Please help me check my capacity math

[bshack]

Please help me check the math on my trucks’ ability tow my TT.

My TT:

4900 lbs total
550 lbs tongue weight

My truck:

GVWR: 7200lbs
Max Towing: 8800lbs
Truck weight without passengers and a full tank of gas: 5890lbs

So here is my math:

(7200-5890) - 550 = 760

So I would have 760lbs for passengers and all of our other stuff?

[Grit_dog]

Yes, you're all of the above. Safe, legal, responsible, and fine. Enjoy the camping!

[bshack]

Grit dog wrote:
^What is your goal here?
You have the truck, you have the trailer. You’ve towed the trailer? I presume.
Even though, 3 pages later, your setup is still just fine, you’re worried about what?

Seems like there was some back and forth with repliers on whether I am safe. I wanted to know how close I am cutting it if I do a longer trip with my setup. I think I am legal. I think I am safe. I think I will stick some sumo springs on it since I under, but close, to my payload capacity. I want to make sure I am being responsible.

[rbpru]

Across the CAT scales I had about 700 lbs. of tongue weight so about 750 lbs. of max cargo capacity left.

Suddenly, two adults, a big dog, a fiberglass cap, tools, bikes and camp gear eat that up quite quickly.

It all sneaks up on you.

[Grit_dog]

^What is your goal here?
You have the truck, you have the trailer. You’ve towed the trailer? I presume.
Even though, 3 pages later, your setup is still just fine, you’re worried about what?

[bshack]

my camper comes out of storage in early april. When it does I’ll weigh it with my truck on the CAT scale empty. That should give us some accurate numbers to work with. Stay tuned to this thead...

[bshack]

The fam of 4 515lbs. I personally never tow with water in the tank. Nothing will be in the truck bed.. I’ll shove anything we carry in the trailer. I have a weight distribution hitch with anti sway.

[librty02]

bshack wrote:
Please help me check the math on my trucks’ ability tow my TT.

My TT:

4900 lbs total
550 lbs tongue weight

My truck:

GVWR: 7200lbs
Max Towing: 8800lbs
Truck weight without passengers and a full tank of gas: 5890lbs

So here is my math:

(7200-5890) - 550 = 760

So I would have 760lbs for passengers and all of our other stuff?

Please tell us the weight of you and all occupants you will have in the truck while towing...also how much weight do you think you will have in the bed of the truck also while towing...will you tow with a full fresh water tank all the time? sometimes? never? These things will help us get you an answer.

[librty02]

Gdetrailer wrote:

Mike134 wrote:

librty02 wrote:

Lwiddis wrote:
And 760 pounds ISN’T enough.

If he does have 760lbs left over why would that not be enough? How do you come to that conclusion without know his situation? :h

I thought the same thing. Forums can be very helpful but need to filter out helpful from just the noise.
Plus the OP already has used a CAT scale so he's well aware of his cargo numbers

REREAD "handye9's" post.

That IS the REAL answer.

For some reason everyone is attached to and obsessed with the "dry weights".

Brochure Dry weights are bogus to start with.

Brochure Dry weights often do not include silly things like a battery and propane.

Brochure dry weights do not include any options from factory or add on options at dealer.

Only the actual weight sticker the manufacturer must place on the trailer will list the real dry weight.

Yes, not "everyone" will use the full GVWR of the trailer, BUT, MANY DO.

And by they way, 13% is the MIDDLE of the recommended range of tongue weight, the HIGHER tongue weight you have the MUCH better the towing experience will be.. Reality is you really want to be 15% not 13%, the trailer gets much more stable at 15% than 13%..

And with borderline or subpar tow vehicles combinations you REALLY want the max tongue weight you can get without going over your TVs axle ratings.

Can the OP tow it, yeah, perhaps, but I myself would not do it..

ASSUME AND PLAN FOR THE WORST CASE SITUATION, the result will be a much, much better towing experience..

Half of this is correct and half of this is just more NOISE...

He never stated who or how much weight he plans on putting into the tow vehicle while towing and never stated if he will ever tow with water as it seems most people here never do..I for one never leave for a trip without a full fresh water tank...my point is everyone's situation is different and we don't know his entire situation yet to make a bunch of assumptions...oh and to the real numbers statement nowhere was it stated in that post that using the wdh will transfer weight back to the trailer axles too taking weight off of the tow vehicle...mine for instance is 120lbs....taken from the scales which voids more than the weight of that wdh being taken from his payload number...will it all be the same no every truck trailer combo is different 😉

[pasta4lnch]

Mike134 wrote:

pasta4lnch wrote:
Sorry to hijack w another math question, but if you took the payload capacity from your door sticker minus passenger and in-truck cargo weight: THAT number would need to be higher than roughly 13% of the TT's GVWR?

Short answer YES

thank you!

[Gdetrailer]

Mike134 wrote:

librty02 wrote:

Lwiddis wrote:
And 760 pounds ISN’T enough.

If he does have 760lbs left over why would that not be enough? How do you come to that conclusion without know his situation? :h

I thought the same thing. Forums can be very helpful but need to filter out helpful from just the noise.
Plus the OP already has used a CAT scale so he's well aware of his cargo numbers

REREAD "handye9's" post.

That IS the REAL answer.

For some reason everyone is attached to and obsessed with the "dry weights".

Brochure Dry weights are bogus to start with.

Brochure Dry weights often do not include silly things like a battery and propane.

Brochure dry weights do not include any options from factory or add on options at dealer.

Only the actual weight sticker the manufacturer must place on the trailer will list the real dry weight.

Yes, not "everyone" will use the full GVWR of the trailer, BUT, MANY DO.

And by they way, 13% is the MIDDLE of the recommended range of tongue weight, the HIGHER tongue weight you have the MUCH better the towing experience will be.. Reality is you really want to be 15% not 13%, the trailer gets much more stable at 15% than 13%..

And with borderline or subpar tow vehicles combinations you REALLY want the max tongue weight you can get without going over your TVs axle ratings.

Can the OP tow it, yeah, perhaps, but I myself would not do it..

ASSUME AND PLAN FOR THE WORST CASE SITUATION, the result will be a much, much better towing experience..

[Mike134]

librty02 wrote:

Lwiddis wrote:
And 760 pounds ISN’T enough.

If he does have 760lbs left over why would that not be enough? How do you come to that conclusion without know his situation? :h

I thought the same thing. Forums can be very helpful but need to filter out helpful from just the noise.
Plus the OP already has used a CAT scale so he's well aware of his cargo numbers

[Jebby14]

^ theres the real numbers.

[handye9]

bshack wrote:
Here is my TT:

https://www.rvusa.com/rv-guide/2017-keystone-bullet-travel-trailer-floorplan-243bhs-tr29959

My truck:

2020 Toyota Tundra SR5 CrewMax w/5.7 V8 5.5ft bed

https://www.toyota.com/tundra/features/weights_capacities/8261/8272/8275

CAT scale weight - 5860lbs total or 3320lb steer and 2540lb drive

Tire loading sticker - max occupant + cargo 1270lb

GVWR - 7200lb

Hitch:

Equalizer anti sway and weight distribution hitch

I looked at specs on that trailer. 555 lbs is "dry" hitch weight. 4685 is unloaded trailer weight. 6500 is GVWR of the trailer.

Here are some things you're missing:

Average load of dishes, pots and pans, bedding, camp chairs, BBQ equipment, groceries , water, etc is 800 to 1000 lbs. That would make the trailer's loaded weight about 5685 lbs. More, if you're carrying bikes and toys. You should plan for trailers GVWR of 6500.

Average tongue weight is 12 to 13 percent of loaded trailer weight, and it is not a constant number. Tongue weight fluctuates during every trip.

A weight distributing hitch weight 80 to 110 lbs.

The weight of your weight distributing hitch and loaded tongue weight are counted as cargo weight in the truck.

Thirteen percent of 6500 (trailer's GVWR) is 845 lbs. Plus a WDH, would mean the trailer needs to use at lest 945 lbs of your payload.

1270 payload minus 945 tongue / hitch weight = 325 lbs available to carry passengers, luggage, car seats, cargo, etc.

The closer you get to going over max weight, the more unstable / unpleasant your towing will be.

[Mike134]

pasta4lnch wrote:
Sorry to hijack w another math question, but if you took the payload capacity from your door sticker minus passenger and in-truck cargo weight: THAT number would need to be higher than roughly 13% of the TT's GVWR?

Short answer YES