's a matter of how much it can carry.
We have a 1999 GMC Sierra 5.3l with tow capacity given at 8200lbs. I checked as many blogs as I could, asked GMC dealership and towing supply shops in my area before trailer shopping. We ended up with a 2010 Jayco with 5300lb dry weight and 7500lb GVWR, although we travel very light (no water, bare food needs etc).---
Step 1 is to look on the driver's door edge or pillar and find the sticker which says "maximum weight of occupants as cargo is XXXX".
That value is the payload capacity of your TV as it was delivered to the dealer.
Step 2 is to estimate the total weight of occupants and cargo (including things like bed cap, weight distribution hitch, etc) which will be carried by the TV when towing.
Step 3 is to subtract the estimated added weight from the value of XXXX from Step 1. This is the maximum allowable vertical load which the TV can exert on the TV with WD applied.
Step 4 is to estimate the loaded-for-camping tongue weight of the TT. With a dry weight of 5300#, your very lightly loaded TT might weigh 6000# when loaded and have a TW around 800#. With WD applied, an 800# TW might cause about 6000# to be added to the TV.
Step 5 is to compare the estimated added load from Step 4 with the maximum allowable load from Step 3.
Ron
