ggrant119 wrote:
It is a lot for the truck but I stopped at the scales loaded up and I'm not over. I understand that some won't tow anything without a huge buffer and some will say I'm crazy... but I'm right at the limits. I've only drove 775 miles with it so far. After the hitch was adjusted... It wasn't uncomfortable for me, I read a lot on this and other forums and thought I might have made a mistake..but that not the case at all.
I stopped at a CAT scale and weight everything.
Unhooked Trailer on scale - says shipping weight is 7,785lbs - I filled half of the fresh water tank / filled both propane tanks and I loaded almost everything I'm going to load in the pass thru (tools / hoses..ect..)- Scale ticket said... 7,865LBS
I purchased a Sherline Trailer Tongue Weight Scale ($129) from etrailer.com because I knew I was going to be close. Printed TW says 1,065lbs - trailer was dead level on the scale it says: 819lbs
My truck GCWR is 15,500lbs - Truck (me, wife, child, dog)/ Reese dual cam hitch / Trailer on the scale ticket says: 14,420lbs
*note on the trailer ... we had it built with table and chairs - took away the dinette (don't think this matters much)
I'm never going to travel with fresh water tank full / waste water tank full. I don't have any plans to drive cross country - I'm comfortable with my choice.
I have a similar situation. Towing pretty heavy with a 1/2 ton (Nissan Titan) .. GWR of trailer (see signature pic) is 7200. My maximum towing capacity is 7500, and all the other weights (payload, TW, GCVWR, etc) checks out, but barely. Very comfortable towing and braking. I don't go faster than 55, mostly because of fuel mileage (I average 9 towing) .. I go up long or steep hills at 35mph in third gear though, as transmission temps rise.
Went across country and back (5 week trip) a few years ago without a single issue. That was my second ever trip towing a travel trailer. Learned a lot. At the beginning of the trip, other RVers were really nice and helped me out. By the end, I was helping others out :)
