I just went over to look at one of my neighbors new trailer , a 30 ft 10k lb bunkhouse , he got a good deal. So I looked around and asked , What do you tow it with ? He points to his infiniti qx56 . I look at him and ask if he was kidding . He wasnt . He tells me its rated to tow 8000 lbs . And he shows me where it says the trailer is 7900 lbs on the side plate . So I ask him , Are you going to bring clothes ,food , propane or anything in the camper ? You only have 100 lbs left . He has this puzzled look on his face . I showed him that was the empty weight and once he loads it with stuff he will be close to 9500 lbs . So he tells me its got 400 hp and it doesnt tow " that bad" I basically told him its a major accident waiting to happen , not if , but when . And when you throw 5 people in the vehicle you are even more overloaded . With that short wheelbase WHEN it starts to wiggle your done , that 30 foot trailer will wag the dog and its over .

He evidently doesn't believe you. Can you find a couple of YouTube videos or something that might convince him? Sure would hate to read from you that they got hurt.

Maybe just tell him he needs to check with his insurance carrier & verify coverage if an accident should ever take place.He's obviously convinced himself that he can tow it, but maybe ????

Really confuse him...maybe convince himTell him that that magical tow number of 8000# is with a 150# driver and 20# cargo and any passengers, stuff inside vehicle, all the stuff in console/door pockets/under seats etc. has to be subtracted from that magical mfg. marketing number.....and the weight of hitch.So that 8000 quickly becomes 7500# or less.......under what that dry weight number is on trailer. Then there is the question of tongue weight capabilities.....which is what 350# rating towing a 9000# trailer with a tongue weight of 1000#YEP......heck of a deal

infiniti qx56Dealer said, "No problem."If I were you, I'd put in a low ball offer on his house when you see him leaving for a camping trip.

Where did you get the 10k number from? Seems awfully high for a 30'tt. The side plate usually shows the GVWR. The 7900lbs number would be a realistic GVWR for that size.Either way, it's still too much trailer unless he travels alone with the tt empty.

infiniti qx56 as tow vehicle. with a 10K 30 foot trailer

Abbydaddy72
Explorer
Jul 22, 2015
Sadly this happens more than you'd think. There are a few good TV shows that tout the RV life, people go shopping, and an RV dealer who wants nothing more than to get a rig off of the lot tells the buyer what they want to hear to make the sale.

Driver is scared to death after driving the rig home from the dealer, after the sale is final of course. The buyer then decides to either to sell the RV and take a loss or go buy a bigger tow vehicle. Folks often do that before any damage is done. In the end, there are just not enough tragic stories of accidents due to "too much trailer, too little truck" to generate enough public interest to make change.

There should be a brochure printed up that details how to read the weight stickers on vehicles and campers to educate the buyer. And it should be required reading before purchase.
hohenwald48
Explorer
Jul 21, 2015
Dakota98 wrote:
Maybe just tell him he needs to check with his insurance carrier & verify coverage if an accident should ever take place.

He's obviously convinced himself that he can tow it, but maybe ????

Why do so many folks think their insurance is void if you do something wrong like overload? Heck, as far as I know, all insurance is valid even if your are drunk. They might cancel after the accident but they will cover the accident. I wish someone who thinks insurance is void from overloading would post a copy of the wording in their policy that says so.
SprinklerMan
Explorer
Jul 20, 2015
93Cobra2771 wrote:
Believe it or not, the TT in my sig has a 10000 GVWR. It is 30' tongue to tail. 7400# loaded for the road. It even has 5300# axles. Wish they made them that stout now. Most don't.

I do agree that the numbers the OP saw on the sideplate were likely gvwr. Unless it was a yellow sticker of course.

It was the yellow sticker . He basically has the same trailer I have same set up , size , bunkhouse , but he has an outdoor kitchen , and a cool slide out rear carrier for bikes on the back . ( I weigh loaded close to 9500 lbs)
SprinklerMan
Explorer
Jul 20, 2015
camp-n-family wrote:
Where did you get the 10k number from? Seems awfully high for a 30'tt. The side plate usually shows the GVWR. The 7900lbs number would be a realistic GVWR for that size.

Either way, it's still too much trailer unless he travels alone with the tt empty.

It has 6 lug axles , 5k each . plus it said in the owners manual 10,000 max weight . 7900 lbs is the empty weight
Wishin
Explorer
Jul 20, 2015
My side label contains the dry weight as well as the GVWR. It also lists the dry weight inside the entry door.

If 7900 is the dry weight, that is a lot for the tow vehicle being used. Certainly beyond its ratings. Even if that is the GVWR it might be beyond the ratings once loaded. I see scarier stuff going down the road all the time however.
93Cobra2771
Explorer
Jul 20, 2015
Believe it or not, the TT in my sig has a 10000 GVWR. It is 30' tongue to tail. 7400# loaded for the road. It even has 5300# axles. Wish they made them that stout now. Most don't.

I do agree that the numbers the OP saw on the sideplate were likely gvwr. Unless it was a yellow sticker of course.
dodge_guy
Explorer II
Jul 20, 2015
camp-n-family wrote:
Where did you get the 10k number from? Seems awfully high for a 30'tt. The side plate usually shows the GVWR. The 7900lbs number would be a realistic GVWR for that size.

Either way, it's still too much trailer unless he travels alone with the tt empty.

Ya, I agree. The sticker on the side never has the dry weight, only the GVWR. The dry weight has always been on a sticker on a cabinet door. I also agree that 7900lbs sounds like the GVWR.
Drew_K
Explorer
Jul 20, 2015
I've seen a QX56 towing an open car trailer that had probably around 600 pounds of tongue weight, and it was sagging like CRAZY in the back. I can't imagine how the QX is going to handle a 30' travel trailer.
Dennis_Smith
Explorer
Jul 20, 2015
You can't fix stupid. Don't even try.....
camp-n-family
Explorer
Jul 20, 2015
Where did you get the 10k number from? Seems awfully high for a 30'tt. The side plate usually shows the GVWR. The 7900lbs number would be a realistic GVWR for that size.

Either way, it's still too much trailer unless he travels alone with the tt empty.