clarkbre

The short of it is that trailer specs fall into 2 categories:

1. Measurable, set dimensions like height, length and width.
2. Wild guesses that are generally low to make the customer believe it's a very light weight unit.

Call BS on me or go to the lot and look at the yellow sticker inside the entry door. That will list the actual dry weight of the trailer w/o propane or batteries on the tongue. This number is likely a bit higher than what is listed in the brochure. Once you have these numbers, you'll have more of a base line to test it.

Also, go weight your truck to get the actual weight of it fully loaded with fuel, accessories, driver, passenger(s), your dog and anything else you might have in your truck. Subtract that from your gross vehicle weight rating and that is your real, available payload to use.

Once that is done, pick a trailer that fits within the parameters.

8100hd

My trailer has a dry tongue weight listed as 780lbs. After transferring all our gear from one trailer to another I ended up with 1140lbs weighed by the dealers tongue scale no fresh water. I left it as is for a while and towed that way without issue for a few years. After cleaning out the front storage bin, the under bed storage, and one 30lb propane bottle empty I’m at 830lbs without fresh water and 950lbs with it. Those weights come in at about 11.2% and 11.8% of trailer weight. I always reduce the amount of WD for my return trip home.

adammjarvis

Get your facts straight.


I DON'T CARE ABOUT THE TRUCKS CAPABILITY TO PULL A TRAILER OR NOT. I AM ONLY INTERESTED IN UNDERSTANDING THE WEIGHT RATINGS OF A TRAILER and what roles they play, trailer only.

You're either a special kind of stupid unable to understand/read or you're just trolling. I'll let you decide which one applies best for you

adammjarvis

The propane is located upfront - yes. And I believe these trailers offer two batteries or option for two batteries. Not sure if I'd stick with one battery or two.


I can load up gear as needed for proper weight. No problem with that. I just see all over the internet that "oh your trailer tongue weight is the weight of trailer times .14% or whatever your ideal tongue weight would be".. If that was the case then I could be under the max tongue weight limits of the truck.

I can only assume because of the way the trailer is laid out - I'll never get under that 1,200 tongue weight regardless of how much weight I can cram in the back behind the axles.

adammjarvis

Good call. These trailers are still fairly new so hard to locate them locally. But I'll for sure check out in person sticker vs brochure.

The truck is rated for 1,700 lbs. If I were to max out the hitch I'd be left with 500 lbs which is more than enough for myself and wifey.

BCMIF150

I would then suggest a RV site where discussions about trailers is the common thread.

This site is a truck site where we discuss truck capabilities.

adammjarvis

So you're a troll? Got it.

This is a truck site where many users tow (travel) trailers. Knowledge is knowledge regardless of where you seek it. There is nothing wrong with asking this type of question in this sub-forum (towing/hauling/plowing). If you feel this is incorrect I HIGHLY recommend you report me/this thread to the admins of the site. I actually encourage you to- should you feel this site is not the place for me to ask my question.

You're far better off in life not trolling by venturing into threads that you can't contribute to.


Best of luck to you in your future replies.

8100hd

In my own opinion the layout of both those trailers could be better from a weight distribution perspective. Ideally it’s best to have heavier things such as slides, fresh water tanks and kitchens as close to the axles as possible. Those slide outs puts a lot of weight towards the ends of trailer away from the axles and CG which can result in a high yaw inertia ( a higher risk for sway). Also take note of the position of the axles in relation to the body. From a stability stand point you want to have the axles offset towards the rear of the trailer not right at the center. As far as weight gain from dry to loaded my trailer axle weights increased about 900lbs.

adammjarvis

Interesting. I kinda figured as much - those slides tend to add a LOT of weight. What's weird is majority of these trailers all come in around 1-1,200 lbs tongue weight regardless of where the slides are located (front or back) and floor plan layout.

https://www.venture-rv.com/products/...nd-photos.html

8100hd

The % tongue weight will determine the position of the CG which will be forward of the axles at 11-15%. You can move the weight in front and behind the axles and still achieve a good CG location but the further it gets away from axles the higher the yaw inertia. If you don’t know what yaw inertia is just Google it. If it were me I would not pick either one of them for the short wheelbase lighter truck you have. I attached a picture of my trailer layout with the approximate axle location. All the heavy items are close to the axles, the fresh water tank centered over the axles offset to the curb side. This trailer is very stable while towing and has done many miles with only WD and no sway control though my current setup does have built in sway control. The trailer is 32.5 ft and has a 8500lb GVWR.