Hitchs/Weight ?

Sorry for a long post. Thanks to those that responded to my first ? auot WD/Sway hitches. I still have not decided to whether to get one or not. If I do-what is best? Not saying that money is no object, but it seems dumb to spend 20k for a camper and then buy junk for a hitch. Looks like the Equal-i-zer might be a good choice.
Next for weight---In my present Slide In ; I found that when I add about 700 lbs to the dry weight it is close to the real weight of the camper. Is ths about right for a TM? (AC awning water lp and other options).
Thanks
Many more questions to come (esp. after my 2720sd comes in)

Live2shopnc,
We have used an Equal-i-zer wd hitch (1000 lbs. unit) on our 3326K TM and Ford Aerostar TV. This is one great product. We would't tow without it. We will be ordering a heaver TV this winter and intend to use the Equal-i-zer with it also. With this wd hitch towing will be much more pleasurable, you will realize a better ride, and sway will be almost non-existent. There are other good wd hitches but we are sold on the Equal-i-zer.
Dixielou

Next for weight---In my present Slide In ; I found that when I add about 700 lbs to the dry weight it is close to the real weight of the camper. Is ths about right for a TM? (AC awning water lp and other options).

live2shopnc,
I think you will find that the TM models have more additional storage capacity than you are used to in your slide-in. Our TM was loaded with vurtually every accessory offered and when we added about 1100 lbs of our own stuff (we traveled and lived in it doing volunteer work for 3-4 weeks at a time) we were still short of the maximum load capacity. I always traveled with the water tank full because it is in front of the axle which added tongue weight for more stable towing.

So, you will enjoy your TM and don't be too worried about overloading it, unless you really get carried away. Be sure to weigh it after you have loaded everything you need and are ready to roll, just to verify that you are within the weight limits.

[Frenchy]

I can only get about 400 pounds in my 98 3023 before reaching the weight ratings on the tires. I have the roof AC, spare tire and awning as extras. With those it has 3250 pounds on the tires. I do not travel with water in the fresh water tank but with the toilet charged. Am I looking at something wrong?

Nope, and you are lucky to have the 400, before I put anything thing except the TV and microwave in, I'm right on. Have to carry most stuff in the truck. We do put food in the frig but carry boxes of canned and boxed stuff in the truck.

[Denny_A]

[quote author=Frenchy link=board=1;threadid=1679;start=msg11879#msg11879 date=1076912679]
I can only get about 400 pounds in my 98 3023 before reaching the weight ratings on the tires. I have the roof AC, spare tire and awning as extras. With those it has 3250 pounds on the tires. I do not travel with water in the fresh water tank but with the toilet charged. Am I looking at something wrong?
[/quote]

Frenchy,

When you say your tires are carrying 3250 lbs, is that the load minus the tongue weight? Or, is that the total weight of the trailer? If that's the load on the tires minus the tongue weight, then the trailer weight is maybe 3650 lbs or more. If, in fact, you meant 3250 lbs is the total trailer weight, then the tire loud, with the tongue supported, is more like 2850 lbs +- a few lbs.

Assuming the latter, then the total weight of the trailer could be 3900 lbs, with 3500 lbs (axle limit) on the tires. If the tongue weight were 500 lbs, then 4000 lbs trailer weight is w/in limits when no WDH is used.

If a WDH is used, then approx 1/3 of the tongue wt is transferred back to the axle/tires. Lots of stuff to consider. So if the tongue wt were 480 lbs(WDH in use), and the trailer weighed 3820 lbs, 360 lbs is carried by the hitch and 3500 lbs by the axle/tires.

As I said, I'm not sure whether you meant total trailer wt of 3250 lbs, or tire load with the tongue supported. The above was for the purpose of summarizing a just a few of the many variables to be considered.

Denny_A

I can only get about 400 pounds in my 98 3023 before reaching the weight ratings on the tires. Am I looking at something wrong?

Frenchy,
How did you determine how much overall weight you are carrying on the tires?

TM's specs for the 2004 3023 states the dry weight at 2915#, tongue weight at 409#, and a load capacity of 1923# (your '98 doesn't vary much from current numbers). That should give you a max. capacity of approx. 4838 with the trailer unhitched. Once you add the WD hitch setup into the picture, your overall load decreases, as mentioned by another owner. In order to get down to 400# before you overload the tires, you must have considerable weight that is unaccounted for and I suggest it is not all in the accessories you've added to the trailer. If you are using only the tire rating at max. psi, you need to consider upgrading the tires if they won't carry the TM advertised load.

As I stated in an earlier post, we carried 1000-1100# in our '98 2619 without any problems or difficulties, and it was loaded with factory accessories.

As a point of reference, I suggest you call the factory for the proper definition of what your total dry weight is, including all the options, and what they calculate your "load weight" should be.

[Frenchy]

The 3250 pounds is the weight on the TM tires while hooked up to the TV. I pull the TV off the scales and weigh the TM tires. I did not have a WD hitch at the time that I weighed. I just bought one and have not weighed since. I tried to find tires that would carry more weight but was unsuccessful. This limited weight capacity is bothersome. I have had pop-ups and a 23 foot Aljo and never had to worry about weight.

[Bill]

Frenchy -

In my opinion, you have done it exactly right. You weighed the load that is actually being carried by the tires, when the TM is loaded and ready for the road, and the tongue is on the tow vehicle. With apologies to Dr Suess, I would say that dry weight, wet weight, green weight, red weight - in the end, nothing matters except the fact that you MUST NOT overload your tires. If your tires say "1625 pounds" on the sidewall, for a total of 3250 lbs, and you are measuring 3250 lbs at a scale, then you are right on the edge. (For the moment, we'll ignore the issue of whether the TM is equally loaded side-to-side.)

Beyond that, you say that you weighed the TM before you installed a WD hitch. As Denny pointed out, if you add a WD hitch, it will reflect about a third of the hitch weight (about 150 pounds out of 450 pounds of hitch weight) back onto the TM tires, further increasing the loading.

What tires do you currently have on your TM - manufacturer, model, and size? New TMs are equipped with Goodyear Marathons, and I don't see any tire in the Marathon line that is rated 1625 pounds. Some of the older TMs used Carlisle tires (see http://www.carlisletires.com), which may have had a different rating. If you still have the original tires, they are probably shot, from age if not from mileage, and should be replaced. Assuming you use a 14" tire, then the Marathon 14" Load Range C tires are rated 1870 lbs each, for a total rating of 3740 pounds. (For the moment, we'll ignore axle rating as well, though it is a matter of some contention.) See http://www.goodyear.com/rv/products/..._marathon.html

So let us know what you have, and we'll go from there. The 3250-lb limit on the tires does seem to be lower than it needs to be.

Bill

[Frenchy]

My actual dry weight was 3250. My tires had the 3740 rating. I just remembered it wrong so I had nearly 500 pounds I could load in the TM. I will check my weights with the WD hitch before I take the TM on a trip. Thanks for all the responses.