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Old 05-29-2003, 03:06 PM   #1
KdHammonds
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Default Newbie Trip with 3023 to Kings Island in Ohio

We made our maiden voyage this year as many did over the long holiday weekend.  We only towed the camper 100 miles and it did OK.  I installed a 2" bumper receiver from Camping World for our bike rack.  I loaded two adult bikes and two childrens bikes on the rack before we left.  I don't know the exact weight of the bikes, but the kids bikes are pretty small.  We didn't have any issues until we were on I-71 south and I decided to pass a semi.  At 65 MPH passing the truck I encountered some pretty serious sway.  I ended up controlling the trailer by manually activating the trailer brakes.  I quickly got back into the slow lane and stayed put for the rest of the trip.  I originally towed the camper empty from Fla to Ohio didn't encounter sway over the entire 1300 miles.  Therefore, my conclusion is the added weight of the bikes on the rear bumper eliminated some of the tongue weight.  I was still somewhat surprised by the sway issue since I use a Reese WDH with sway control.  On the way home I loaded the kids bikes inside the camper and did not encounter the sway problem.  Anyone else have a similar experience?

The weekend went well.  The TM kept us all nice and comfortable.  The toilet capacity was not the issue I thought it would be.  As others have mentioned grey water capacity was a bigger problem.  After the first day we became a lot more conservative.  Washing hands outside, collecting dish water in a plastic tub and dumping outside, etc.  

It took us a little while to pack up to come home, but we feel we will get faster with practice.  I double checked everything because I was afraid to forget something.

On the way home I had the TM3023 weighed on a CAT certified truck scale.  I was surprised to get the weight receipt that said 3600#.  We did not feel we had overly loaded the TM in any way.  I think I recall reading that the 3023 should not weigh over 3500# with the TM hooked to the TV and only the TM wheels on the scale.  I am concerned that we may be overloading the TM.  Any recommendations or comments?

Sorry for the long winded account, but I have learned a lot from this board and appreciate everyone's valuable opinions.

Keith
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Old 05-29-2003, 04:23 PM   #2
Denny_A
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Default Re: Newbie Trip with 3023 to Kings Island in Ohio

Quote:
---------snip-------
On the way home I had the TM3023 weighed on a CAT certified truck scale.  I was surprised to get the weight receipt that said 3600#.  We did not feel we had overly loaded the TM in any way.  I think I recall reading that the 3023 should not weigh over 3500# with the TM hooked to the TV and only the TM wheels on the scale.  I am concerned that we may be overloading the TM.  Any recommendations or comments?
-----snip----------

Keith
I did considerable investigation of just this issue.

The question came down to: What is the max allowable weight, registered at the trailer tires, when the trailer is connected for normal towing?

The answer is either 3500 lbs. or  3700 lbs.

Here's a link to my follow-up post on a query much like yours. Check the last post in the thread:

http://tretta.hypermart.net/cgi-bin/...89671;start=10

If one uses the Dexter Axle definition of GAWR (Gross Axle  Weight Rating), then the single-axled TM's are limited to 3500 lbs. Period!

TrailManor, however, do not include the weight of the AXLE and Wheel Assemblies (total of 200 lbs of *unsprung* weight). Therefore, being the manufacturer, and certifier of weights, I am inclined to believe them. I speak from first-hand, multiple direct comms with the TM engineer.

As I stated in the linked post, using 3500 lbs, as the limit, rather than 3700 lbs will always be erring on the safe side.

HTH -- Denny_A
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Old 05-30-2003, 02:36 AM   #3
arknoah
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Default Re: Newbie Trip with 3023 to Kings Island in Ohio

It sounds like you did exactly as advised to control the sway by activating the trailer brakes.  That's good thinking in what is a scary situation.  We had a hitch receiver installed on our rear bumper (TM model 3225) because I was concerned about the strength of the bumper.  We've never had any serious sway, even with two adult bikes and one kid's bike on the rear bike rack we have installed, but you're right about the bike weight affecting the tongue weight.  We've gone out of our way to load stuff forward or directly over the dual axles to help control that, and it seems to be working for us.
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