Weight question

majorgator wrote:


LarryJM, with all that scale time and effort, how do you manage to have any fun ;-)

LOL It takes me 10 extra min to run across the scales at my first fuel stop and that 10 min out of a normal "road trip" for us which averages between 40 and 70 days hasn't impacted the "FUN FACTOR" in the least. I do the scale thing every single time because I'm running within 100 to 200 lbs of the max weights on both my TT axles and the rear axle on my Van. God forbid that something were to happen I would want to be able to demonstrate with actual numbers that I was not operating my vehicle outside it's stated weight limitations.

If you've looked at or read any of my posts on just the mods I have done you would see that I do tend to "go the extra mile" in almost everything I do and that's just me.

Being fully retired and enjoying life since the ripe old age of 42 with basically no financial worries I have the luxury of both time and resources to do whatever I desire to whatever level I want and consider myself blessed to be in such a situation.:B

Our next road trip will be spending 50 days in Fort Wilderness at Disney World this Christmas visiting "THE MOUSE" and rubbing elbows with "HARRY POTTER" at Universal.:W

I do regret no taking the time when we purchased our current trailer of not running it across the scales on the way home from the dealer, but at that time it just didn't occur to me to do that since I knew I would be weighing it periodically since I had done the same with our previous trailer since about 2000 when we started doing extended road trips and really packing the Van heavy with extra fuel and food.

Larry

Has anyone bothered to weigh their trailer unloaded in order to verify the factory labeled UVW?
I've read on this forum numerous times that the factory includes a figure for propane tank(s) and batteries when determining the UVW.
No, I don't travel with a full water tank, as everywhere we go has water hookups (and we carry bottled water). I could see 1000lbs with cargo and full water tank.

LarryJM, with all that scale time and effort, how do you manage to have any fun ;-)

myredracer wrote:


So, if anyone says you add 1500-2000 lbs to the factory UVW, I don't believe it. That's 3-4 times what I got from going through the exercise of weighing everything before and after. You will also need to allow for the weight of the propane and battery or batteries and anything else the manufacturer may not include in their UVW. I would say that by the time you have everything loaded in your TT ready for a camping trip, you will have added something more like 700 - 800 lbs. For those that tow with one or more full holding tanks, you'd have to add that weight in which case, 1500 - 2000 lbs may not be out of line.

Here you go:



If you can't read it it says the UVW is 4,917 and that includes the weight at the axles and the tongue weight. The GVWR is 7,549 and is based on two 3500 axles and a 549lb tongue wt.

Now I measure my tongue wt. with a sherline scale and don't have it from CAT scale calculations since all my CAT scale weights are basically to know and be sure I'm within my individual axle wts. However from my previous post here the "ACTUAL" CAT scale total TT axle wts. for the 10 wt. tickets are all between 6700 and 6960. However those numbers include between 10 and 40g of FW so the number for a trailer with empty tanks both fresh and holding would be around 300lbs less or very close to 6500 on average. All my CAT scale wt. are with completely empty holding tanks since they are on the first day out or the day we get back home in the one after road trip scale weight. Now remember those don't include the tongue wt., but do include whatever portion of the tongue wt. that has been transferred back to the TT axles from the WDH system (a 1.2/12K Equal-i-zer in my case). My tongue wt. from my Sherline scale runs right at 900 to 950lbs so a very conservative wt. would be around 7000 (including tongue wt) and comparing that to my UVW of 4900 gives me an added cargo wt. of about 2100 lbs on average. They only unusual item I have in my trailer weight wise is an MRFT-40 NORCOLD portable refer that when loaded up would weigh just over 100lbs and that is for traveling in the very front of the trailer.

Now you can no longer say you can't believe ANYONE could add those type of weights to their actual UVW ... I've just proven the opposite with actual UVW documentation and actual CAT scale weight slip numbers.

Larry

Too may people shoot from the hip and state that the added weight is typically around 1500-2000 lbs on top of the factory UVW. How do they know that for sure? Did they weigh their TT when picked up at the dealer and then after everything is loaded in? I doubt it.

IMHO, 1500-2000 lbs is waaay too high, unless maybe they are including 4 full holding tanks. I think it's just another urban myth.

I am one of the few people that has actually gone through the exercise of accurately weighing everthing in a TT from the day it left the dealer, then weighed all mods and upgrades and finally, a weighing to determine the weight of all the camping gear, food & supplies, and all the other usual camping "stuff". We have an average-ish size of TT at 29' and 7000 lbs GVWR.

I used two separate commercial scales to weigh our TT and both were basically the same, so there was no error in the scaled weights.

I weighed our 2014 KZ Spree the day we picked it up from our dealer to determine the base weight before adding a single thing. When I got home, I found that the fresh water tank had some water in it, presumably from the dealer testing the fresh water system. I repeatedly filled a 2 quart container until the tank was empty and calculated the weight of removed water. I ended up with a pretty accurate base weight of our TT (less the weight of mods and any camping stuff).

Each and every single modification was weighed. Some of the mods were done by our dealer and I weighed everything (shocks, equalizers, roof vents, etc.) before turning them over to the dealer. Anything that was removed by the dealer was weighed and accounted for. Anything I did myself at home got weighed. Mods and upgrades included shock absorbers, Dexter equalizers, 4-stage water filtration, WDH snap-up brackets, 2nd TV in bedroom, and some others I've forgotten at the moment.

All the camping related stuff I weighed in the final weighing included all the usual stuff like BBQ, sewer hoses and fittings, folding table, chocks, outdoor mat, kitchen stuff like coffee maker, toaster, dishes and cutlery, at least several days supply of food for two, bathroom stuff, clothes, books, some tools, plus lots of other misc. things. Pretty much all the normal things anyone would have in their TT.

The weight of all modifications and upgrades came to a total of 119 lbs. I actually expected it to be much higher.

The weight of all camping gear, food, clothes, etc., etc. came to only 555 lbs.

So, if anyone says you add 1500-2000 lbs to the factory UVW, I don't believe it. That's 3-4 times what I got from going through the exercise of weighing everything before and after. You will also need to allow for the weight of the propane and battery or batteries and anything else the manufacturer may not include in their UVW. I would say that by the time you have everything loaded in your TT ready for a camping trip, you will have added something more like 700 - 800 lbs. For those that tow with one or more full holding tanks, you'd have to add that weight in which case, 1500 - 2000 lbs may not be out of line.

BTW. Out TT gets lighter every year. If we don't use it. It comes out. This year I took 3 bag chairs out. Also for the trip we just got back from. I removed the outdoor fridge as we were not going to need it.

majorgator wrote:
1500#...???
2000#...???
What the heck are you guys packing to get that kind of weight???
All the clothes I own don't combine to 100 lbs. We camp as a family of 5 and I doubt we ever exceed 500lbs.

I agree with you. I haven't a clue what in the world they carry to get to those weights. We have been camping for more than 30 years, and we add less than 600lbs to the yellow sticker dry weight. And yes that is scaled, and yes that includes pots, pans, (some cast iron). 8 folding chairs, metal outdoor tables, sheets towels, blankets, grill, campstove, stove, and cooler stands, plates, cups, awning matt, and water hoses pluss some food, clothes, and other stuff I can't remember just now.

However, we come from popups, so everything we have is light weight, and compact, (Except the cast iron). In truth. I don't think there is room in the TT for another 400lbs of junk.

Note. We don't carry water other than what is in the black tank after dumping, and prep, and what is in the water heater.

All I can say. Is I believe Lucy is storing her rocks in some of those campers.

BTW below is a copy of my weight record that I keep updated with notes (the first two were a start/end of a roadtrip and one set was to weigh each side of the trailer left to right):


TV TV TV TT Total Gal
Date FAW RAW GW GW GW Wtr

COMMENTS


12/12/07 3660 6200 9860 6900 16,760 40G Aluma-Lite max load for WDW 60g fuel*

1/ 26/2008 3780 5360 9140 6800 15,940 10G
After WDW, no extra 20 gal of fuel

10/14/2008 3820 5820 9640 6800 16,460 15G
max load for WDW **

5/6/2009 3800 5940 9740 6780 16,520 10G
max load for Maine, extra 20 gal of fuel

5/6/2009 3400 10G passenger side tires only (=>3380 driver’s side tires)

12/8/2009 3820 6120 9940 6740 16,680 0G
WH empty, 20gal of fuel, max load for WDW

10/6/2010 3660 5940 9600 6840 16,440 15G
15gal fuel, WDW max load, me not in Van

10/10/2011 3840 5840 9680 6700 16,380 10G
60 gal fuel, light cargo for OBX (4 boxes food)

9/30/2013 3920 5680 9600 6820 16,420 40G
no extra fuel, 5 food boxes loaded for Branson, Mo

4/4/2014 3880 5940 9820 6960 16,780 40G
no extra fuel, 5 food boxes loaded for Key West

*60 L seltzer (120lbs), 4 boxes food (120lbs), 4 cases water (80lbs), misc 50lbs, 20 extra gal fuel (160), 30 gal extra water (240lbs) = 770

**60 L seltzer (120lbs), 4 boxes food (120lbs), 2 cases water (40lbs), misc 100lbs, 5 gal extra water (40lbs)=460

Larry

majorgator wrote:

LarryJM wrote:

You like almost all the other newbies are very surprised at weights once they actually hit a set of scales and get real numbers and not just guesses.

I don't pack exactly light and am easily in the 1500 to 2000 lb range and that's just for the two of us.

Larry

Wow, feeling the love after that highly presumptuous comment. Curious as to how you think/know that I'm new to camping...but whatever. Funny that nobody else on this thread, yourself included, has utilized the scales to define exactly what their cargo weight is. I assume if you had, you would say so. Let's just keep to the guessing then...

1500-2000 lbs is a lot of weight. I think people generously over-estimate what their cargo weighs.

Edit: correction...one person has done this

I hit the scales EVERY ROAD TRIP I take and have even got weights on the first day of a 60 day road trip and then on the day of return of that road trip. My weight range for items I take include a HUGE amount that is in my Van such as water, extra food, etc. and that is where some of my delta from trip to trip occurs. For this current trailer for the period 12/7 and 4/04 I have 10 separate CAT scale weight tickets.

The weights you stated are extremely small and VERY ATYPICAL of a normal amount and the newbie comment was based on your join date here of only 3 months ago.

Larry

majorgator wrote:
1500#...???
2000#...???
What the heck are you guys packing to get that kind of weight???
All the clothes I own don't combine to 100 lbs. We camp as a family of 5 and I doubt we ever exceed 500lbs.

My 5er is set up like my house. I just add perishable food for the trip, some clothes and off we go. The trailer weight of 12,000# is from the local CAT Scale with empty tanks. The sticker gave me the dry weight when it left the factory (10,480#). The pantry is stocked with dry goods, and there are blankets, linens and towels in the linen closet. There is a tote of tools, a tote of BBQ stuff, grill and Dutch oven and cast iron pans to cook over the fire, 8 or so lawn chairs and two small tables to hold my drink. A 12'x12' dining fly. Pool toys for the 6 GB's. An air compressor, various hoses and a scrub brush to wash the camper. Oh and a 13" queen size memory foam mattress as the original mattress stunk on ice..... It all adds up.

I still have empty cabinets my partner has yet to fill. ;) Giver her time, she still has 2,000# till she hits GVWR :B

I have 2 black's at 40 gal each, 2 gray's at 40 gal each and fresh water about 50 gal or 210 gal of tanks or 1680# of water.

The clothes are probably the lightest items but it all ads up.

Point is unless you weigh it, you are only guessing.

jake2250 wrote:
I tried a rough guesstimate last time we did a four day trip and came up with just over 1000 pounds of Stuff! That was considering two full propane tanks and the food in the fridge and freezer. Although I drink light beer I think my rough numbers are correct for two adults and a 150 pound dog!
After reading this I am intrigued to find out exactly how much it weighs in full battle configuration!! heading to the scales next week!

My question is,, the numbers printed on the sheet mounted in the trailer, is that the measurement as it leaves the factory? Or is that just a general number of trailers in that configuration?

The yellow sticker should be for the trailer that it is on.

The advertised dry weight of our trailer was 9200 lbs the yellow sticker included options etc. it says 9600+ lbs. (as it left the factory)

The reason we carry over 4000 lbs of stuff is it is a TH & the Toys can weigh alot. So great idea to keep track of the weights.

But weighing on a scale like the CAT Scales is the only way to know for sure..........