TT n00b
I love camping and I have been a tent camper my whole life. But, the kids are 8 and 12, and it's time for an upgrade. I have been shopping trailers for about a month now, and I have narrowed it down t...
Forum Discussion
drbenzo wrote:
...it has about 6000lb's of dry weight. If my vehicle's tow capacity is 9,900lbs, it would seem to me that I have about 3900lbs of leeway of payload capacity. Am I simplifying this too much....
You are making a common mistake that most of us also made in the beginning.
You will tow that "dry weight" one time and that is the day you take it home.
A family of four will require lots of gear, food, water, and other stuff. You should forget the dry or empty weight and only consider the GVWR of the TT. The GVWR is much closer to what it will actually weigh when loaded for camping.
After finding the GVWR, figure about 12 to 15 percent of that number will be on the back of the truck. The GVWR is mandated by federal law to be on the info placard of the TT which also has the serial number and tire information.
You will want to use a weight distribution hitch (WDH) but that doesn't change any numbers or ratings.
If you really only have a truck cargo capacity of 1,200 pounds, you will be limited to a trailer of about 5,000 to 6,000 pounds loaded.
