You are already WAY WAY overweight. You say you are 4890# attached to TV, so you must mean axle weight. If tongue weight is correct it is about 13% of the 4890#, or 635#, so you TT weight appears to be about 5500#, as you say in footnote. GVWR is 4800#, so you are more than 15% OVERWEIGHT.
As to how much stuff you carry, only you know. Maybe I do not understand question? Sorry.
Weight is most critical when moving.
GVWR is fully loaded weight NOT connected to TV, it INCLUDES tongue weight.
Chuck
Wonderful Wife
Lovely German Shepherd.
1999 Mercedes ML320 TV
2003 Wanderer 187TB Toybox (3620# UVW, 4800# loaded) Not yet camped in Hawaii, 4 Canada Provinces, & 2 Territories. I can't be lost because I don't care where this lovely road is going
Thanks all. You may have noticed from my info. that we have done this for awhile. The weights given are actual scaled weights, which are the only weights that count. Actual cargo weight on TT wheels/axles WHEN ATTACHED is 4980 loaded - 4400 empty = 580#. That figure includes propane, some water and all of our stuff. As pointed out, that does NOT include the weight that was transferred to the tow vehicle by the weight distribution bars. As again pointed out, if you take the 350# or so transferred to TV + the 580# on the wheels, we are a total of 530# over our GVWR on this trailer (4980+350-4800). We've driven all over the US this way, and have felt safe doing so, though as mentioned, we did break a spring after 15 years.
Most of you seem to believe that GVWR is just that irregardless of weight transfer off the TT to the TV. My thoughts are that the frame/axles/tires are not going to fail if overloaded but NOT stressed just sitting in place.
I agree that going down the road the axles & tires need to be under their weight ratings, which is the case with my existing trailer and would be also with any new trailer we buy. I told my wife I would get other opinions and you have made her happy that we need a minimum CCC to match the actual cargo in the trailer PRIOR to transferring weight to the TV. I just happen to disagree.
2004 Yukon XL K1500 w/ 5.3L & 3.73 diff.
1989 22ft. Wilderness TT @ 5500# loaded
Member: TTN, Escapees, Good Sam
Just retired, will travel!
CCC of a quality TT should be 2-4000 lbs. I am looking at Nash/Arctic Fox brochures and they run in this range. I know many TTs have CCC of around 1000lbs. Since most people figure on 1000-1200 lbs of stuff, 1000lb CCC is inadequate. Think about the difference between a CCC that is double what you carry as opposed to one that is less than what you carry. If you consistently run something at or above its capacity, it will fail. The biggest problem discussed on this forum is tire failure. The major cause of tire failure is over loading which can be the result of too much weight or not enough pressure. People overload things all the time and, often, get away with it. It catches up to them sooner or later and the results can be dangerous.
Still Searchin' wrote: As pointed out, that does NOT include the weight that was transferred to the tow vehicle by the weight distribution bars.
Did anybody calculated that at certain tension the bars will actually transfer tow vehicle weight to the trailer axles?
To avoid such worries I am buying only high quality vehicles.
My conversion can carry 5 tons of cargo easily. My vintage Airstream trailer was used as a storage for books. I towed it about 1/2 from the neighbor with estimated 4 tons of books in single axle trailer on original 43 years old tires. Everything worked as a dream.
Shall I say more?
Pessimist sees dark tunnel, optimist sees a light at the end, realist sees lights of coming train.Engineer sees 3 idiots on the tracks.
Still Searchin' wrote: Thanks all. You may have noticed from my info. that we have done this for awhile. The weights given are actual scaled weights, which are the only weights that count. Actual cargo weight on TT wheels/axles WHEN ATTACHED is 4980 loaded - 4400 empty = 580#. That figure includes propane, some water and all of our stuff. As pointed out, that does NOT include the weight that was transferred to the tow vehicle by the weight distribution bars. As again pointed out, if you take the 350# or so transferred to TV + the 580# on the wheels, we are a total of 530# over our GVWR on this trailer (4980+350-4800). We've driven all over the US this way, and have felt safe doing so, though as mentioned, we did break a spring after 15 years.
Most of you seem to believe that GVWR is just that irregardless of weight transfer off the TT to the TV. My thoughts are that the frame/axles/tires are not going to fail if overloaded but NOT stressed just sitting in place.
I agree that going down the road the axles & tires need to be under their weight ratings, which is the case with my existing trailer and would be also with any new trailer we buy. I told my wife I would get other opinions and you have made her happy that we need a minimum CCC to match the actual cargo in the trailer PRIOR to transferring weight to the TV. I just happen to disagree.
So you know your overloaded, and you have some hair-brained idea that the wdh bars remove weight from your trailer justifying this condition.
What part of california were you from from prior to moving to Bend?
I'd never buy a unit with only 1000# CCC. Heck, 40 gallons of water is 400 lbs (I'm Canadian ...). By the time you get your clothes, food, and camping supplies loaded in, you're way overweight. (There are many places we go where it's just not convenient to stop for water along the way; and, if you've filled with your own water, you know it's good).
CCC is what's left after you subtract full fluids (fresh water tank, hot water heater & full LP) from the UVW, so that 400 lbs of water doesn't count against CCC. Unless of course you're carrying it in portable containers inside the TT!
Legal part aside, the OP has a point, that weight transfered to the ball is not affecting axles.
It is the tires, wheel bearing and axles that are usually the weakest points.
Frame usually have pretty good safety margin.
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