Weight - one more data point

[Bill]

On our just-completed cross country trip, I decided to get my rig weighed again - I haven't done it in a long time. I found a CAT Scale, and pulled onto it. For $9, the scale weighed all three axles separately and simultanously, and printed them out.

The TM had all of our usual travelling and camping stuff - food, clothes, dishes, tools - but nothing out of the ordinary. We have an air conditioner and awning, which are the heavy options. There was 6 gallons of water in the water heater, but no water in any of the other tanks. One propane tank was empty, the other half full.

At the time of weighing, the spring bars were raised - I didn't re-weigh with the springbars released. The weight on the trailer axle was 3400 pounds. Since I have 15" tires (thanks, Bobby!) this is a pretty safe weight from the point of view of tires. With the OEM 14" tires, it would have been acceptable but without much margin.

Working backward through the usual WDH assumptions, I conclude that the total (gross) trailer weight was 3750 pounds. This is why I wouldn't even consider a tow vehicle rated at 3500 pounds. The same calculations show the raw hitch weight (no WDH) to be 525 pounds, which is why a WDH is needed on all but the huskiest vehicles.

This is just one data point. It represents my TM, packed the way I pack it, and with my WDH and my adjustment. So take it for what it is worth. But it seems to be reasonably in line with weights reported by others. So in summary
. Total (gross) trailer weight 3750 pounds
. Hitch weight (with no WDH) 525 pounds
. TM axle weight (with WDH) 3400 pounds

Incidentally, in previous discussions of weight, several members (especially HarveyRV) have repeatedly emphasized the importance of knowing your rig's weight. Wayne, you hit it right on the head! In addition to finding my TM's weight, I discovered that I was exceeding the tow vehicle's rear axle rating by about 300 pounds. Bad boy, Bill! On our cross-country migrations, we take a ton of non-camping stuff and load it all into the Explorer's wayback. This time was especially heavy, since we are closing one house. But in the future I will be more aware, and pack differently.

Bill