RV weights?!!!

[dodge_guy]

So we were at an RV show and I was poking around a bit and started to look at the weight stickers. found some "1/2 ton towable" TT`s with dry weights starting at 8k lbs, one was 8700lbs!!! now, I`m not a weight police member at all, but come on!

Then I was looking at some class A`s. one looked real nice good layout with bunks and plenty of storage. the only problem.......1200lbs of CCC. with people alone that will be 800lbs!!! that leaves 400 lbs for stuff. now I know I pack heavier than most people, but I don`t know of any family that will only have 400lbs between clothes, food, bedding, chairs, and cooking utensils among other things. my trailer alone carries 2klbs of "stuff".

So to all new RV`ers looking to buy, look at all the weights (dry, GVWR and CCC) and don`t listen to the salesman or the smiling 1/2 ton truck sticker! If it sounds like it wont work, it most likely wont!

shop carefully!

[dodge_guy]

I see you guys are missing my point. How the heck is a normal old 1/2 ton going to tow an 8700lb dry trailer? Keep in mind this one had bunks so it was for a family. Loaded for a trip it will be over 10k lbs!!! Are you guys still comfortable (power wise) towing it with a higher geared 1/2 ton?

I think some missed my point that no 1/2 ton will be able to handle it. and even the HD Eco Boost or just about any HD 1500 will have a hard time!

I still find it funny that everyone skipped over the 1200lb payload of a 35ft class A with bunks! That would be just as bad than an overloaded 1/2 ton!

[ScottG]

1320Fastback wrote:


My 92 D250 has a 10,120 tow rating?
GCVR in the manual says 16,000lbs.

Mine was 3.73 diff and auto. Maybe your was 4.10 and manual?

[Lantley]

Grit dog wrote:

dodge guy wrote:

bid_time wrote:
What makes you think your not a member of the weight police?
So you load the trailer and it comes in at 10,200. That's 1225 lbs. of tongue weight. I've seen plenty of 1/2 tons that will handle over 1500 lbs. of payload.

Ok, how much does mom, dad, 2 or 3 kids and a large dog weigh? I'm guessing well over 275lbs!

Now that I think of it maybe I am a member of the weight police. Just not as vocal as some!

Either way, the majority of 1/2tons on the road will not be able to tow one of those I mentioned with the family on board!

What you probably mean is, the majority of half tons would be over their payload rating and you aren't comfortable with that.
Probably none of the "weight cops" on here worked construction I think. There's a million half ton trucks getting beat like they owe someone money every day, day in day out. How many you see with busted axles or broken frames sitting on the side of the road?

I'm not advocating abusing your own truck or doing something you're not comfortable with. I love using my HD pickup for "1/2 ton towable" trailers. Handles them effortlessly, but I have, do and will likely continue wringing out half tons on the jobsite. Not ideal, but certainly not the end of the world death trap some make it out to be.

A construction worker beating up his truck to travel across town is a much different scenario Then Joe RV hitching his 9K dry TT to his 1/2 ton truck and heading off to the mountains. Before he leaves he loads in the dog, wife, kids and firewood assuming all is well because the large sign said 1/2 ton towable!
Not sure where the fault lies at some point Joe RV needs to know the towing parameters for himself. On the other hand claiming a 9K RV is half ton towable is like the tobacco industry claiming smoking isn't bad for you. The devil is in the details!

[Grit_dog]

dodge guy wrote:

bid_time wrote:
What makes you think your not a member of the weight police?
So you load the trailer and it comes in at 10,200. That's 1225 lbs. of tongue weight. I've seen plenty of 1/2 tons that will handle over 1500 lbs. of payload.

Ok, how much does mom, dad, 2 or 3 kids and a large dog weigh? I'm guessing well over 275lbs!

Now that I think of it maybe I am a member of the weight police. Just not as vocal as some!

Either way, the majority of 1/2tons on the road will not be able to tow one of those I mentioned with the family on board!

What you probably mean is, the majority of half tons would be over their payload rating and you aren't comfortable with that.
Probably none of the "weight cops" on here worked construction I think. There's a million half ton trucks getting beat like they owe someone money every day, day in day out. How many you see with busted axles or broken frames sitting on the side of the road?

I'm not advocating abusing your own truck or doing something you're not comfortable with. I love using my HD pickup for "1/2 ton towable" trailers. Handles them effortlessly, but I have, do and will likely continue wringing out half tons on the jobsite. Not ideal, but certainly not the end of the world death trap some make it out to be.

[1320Fastback]

I've always believed in buying more truck than needed, trailers should be capable of stopping their own weight and you can't trust salesmen.

My 92 D250 has a 10,120 tow rating?
GCVR in the manual says 16,000lbs.

For me the risk is too high, I've read reports of DOT/CHP/city police weighing truck and trailers in Glamis where we ride dirtbikes at.

[ScottG]

So called "half tons" are so much more capable now than even 3/4 tons of yesterday.
No one would question that same 8700# trailer behind my old 93 3/4T Dodge/Cummins - which only had a 7500# tow rating. Yes, it had the carrying capacity but arguably was not safe pulling and stopping that much extra weight. At least not per the Dodge engineers and their lawyers.

[d3500ram]

JIMNLIN wrote:
....

....Problems stems from those that didn't do their home work and choose the wrong truck/trailer combo or just too ignorant/lazy or didn't know how or which specs to look at for a specific combo....
.....

^^This! Also add to the mix the many sales persons who are ignorant or do not care (except about making a sale.)

I am ammazed at some of the combos I see on the road... smaller cross-over type vehicles pulling double axle TT's. Perhaps they are OK, but it sure does not look like a good fit from a visual judgment on just size (physics) alone.

[JIMNLIN]

Our 150/1500 trucks have GVWRs from a small 6xxx GVWR on up to 8600 GVWR...... and 3xxx rawr up to 6000 rawr.

Problems stems from those that didn't do their home work and choose the wrong truck/trailer combo or just too ignorant/lazy or didn't know how or which specs to look at for a specific combo.

Lots of 1/2 ton trucks out here would have no problems safely pulling a TT at their 10k-11k lb tow rating.

[dewey02]

dodge guy wrote:

bid_time wrote:
What makes you think your not a member of the weight police?
So you load the trailer and it comes in at 10,200. That's 1225 lbs. of tongue weight. I've seen plenty of 1/2 tons that will handle over 1500 lbs. of payload.

Ok, how much does mom, dad, 2 or 3 kids and a large dog weigh? I'm guessing well over 275lbs!

Now that I think of it maybe I am a member of the weight police. Just not as vocal as some!

Either way, the majority of 1/2tons on the road will not be able to tow one of those I mentioned with the family on board!

I agree with you.
Perhaps the dealers are assuming that you have a "self-driving" Tow Vehicle, so they don't count the weight of the driver (or passengers, for that matter). It must be a self-camper then too. It drives itself to the campground, pops out the awning and chairs, lights up the propane campfire, and then 3 days later it pops them back in and drives back home by itself. 🙂

[camp-n-family]

Dodge guy is right. I don't think manufacturers should be allowed to use "1/2 ton towable" as a sales tactic. They only need to find one 1/2 ton truck with the ratings that can handle it to say that but the majority of those trucks can't. The problem is most truck owners, new and old, don't understand the ratings and get caught by the wording thinking it's ok.

Same goes for tow ratings. Just because a truck manufacturer says it's rated to tow 12k doesn't mean it can in all situations. It depends on a lot of factors and usually one or more other ratings will be exceeded before reaching the tow rating.

You wanna see my badge?

[dodge_guy]

bid_time wrote:
What makes you think your not a member of the weight police?
So you load the trailer and it comes in at 10,200. That's 1225 lbs. of tongue weight. I've seen plenty of 1/2 tons that will handle over 1500 lbs. of payload.

Ok, how much does mom, dad, 2 or 3 kids and a large dog weigh? I'm guessing well over 275lbs!

Now that I think of it maybe I am a member of the weight police. Just not as vocal as some!

Either way, the majority of 1/2tons on the road will not be able to tow one of those I mentioned with the family on board!

[drsteve]

I've seen plenty of 1/2 tons that will handle over 1500 lbs. of payload.

And there are also plenty that wouldn't have enough leftover capacity for the family with 1225 lb of tongue weight, and come from the factory with receivers that won't handle it, and axle ratios that are unsuitable for pulling 10K down the road. I'm with the OP--you need to know your TV, because the manufacturers and salesmen don't have a clue in most cases.

[bid_time]

What makes you think your not a member of the weight police?
So you load the trailer and it comes in at 10,200. That's 1225 lbs. of tongue weight. I've seen plenty of 1/2 tons that will handle over 1500 lbs. of payload.