Comfortable Weight for a TT Question

[cdoorider]

Originally Posted by LeeB

I have a 2017 (1/2ton) Chevrolet Z-71 4x4 5.3 with 3.42 gears.

I am looking at Bumper Pull Trailers and wondering what would be a Comfortable Weight? You know the weight sticker that is posted somewhere on the trailer!..... Right now I don't care about total weight just the one that is posted on the trailer somewhere (usually on the outside) that way I can just walk up and look there and either move along or look closer.......

Thanks LeeB

Lee there is a recent thread in the trailer towing/tow vehicles forum regarding this very truck. I believe its heading was something like "Can I tow 6700lbs".

I have the truck you have and your always going to be close on payload weight if you tow anything of size. Heck put me in the truck and there goes my payload. Knowing this it's important to stay under that number and I'm wondering out loud whether some type of helper springs my be beneficial for us 1/2 ton GM owners? I'm not a fan of airbags, although I know some use them. If your trucks like mine the suspension is very stiff, I get very little squat even wet and loaded. Also your axles are 3950x2=7900lbs, so your 7200 gvwr is 700lbs under the axles rating.

The numbers folks quoting here are about max, it may not be comfortable but they work. I've towed 7100lbs loaded with that truck, add that to your TT weight of 7200lbs and your at 14300. That is only 700lbs under your gross combined weight. I'd tow this occasionally but not everyday, while seeing the USA. 😁

Everyone has a different comfort zone, I'm a retired trucker and my comfort level will be different than yours. If I was going to travel a lot and didn't want to get a heavier truck I'D keep my gross under 5500lbs. I camp maybe 4 or 5x a year with an occasional longer trip, so I'm comfortable in the 6-7000lb range.

Lance makes some pretty good units, they even have a new double slide king bed coming out in about 8 mo. Most if not all Lance TT are easily half ton towable, they are good quality but expensive.

Good Luck

[archer75]

Look at your trucks payload rating. You'll overload that before anything else. Your truck may also have a separate tongue weight rating you can't exceed.
You typicall want 10-15% of the trailers weight on the tongue. Plus you need to deduct the weight of your WD hitch.
And then the people and cargo in the truck.
Our trailer is tongue heavy. About 6800lbs empty. Loaded up for camping and it would overload most half ton trucks. On our last dry camping trip with a full water tank and extra gear in the truck it was approaching the payload limit of my 3/4 ton.

[Cicch95]

I agree with those who have mentioned payload. Payload is almost always going to be the limiting factor with a 1/2 ton pickup. Towing capacity is not a problem.

For safety and to not overload your equipment and damage it, you need to look at more than a comfortable number. But, just to start looking, I would look at something in the 5-5,500 dry weight range. BUT, you then have to see what the dry hitch weight is.

For example......my 2014 RAM has a payload of 1,490 lbs. (sad) If I take out the "dry" hitch weight of my 2015 Bullet 272bhs - 550 lbs, it leaves me with 940 lbs of payload left for my family and any other contents in the truck. I take my gate off, which gives me approx. 90 lbs back so I have 1,030 lbs to work with. My family of five is approx. 890 lbs which then leaves me with 140 lbs. Which will be taken up by a fully loaded camper's hitch weight. So, basically I can't put anything in the truck bed to travel.

So, the moral of the story is you need to take hitch weight into consideration as that will limit your pool of campers to choose from. Just because the dealer says it is "1/2 ton towable" doe not mean it is a good idea to do it.....or that it is safe.

Just my .02.

[Ted Lambert]

Originally Posted by rkresge

And right there is your GVWR for a travel trailer. But no people. Most states don't allow passengers to ride in a towed vehicle, although a few do. GVWR of a trailer is "the maximum permissible weight of the vehicle or trailer when fully loaded for travel. This includes the unloaded vehicle weight, all fluids, cargo, optional equipment and accessories." This is the manufacturer's designed maximum weight, and exceeding it becomes a safety and reliability issue.

My trailer's "dry" weight is 4850, the GVWR is 5995, which allows 1145 lb for cargo, LP gas, water, etc.

Roger

You are talking just GVW
Don't forget GCVW!!

[lcboy]

We have a 32 ft camper 6500 lbs we are trading in on a 28 ft camper which will be more comfortable to pull for hours on long trips.

[runamuck]

my 2017 gmc 1500 4x4 ccsb with 5.3 and 3.42 gears feels pretty maxed out pulling our freedom express 246rks which weighs around 52-5300 when going camping and is 28' from tip to tail. I have a wd hitch and have added 1 helper leaf to the rear which I have set on the lowest setting so as to mostly just help handle those dips in the road. I get 10-11 mpg on pretty flat road if I stay just under 70 but I might see 9 mpg and 3000 rpm with any hills. I have trailer brake controller of course and this rig has great braking power. I would not go any bigger with this truck myself.

[MAC1144]

Originally Posted by Reevesfamily

Pull the below with the below and all is well, BUT even though the equipment is within the technical specs, I am at my personal comfort and safety limits with the weight/length and the TV. We travel carefully, light, just the two of us, and don't tote a lot of extra stuff, no water other than bottled, and get our food stuff close to where we stay. Everyone's comfort level is different, just don't exceed your own!

Well said.......I concur

[RPr]

Yup, I will add my voice to the fray. My F-150 has a max cargo of 1400 lbs.

My 5000 lb. dry weight TT weighs 6200 lbs loaded for the road. It has 750 lbs. on the tongue. That leaves 650 lbs of cargo capacity on my truck.

I fill that 650 lbs with two adults, a dog and camp gear. I am at or very near my max cargo limit.

The gross weight limit on the TT is 7500 lbs. So yes, as already suggested. 25 to 27 ft TT with a gross weight of 7500 lbs is as heavy as you want to consider.

Typically this will have a slide.

The numbers come from the CAT scales and were a bit of a shock to me.

Good luck

[Rednax]

TW doesn’t go to payload.

Test it.

Load an amount into truck. Scale it. Remove items and re-scale.

Where did the weight difference appear on the scale ticket? Front axle or rear?

TW will be levered off the Drive (rear) Axle via the WDH.

Done correctly a third, roughly will remain on the rear axle.

1k TW and maybe 375-lbs against “payload”.

What matters are axle/wheel/ tire limits.

And hitch rigging. Which maybe five out of one hundred of you will get correctly.

A one ton isn’t magic. Bigger ISNT better.

A fully independent suspension Expedition is a better TV than any pickup.

And a far better family vehicle.

“Weight” IS NOT the problem to solve. That’s done with hitch rigging.

The problem is the sail area of the TT. Wind catching problems. High center of gravity. Crude suspension.

Believing “weight” the problem is like believing a 5er is more stable than a TT.

As adverse wind is the primary cause of loss of control RV accidents (for which, were a citation to be issued, it will be the same as for a big truck driver: too fast for conditions) the solution, the starting point, is in vehicle tech specification.

Solo family transportation matters most.


Hooking up a TT just not a big deal.

[RPr]

The WD hitch shifts some of the TT weight from the rear axle to the front axle and the trailer axles. There are several thing to keep in mind.

The gross truck weight capacity is less than the total axle rating for both wheels. That max cargo capacity is different for each vehicle, depending on it features. The CAT scales do not estimated people do.

How heavy you want to load your TV is a personal choice. The heavier the more wear and tear.

Also remember the TT dealer has less information than you do. They do not know your vehicle's max cargo or how heavy you will load your TT.

They do know the towing capacity of TV and the dry weight of the TT and they have sold dozens of those combinations.

It is the old buyers beware.

[Rednax]

Cargo capacity, payload, and tow rating are more advertising copy than “truth”.

This s recreational, occasional towing. Having done it forty five years I’ve not seen accelerated wear. Our family vehicles far outlasted those of others. Which is down to maintenance.

Legal limits on vehicles used in commercial service ( a one ton, for example) ARE limited by wheel, tire and axle ratings. The rest is imaginary fear porn.

The recommendations of a private individual, after all, is what manufacturer “ratings” amount to.

Were these “honest” all vehicles sold would be tested. They aren’t.

Who also do NOT adequately test trailers the height and wind sail area of travel trailers. A center of gravity as much as four feet off the ground. SAE testing leaves a lot to be desired. J2807 says next to nothing about what works Or why.
Has holes in it big enough to drive a pickup through.

Just a coincidence that RWD cars once rated 5-7.5k had those same ratings dropped to 1-2k a quarter century ago (no changes) as pickups became the profit center?

Again, you want to stay out of trouble it won’t be with a pickup (what does that open-bed ONLY cargo weigh?), it’s always been steering, braking and handling. First.

Sophistication. Design quality. (same for the trailer).

As the miles towing aren’t even a quarter of most folks annual miles, specifying a vehicle for the minority makes no sense.

The rollover risk isn’t justified. In a loss of control accident where a car or most SUVS will just spin out, a truck will roll. A minor injury accident (if that) becomes Care Flite time.

If you want to head to the gravel yard, get an open trailer. An ordinary sedan can tow more than any F450 can carry in the bed.

UHaul , Enterprise and others rent cheaply enough on vehicles. Same for Home Depot.

Kinda like 4WD. Worthless unless local law enforcement also has to use it.

Hell, we built this whole country before 4WD pickups were available.

I’ve paid to tow my rig out of the mud a few times since Jimmy Carter was President.

The money I’d have lost using 4WD where it wasn’t necessary would have cost me another brand new vehicle. Maybe two.

There’s more depth to every subject.

But this one has bad consequences for following the herd.