Travel trailer hitch weight

[JVARANI]

Hey. Hitch weight question. If the tongue weight on my 2018 is 500 and I want to purchase a travel trailer with 800 pound hitch weight will a weight distribution hitch enable me to toe that level?

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[JVARANI]

Dam voice recognition

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[Derek Powers]

Yes

 

[OC455]

I think you are looking at the bumper pull rating, ball on the bumper, which is 500lbs. If you have a Class III or IV hitch, the frame mounted hitch, then trailer tongue weight of the travel trailer you buy, goes against the payload of your truck.
Depending on your truck setup, crew cab, quad cab, regular cab, 5'07" bed, or 6'04" bed, motor, your payload will be different.
Your payload rating for your truck is on the sticker in the driver's side door jamb with the tire psi ratings.
Best you can do right now, is find your payload rating and then your max tow rating for your specific truck.
Once you find your payload rating, lets say it is 1430lb. payload. An 800lb. hitch weight would leave you 630lbs., for passengers and what ever cargo. You maybe right at the limit of your tow rating and your cargo capacities, depending on your travel trailer specs.

 

[JVARANI]

I like that answer alot. Finally. Thank you very much.

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[JVARANI]

Maybe it was the way I will askin but 12 different people today couldnt answer what I was tryin to ask till now.

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[JVARANI]

Buying my 1st travel trailer. Hitch weight loaded (which will never be the case)is 806#. Figure 700#. Payload on my 1500 is 1360#. With me in to passengers leaves me about 100# capacity left. It it likely that I'll need some suspension help? Any other thought or suggestions are appreciated. Thanks.

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[Firetruck41]

Is the hitch weight a weight from a scale or manufacturer listed weight? If from manufacturer documentation, it is probably heavier.

 

[JVARANI]

Not sure on your wording. The weight is heavier than the manufacturer listed or vice versa?

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[Firetruck41]

The actual scale weight is usually heavier than what the manufacturer advertises. Also, I have never heard of an advertised "loaded" hitch weight, because it depends what you load and where it is placed in/on the trailer.

 

[JVARANI]

Sorry for the miscommunication. What I'm asking is if the hatchway is based on the trailer at dry way or if it was fully loaded?

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[JVARANI]

Dam. Need to check spelling before sendin with the vtt. Hitchweight

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[OC455]

I have a 1310lbs payload and 7990lbs max towing for my Bighorn. My advertised hitch weight for my travel trader is 645lbs., trailer dry weight 5182lbs. Gross is 7600lbs. My loaded out trailer is only a little heavier than 5500lbs.

Adding weight to the trailer, depending on where you place it can affect the weight distribution, as well as hitch weight. I'm pretty much running close to max for my truck as far as payload, but not towing capacity.

I try to keep some wiggle room for weight when I tow. Weight distribution hitch helps a lot and moving weight to where it needs to be helps.

Adding a set of frame to axle air springs (Timber Grove ASAMs, or Airlift 5000 air springs), to help stabilize everything when you have your WDH setup. I have Timber Grove ASAMs.

IMHO, air assist springs are better than the in the coil air bags. I dont know if you bought your travel trader yet, but I would shop around and find a trailer with a lighter hitch weight and dry weight around the lower 5000lbs area. Plenty of decent trailers that can meet those parameters



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[OC455]

Sorry for the miscommunication. What I'm asking is if the hatchway is based on the trailer at dry way or if it was fully loaded?

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From what I understand the hitch weight is based on dry trailer weight, but others have stated that the hitch weight also includes full propane tanks.

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[JVARANI]

Thank you. I have a deposit only on it at this point. I really appreciate your input and am definitely putting it in consideration.

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[OC455]

Yeah, our half tons dont seem to have the ratings the other manufacturers do because of the rear coil suspension.

They have power though. I dont know what trailers you've been looking at, but you dont want to handicap yourself or have a poor experience towing because of white knuckle handling.

Just things to consider.

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[Firetruck41]

Hitch weight that you will find on manufacturer/dealer specs, is based on dry weight (maybe including factory accessories like propane tanks). You will almost always have a heavier "real world" hitch weight before you even load it with anything. You tongue weight (proper term for hitch weight) will vary depending on what you load in the trailer and where the load is placed fore/aft on the trailer. You generally want 12-15% of the trailer weight on the tongue/hitch, if you have less tongue weight your trailer will be much more likely to sway and therefore be more dangerous to drive.

The loaded weight could be quite a bit over dry weight. I have a heavy stove, 5 collapsible chairs, 2 full propane tanks, a bunch of groceries, full fridge, all the clothes for 5 people, bedding/blankets, a solar panel, tools, all the extension cords/hoses for hook ups, leveling blocks and chocks, etc. Also the weight distribution hitch and fittings can be quite heavy. Now if you are dry camping (no hookups/water/electric) and you fill your water tanks and water heater with water when you leave home, that can be quite a bit more weight you have added. I also carry a generator in the truck bed. This is all just food for thought on how a trailer weight can vary quite a bit from manufacturers advertised weights.

 

[Firetruck41]

Oh, one more thing: Do NOT trust the dealer when they tell you that you truck can tow whichever trailer they are trying to sell you. They will tell you what you want to hear to sell the trailer, they might say that your truck has the tow capacity, but they don't know that you might not have enough payload for the tongue weight or that you are exceeding GCWR or GAWR, etc. You are right to check here on the forums or carefully read your trucks owners manual/documentation.

 

[JVARANI]

Im so glad i came on here. I think you guys saved me from makin a bad move.

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[JVARANI]

Hey. My head still spinnin over here. If the hitch weight is approximately 15% of your load wouldn't you have to be pullin under 7000# to have enough payload to carry you and 1 passenger pretty much? Seems kind of ridiculous with it so capacity of 8800 and change.

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