Newbie here with a towing question

handye9 wrote:
When manufacturers calculate "max towing capacity", they do it without aftermarket accessories, passengers, or cargo. They also advertised that max tow weight with two key words, often missed by consumers. Those words are "UP TO".

RV manufacturers are also guilty of advertising misleading information. They advertise trailers with their unloaded (dry) weights, along with some low hitch / tongue weights. Some of those hitch / tongue weights don't include a battery or propane, both of which add weight directly onto the tongue. They also don't tell you, tongue weight is not a constant number. It goes up and down during every trip.

Your estimate of 500 lbs for stuff loaded in the trailer, could be a bit on the low side. Just filling a 30 gallon fresh water tank, adds 240 lbs. If you got in a situation where you had to tow with full black / grey tanks, you would have 500+ lbs right there. The average load (dishes, flatware, pots and pans, bedding, camp chairs, BBQ equipment, flashlights, batteries, groceries, water, etc) is about 1000 lbs. Average tongue weight runs 12 -13 percent of loaded trailer weight. Some trailers, based on their floor plan, or how you load it, can be a little higher.

On your tire / loading sticker (on drivers door jamb), there is a number for "max occupant / cargo weight" (AKA payload). That is the truck's capacity to carry everything and everybody you put into, or onto the truck. The weight of added hitch equipment and trailer tongue weight are counted as cargo weight, on the truck. Any aftermarket accessories, you may have added to the truck, are counted as cargo weight.

With these numbers and percentages, you can calculate how that trailer matches up with your truck.

Take your payload number and subtract 100 lbs for hitch equipment, subtract you family weight, subtract aftermarket accessory weight (if you have any), and subtract any cargo that you would be carrying in the truck. Whatever is left over, is payload available for carrying tongue weight. If you divide that available payload by .13, that will give you a ball park number of what loaded trailer weight would put your truck at it's max capacity.

Give yourself some wiggle room. Allow for those tongue weight fluctuations and the possible unexpected guest or cargo. The closer you are to going over weight, the more unpleasant your towing will be.

You're looking at a trailer that will be close to 6000 lbs when it is ready to camp. Does it fit with your set up, only you can make that call. Do some of these calculations, and see where it falls.

Not only manufactures lie about weights, but car/truck salesmen are the worst. Too many will tell you with a straight face that what they are selling will tow the camper.
However there is a really big difference between calling, making a trailer roll, and towing with it. Then there is the issue of stopping the trailer that is too heavy.
Lastly... Think about trying to tow in Mountains.
Years ago I was where you are now...
I 'Towed' my camper to the Smokey Mountains. Going North from Chattanooga, Tn. My under powered tow vehicle was going 65 mph when I started up the first long hill. I was going less than 20 mph before I got to the top... When I got home from that trip, I traded trucks. Being under powered and over loaded is dangerous for you, your family and everybody else on the highway.

what are you having trouble with. the math doesn't lie. post the door sticker of your truck and give us a realistic weight of your family and great to go in the truck and we will help you out. I cant stress enough that a trailer with a gvwr of 5k will have more tongue weight than you are allowing. 15% of 5000 is 750 lbs.

ill go with jebby on that.

my camper ad weight was 4880 dry weight 7000 gvw. tongue weight 542

this was full tank gas 34 gallons and me in truck only200 lbs, bed empty,and trailer with basics. 2 full propane tanks, and two 12v batts. with 3 cat scale passes I ended up at

740 lbs tongue weight 14%
front restored to with in 140 lbs
I have full washers to tilt head back and links on chains that bars are parallel.
trailer weight 5300 ( only 420 lbs loaded in trailer)

This was my base line.

Im sure when I took the 3 month trip with 4 in the truck, full bed of stuff, generator, bikes, compressor, solar panels, 4 crates of stuff, tools,

and in the camper, food, 3 bins of clothes under bed, 50 gallon fresh water ( over camper axles) , more tools etc etc

I WAS RUNNING HEAVY!!!!!

The tongue weights given in the brochures is also a "dry" weight, and is also useless.

Figure 13% of the trailer's GVWR as tongue weight.

what are you having trouble with. the math doesn't lie. post the door sticker of your truck and give us a realistic weight of your family and great to go in the truck and we will help you out. I cant stress enough that a trailer with a gvwr of 5k will have more tongue weight than you are allowing. 15% of 5000 is 750 lbs.

This might make it easier for you. Clicky
Sorry, I shouldn't have been so hard on you.

bid_time wrote:
You can't get a real answer without knowing the payload rating (max weight of cargo and passengers should not exceed ______ lbs.) of your truck (see yellow sticker on door of your truck), and how much the passengers and cargo in the truck will actually weigh. Subtract that from the payload rating and the whatever is left over is the fully loaded trailer tongue weight.

All that is more fully explained here, from my first post Clicky

Not to be a dick, but had you read this clicky when first posted, you'd have the answers by now.
You can't go shopping until you know what your looking for (i.e.: what your truck is capable of towing).
No one on here knows the answers, only you know the weight of "your" passengers and cargo, and the payload rating of "your" truck. Everything else except "your" real numbers are just "guesses" by us.

Other than that, I'll answer your question - "I Guess you'll be fine, or maybe not"

I did read the clicky. I've been reading it and re-reading it...considering you all know more about this than I do, I'm seeking further clarification. That's pretty much a standard learning device...asking clarifying questions.

Thanks for your input.

You can't get a real answer without knowing the payload rating (max weight of cargo and passengers should not exceed ______ lbs.) of your truck (see yellow sticker on door of your truck), and how much the passengers and cargo in the truck will actually weigh. Subtract that from the payload rating and the whatever is left over is the fully loaded trailer tongue weight.

All that is more fully explained here, from my first post Clicky

Not to be a dick, but had you read this clicky when first posted, you'd have the answers by now.
You can't go shopping until you know what your looking for (i.e.: what your truck is capable of towing).
No one on here knows the answers, only you know the weight of "your" passengers and cargo, and the payload rating of "your" truck. Everything else except "your" real numbers are just "guesses" by us.

Other than that, I'll answer your question - "I Guess you'll be fine, or maybe not"

OK...

After listening to you folks we've determined that our initial idea (not a plan by a LONGSHOT!!!) won't work. We don't want a larger tow vehicle. The good news is that there are tons of options (pre-owned preferably) for a trailer that works for us.

Also, I think I'm at the point where I'm ignoring "dry weight" as a measure for the trailer size. It seems like it give you a much more general size idea than the GVWR...of which were looking at around 5000 lbs (GVWR) with a tongue weight of 480-600 lbs.

That sound about right for a vehicle that tows around 6600 lbs?

Thanks

Jebby14 wrote:
pro tip, when figuring out passenger weights take 20-40 lbs off whatever you guessed for the wife and add it to the weight of the hitch or call it firewood or fuel or something

LOL
Truth, though.