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Not exactly. Manufacturer dry weights tend to be that model trailer with no options. Depending on the manufacturer, people can end up with a lot of options like A/C, awning, list goes on and on. So often, the dry weight is not the dry weight of your actual trailer. My trailer's dry weight is much higher, as I have about a page worth of options on it.
Right, I can agree with that for sure. I should have been more specific in stating that I go by the actual dry weight # of the actual trailer, not what is in the brochure. All travel trailers are tagged with their dry wrights adjusted for options. Most passports are within 100lbs of advertised brochure weight. But some of the Highland Ridge campers are 500#'s heavier than the brochure weight because of 50 amp service, 15k a.c., and an outdoor grille. The weight limit stickers on them are all adjusted for this.
Plenty of "small campers" are a lot less than 12 feet tall. Our trailer is 9 foot 4 inches at the highest point (roof AC). my carport is 10 feet tall with plenty of room to spare. There is just the two of us, plus our dog. Smaller trailers are easier to store, and fit in more campsites. We particularly like camping at state and National Parks. Many of the park campgrounds were built decades ago before trailers and RVs got big, really big.
Check the payload sticker on the driver's door. The GVWR will more likely be the limiter than the GCWR.
With a weight distribution hitch, you can assume that 85% of the tongue weight will be carried by the truck. The other 15% will be transferred to the trailer axles. Since the travel trailer tongue weight can be up to 15% of the trailer weight, a conservative estimate of the tongue weight carried by the truck will be Trailer Wt. x 0.15 x 0.85 = Trailer Wt. x 0.13
Load up the truck as it would be while towing the camper, full of fuel, people and gear and go weigh it.
GVWR - wt. of loaded truck - 80 lbs. for a weight distribution hitch = max. tongue wt. of camper.
Max. wt. of trailer = max. tongue wt. of camper / 0.13
I've taken mine to the scales four times with various loads and with various adjustments to the hitch head angle. The truck has a payload of 1607 and had from 1147 to 1427 loaded on the truck. So it used 71% to 89% of the payload with the camper weighing 6560 to 7240.
10-29-2017, 09:46 PM
