Weight, Weight, Don't Tell me

03-24-2010, 02:15 PM

Hoping Wayne or one of the other tech gurus on this forum can enlighten me.

On our last trip, I stopped on a truck scale and got a weight of 10,600 pounds with DW and me in the truck. Full tank of gas and about 12 gals of water in the tank and another 6 in the water heater.

Crunching the numbers, I was a bit surprised at how much our "stuff" weighs.

Would you check my assumptions?

5020# - truck curb weight (Tundra LTD 4WD)
3090# - 3124kb dry weight
0350# - Me & her
0160# - 26 gals of gas
0150# - 18 gals of water
0200# - guess at 6v batteries & propane tanks
0075# - WDH

9045# - total of all this

That would mean I'm hauling 1555# of other "stuff" in truck & TM - genset, clothes, kitchen stuff, table, camp chairs, food etc. Could that be right or am I missing some bigger items that the TV or TM folks don't count in their weight?

Also means I'm pulling 5580# with the Tundra which is about 1000# under the GCWR and GVWR.

Is my analysis correct?

**ShrimpBurrito** · 03-24-2010, 02:29 PM

I don't think "optional equipment" is included in the TM dry weight, and I think the A/C and awning are considered optional. So that's another 100 lbs total.

Battery and propane weight seem pretty accurate. Toilet and gray tank were empty?

From others here who have weighed their TMs here, it seems a TM loaded for a weekend is a solid 1,000 lbs above dry weight.

Dave

Wavery · 03-24-2010, 02:53 PM

Now you know why a always harp everybody about getting your rig weighed........ It has nothing to do with whether you should or shouldn't tow with one vehicle or another. No one here cares about what another person tows with. What really matters is that they KNOW what they are towing. Knowledge is power. "Lack of knowledge" is just plain ignorance (by definition)

When I had my rig weighed, I was just like you......where is all this weight???? The fact is, it doesn't really matter. What matters is that we know what what the weight is and act accordingly.

I bought this Silverado, thinking what over-kill it was for this TM 2720. I got the rig weighed, sat down with all my different ratings and found out that I am too close for comfort on my rr axle weight rating and my TM tire rating. I then made some adjustments in the way that I pack the TV and I keep a close watch on tire pressure and axle temperature.

I'm not sure if your analysis is correct. What is your GCWR and your GVWR? Also check your rr axle weight rating (that's where I got a shock).

What are your individual axle weights (from your scale weight certificate)? It would also help to know your actual tongue weight (I'm gonna guess that it's close to 600#).

03-24-2010, 03:12 PM

Thetford and grey water were empty. I also have the bicycle hitch receiver on the back as well as A/C and awning.

GCWR = 11,800#
GVWR = 6,600#

rr axle rating 3,760#

I didn't get an individual axle weight, just the gross. Also don't know the hitch weight though I'm going to check that. I'd also bet around 600#.

Actually, it was Wayne's constant sniveling <grin> at people about their faulty weight assumptions that caused me to stop and get weighed, then try to back out the numbers to see where the weight was. I confess I am astonished. I don't think we carry a lot of "stuff" but we're carrying about 2500# above the dry weights listed for the truck and trailer. (10,600 minus truck 5020 minus TM 3090).

Glad I did this. Any other insights are welcome!

Keith

Wavery · 03-24-2010, 03:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bluegrass

Thetford and grey water were empty. I also have the bicycle hitch receiver on the back as well as A/C and awning.

GCWR = 11,800#
GVWR = 6,600#

rr axle rating 3,760#

I didn't get an individual axle weight, just the gross. Also don't know the hitch weight though I'm going to check that. I'd also bet around 600#.

Actually, it was Wayne's constant sniveling <grin> at people about their faulty weight assumptions that caused me to stop and get weighed, then try to back out the numbers to see where the weight was. I confess I am astonished. I don't think we carry a lot of "stuff" but we're carrying about 2500# above the dry weights listed for the truck and trailer. (10,600 minus truck 5020 minus TM 3090).

Glad I did this. Any other insights are welcome!

Keith

Your rr axle weight rating is higher than my Silverado by about 100# (how come I'm not surprised

).... I have a 350# camper shell and a 150# bed-slide in the back. When I'm loaded for camping, I'm right at the limit (incl trlr TW). That means that you are probably in pretty good shape there.

Too bad that you didn't get the individual axle weights. It's a lot more helpful. At least you know what you are stopping now. Like me, you've got some wiggle room on the GCWR but must respect the fact that it is close.

03-24-2010, 04:25 PM

FWIW I weighed my rig last year at the beginning of the season. I have the 3124KB as well. I weighed the entire rig, then unhooked and weighed just the TV and subtracted - the total weight of the TM was 4240 lbs. That's with propane, batteries, campign gear that I store in the trailer, but no water (I had just picked it up from storage for the first campout of the season).

03-24-2010, 04:54 PM

Thanks to both Dave & Wayne. Hope to meet you both at Pismo in September.

This has been a very insightful exercise. I would encourage everyone to do it and make AT LEAST the following computation:

For current owners:

- Fully loaded scale weight minus the curb weight of the TV. Compare that to your TV's GVWR.

For prospective buyers:

- Add at least 2000 pounds (mine was 2500 pounds) to the dry weight of the TM and compare to your TV's GVWR before making a purchase.

Simply comparing the TM dry weight to the TV GVWR is a fool's errand.

Obviously there is more analysis one should do but these should give a quick snapshot of what the TV is actually hauling vs the max the TV can handle.

I'm starting to sound like Wayne!

Keith

Wavery · 03-24-2010, 05:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bluegrass

Simply comparing the TM dry weight to the TV GVWR is a fool's errand.

Keith

Actually, it's far worse than that and that's what is so frustrating to me. The RV trailer industry (in general) tends to tell prospective buyers that, "If you have the advertised towing capacity to tow the dry weight of our camper.....you're OK to tow it".

Mark my words......."someone will get sued over that type of advertising, sooner or later". I don't know if TM is the worst in this type of marketing but they certainly certainly make some outrageous claims IMHO.....

**wbmiller3** · 03-25-2010, 05:37 AM

What's an rr axle rating?

**Frenchy** · 03-25-2010, 08:20 AM

I always weigh my outfit if I'm going on an extended trip. I weigh the whole thing, then pull the TV just off the scale and then weigh the TM while it is still attached to the TV. That way I know what weight I'm putting on the tires and TM axle. I was very surprised the first time I did this. I exceeded both the tire and axle ratings. I had to take stuff out of the TM.