Hi guys,
There are so many threads on towing capacities, etc that I'm kinda confused. I recently had a TT that has a dry weight of 5250 and GVWR of 7500. I have a 1/2 ton Chevy Suburban that has a tow capacity of 7800. It towed it just fine; struggled up big hills (so I needed to go slow), but held fine on normal and/or flat driving. I've drove it from CA to MN and back without a problem. It was our first TT, so it had a bunch of "stuff" in it that probably weighed it down quite a bit. We never took the actual weight of it, though.
We sold that recently so we can upgrade our camping lifestyle. The wife and I want a TT that has a dry weight of 6295 and a GVWR of 7800. We never dry camp, so our water tank would be minimal; we'd pack a little more conservatively than in the past. Am I relatively safe buying this?
BTW, the TT I am looking at is a 2010 Cougar X-Lite 29BHS.
From my perspective, I think you were overweight with your first trailer. While no problems on your trip, the flats and certainly the hill hauling takes its toll on your trucks' engine/transmission/brakes.
Your potentially new trailer will do so even more. Think it is always a good idea to weigh your tow vehicle and trailer together to get the real weight.
However, you will not be the first, nor last, to have too much trailer for your truck. I always prefer the opposite.
I towed with a 1/2 ton for years and was always trying to buy something of an add on to help the truck out a little. friend told me I should have a 3/4 to do a real trucks towing. He was right. I now have a 3/4 ton and it's like night and day difference. Now I'm looking for a larger tt. LOL
I think you'll probably manage, but will find it as much or more a struggle as before.
That said, do you know the UVW (which is not the same as "dry weight") of the trailer? If it's close to the "dry weight" you probably won't load the trailer up to the GVWR, but if it's substantially more than the "dry weight", you could be right at or above your limit when loaded for camping.
UVW is found on a sticker inside the trailer, usually inside a cabinet door.
kknowlton- I thought the dry weight and the UVW were the same. According to one sales website, the "UVW" is 6280. According to the official Keystone websight, the "shipping weight" is 6295. Unfortunately, I am looking at a buy out-of-state, so I can't look inside the cabinet door on the actual trailer. But I can ask the salesperson to look when I talk to him again.
You also missed another key factor - what does your TV weigh, fully loaded with gear and pax? Keep in mind that most tow ratings for TV are based upon only a single 150-lb passenger and no other gear in the vehicle. Anything above that and you have to start deducting from Tow Capacity. What is GCWR? Before I bought my TT, I had my actual vehicle weights, so I knew realistically what I could tow; while my vehicle was rated for 8950 towing, when it was fully loaded with "stuff" and pax, I was down to 8260 for max towing, before I would hit GCWR.
2008 Four Winds/Thor Hurricane 34B
2002 Ford Explorer --> 2004 Ford Expedition & 2008 Gulf Stream Gulf Breeze 23 TRS
1994 Ford Explorer & Coleman PU
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The wife and I want a TT that has a dry weight of 6295 and a GVWR of 7800. We never dry camp, so our water tank would be minimal; we'd pack a little more conservatively than in the past. Am I relatively safe buying this? 
