Hi everyone, newbie to travel trailer towing here. Thanks in advance for your help.
My husband and I recently purchased a Keystone Hideout 23RKS and are looking forward to our first outing next weekend. Before we got on the road, I wanted to run the numbers that I came up with by the experienced towers here to see if I am on target.
GVWR - 6422
Max Tow - 7400
Curb Weight (includes fuel and necessary fluids to run, according to dealer) - 4966
Payload capacity - 1440
Tongue Max - 740
Tire cargo load max - 2600
GCWR - 12,800
We have a class III U-Haul hitch receiver that is rated 10000 max tow and 1000 max tongue with WD.
Installed at dealer the Reese Dual Cam WD with 800# bars and Prodigy brake system.
Please check my figures.
In the truck:
Driver and Passenger - 360
Generators (2 Honda 2000's) - 100
My camera gear and husband's hunting stuff - 100
Hitch, assuming tongue weight 12% of loaded trailer - 750
Fiberglass topper - 200
I figure on long trips we can get the ice, groceries and firewood upon arrival. When dry camping, we can fill the water tank at the last stop.
On short trips, we can cut down the personal luggage and replace with food and ice. Again, fill the water at the last stop.
Does this sound correct and realistic to you?
I have to say, the drive home from the dealer on I-4 here in Tampa was white knuckle. Not a surprise, as we were probably loaded all wrong with an empty trailer but a dealer filled water tank, a WD hitch that the dealer set up that we have yet to adjust, and a truck bed full of gear and junk that we didn't unload prior to our TT delivery. Our next two purchases are going to be a set of LT tires for the truck and a nice set of Bilstein shocks.
There is a learning curve to towing, that is for sure.
Thanks again for you help and advice!
Melissa
* This post was
edited 04/25/08 04:06pm by melhow *
2008 Keystone Hideout 23RKS
2005 Nissan Titan 4x2 KC SE w/o BT
12,080 GCWR loaded for the woods
Always a learning curve to towing! Too bad you don't have the "big tow" package, as that would REALLY help. The two figures you did NOT give which would be much more informative are the CCC and the GVWR of your trailer. Those will be on a sticker inside one of the cabinets in the trailer - or they should be! Your assumption on the trailer weight is not correct; "dry weight" is the weight of the basic trailer with no options (no awning, no a/c, etc.) as well as no gear AND no fluids - even LP is not counted in the dry weight. We usually go by the GCWR of the trailer to figure out what we'll be towing. Dry weight as a statistic is well nigh useless.
I looked up the stats on your trailer, and what you have quoted as "dry" weight is really close to the "shipping weight" of 5350, which may or may not include options installed at the factory. It will not include options installed by the dealer afterward. You have a large CCC (cargo carrying capacity) of 2320 lbs, which is good in your case, because if you fill your trailer to its total capacity, you will be over your tow rating (probably in more ways than one). (Add the shipping/UVW weight to the CCC and that will give you the trailer's GVWR.) Make sure to get your hitch adjusted correctly, but expect your truck to struggle with this load. We've towed at our tow rating before and it's not a whole lot of fun. Good luck!
P.S. Another question - why do you need to buy ice? Don't you have a fridge?
* This post was
edited 04/25/08 04:22pm by kknowlton *
I assumed that we could not run with fresh water, so I did not figure that into my weight calculations. I did figure in the propane and batteries - not the awning, AC, or other appliances included in our model as the manufacturer lists these as standards to this model upon delivery, and the delivery weight with standard options is listed as 5320. The carrying capacity is listed at 2320, so would that put the trailer GVWR at 7640? I would go look, but the TT is at storage.
Mel
EDIT: Confirmed GVWR at 7640...
* This post was
edited 04/25/08 06:27pm by melhow *
Does the Titan have the "Tow Package"? No. From what I read, the tow package adds the Nissan Class IV receiver hitch, lower axle ratio, wiring harness, tow mirrors, Tranny temp gauge and Vehicle Dynamic Control. All Titans come with a tranny cooler - the BT package just lets you see the gauge. We can get tow mirrors. We have the hitch and wiring. The lower axle ratio would be nice.
Do you mean Class 4 Hitch? No. It's a Class III with WD ratings.
What is the GVWR of the Trailer? 7640, I think. See post above.
What Weight Distribution and Braking System are you using? Reese Dual Cam WD with 800# bars. Prodigy braking system.
You have a large CCC (cargo carrying capacity) of 2320 lbs, which is good in your case, because if you fill your trailer to its total capacity, you will be over your tow rating (probably in more ways than one).
Thanks again for the response, but help me understand this. Even though I have the availability of the large cargo capacity in the trailer, I still should not take advantage of it past the 12,800 GCWR of the truck, right?
You are towable although you will be pretty much at the Max at all spec's.
Your hitch weight will probably more than the 750lbs. Your GVWR on the truck is were you will be pushing past the truck specs. To keep this to a minimum put all extra gear in the TT. Most posts I have read people seem to do quite well towing at or near the max were you live.
As to the GCWR your TT most likely will be 6000 to 6200 lbs loaded up on the wheels, plus my guess would be 6600 lbs TV. You would possibly want to weigh the rig and confirm. Your Math in your post you might be adding the TT hitch weight twice including it in the TT and the TV
2005 2500 Avalanche
2004 30' Terry Quantum 290FLS
Equal-i-zer,Prodigy
Calgary Alberta
Quote: Even though I have the availability of the large cargo capacity in the trailer, I still should not take advantage of it past the 12,800 GCWR of the truck, right?
Definitely right. The advantage you have with a large CCC is more control over how much weight you add to the trailer. Those of us with small CCC's, under 1000 lbs., have to be very, very careful how much stuff we take along.
Quote: Even though I have the availability of the large cargo capacity in the trailer, I still should not take advantage of it past the 12,800 GCWR of the truck, right?
Definitely right. The advantage you have with a large CCC is more control over how much weight you add to the trailer. Those of us with small CCC's, under 1000 lbs., have to be very, very careful how much stuff we take along.
Gotcha. So when we upgrade to a larger TV in the future, more wiggle room in the trailer cargo arena. Cool.
Offline
