New trailer, what do these weights mean?
Hi, we are brand new to travel trailers and I'm trying to get a grasp on what all of these weights mean to figure out if we're even towing safely. I have been trying to read all I can, but it's jus...
Forum Discussion
It sounds like you are concerned about the Escalade's towing capability and WDH and sway control.
Need to get the actual tongue weight by doing the 3 passes as described above. "Payload" capacity is what matters for travel trailers, not towing capacity. I would guess the actual tongue wt. would be in the 900-1,000 lb range. This is also important to know for sizing the WDH spring bars. Also get the actual payload capacity of the Escalade by subtracting it's actual wt. (TT unhooked) from it's GVWR on the door pillar sticker.
The numbers don't quite *seem* to add up? Say the TT actual wt. is 6,000 lbs, compared to the total wt. of Escalade + TT of 12020 lbs, that would mean the Escalade weighs only 6,020 lbs and if it is already fully loaded for camping including all passengers, camping "stuff" and full tank of fuel that would mean you still have 1400 lbs of payload capacity left? Even if the TT was heavier at 6600 lbs, you'd still have 800 lbs payload capacity left.
Forget about any TT dry weights as they always go up after you are fully loaded for camping. Use the GVWR of the TT which will be CCC + dry wt. = 6598 lbs. The CC of 1286 is on the low side for travel trailers and you will probably be close to the GVWR or possibly even a bit over with empty holding tanks. Water weighs 8.3 lbs per gal. and one or more full holding tanks can add a fair bit of wt. and in some cases, depending on where tanks are positioned, can affect tongue wt. enough to throw off the WDH adjustment.
I would also compare the actual wt. of the Escalade to the the GVWR on the door pillar sticker. You should include all humans, pets (if any), groceries, camping gear, firewood, etc. and a full tank of fuel. No kids or adults can get out during the weighing. Looks like the kids are young and they will grow and add weight. I think you will find you are likely a bit over the payload capacity. Your choice as to whether you want to do this or not and if you ever decide to head east up into the mountains rather than flat-ish roads like say out to Seaside.
A Propride might seem like a good idea but you should try and address all the things that can contribute to sway and poor handling first rather than mask them. Tires on the TT should be inflated to the sidewall max. cold psi (50 if you have LRC and 65 for LRD) and should be checked in the morning before heading off on each leg of a trip. Hopefully you have LRE tires on the Escalade and I would inflate the rears to the max. 80 sidewall max. and fronts maybe 60-70 psi. Set the hitch up so that the trailer is level to slightly nose down. Measure the front fender height before and after the WDH is hooked up and restore the correct amount of wt. back onto the steer axle (50-100% depending on what's in owner's manual and year of manufacture).
Rather than a basic round bar WDH and add-on friction sway bars, look at a WDH with integral sway control like Equal-i-zer 4 pt., Blue Ox or Reese dual cam.
Need to get the actual tongue weight by doing the 3 passes as described above. "Payload" capacity is what matters for travel trailers, not towing capacity. I would guess the actual tongue wt. would be in the 900-1,000 lb range. This is also important to know for sizing the WDH spring bars. Also get the actual payload capacity of the Escalade by subtracting it's actual wt. (TT unhooked) from it's GVWR on the door pillar sticker.
The numbers don't quite *seem* to add up? Say the TT actual wt. is 6,000 lbs, compared to the total wt. of Escalade + TT of 12020 lbs, that would mean the Escalade weighs only 6,020 lbs and if it is already fully loaded for camping including all passengers, camping "stuff" and full tank of fuel that would mean you still have 1400 lbs of payload capacity left? Even if the TT was heavier at 6600 lbs, you'd still have 800 lbs payload capacity left.
Forget about any TT dry weights as they always go up after you are fully loaded for camping. Use the GVWR of the TT which will be CCC + dry wt. = 6598 lbs. The CC of 1286 is on the low side for travel trailers and you will probably be close to the GVWR or possibly even a bit over with empty holding tanks. Water weighs 8.3 lbs per gal. and one or more full holding tanks can add a fair bit of wt. and in some cases, depending on where tanks are positioned, can affect tongue wt. enough to throw off the WDH adjustment.
I would also compare the actual wt. of the Escalade to the the GVWR on the door pillar sticker. You should include all humans, pets (if any), groceries, camping gear, firewood, etc. and a full tank of fuel. No kids or adults can get out during the weighing. Looks like the kids are young and they will grow and add weight. I think you will find you are likely a bit over the payload capacity. Your choice as to whether you want to do this or not and if you ever decide to head east up into the mountains rather than flat-ish roads like say out to Seaside.
A Propride might seem like a good idea but you should try and address all the things that can contribute to sway and poor handling first rather than mask them. Tires on the TT should be inflated to the sidewall max. cold psi (50 if you have LRC and 65 for LRD) and should be checked in the morning before heading off on each leg of a trip. Hopefully you have LRE tires on the Escalade and I would inflate the rears to the max. 80 sidewall max. and fronts maybe 60-70 psi. Set the hitch up so that the trailer is level to slightly nose down. Measure the front fender height before and after the WDH is hooked up and restore the correct amount of wt. back onto the steer axle (50-100% depending on what's in owner's manual and year of manufacture).
Rather than a basic round bar WDH and add-on friction sway bars, look at a WDH with integral sway control like Equal-i-zer 4 pt., Blue Ox or Reese dual cam.
