Getting Serious About Weight.....

[longislandcampe]

I've got a 2013 Ram 1500 rated for 10,500 towing and a payload of 1,290. For the past 4+ years I've been towing a 2013 Jayco 26RLS with a sticker weight of 6,767 and a dry hitch weight of 820.

The bed of the truck usually has the BBQ, a dog cage and other assorted items with a combined total of less than 100. In the bedroom we usually store the HD satellite dish, 2 zero gravity chairs and a bunch of cut up 4x6 blocks. Maybe a case of water too. We don't keep much weight in the back of the camper besides the plates and stuff like that which sit pretty much right over the axels. We do have a sliding back rack under the rear bumper of the camper that usually has about 8 pieces of firewood that we keep there for reserve. I've never had an issue with towing the rig and everything looked fairly level.

On my most recent trip I ended up coming back with a lot more firewood than I originally brought out. We camped about 20 minutes from home so 1/2 way through the trip I stopped back to load the bed with more firewood which I never ended up burning anyway. On the way home with the rig I stopped at my local RV dealer for something and couldn't help but notice the rear of the truck was sagging a lot more than it ever did before. I'm sure all that additional firewood was the culprit since that was really the only thing that was added.

Anyway, I just ordered a tongue weight scale to get a better idea of how much weight the camper is putting on my truck. The sticker weight on the camper is 6767 and I can only assume the actual weight is 7,500-8,000 since I've never weighed it. I'd love to know the actual tongue weight and I know I could probably do a much better job distributing the weight better in the camper.

[lakeside013104]

corvettekent wrote:
For $10 you can get weighed on a CAT scale at a truck stop.

CAT went up to $11 now. I took them a ten dollar bill last week when I got weighed. Cashier told me I owed her another buck 'cause CAT increased their prices. I had to do dishes for half and hour before I could leave. On the positive side, my hands are real soft now........

Lakeside

[ependydad]

Yet another suggestion for getting weighed. Most truck stops can do it and with their 3 scales, it makes it easy to get the weights you need.

http://learntorv.com/how-to-weigh-a-travel-trailer/

[Horizon170]

My F250, 2001, 7.3, 5th Wh. carried 4,800# tongue weight for years with no trouble.

[mgirardo]

cm11599ps wrote:
Anyway, I just ordered a tongue weight scale to get a better idea of how much weight the camper is putting on my truck. The sticker weight on the camper is 6767 and I can only assume the actual weight is 7,500-8,000 since I've never weighed it. I'd love to know the actual tongue weight and I know I could probably do a much better job distributing the weight better in the camper.

As has been suggested, get your truck and camper weighed so you can stop guessing. It's a small price to pay for piece of mind. Don't rely on the weight of the camper printed on the sticker. A tongue jack is definitely nice to have, but you want to know the weight of the camper too.

Wood is deceptively heavy. It doesn't feel like much when you're tossing it in the back of the truck, but all together it weighs a good bit. I doubt the tongue weight was the reason for the sagging rear end, it was most likely the firewood. Meaning: too much payload as has been mentioned.

-Michael

[Terryallan]

tomkaren13 wrote:
Another case of our rule of TT dry weight should be under 6K with a 1/2 truck.,Proven!

Glad it is just your rule, and not a real one.

BTW you do know that in truth, there are no 1/2 ton trucks any more. A truck with 1600lb of payload is in fact a 3/4 ton. Or is 1500lb not 3/4 ton. Notice neither Ford nor GM calls their 150s, and 1500s 1/2 ton (1000lb) trucks.

[irishtom29]

mike-s wrote:

irishtom29 wrote:
There are 1/2 ton trucks available with payload over 3000 pounds

Ah, the power of marketing. In the real world, that would in fact be a 1 1/2 ton truck.

I think that would be in an ideal world. Regardless of what they're called or the reason why this increased payload is of benefit to customers.

[mike-s]

irishtom29 wrote:
There are 1/2 ton trucks available with payload over 3000 pounds

Ah, the power of marketing. In the real world, that would in fact be a 1 1/2 ton truck.

[Mich_F]

If you're really "Getting Serious About Weight", I'd suggest you go get everything weighed. 😄

CAT scale locations

[Naio]

It's amazing how much difference a small increase in weight can make when you are already maxed out, isn't it?

I run my van pretty close to the max, and last trip I carried some extra water on the back bumper and I sure as heck felt it.

[irishtom29]

tomkaren13 wrote:
Another case of our rule of TT dry weight should be under 6K with a 1/2 truck.,Proven!

You're drawing a general conclusion from a particular incident. There are 1/2 ton trucks available with payload over 3000 pounds and 1700+ payloads are now quite common.

[tomkaren13]

Another case of our rule of TT dry weight should be under 6K with a 1/2 truck.,Proven!

[IdaD]

Jebby14 wrote:
the joys of coils instead of leafs

That's a silly comment. You could design a coil to use in anything from a go kart to a heavy commercial truck, same as a leaf or torsion or any other kind of spring.

I think OP is probably fine since he's used this setup for four years. Just make sure the tires are good to go and then start towing.

[Jebby14]

Grit dog wrote:
Keep from hauling home a load of firewood, or get some air bags.
Don't let these guys scare you into a dually, lol. Unless you want one....

no need for a dually, not even a 3/4 ton. my f150 would handle that all day long. Its no secret that the 1/4 ton ram is lacking payload. that said since you have this setup for now pay attention to your weights and loading and get camping

[Jebby14]

the joys of coils instead of leafs