We went out today searching for a TT that will meet our needs. We were very upfront with every sales person that we encountered regarding only having 940 max tongue weight available and every one tried to sell us something way heavier than everyone on this site tells us is safe. We found one that we LOVED but then we looked and it was 5300 dry and the dry hitch weight was 800 frickin pounds. Even at camping world they were insistent that we could do 6000 pounds DRY WEIGHT! So so frustrating!

I tow with a 1/2 ton and the dry weight on our trailer is 5400lbs. No issues what so ever. I tow with empty tanks most often and load the trailer with the gear instead of the truck bed.

It can be fristrating but dont give up. I bet more than half of those salesmen you spoke with dont even camp. How are you going to sell something you dont enjoy yourself, ill never understand that. I use to tow my shadow cruiser 280qbs with a ram 1500 hemi. It weighed 5400 dry and I thought I was 8500lbs towing capacity. Come to find out I knly had 6700lbs towing. But didnt have issues at all except on hills I could feel the tt behjnd me.

All manufacturers have web sites and those web sites have specifications do your homework and become familiar with how the trailer is constructed, are they using composites constructively or are they making the trailer the same way they did 30 years ago, (Hint the vast majority are). I knew what I wanted before I started looking aluminum frame more an aircraft construction than the typical RV tank.

Shorteelaw wrote:...We found one that we LOVED but then we looked and it was 5300 dry and the dry hitch weight was 800 frickin pounds....Wow, never seen a trailer with a DRY tongue weight ratio over 15%.Usually it's 10-12% dry until you load it up, and then it turns into *surprise* >15%. That's happened to me twice now.On this trailer, where is the storage and batteries? Just maybe it's designed so most of the added weight will be over or behind the axles? If it's behind the axles, it will actually reduce the tongue weight.I've always found estimating Loaded tongue weight to be the most difficult part of the "looking-for-a-trailer" process.

Buy a sherline tongue scale and take with you. Then you'll know exactly what the dry tongue weight is. http://www.sherline.com/lm.htm

TT shopping frustration | Good Sam Community

DukeAJuke
Explorer
Apr 22, 2014
APT wrote:
DukeAJuke wrote:
...this site is full of people driving 250/2500, and 350/3500 who are just trying to justify driving them...I'm over my rated cargo by as much as 600lb. I've towed it 1200 miles now and my vehicle tows it with no problem what so ever.

Some people justify 3/4 and 1-ton vehicles as much as others justify driving overloaded.

I don't care if you or anyone else is overloaded. But it is not wise to recommend others knowingly/purposely do it.

Agreed. But I haven't, nor have I seen anyone else on this site, recommend driving grossly over weight. And from my 20 years experience driving trucks and pulling trailers, you can be moderately overloaded and still be safe with careful driving, especially with the newer 1/2 tons. There is always some inherent risk when towing a trailer. What really matters is safe, careful driving. Which would you rather see on the road, a careful driver in a slightly over weighted 1/2 ton pulling a 30 footer at 60 mph in the slow lane, or a 21 year old kid in a Ford 350 pulling a 5000lb trailer at 80mph in the fast lane? As always, common sense rules the day...
jmtandem
Explorer II
Apr 22, 2014
Some people justify 3/4 and 1-ton vehicles as much as others justify driving overloaded.

I don't care if you or anyone else is overloaded. But it is not wise to recommend others knowingly/purposely do it.

Agreed. I don't think suggesting that the OP even consider being over any rating or value is in his best interest. That is why some say that it is almost impossible to have too much truck. And if in doubt, go bigger.
APT
Explorer
Apr 22, 2014
DukeAJuke wrote:
...this site is full of people driving 250/2500, and 350/3500 who are just trying to justify driving them...I'm over my rated cargo by as much as 600lb. I've towed it 1200 miles now and my vehicle tows it with no problem what so ever.

Some people justify 3/4 and 1-ton vehicles as much as others justify driving overloaded.

I don't care if you or anyone else is overloaded. But it is not wise to recommend others knowingly/purposely do it.
Gr8life
Explorer II
Apr 21, 2014
"Just make sure you don't overload your tires...."

Selective respect for the various ratings might lead to problems. GVWR is for the whole vehicle, not just the tires. Why worry about the tires if one is willing to run overloaded on everything else? Yes, I am one of those happy 2500HD drivers who has plenty of excess capacity for all of my vehicle's ratings. My point is that if you want to run overloaded, run overloaded. The manufacturers might know a little about the vehicles they build. Maybe not.
DukeAJuke
Explorer
Apr 21, 2014
Not all 1/2 ton pickups are the same and this site is full of people driving 250/2500, and 350/3500 who are just trying to justify driving them. If you are looking for a real world scenario, I tow with an F150 EB, SCREW rated at 7200 tow, 1200 cargo. My trailer is 31 feet, 6570lb dry, and a tongue weight of 890lb. When I load up for camping, I'm over my rated cargo by as much as 600lb. I've towed it 1200 miles now and my vehicle tows it with no problem what so ever. Just make sure you don't overload your tires and that you have a good WDH.
Shorteelaw
Explorer
Apr 21, 2014
TOOBOLD wrote:
You said you fell in love with a floorplan,but heavier than you can tow? What make and model was it? We might be able to find the same floor plan with a different manufacturer that is within your specs.

Palomino Solaire 239DSBH is what I was referring to. That's the one that was over 5,300 dry.
hmknightnc
Explorer
Apr 21, 2014
Hi OP. Sorry your frustrated with the forum, it happens. Don't think I was involved in any of your previous discussions but it certainly sounds like you have done your homework and know exactly what you can carry and the reasons why. That's a great start.

As to your actual problem: with just under 900# tongue weight available you can safely tow a 6000# trailer. There a butt ton (technical term :)) of light weight framed TTs out there with GVWR under 6k# and all of them have small cargo capacities so you don't need to do the unloaded weight plus cargo exercise just use GVWR. Search the internet for the trailer floor plan you want that is under 6k# GVWR and go see it a dealer. To hell with what the dealer wants, look at what you want

Good Luck
TOOBOLD
Explorer
Apr 21, 2014
You said you fell in love with a floorplan,but heavier than you can tow? What make and model was it? We might be able to find the same floor plan with a different manufacturer that is within your specs.
wmoses
Explorer
Apr 21, 2014
Goldstalker wrote:
Not kidding at all. If you weigh your gear and load properly and don't go by the dry weight but the unloaded weight, I see no issue. Just using the GVWR is lazy. Let's not get into hypothetical issues like if people get complacent, I don't why would I assume the OP will.

Looks like you missed the point about using the GVWR when shopping. But that is all right.

I am yet to hear tell of any significant percentage of RVers who weigh their stuff yet alone do a LCG analysis to see the impact on tongue weight.

I am fully well aware of what you are saying regarding buying based on unladen weight and using only that portion of the CCC up to the truck's capacity, but from where I stand that is not a prudent approach when shopping and one has a 1/2 ton.

Lets just agree to disagree on this one. This thread has about run its course for me anyway - I am out.
Goldstalker
Explorer
Apr 20, 2014
wmoses wrote:
Goldstalker wrote:
I agree the unloaded weight is what matters. Who cares about GVWR if your not gonna use it. It may just mean on trailer has heavier axles than the other.

You are kidding, right? :h

1. No manufacturer is going to grossly overspecify the axles on their RV - costs money.
2. When buying a trailer and not having access to a scale with all your cargo loaded you have to use some starting point number, and for most people that is not the unladen weight. This is especially important for the so-called 1/2 ton trucks that are payload-limited.
3. Shopping by RV GVWR gives the buyer the best chance of safely maximizing the trailer for the truck that will pull it.

Yes, you might not use up all the CCC, but in most instances it is well used up and even overloaded. When modifications start happening, and as complacency sets in (as one gets accustomed to the trailer one thinks less about weights!) more stuff gets thrown into the trailer.

Not kidding at all. If you weigh your gear and load properly and don't go by the dry weight but the unloaded weight, I see no issue. Just using the GVWR is lazy. Let's not get into hypothetical issues like if people get complacent, I don't why would I assume the OP will.