Sweetlou

Maury82

An off the lot 1/2 ton S.Crew with 1,800 lbs payload,. 4x4, 3.55 rearend, 5.0 or 3.5 EB, should handle that trailer with ease.

I'd ignore the cargo carrying capacity on that trailer, and just consider approximately 1,200 or so lbs above the dry weight as a targeted weight you will actually be towing.

acdii

Vast majority of trailers, especially those with slide outs have less than 1800 pounds payload. I calculated what we carry and it is over 1500 pounds when the FWT is filled. There are a few exceptions, and usually those can be spotted by having a light UVW. My Coleman is one of those, with 3K CCC, but it is a non slide out as well. Just about any trailer that weighs more than 6K empty would be light on payload, at least from the 2-3 dozen trailers I looked at on Saturday, heck one of them only had 1120 pounds capacity, not very much at all!

Based on previous setups with my truck I know the limit for mine is 8300# GVW towing with 1557# payload. Keep in mind though, the layout of some trailers are nose heavy to start with, especially toy haulers due to axle placement. I looked at one on Saturday that had rearward axles, putting a lot of weight on the ball when empty.

What one should never ever do is base it on UVW, because frankly, the trailer weighs that once, when it left the factory and does not weigh that when it is hitch to the truck after dealer prep, and will not weight that when ready for the road, so the best bet is to add 1500 to the UVW for a guideline of cargo and water and use that @13%. I use GVWR based on the majority of trailers having small payloads and that should be the absolute maximum the trailer should weigh.

Wicked ace

When I started looking for a new travel trailer, I'm not sure why other than provenance, one thing that caught my attention was GAWR of the trailers. I was looking at one advertised "half ton tow-able" that I knew weight was close to boundaries I set. The dry weight on the sticker was 8560# the combined GAWR rating was 8800# and the GVWR was 10,250# so that left about 1450# for my "stuff". This was not a big trailer but had a lot of features. I asked a silly question as to how they figured the GVWR when the axle rating was at "dry weight". After some stuttering and a long pause I was told, and later confirmed elsewhere, that the hitch weight was used to derive the GVWR. Sure enough the published hitch weight was about 1450#. I said thank you and walked away slowly. After that I made a point of looking at suspension and axle ratings. I narrowed my search not only to those I felt comfortable with the hitch and towing weight (B&W work sheet) but I wanted to see the suspension by itself would carry the dry weight plus the 1000# of "stuff" I carry now. I also paid attention to the axle components themselves as this can be a way to cut costs. If nothing else I feel it will add to the reliability and longevity of the suspension and trailer. Weights and tow capability are important but the need to consider how you plan to use the TT and it's durability are just as important. If I was planning to tow just a few times a year and/or closer to home I may have altered my choice. I plan on doing some traveling now so I want to avoid down time, especially on the road. So the moral of my tale is that you need to look past the bling and examine the bones or you may be disappointed.

acdii

Good point on GAWR. My Coleman is 7600 GVWR, but the axles are only 7000# rated. However, the UVW is only 5040#. My ready for the campground weight is 6400#. If the empty weight was close to the GAWR I would be concerned that the axles could fail prematurely. One would thing that a +10K GVWR trailer would at least have 10K rated suspension.

TerryD64

Axles on trailers are rated by the manufacturer with a hitch point/landing gear in mind as the axles are not responsible for holding the entire weight of the trailer.

Trailers are NOT typically rated with a reserve capacity as is required for Trucks. This is why our axle ratings added together don't match the GVWR.

I have read in other forums that RVIA is now recommending a 10 percent reserve capacity for trailer axles. so a new trailer will most likely have higher ratings on the axles if the mfg is complying with RVIA recommendations.

IMO you will be hard pressed to find a 10K GVWR trailer with 10K MFG rated axles.
My trailer below has 2 4400 pound axles and GVWR is 10,200 Remember these ratings are determined by the Manufacturer of the trailer NOT the manufacturer of the axle. I could replace with 5K Dexter axles but the rating would still be 4400.

10,200 - 8800 = 1400 or estimated 14% pin weight (This is how the mfg justifies the 1/2 ton tow-able statement)

which is about right for me. I typically run between 14-16% pin weight depending on how I'm loaded for a trip.

This does not mean that my payload is 1400. Nor does it mean I can't put more on the tongue and less on the axles.

Payload is GVWR - UVW (curb weight) as it left the factory. Just like our trucks.

Just like our trucks the payload can be altered by adding removing items. If I removed the furniture that came with my trailer my payload would increase. So if I need the payload I can pull the recliners and replace with zero G lawn chairs.

Always scale your rig so you KNOW what your weights are. You don't have to scale every time you go but you should have an idea what a light load vs a full load looks like and feels like.

acdii

5th wheels and tag-a-longs are different animals though, pin weight is 15-20% compared to 10-15% for tag-a-long. 14% on a one is pretty damned heavy, especially a 10K GVWR trailer. However, it does make complete sense that the axles are under rated since part of the load is carried by the truck. The weight ratings are for moving, not sitting since all four corners and the A frame are supported on stabilizers, though they are never meant to actually carry any of the load, just to keep the trailer from tipping up or moving when parked. The jack is the only thing that is there to carry a load, which is 10-15%.

OTOH unless a jack is placed under the pin, the 5th wheels weight is carried close to the axles, depending on where the front jacks are located in relation to the front axle compared to the tag-a-long. The front axle takes more stress than the rear since weight is cantilevered over the front jacks. Would be interesting to see the weight difference between both axles when not connected to the truck.