TC Newbie with ?'s
Hello all, I am an experienced, long term class A owner. I would like to get myself a truck camper for occasional use, probably never more than a week at a time, and by myself 99% of the time...the...
Forum Discussion
Thanks for the continued comments, advice, and suggestions, guys. This TC stuff has a very steep early learning curve!
My 2016 Ram 2500 HD has a factory sway bar in the rear end. It has 20X8 inch wheels, with 285/60/R20 tires, rated to 3640 lbs per tire, at 80 PSI. But, there is no doubt that I will be at the upper limit of things when written out on paper, with this Cirrus 800.
I weighed my truck tonight on a CAT scale at a nearby truck stop, with the tailgate off, chock full of gas, and my wife and I both in the truck. As expected, I am fairly heavy: Gross weight: 7220 lbs., Front axle 4180 lbs., and rear axle 3040 lbs. This leaves me with 2780 lbs of remaining "payload".
The dry weight of the Cirrus 800 was 2490 lbs as it left the factory. This included the battery, electric lifts, and all other accessories, but no water or propane. Base weight, without any add-ons/accessories was reportedly 1990 lbs.
It has a 26 gal. fresh water tank, and holds (1 ) 20 Lb propane tank. With a full tank of water, 20 lbs of propane, and an estimated 200 lbs of "stuff" spread between the camper and the back seat of the cab, I come up with a GVWR of 10,300 (Yikes!), but still considerably under maximum recommended front axle, rear axle, and tire weights. If this Cirrus is way over the stated dry weight with all options, I could end up at closer to a GVWR of 10,600 lbs or more, and nearer to my axle/tire weight limits. Yikes, again!
My wife says we should just never head out on a long trip with a tank full of water, just perhaps 3-5 gallons for possible "on the road" use. I don't ever see us doing much boon docking, with 99% of nights spent in small state and/or national parks, or music festivals with water, power, and a dump station within a few hundred yards in most places. She says there is no way that we will put 200 lbs of food, clothes, and "living stuff" in such a small camper, either. I say she is wrong.
I see that mbloof is rolling at what I would presume is about 1.5-2K lbs over GVWR. What about some of you other folks? Are you at or above recommended GVWR, but perhaps under rear axle and tire maximum recommended weights? Is there some unspoken "slightly over the GVWR percentage" that is within reason?!
My 2016 Ram 2500 HD has a factory sway bar in the rear end. It has 20X8 inch wheels, with 285/60/R20 tires, rated to 3640 lbs per tire, at 80 PSI. But, there is no doubt that I will be at the upper limit of things when written out on paper, with this Cirrus 800.
I weighed my truck tonight on a CAT scale at a nearby truck stop, with the tailgate off, chock full of gas, and my wife and I both in the truck. As expected, I am fairly heavy: Gross weight: 7220 lbs., Front axle 4180 lbs., and rear axle 3040 lbs. This leaves me with 2780 lbs of remaining "payload".
The dry weight of the Cirrus 800 was 2490 lbs as it left the factory. This included the battery, electric lifts, and all other accessories, but no water or propane. Base weight, without any add-ons/accessories was reportedly 1990 lbs.
It has a 26 gal. fresh water tank, and holds (1 ) 20 Lb propane tank. With a full tank of water, 20 lbs of propane, and an estimated 200 lbs of "stuff" spread between the camper and the back seat of the cab, I come up with a GVWR of 10,300 (Yikes!), but still considerably under maximum recommended front axle, rear axle, and tire weights. If this Cirrus is way over the stated dry weight with all options, I could end up at closer to a GVWR of 10,600 lbs or more, and nearer to my axle/tire weight limits. Yikes, again!
My wife says we should just never head out on a long trip with a tank full of water, just perhaps 3-5 gallons for possible "on the road" use. I don't ever see us doing much boon docking, with 99% of nights spent in small state and/or national parks, or music festivals with water, power, and a dump station within a few hundred yards in most places. She says there is no way that we will put 200 lbs of food, clothes, and "living stuff" in such a small camper, either. I say she is wrong.
I see that mbloof is rolling at what I would presume is about 1.5-2K lbs over GVWR. What about some of you other folks? Are you at or above recommended GVWR, but perhaps under rear axle and tire maximum recommended weights? Is there some unspoken "slightly over the GVWR percentage" that is within reason?!
