Total weights

[Allen in MT]

Got to make a short trip for the weekend. Have about 1/2 tank of fresh water on board.
Also looking at getting new tires when I get back, stay with E rate or go to G rated tires?? The tire rimes are stamped 80 which is E rated tires,
So I guess I have to stay with E tires. GVWR rating on camper is 13960. so if I load up to go south I'm right at the limit for E rated tires.
Took my truck over the scale 8000 lbs, Truck and camper as loaded 22620 lbs, camper hooked up to truck and truck off the scale 11840 lbs
Looks like about 1/3 of camper weight is on hitchif I read this right.
My Monty of an 05 3400RL.
Any thoughts
Allen

[H. John Kohl]

quote:Originally posted by Allen in MT


Took my truck over the scale 8000 lbs, Truck and camper as loaded 22620 lbs, camper hooked up to truck and truck off the scale 11840 lbs
Looks like about 1/3 of camper weight is on hitchif I read this right.
My Monty of an 05 3400RL.
Any thoughts
Allen

22620 - 11840 = 10780
total weight of both - camper wheel weight = max weight on truck wheels
10780 - 8000 - 2780
max truck wheels - truck without Monty = pin weight

11840 + 2780 = 14620
trailer wheel weight + pin weight = total trailer weight (GVWR)

You say your GVWR for trailer is 13960.

2780 / 14620 = 19% of trailer weight on pin.
pin weight / trailer GVWR = % pin weight.

I have worked with the rule of thumb of 20% to 25% of the GVWR should be on the pin.

Hope this helps you understand your posted weights as I read them.

[timandsusan]

Those numbers are close to what I weighed with my 3475--an '06 model. F-350 '06 Crew Cab, diesel, long bed, 4X4 truck weight--8000 lbs with 38 gal of diesel and two riders. Pin weight 2200 lbs--computed using the same method described by John. RV total weight is 2200+11500= 13700. TOTAL Truck and RV is 8000+13700=21700 lbs. Three years of happy towing and RVing!

[ols1932]

Allen,
You can go with G-rated tires, but you can't pressurize them over 80 psi (cold).
Orv

[Art-n-Marge]

Wow "Allen in MT", we are burning through our herd of horses, since we have beat so many to death over this. But it's important so we'll keep going over it.

Your E-rated tires are fine for your rig when you are hitched up. Remember, you DO NOT carry the pin weight on your trailer tires when towing, you carry that weight on your TV's rear axle. You measured a trailer weight of 11840, so look at the sidewalls of your trailer tires and as long as you are at the recommended max pressure, the weight for your E-rated tires combined probably exceeds the current trailer weight.

I have learned through documentation, this forum AND empirical weight measurements that the pin weight will be between 15% and as high as 25% of the gross trailer weight for a 5er. The good news is more weight on the pin means you have less weight at your trailer tires. The corollary then becomes but the more weight on your TV's Rear axle.

Using H.John Kohl's calculations your trailer is overweight at 14,620, by 660 lbs when your trailer is by itself since the trailer GVWR is 13960. Believe it or not you are better off towing your trailer than letting it sit by itself since the trailer now only weighs 11,840, but at least you are not moving when it is unhitched. You can save some water weight by caring only about 5-7 gallons (about 42 to 58 lbs), versus a 1/2 full tank which is about (250 lbs) for your year/model trailer. But you're only saving about 200 lbs there for when you are unhitched. That extra 660 lbs is on your landing gear and tires even it you have stabilizers in the rear (these are not load-bearing) or if you use a hitch pin stabilizer (again, not for load bearing). But again, at a standstill I wouldn't worry about it. We have had a dozen people in our 5er when unhitched and nothing has broken (yet?).

Also, check three other things - first, your truck manual to make sure you have not exceeded the CombinedGWR at 22,620 (with a 1 ton TV this is unlikely), second, that you do not exceed your TV's RAWR (rear axle weight rating) - you need to weigh the front axle only, then subtract this from your hitched up rate to get the RAW, and third, check your door pillar (open the driver door and look on the door jamb) for your truck's GVWR to ensure you are not exceeding this (truck with trailer, no trailer wheels on the scale) either.

We are pleased that your are interested in knowing your situation, but I for one have found that I will need to purchase new rear springs to boost my RAWR and GVWR to be in my safe zone.

Now for the G-rated tires, like Orv said there is no reason not to inflate them to only 80 psi. You can probably search the web or the tire manufacturer's website for the tire weight table. If it exists the table will show how much weight each tire will support at each air pressure. But you might find that a G-rated tire at 80 psi may not even be as good as an E-rated tire at 80 psi. The key is to know that if you replaced your wheels to 110 to support the G-rated tires, your trailer GVWR probably won't go higher because you also need to upgrade your trailer suspension leaf springs or whatever it uses for load bearing. Air bags, helper springs, or other ride improvements DO NOT increase GVWR because they aren't for load bearing they are for ride improvements. Many in this forum and salesmen you talk to state an increase occurs, but I have repeatedly shown them the fine print that states this is not so.

In fact, just today, I went down to a leaf spring store (I am shopping for new leaf springs for my truck) and had to show the salesdude that he was telling me the wrong stuff about air bags and helper springs. His reply, "well that's what I was told and that's what I thought". The lesson, "Don't think, KNOW, and if you haven't read it for yourself, research it with several sources to make a conclusion." I also searched the web and found statements that air bags increase GVWR, then when clicking on the link and checking the details, there was a fine print disclaimer that said, "DO NOT exceed your vehicle's GVWR".

Okay, another horse dead, all for our safety. But even my truck has 325 horses in it, so I can spare some.

[richfaa]

Art.. I like the way you do things...Ask the question.. Verify..

[Allen in MT]

Thanks everyone for your response. I'm going to go with the Hancook E rated tires.
I haven't crawled under the camper to see what the sticker on the axels says about weight but the placard states 6000 lb axels.
I took the washer and dryer out to use the room for storage and have the on board onan generator which adds to the weight, but it sounded that I was at weight limit as it come from the factory as there was very little in it except for the 1/2 tank of water when I went over the scales, But it made one trip from Calif and a couple trips south to Yuma and back plus a number of other trips without any mishaps, so I guess we will keep on rolling as my 1 ton dodge just purrs along as if it wasn't there.
Allen in MT

[sreigle]

I'd bet you are not over the limits of the tires. 2500 or more of those pounds are on the pin, not the axles. Ours scales at 14,620 and we are not over the tire (LR E) ratings.