Understanding GVWR

[Heybro]

I'm thinking of getting the Nash 24M, which has a Dry weight of 6023 lbs, and a GVWR of 9200 lbs. Hitch weight of 595lbs. So 3177 lbs of payload is a lot.

If i loaded it up to reach close to that GVWR then I couldn't safely tow it, but I dont feel as if I can ever realistically load over 3000 lbs into my trailer. It's only going to be me living in it and I don't have that many things. Is it still safe to tow? My vehicle has a towing capacity of 9200 lbs and my payload on my truck is 1270lbs. So 200(my weight) + 595(tongue weight) + 100(wdm hitch) = 895. 1270-895 = 375 lbs of available cargo.

Did I do that right? And is 375 lbs enough for cargo? I don't plan on driving it a lot. Mostly going to be at an RV park living there. Also, that cargo will only be a concern when towing. I can manage only having 375 lbs of cargo when towing.
Please educate me if it doesn't seem safe for my truck.

[Seon]

It appears to me that the OP has made up his mind and he's just looking for confirmation that it's the right truck/trailer combo.

Reminds me of a fellow engineer who asked a question but didn't like the answer then said, "I believe you but are you sure?" :S

[Grit_dog]

Poof!
Terry, you give the mod a reacharound to remove my post for you.
Sorry, bud, just trying to help other members who may not understand your hypocrisy and actually believe you.

[Terryallan]

Mike134 wrote:
Gosh you folks bring a lot of **** in your campers. Wife and I can camp for a week and starting out loaded with clothing, groceries and "usual" camp stuff the camper weights 700lbs more than when it left the factory. What are you bringing to add 1500-2000 lbs?

Agree as to just camping. you really don't need all that stuff. Mine gets lighter every year. However. He is going to be living in it. Not camping. If you are living in a RV. You will have a lot more weight than just camping.. We camp and don't carry 1000LB. But if we lived in it. We would have everything we owned.

[Grit_dog]

And for the towing newbs, trailer weight is a smaller part of the equation than you'd think. Much smaller in some cases.
Length, axle placement, weight distribution, frontal area, together, IMO, make up about 90% of the towing equation (within reason).
something to consider, that they don't teach in rvnet weight cop skool!

[ford_truck_guy]

I think SOME folks on here ASSUME that everyone tows with FULL black tank... Full fresh water tank...Full grey tanks...

In 30+ years of camping, I can count on 1 hand how many times I towed with ANY fluids onboard... BUT I do use full service campgrounds almost 100% of the time... Dry camping is not easily accessible here on the NE coast..

Your results may vary !

[Boomerweps]

Well, my TT CC is only 694#. So it's easy to overload the TT when SWMBO (She Who Must Be Obeyed) stocks it out like a vacation cottage with stuff for grandkids and visitors. Forget hauling water.

[Ejraste]

Mike134 wrote:
Gosh you folks bring a lot of **** in your campers. Wife and I can camp for a week and starting out loaded with clothing, groceries and "usual" camp stuff the camper weights 700lbs more than when it left the factory. What are you bringing to add 1500-2000 lbs?

Yeah, I wondered the same thing. The TT im looking at has CC of 1900 lbs, but i don't see how I'll ever add that much in there. The only way is if you lived there or took long road trips and needed full water tanks and so forth.

[Mike134]

Gosh you folks bring a lot of **** in your campers. Wife and I can camp for a week and starting out loaded with clothing, groceries and "usual" camp stuff the camper weights 700lbs more than when it left the factory. What are you bringing to add 1500-2000 lbs?

[lbrjet]

I agree that 750-800 is realistic.

[12thgenusa]

I'm more optimistic and realistic than most of the previous posters. The tongue weight given by the manufacturer is set by the such things as the configuration of the equipment in the trailer and the distance from the hitch point to the axles. Unless you load your things in the trailer very oddly, the tongue weight percentage will remain very close to the same, loaded or unloaded. Even if the batteries and propane are not included in the dry weight which is rare these days, that weight is distributed between the axles and the tongue and not all on the tongue.

If you load 1000 pounds in the trailer (which is quite alot for one; my wife and I add less that 1000 pounds not including water), 10 percent tongue weight will put you right at 700 pounds. Adding in the other weights you listed will reduce your available payload to 270 pounds.

I don't see a problem with these numbers.

[JIMNLIN]

op wrote:
Please educate me if it doesn't seem safe for my truck.

Maybe I missed it but not knowing what your truck brand....GVWR....RAWR is we have no idea if your numbers are are safe or unsafe.
Your truck or tow vehicle may have more or maybe less available actual payload than your figuring with. Tell us what it is for a better idea what numbers your using.

I use any trailer types dry weights and its GVWR when looking at safe weights for a particular truck. And your right about thinking you will never load some/all trailers up to its GVWR.

[Terryallan]

Thing is you asked for opinions, and you got them. You need more truck

[kellem]

Yep, it really is unfortunate that the RV industry uses dry weight to push more trailers on the uninformed/unsuspecting buyer.

Our 4 trailers that we've owned scale weighed much closer to GVWR of trailer and no where near the dry weight or UVW.....and ofcourse tongue weight followed suit.

[bikendan]

Heybro wrote:

CharlesinGA wrote:
Your hitch weight is unrealistic. Optimum is 13% of the trailer weight. So if you take the dry weight (which you will never see) and multiply by .13 you get 783 lbs. If you use the max gross weight, its 1196 lbs.

Figure about 110 lbs for propane, take the water capacity and multiply by 8 lbs per gallon, then take all the cookware, grill, dump hose, potable water hose, power cord, etc and clothes and personal stuff, extra shoes, etc, it adds up fast.

A realistic tongue weight is more like 950 to 1000 lbs for your situataion. Simply put, your truck is no where close to being capable of doing this.

You need to gas up the truck and go to a scale and spend the $12 or so and weigh it, then you can have some real numbers to work with. Towing capacity is calculated by the manufacturers using a flat bed trailer loaded with (take your pick) bricks/railroad iron/lead/etc and is not representative of towing a big box down the road that reacts to wind and buffeting of trucks. Its simply what the engine, transmission, and rear axle are capable of pulling, and the brakes are capable of stopping, without breaking the first time you tow.

Charles

Charles

Well the 595 lb dry hitch weight is what it says on the manufacturer website which would put the tongue weight around 9.8% of the dry trailer weight. Are you suggesting that they have incorrect numbers posted?

Also, I dont see how you came up with the tongue weight at 900 to 1000 lbs for my situation. How do you figure that? It realistically seems like It would be around 750-800 lbs for my loaded tongue weight.

You aren't understanding that brochure/website "dry" numbers are fictional and are based on a stripped-down version of the trailer. No batteries, no factory options, no dealer add-ons and no water and no cargo.
That's why 10%-13% of GVWR is used for a ballpark loaded tongue weight. And 20% of GVWR for 5th wheel pin weight.
There's a lot of deceptive information in the RV Industry, like so-called 1/2 ton towable 5th Wheels.