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RE: Payload vs Tow rating?
IMHO: Never exceed your TV's payload. It is very easy to do, especially with a half ton. Second, never exceed your RAGW as exceeding either is asking for trouble. Chances are you will not be able to reach your TV 's rated tow capacity without exceeding payload or RAGW. as to GCWR... not so much. :C
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Desert Captain
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05/16/13 05:52pm |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: 3,500 max tow capacity.
Any TT with GVWR of 2800# or less. :Z
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Desert Captain
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05/16/13 05:47pm |
Travel Trailers
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RE: Get out and go... while you still can! (A whiney rant)
Think of your trip as just postponed, not cancelled! Keep researching and planning. Above all keep a positive attitude and work thru the pain, set backs and "blue" times! Three years ago we bought an RV, always wanted to do some volunteer work, camp ground hosting, etc. Then wammy, breast cancer! Chemo, double matectomoy, radiation and just when I thought I was thru I fell and broke my arm! Dr said I could expect about 85% usage, and not be able to raise it over my head! Oh then more cancer surgery! BUT I can now lift 10 lbs over my head and Sunday we are leaving for a summer volunteering for the Forest Service on the Oregon Coast!
My thoughts and prayers are with you!
Wow! All of a sudden my knee just doesn't hurt all that bad. Thank you! :B
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Desert Captain
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05/16/13 02:11pm |
General RVing Issues
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RE: Get out and go... while you still can! (A whiney rant)
Thanks again for all of the support, makes being terrified almost tolerable. :E Tomorrow morning the cuttin will commence. Hopefully they will get it right this time. It will be interesting to wake up and find out if I have a new Titanium knee (Plan A), or no knee at all (Plan B). Maybe by next week I will be coherent enough to post an update until then... bring on the drugs! :S
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Desert Captain
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05/16/13 09:06am |
General RVing Issues
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RE: Wind deflector for van
This is probably what you had in mind. I would expect it to work well on the rear of a van as the shape is similar to my truck with the shell. I get 1.5 to 2 additional mpg using this deflector. Two things are critical, first you need to get the angle right. The wing should be aimed right at the top leading edge of the trailer. You will know when you get it right as there will be no bugs on the front of the trailer. Second it needs to be as far back/close to the trailer as possible for maximum efficiency.
At $3.50 a gallon it took about 6,000 miles of towing to pay for itself which took a little over one year and I am delighted with the results as we have averaged 12.5 including a lot of serious mountain driving. Mine was $377 delivered from Icon Direct. :C
http://i549.photobucket.com/albums/ii362/Captottersea/DSC_0006_zpsbf416c89.jpg
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Desert Captain
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05/16/13 07:35am |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: Boats are RV's?
Boats are Recreational "Vessels" unless they are used commercially. :C
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Desert Captain
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05/15/13 03:55pm |
Good Sam Roadside Assistance
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RE: RV Fuel Issues & Prices - Post 'Em Here!
Unleaded is now under $3 a gallon here in Tucson. Several stations are at $2.98. :C
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Desert Captain
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05/15/13 08:39am |
General RVing Issues
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RE: Any reason I'd need weight distribution?
Wow, boy did this thread go way off the trail chasing bunnies.
The OP Has a Ram truck (exact model unknown) and is asking about a 20ft (or a bit less) trailer which weighs in around 3K with tongue weight of 300 lbs.
Some how things have gotten twisted...
Putting WD for the sake of "having it" is just wasting money and time.
I would doubt that the OP will put more than 500 lbs on the tongue.
With that light of a tongue load WD CAN make the setup unstable by removing too much weight from the rear axle (think lost traction).
Even a half ton truck is capable of carrying 500 lbs on the hitch without any need for WD. It is a truck, it is designed to have 1K lbs or more in the bed alone, if it can't support that weight then you shouldn't put a feather into the back of a truck without WD...
Time out here.... First of all you need to read the entire thread. No one here has suggested that he get WDH "for the sake of having it". Second, the OP will likely roll down the road around 4,000# which = 500+# of TW. Lets not forget that the WDH weighs in around 100# which is also right on the ball. With the large CCC of that trailer he could be substantially heavier, up to an additional 2,000#.
Many Dodge half tons are notoriously light on payload , some as low as 1200#. As I recommended in the second sentence of my original post the OP would be wise to take the rig to the CAT Scale. Absent that info we are all just speculating. Yes you can put 1,000# in most half tons but normal loading will have the majority of that forward of the rear axle and certainly will not place 500# behind the bumper. As I also recommended a simple measurement of the movement/height of the front fender will be very revealing. Put 500# behind the bumper and we both know the front end is going to get light which is exactly what a WDH is designed to correct.
WDH's come in a wide range of sizes/weight ratings and the proper WDH WILL improve the overall towing and stability vs naked ball towing and will NOT, EVER damage the trailer. Having the right WDH setup has no downside and provides a nice cushion for those trips where a heavier load can be safely accommodated. :C
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Desert Captain
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05/13/13 06:28pm |
Towing
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RE: RV Fuel Issues & Prices - Post 'Em Here!
Ethanol works in Brazil because they make it out of sugar cane. Making ethanol out of corn is the biggest scam in recent memory. Big Corn rivals Big Oil when it comes to the BS about their product. Every gallon of corn based Ethanol puts the us further behind and drives the cost of food up world wide. We buy more, not less oil from overseas as a direct consequence of US corn based ethanol. :S
Regular continues to sell for $3.11 here in Tucson.
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Desert Captain
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05/13/13 12:24pm |
General RVing Issues
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RE: Any reason I'd need weight distribution?
Your trailer is heavier than you think. A trip to CAT Scale will give you the needed info. The 185fbs lists at between 2600 and 2900# depending on what website you check and those are "Dry" weights which are worthless. You are probably over 3,000# before you load and over 4,000 ready to camp. It is rated for an impressive 2925# of CCC which could put you closer to 6,000#. Assuming you roll down the road at 4,000# you will have over 500# of tongue weight which puts you in WDH territory. The good news is you will have lots of choices when it comes to sway control as an integral part of the WDH.
Try measuring the front fender height before and after hooking up, it needs to be the same but I suspect it is rising a couple of inches. Try it at night and see what it does for your headlights. I think you will find that it tows even better with a properly set WDH and sway control is never a bad idea. As always.... Opinions and YMMV. :C
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Desert Captain
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05/12/13 02:21pm |
Towing
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RE: $18k - What would you buy?
Do your homework (Hint:the internet is your friend), and buy used. That $18,000 will go almost, if not twice as far as any "Deal" you find on a new one. New TT warranties are close to worthless unless you buy from the dealer down the street an he happens to be one (of the very few), good guys. In many states there is no sales tax on private party sales which saved us an additional 9%.
A lightly used 2 or 3 year old TT should go for 60 cents on the dollar from the discounted new price (think 30 to 35% off of MSRP). Most will come with a WDH and lots of gear - sewer and water hoses, chocks, jacks etc.. Buying new may or may not get you exactly what you want but with a little research and the willingness to travel for a deal you will pay about half.
Good luck! :C
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Desert Captain
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05/11/13 06:59pm |
Travel Trailers
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RE: Need Answer Immediately: Gas Fridge Operation
If you haven't run anything on gas lately try lighting a burner or two on the stove. There can be air in the lines but if a couple of burners are operating normally you should have good gas flow to the frig. As noted nothing happens (no sound), for an hour or so and then the freezer will begin to chill and the frig will take longer. :C
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Desert Captain
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05/10/13 03:03pm |
Truck Campers
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RE: Good Wax ????
Nu Finish in the orange plastic bottle. Nothing easier or lasts longer.
As always.... Opinions and YMMV. :C
Does it require buffing after applying? I'm looking for something that doesn't require buffing since we both have arthritis.
Depends on what you mean by "Buffing". Every product I have ever seen is a wax on wax off proposition and Nu Finish is no exception. Does it easily wipe off with just a soft cloth (old terry cloth towels work very well)? You betcha! :C
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Desert Captain
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05/10/13 01:45pm |
Travel Trailers
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RE: Removable towing mirror suggestions.
Try the CIPA slide ons. They don't vibrate, easily slide on and lock firmly in place for about $69. I've had mine for 3 years and they work great. :C
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Desert Captain
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05/09/13 08:54pm |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: Weight Question
The problem with towing limits is they do not reflect real world towing and this is what gave rise to the so called "80%" rule (and no, it is not a "Rule"). That theoretical 10K tow limit is the most (as determined by the engineers/experts that built the TV), you can safely tow. That does not mean you can tow a travel trailer that weighs 10K. The windage of a 10K TT vs a boat or flat bed trailer imparts far more load and stress on the TV.
The second issue is that for the vast majority of TT's you will exceed the TV's GVWR/payload long before you even get close to the max tow rating. This is particularly true of half ton TV's. My F-150 SCab is rated to tow 8,600# which would generate over 1100# of Tongue weight which would exceed the hitch's 1,000# limit. The truck has 1426# of payload which is about average for half ton trucks. Take 100# off for the WDH and you would be left with a paltry 226# of payload for passengers and gear. I have a Leer shell so there goes another 200# lost to available payload.
Despite being 4,000# under my TV's rated tow capacity (and 3,500# under the GCWR... but I digress), with the truck and trailer normally loaded for camping I only have a couple of hundred pounds of remaining payload: 22' TT = 4600# (this weight reflects 1,000# loaded into the TT) :
TW = 600#, WDH = 100#, Leer = 200#, my bride, da pooch and I, = 380#. It doesn't take much gear in the back of the truck to consume the remaining 146# of payload. If you are towing anywhere near your max tow capacity chances are good that you are over your TV's max payload/GVWR and that is a number you should never exceed. As always... Opinions and YMMV. :C
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Desert Captain
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05/09/13 03:13pm |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: Weight Question
I wouldn't. First ting to check at this point is the proposed TV's payload. You are looking at 1100# of Tongue weight, add 450# for the family and another 100# for the WDH and you begin to see the problem. That truck likely has 1500# of payload or less. If you can stay under the TV's payload and are willing to go very cautiously it is doable.... but not necessarily a good idea. Good luck. :C
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Desert Captain
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05/08/13 07:26pm |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: Hwy 191 --- Clifton - Alpine, AZ
Sounds like too much rig to be any fun on 191. Very tight and narrow with lots of steep grades. Unless you enjoy coming around curves in the oncoming lane 191 is not recommended. Roper lake SP is very nice. Don't miss the natural hot spring spa that they rocked in, fed by the hot thermals bubbling up - about 96 to 98 degrees. Un hook the rig and drive up Mt Graham for a fun day trip, great place to pick up all the firewood you want and the views will take your breath away (the road does that as well). :C
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Desert Captain
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05/08/13 06:38pm |
Roads and Routes
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RE: Good Wax ????
The "airplane wax" being discussed is probably a Collinite product. They make several different waxes and all of them are excellent. They are popular with the boating crowd.
(But I still like Nu Finish the best) :C
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Desert Captain
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05/08/13 03:34pm |
Travel Trailers
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RE: Good Wax ????
Nu Finish in the orange plastic bottle. Nothing easier or lasts longer.
As always.... Opinions and YMMV. :C
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Desert Captain
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05/08/13 02:23pm |
Travel Trailers
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RE: Tongue Weight calculating
"Since optimum tongue weight is considered to be around ten percent of total, I recommend using about 650 pounds of tongue as a planning number for that trailer."
Not true. Optimum tongue weight is between 12 and 15%. Tongue weight of 10% is a recipe for a serious sway problem. So called "Dry Tongue" weights are the biggest farce on the planet. Take 13% of the trailers GVWR and you will be very close to the optimum real world tongue weight. :C
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Desert Captain
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05/07/13 05:03pm |
Hybrid Travel Trailers
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