My family and I are looking for a travel trailer but for the life of me I can't figure out how to do the math to determine what I can safely pull. I have looked at many different sites trying to figure it out and just seem to confuse myself more each time.
My tow vehicle is a 2017 Tahoe LT 4x4
Tahoe Curb Weight: 5,555
Tahoe GVWR: 7,300
Tahoe Tow Rating: 8,400
Engine: 5.3L V8 Ecotec / 3.42 rear axle ratio
Hill Descent
The travel trailer that I have my eye on is a 2017 Winnie Minnie
Minnie Dry Weight: 5,320
Minnie GVWR: 7,000
Dry Hitch: 660
Length: 27'11
Any thoughts on if this is safely doable with my tow vehicle? We are a family of 5 so passenger weight alone in the Tahoe is 600 lbs. Thank you for any and all help you might be able to provide and I apologize in advance for the elementary question.
2012 Forest River V-Cross Vibe 826VFK
pulled by 2009 Ram 1500 Quad Cab Hemi
Engine
5.3L ECOTEC3 V8 WITH ACTIVE FUEL MANAGEMENT, DIRECT INJECTION AND VARIABLE VALVE TIMING
Horsepower
355 @ 5600 RPM
Torque
383 @ 4100 RPM
Max Towing Capacity
6,400 lbs
Mike
2012 Winnebago Impulse Silver 26QP
2005 16.6 Double Eagle
2018 Jeep Wrangler JK
previously Snowbird Campers,
Triple E Motorhome and Fifth Wheel
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Winnebago 2101DS TT & 2022 Chevy Silverado 1500 LTZ Z71, WindyNation 300 watt solar-Lossigy 200 AH Lithium battery. Prefer boondocking, USFS, COE, BLM, NPS, TVA, state camps. Bicyclist. 14 yr. Army -11B40 then 11A - (MOS 1542 & 1560) IOBC & IOAC grad
One more item. Five people and they total 600 pounds? Well, ah, oh...
My F-150 has a max cargo of 1400 lbs. With 700 lbs of tongue weight, two adults, our dog and gear max it out.
As suggested load up the family and truck gear and hit the scales.
Also, we rented our first TT to see what towing was all about, before we spent the big bucks.
Good luck
Twenty six foot 2010 Dutchmen Lite pulled with a 2011 EcoBoost F-150 4x4.
Just right for Grandpa, Grandma and the dog.
Q: Whats brown and sticky???
A: A Stick....
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I'll start with 1500 pounds. Take away 600 for people which leaves about 900 for trailer TW. That would be plenty for about 6500 pound loaded TT such as the one in which you are interested.
Please verify you have the 3.42 axle and HD trailering equipment which changes the tow rating from 6400 to 8400 pounds. Even if you do not plan to exceed 6400 pounds, towing any high walled trailer is a lot of work for your engine and transmission so you will want the higher capacity transmission cooler in the trailering package. Use tow haul mode whenever the trailer is connected. I also prefer GM's "Manual" mode which limits to gear. M4/M5 are likely appropriate.
Get a WDH with integrated sway control and learn how to adjust it. If you do not have the OEM integrated brake controller, get a proportional one such as Prodigy P2/P3.
A & A parents of DD 2005, DS1 2007, DS2 2009
2011 Suburban 2500 6.0L 3.73 pulling 2011 Heartland North Trail 28BRS
2017 Subaru Outback 3.6R
2x 2023 Chevrolet Bolt EUV (Gray and Black Twins)
With regards to the HD Tow package, I do have the Z82 code on the glove box sticker which I believe to be the code for that package. Additionally, when I go into “tow mode” my battery display on my dash is replaced by what appears to be a tranny temp display.
I have confirmed that I do have the 3.42 rear axel.
The payload on my door jam reads 1,588 lbs
* This post was edited 06/05/18 06:30am by SoonerWing03 *
As for the 8400 lb tow rating, keep in mind that a TT with its high walls presents a lot more wind resistance than a boat or an open car hauler, or even an enclosed equipment trailer. That's why everyone is talking payload as the limiting factor.
2006 Silverado 1500HD Crew Cab 2WD 6.0L 3.73 8600 GVWR
2018 Coachmen Catalina Legacy Edition 223RBS
1991 Palomino Filly PUP
910+ 80 (wd hitch) = 990 lbs
1580-990 = 590 lbs. 590 lbs < your family (+ any extra stuff in the truck) so you are over on payload.
that said people do worst (myself included at times) but since you haven't made the purchase yet...... don't make the mistake most people do and fall victom to towing capacity
So I am basically 12 lbs over payload with the trailer hitched and all passengers on board and nothing else. (5 passengers @ 610 lbs)
1588 - 990 = 598 your family
If the dry weight of the trailer is 5,320 but the GVWR is 7000, I would assume that means I can put ~1,680 #'s of stuff in it.
This is more of an exercise to try and determine if I am figuring out how to calculate this rather than determining if this is a good situation. Obviously the safety of my family comes first.
So I am basically 12 lbs over payload with the trailer hitched and all passengers on board and nothing else. (5 passengers @ 610 lbs)
1588 - 990 = 598 your family
If the dry weight of the trailer is 5,320 but the GVWR is 7000, I would assume that means I can put ~1,680 #'s of stuff in it.
This is more of an exercise to try and determine if I am figuring out how to calculate this rather than determining if this is a good situation. Obviously the safety of my family comes first.
6500 x .13 = 845 lbs tongue weight.
845 + 80 (wd hitch) = 925 lbs
1588-925 = 663 lbs.
663 lbs > your family
If the dry weight of the trailer is 5,320 but the GVWR is 7000, I would assume that means I can put ~1,680 #'s of stuff in it.
This is more of an exercise to try and determine if I am figuring out how to calculate this rather than determining if this is a good situation. Obviously the safety of my family comes first.
nickthehunter wrote:
3:42 is not ideal, it will struggle at times, however, it will work alright with that trailer for a while. You'll be within 100 lbs of your payload rating so for better towing performance, plan on traveling with the tanks empty. A 3.73, 4.10 or something along those lines would be a lot better, but that's probably a $1500.00± cost (if even available).
3:42 is not ideal, it will struggle at times, however, it will work alright with that trailer for a while. You'll be within 100 lbs of your payload rating so for better towing performance, plan on traveling with the tanks empty. A 3.73, 4.10 or something along those lines would be a lot better, but that's probably a $1500.00± cost (if even available).
3.42 IS the tow rated gears with a 2017 Tahoe, there is no higher gear available. Even in 2018 only the max trailering package for the 1500 has the 3.73 and that's if you need more than ~9,000lb of tow rating, unlikely for a TT given the payload limits of the 1500. A 3.42 on the 6 speed is between the 3.73 and 4.10 on the old 4 speed, on the 8 speed it's really close to the 4.10. I wouldn't want the 3.08 for towing in hills or mountains but 3.42 with either transmission is fine.
2019 Dutchman Kodiak 293RLSL
2015 GMC 1500 Sierra 4x4 5.3 3.42 full bed
Equalizer 10k WDH
6000 x .13 = 780 lbs tongue weight.
780 + 80 (wd hitch) = 860 lbs
1588-860 = 728 lbs.
Currently the weight of my family is ~610. Even then there isn't much wiggle room for growth with 3 boys ages 8, 11, 14.
But if I am understanding this properly, at least I have a better feel for what I should be looking for.
Is this an unusual way of doing the math? Shouldn't trailer GVWR be a searching option then?
SoonerWing03 wrote:
So I probably need to find a trailer closer to 6000 GVWR then to be safe?
6000 x .13 = 780 lbs tongue weight.
780 + 80 (wd hitch) = 860 lbs
1588-860 = 728 lbs.
Currently the weight of my family is ~610. Even then there isn't much wiggle room for growth with 3 boys ages 8, 11, 14.
But if I am understanding this properly, at least I have a better feel for what I should be looking for.
Is this an unusual way of doing the math? Shouldn't trailer GVWR be a searching option then?
So I probably need to find a trailer closer to 6000 GVWR then to be safe?
6000 x .13 = 780 lbs tongue weight.
780 + 80 (wd hitch) = 860 lbs
1588-860 = 728 lbs.
Currently the weight of my family is ~610. Even then there isn't much wiggle room for growth with 3 boys ages 8, 11, 14.
But if I am understanding this properly, at least I have a better feel for what I should be looking for.
Is this an unusual way of doing the math? Shouldn't trailer GVWR be a searching option then?
It absolutely should be! Unfortunately the whole industry is geared towards sales and the cold hard reality of payload capacity in half ton vehicles is an inconvenient fact that might get in the way of lining up the next sucker to push out the door. For absolute proof of this see "half ton towable" 5th wheels that can only be maybe towed by a max payload HD F150 which you can't even buy as a normal consumer (HD is fleet only).
afidel wrote:
It absolutely should be! Unfortunately the whole industry is geared towards sales and the cold hard reality of payload capacity in half ton vehicles is an inconvenient fact that might get in the way of lining up the next sucker to push out the door. For absolute proof of this see "half ton towable" 5th wheels that can only be maybe towed by a max payload HD F150 which you can't even buy as a normal consumer (HD is fleet only).
SoonerWing03 wrote:
So I probably need to find a trailer closer to 6000 GVWR then to be safe?
6000 x .13 = 780 lbs tongue weight.
780 + 80 (wd hitch) = 860 lbs
1588-860 = 728 lbs.
Currently the weight of my family is ~610. Even then there isn't much wiggle room for growth with 3 boys ages 8, 11, 14.
But if I am understanding this properly, at least I have a better feel for what I should be looking for.
Is this an unusual way of doing the math? Shouldn't trailer GVWR be a searching option then?
So I probably need to find a trailer closer to 6000 GVWR then to be safe?
6000 x .13 = 780 lbs tongue weight.
780 + 80 (wd hitch) = 860 lbs
1588-860 = 728 lbs.
Currently the weight of my family is ~610. Even then there isn't much wiggle room for growth with 3 boys ages 8, 11, 14.
But if I am understanding this properly, at least I have a better feel for what I should be looking for.
Is this an unusual way of doing the math? Shouldn't trailer GVWR be a searching option then?
It absolutely should be! Unfortunately the whole industry is geared towards sales and the cold hard reality of payload capacity in half ton vehicles is an inconvenient fact that might get in the way of lining up the next sucker to push out the door. For absolute proof of this see "half ton towable" 5th wheels that can only be maybe towed by a max payload HD F150 which you can't even buy as a normal consumer (HD is fleet only).
"maybe towed by a max payload HD F150 which you can't even buy as a normal consumer (HD is fleet only".
That is not true.
My HDPP F150 XLT S.Crew 4x4, ~2500lbs payload will arrive any day now. Anyone can order one.
Beyond that there is good proof that hauling real close to maximum combination can stress the towing vehicle. It will be about how you feel about your Toyota and what the experience of towing seems to be. I've never towed with a Toyota but have with a full frame Explorer and my old Mazda truck. The Explorer was similar (better?) than a half ton truck. The Mazda could hardly pull a tent camper.
Good luck with whatever you get. Family RV'ing builds memories that last a lifetime!
'03 F-250 4x4 CC
'71 Starcraft Wanderstar -- The Cowboy/Hilton
The real numbers come from the CAT scales. I have had my tongue weight vary from 8% to 13%.
I have also had my TT weight vary up to 400 lbs. depending on what items I could not live without on each trip.
I am sure an F-250 would be a better match to my TT then my F-150 but I own what I own. We have had good performance with our combination.
We started by renting the TT we thought we wanted and discovered my old 200 hp. half-ton was not going to work.
We learned a lot really quickly.
SoonerWing03 wrote:
What I don't really understand is the tongue weight figure. It would appear that this number is based on the trailer GVWR. Does that mean that if the trailer is NOT fully loaded to max, then the numbers would look more favorable? Let's say the trailer was only loaded to 6500
6500 x .13 = 845 lbs tongue weight.
845 + 80 (wd hitch) = 925 lbs
1588-925 = 663 lbs.
663 lbs > your family
If the dry weight of the trailer is 5,320 but the GVWR is 7000, I would assume that means I can put ~1,680 #'s of stuff in it.
This is more of an exercise to try and determine if I am figuring out how to calculate this rather than determining if this is a good situation. Obviously the safety of my family comes first.
What I don't really understand is the tongue weight figure. It would appear that this number is based on the trailer GVWR. Does that mean that if the trailer is NOT fully loaded to max, then the numbers would look more favorable? Let's say the trailer was only loaded to 6500
6500 x .13 = 845 lbs tongue weight.
845 + 80 (wd hitch) = 925 lbs
1588-925 = 663 lbs.
663 lbs > your family
If the dry weight of the trailer is 5,320 but the GVWR is 7000, I would assume that means I can put ~1,680 #'s of stuff in it.
This is more of an exercise to try and determine if I am figuring out how to calculate this rather than determining if this is a good situation. Obviously the safety of my family comes first.
You can estimate with with math:
http://towingplanner.com/Estimators/TonguePinWeightFromDry
2017 Spartan 1245 by Prime Time
2018 Ram 3500 Crew Cab DRW w/ 4.10 gears and 8' bed
FW Hitch: TrailerSaver TS3
Learn to RV- learn about RVing - Towing Planner Calculators - Family Fulltiming FB page
I have a forward storage compartment so almost all the weight I put in it is transferred to the tongue. Front Kitchen can may be different than front bath or front bedroom with under bed storage.
Some folk play around with weight in the TT. But unless you want to put your groceries in the linen closet and your linens in the pantry or your pots, pans and dishes in the front storage with your tools, jacks and camp gear above the sink; you are probably going to put stuff where it belongs.
You have a tow vehicle with a certain payload. You have stuff to put in that TV before you hook up the trailer. Whatever is left is available for tongue weigh.
If you choose 13% tongue weight you can calculate the weight of the TT you can carry.
Even then it is only a good guesstimate. The CAT scales are the eye opener.
Good Luck