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Old 01-16-2018, 01:04 PM   #1
scottkeen
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Weights mindset

I posted a thread about plate and silverware place settings, and how much to have for 1-person (me!); thinking that from a GVWR perspective I should take as little as possible, only what's necessary. Plastic tumblers instead of glassware, etc.

But then when I consider that I have (2) spare tires and wheels weighing close to 100 lbs each, then how much difference does have plastic tumblers really make?

I understand that "every ounce counts" and storage is a premium.

But I guess I need to understand better the mindset when it comes to weight and space. Should I get rid of the extra spare tire? Or is the rule "for safety, weight and space saving rules no longer apply". Speaking of "spare tires", should I go on a diet (Yes) so I can take along an extra frying pan? How far do you go with this?

Just trying to get the right mental mindset of how to approach all this vis-a-vis convenience and safety.

PS. I ended up with 2 spare tires because the dealer told me there wasn't one included, so I bought one before I went to pick up the trailer. Well, the dealer was wrong. There was a spare tire. So now I have 2.
 
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Old 01-16-2018, 01:26 PM   #2
cardinal96ss
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Have you weighed your whole rig, loaded as you are currently planning, as if you are headed out? I would use that as a starting point before I worried too much about the small stuff. Can't imagine you're going to have a big problem.
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Old 01-16-2018, 01:30 PM   #3
RoadRunnerTR21
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Simply weigh your rig empty. Subtract that from your max gross weight and that will tell you how much weight you need to lose or not lose. It may not be as difficult as you think.
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Old 01-16-2018, 01:58 PM   #4
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I may have taken it all wrong, but I got a chuckle out of this one.
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Old 01-16-2018, 02:43 PM   #5
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We try to avoid carrying any dishes/drinkware made of glass. While our rig rides fairly smooth, just one glass falling and breaking is more mess than we want to deal with. We use Yeti cups for most of our own drinks and insulated plastic tumblers for guests. You can find a lot of good plastic wine glasses at several locations (Bed Bath and Beyond is a good source). Our plates are durable thick plastic for the most part. It isn't about being cheap, we have fine china at home, it's about not wanting to waste our precious camping time cleaning up broken glass.....


Since we often have grandkids or company we carry more than we would need just for ourselves and we keep a paper plates for backup as well.
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Old 01-16-2018, 03:56 PM   #6
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No need for 2 spares unless you are planning to do the Alaskan highway and then even questionable.
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Old 01-16-2018, 04:00 PM   #7
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I agree with cardinal96ss, weigh your rig at a truck stop. You actually need two weighs, one with truck and trailer and one with truck only. After I did the math I found I was much better off than I thought.
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Old 01-17-2018, 07:16 AM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bethandkevin View Post
I may have taken it all wrong, but I got a chuckle out of this one.
You didn't take it wrong :-)

Real questions, but I don't take myself too seriously.
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Old 01-17-2018, 07:33 AM   #9
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Great recommendations on weighing the trailer+truck and truck! Great idea to get the trailer weight.

From the sticker on the door of my 347THT:
14,320 lbs GVWR
10,830 lbs UVW
3,430 lbs cargo
6,000 lbs GAWR

Not sure how the axle (GAWR) of 12,000 lbs for both axles can support the 14,320 lbs GVWR. I was never good at calculus, but...?

With 3,430 lbs (dry) for cargo, I have to factor in 400 lbs for my motorcycle and 100 lbs for my extra Alaska-highway-spare-spare-tire, plus me and my spare tire(s), a 100 lbs German Shepherd, 450 lbs for a full water tank, place settings for 4, and we're down to somewhere around 2,000 lbs remaining.

That seems like a lot.

If I have to save 100 lbs somewhere, I can either go on a diet, ditch the Alaska-highway-spare-spare-tire, or ditch the dog.... ummmm, sorry Ruger.
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Old 01-17-2018, 07:58 AM   #10
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Don't forget a full tank of fuel (~200 lb), propane (?40 lb), hitch (mine is 150), battery(75 or 150 - one or 2), tools, clothes, food, etc.
After thinking about it, you are probably good. I have only 2800 or so payload in trailer and am still 500 under. My problem is hitch weight - but since you have a dually, I think you should be good.
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Old 01-17-2018, 08:10 AM   #11
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Originally Posted by twindman View Post
Don't forget a full tank of fuel (~200 lb), propane (?40 lb), hitch (mine is 150), battery(75 or 150 - one or 2), tools, clothes, food, etc.
After thinking about it, you are probably good. I have only 2800 or so payload in trailer and am still 500 under. My problem is hitch weight - but since you have a dually, I think you should be good.
Oh, right... you're referencing the towing capacity of the truck. I think my Dodge Ram 3500 dually has a GCWR of 24,000 lbs and the truck itself is 7,500 lbs, leaving 16,500 lbs for the trailer and everything else.

I think I'll hit the max GVWR for the trailer before hitting the max GCWR of the truck. Seems like a good safety measure to have.

My hitch is an Andersen Ultimate Fifth Wheel Connection, weighs 35 lbs. It was super-easy to install on the gooseneck ball in the truck bed, and it was very fast, easy, and clean hitching and unhitching.

Tools will be the biggest weight item for me. I'm considering selling my table saw and mitre saw, if I go full-time.
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Old 01-17-2018, 08:13 AM   #12
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I have done 2 cross country trips and only pack what i am going to use. its amazing how much 2 weeks worth of cloths weigh. I use my best thoughts on what to pack. Some campgrounds dont have tables for cooking because i ALWAYS cook outside because I dont want grease inside my rig. Plastic dishes are perfect for camping we even now use red solo cups for drinking and paper plates for plates most of the time. Cuts down on dish washing. If we were going camping for a couple weeks than i may add some things that I normally would not pack for a trip. Most of the time we just travel around the country to see stuff. I only carry one spare tire LOL
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Old 01-17-2018, 08:42 AM   #13
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Cool

Quote:
Originally Posted by scottkeen View Post
Great recommendations on weighing the trailer+truck and truck! Great idea to get the trailer weight.

From the sticker on the door of my 347THT:
14,320 lbs GVWR
10,830 lbs UVW
3,430 lbs cargo
6,000 lbs GAWR

Not sure how the axle (GAWR) of 12,000 lbs for both axles can support the 14,320 lbs GVWR. I was never good at calculus, but...?

With 3,430 lbs (dry) for cargo, I have to factor in 400 lbs for my motorcycle and 100 lbs for my extra Alaska-highway-spare-spare-tire, plus me and my spare tire(s), a 100 lbs German Shepherd, 450 lbs for a full water tank, place settings for 4, and we're down to somewhere around 2,000 lbs remaining.

That seems like a lot.

If I have to save 100 lbs somewhere, I can either go on a diet, ditch the Alaska-highway-spare-spare-tire, or ditch the dog.... ummmm, sorry Ruger.
You need to subtract your pin weight from the GVWR of 14320. So if you have 6000lb axles they figure 2320lbs of pin weight.
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Old 01-17-2018, 08:48 AM   #14
scottkeen
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Originally Posted by GLS3950 View Post
You need to subtract your pin weight from the GVWR of 14320. So if you have 6000lb axles they figure 2320lbs of pin weight.
Ah, makes sense! 3-points of weight: axle + axle + pin
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Old 01-17-2018, 09:30 AM   #15
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You better weight than truck because it is a lot heavier then 7500 lbs. I have an F350 SWD and with fuel in both tanks 75gals and hitch I top over 8500 lbs. I don't remember just how much over but it is over 8500 lbs.
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Old 01-17-2018, 12:08 PM   #16
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My F250 weighs in at 8300 empty with 1/3 tank of fuel. My HC is 9200 pounds with 1800 pin weight. My truck actually has more weight on it than the camper, when both are empty.
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Old 01-17-2018, 12:32 PM   #17
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Some corners should not be cut. Do not substitute steel case ammo for brass case. Just sayin... When we were thinking about going full time and I started looking at small things like several thousand rounds of ammo and I was surprised how much that weighed in total.
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Old 01-17-2018, 05:12 PM   #18
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RoadRunner. Why take 2000 rounds of ammo. Take 2000 bullets and primers an 8 pound jug of power and enough cases and reloading equipment. Reloading equipment will only weigh about 10 pounds and will fit in a shoebox. You can reload better ammunition than you can buy and a lot cheaper.
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Old 01-17-2018, 06:02 PM   #19
Butch & Kathy
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Here are my weights taken at a truck stop CAT scale.

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Old 01-17-2018, 08:17 PM   #20
scottkeen
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Are ya'all full-timing with that setup? Just looked up the specs on your 2016 3160RL and Nada Guides says the base weight is 11,585. From you CAT scale trailer weight of 13,720 that would mean you have 2,135 in cargo, propane, tanks (if not empty), batteries, etc just in the trailer. Does that sound about right?

Just trying to get an idea of how much cargo is typical.
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