Sprinter van as a TV

My tow vehicle is a Freightliner Sprinter van that was converted into a motorhome by Forest River. It is completed self contained including a generator. I don't have to open the TM when we stop for lunch. DW is telling everyone we have a 3 bedroom, 2 bath RV

So far I have made two trips totaling 1100+ miles and the Sprinter seems to be ideal when mated with a TM. It is a 5 cylinder diesel that has 164 horsepower. The Sprinter is rated to pull 5,000 lbs with a max of 500 lbs tongue weight. My 3124 KS weight, with it hooked to the van and full of clothes, food, TV, MW, above sink cabinet, cooking stuff, etc, is 3462 lbs (actual scale weight) with no water.

The sprinter gets 19 to 22 mpg (depending on headwinds) with no trailer. Pulling the TM I got 16 on one trip and 17 mpg on the second trip.

Yep, sure looks like the best of both worlds - ease of towing with ease of getting to the fridge and toilet quickly while on the road.

This is a setup I've been eyeing; it really looks great for pit-stops while travelling. I have a question though; is the scale weight of 3462 lbs you list just the weight of the TM's axle? In other words, does it lack the tongue weight?

I really need to find a scale in the area and weigh my setup fully loaded...I wouldn't be surprised if my tongue weight was higher than 500 lbs.

My 3124KB weighs 4700# with 25 gal. of water and 4 golf car batts.

Wow, an RV with a guest house!!! Great lookn' setup.

Like others have implied, you might be over your hitch rating of 500 lbs. Double check your tongue weight. My 2720 tongue weighed in at 480 lbs. (lightly loaded for camping) before I added a 2nd battery. The brochure lists a 2720 as having at 346 lbs., so adding 2 propane tanks and a battery and a little camping gear can really add up. The brochure lists a 3124ks as having a 490 lb. tongue weight, so when you add the propane up front and some camping gear, you will probably be over your limit. The hitch should list the weight carrying capacity tongue weight, and also a weight distributing capacity, so double check all of the numbers.

Chap

[ShrimpBurrito]

The setup does seem ideal. I've always had my eye on the Sprinter, but after checking them out online, I got sticker shock.

Bruce, where did you install your 2nd pair of golf cart batteries?

Dave

[rotor_wash]

I haven't been able to confirm my 3124KS weights using a scale yet, but I used a weight and balance formula using stock weights provided by TM and added different known weights at known stations to get total and tongue weight. With everything full (propane, drinking water, propane, thetford charged, hot water full, a/c, awning, 2 T-105 batteries in rear, and solar panel) except gray water, fridge, and personal gear, I have the following:
Total - 3809LB
Tongue - 507
Center of gravity (CG)- 27.3 inches forward of axle
Lateral center of gravity 17.4 inches left of center line. (!)

Adding your personal gear forward of the axle also will increase tongue weight, but placing all 4 T-105 batteries in the rear storage as close to the center line as possible will reduce my mathematical models tongue weight to stock 490LB and increase total weight by 130 lb. Your mileage will probably vary.

I was surprised at the left side lateral CG, and wondered if that has anything to do with blowouts.

[This is a setup I've been eyeing; it really looks great for pit-stops while travelling. I have a question though; is the scale weight of 3462 lbs you list just the weight of the TM's axle? In other words, does it lack the tongue weight? ]

I only wanted to know how much weight was on the tires, so I weighted it hooked to the van with the equalizer hitch installed. Exactly how would you weight the tongue.

Originally Posted by photoadjuster

I only wanted to know how much weight was on the tires, so I weighted it hooked to the van with the equalizer hitch installed. Exactly how would you weight the tongue.

There are a couple of ways to figure the tongue wieght. Weigh your Sprinter by itself with the equalizer hitch in place, and if possible your bars hooked on and just hanging.....I think you can do that with Equalizer but not other brands. Then hook up the TM while leaving the WDH bars loose, and pull the Sprinter on the scales, but leave the trailer wheels off of the scales. The difference of those 2 weights will be your tongue weight....that is the additional weight that the tongue is adding to your TV. You can weigh the Equalizer setup on some bathroom scales to see what the total is hanging on the hitch.

You can also weigh the Sprinter by itself, add the TM and weigh everything, then weigh the axle of the TM only. The total weight minus the Sprinter is the total weight of the TM, and then subtract the TM axle only weight, and that shoud give you a tongue weight.

Since you are already using a WDH, you are on the right track. You can do a bunch of weigh-ins with the front axle of the Sprinter, combinations, and the TM axle to tweak the settings on the WDH.

Chap

[rotor_wash]

One weighing method:
http://www.rvtowingtips.com/pdf/How%20to%20weigh.pdf
Another that sponsors weighing events around the country. None listed for 2009 yet.
http://www.rvsafety.org/index.html