# Newby With A Tow Question



## K1500 (Apr 19, 2010)

O.K., so I have a tow weight question. I have a 2005 Tahoe Z71. Here are the figures I get after I weigh the vehicle with all intended passengers and a full tank of gas (no cargo) at the local CAT station.

GVWR 6,800
Loaded truck weight 6,300
Remaining cargo cap. 500

GCWR 13,000
minus loaded truck weight (6,300)
Tow capacity 6,700

My question has to do with tongue weight. Suppose I am looking to tow a trailer (assume no weight distributing hitch) that weighs 5,000 pounds with a tongue weight of 650 pounds. Based on my calculations above, I cannot do it because the tongue weight would put me over the GVWR of the truck.

If I put a weight distributing hitch on the truck/trailer, can I now tow this trailer? Does the WDH actually act as if it removes some of the weight from the tow vehicle?

In other words, the limiting factor in my current setup is the remaining cargo capacity of the Tahoe. Assuming 13% of the trailer weight is on the tongue, without a WDH I am stuck with a 3,846 pound trailer with a 500 pound tongue weight. If I use a WDH, am I now free to tow trailers with a higher tongue weight because some of this tongue weight is effectively being removed from the vehicle and being placed on the trailer?

Thanks for your answers.


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## rsm7 (Aug 8, 2009)

The weight distibuting hitch wont help you get under your weight. It'll distribute the weight over the frame of your TV so its not all on the rear. SUV's, especially half tons, are notorious for not having a high enough GVWR. You will see people doing it all the time but they are over on their limts. I suppose if it was my only option I would use this setup for local weekend stuff under a hundred miles but for long trips it would tow badly, annoy the driver (if not totally scare the driver), be hard on the tow vehicle-leading to premature failure of brakes-tranny-rear ends, and be generally unsafe. High winds and/or rain would be a white knucle experience. Steep grades would be a problem getting up AND getting down. I'm not telling you not to do it but I'm saying I wouldn't do it.


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## Nathan (Jan 2, 2007)

rsm7 said:


> The weight distibuting hitch wont help you get under your weight. It'll distribute the weight over the frame of your TV so its not all on the rear. SUV's, especially half tons, are notorious for not having a high enough GVWR. You will see people doing it all the time but they are over on their limts. I suppose if it was my only option I would use this setup for local weekend stuff under a hundred miles but for long trips it would tow badly, annoy the driver (if not totally scare the driver), be hard on the tow vehicle-leading to premature failure of brakes-tranny-rear ends, and be generally unsafe. High winds and/or rain would be a white knucle experience. Steep grades would be a problem getting up AND getting down. I'm not telling you not to do it but I'm saying I wouldn't do it.


x2

WDH does increase the load on trailer axles a little, but it's mainly for distributing in on the TV.

One option if you are ok on GCWR is to move some of the truck's load to the trailer.


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## GO WEST (May 25, 2009)

The weight distributing hitch itself is prolly 70 lbs.


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## CamperAndy (Aug 26, 2004)

The dead weight load of the tongue is still on the tow vehicle it just adjusts the weight off the rear axle to the front axle some. No weight is shifted back to the trailer but in leveling the trailer the axle loads on the trailer are equalized better.


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## K1500 (Apr 19, 2010)

So if I weigh the truck with the trailer attached (but keep the trailer off the scales) attached and no WDH it would weigh 6,300 + 650 = 6,950. If I attach the WDH does the truck still weigh 6,950 or is it less?

I am looking three options: an Outback 210RS, a Jayco 213, or a Grey Wolf 22BH. Te specs are as follows:

210RS
dry 4,766
GVWR 7,550
tongue 525

213 
dry 4,285
GVWR 5,500
tongue 450

22BH
dry 4,371
GVWR 7,566
tongue 547

What are people getting as real world weights and tonuge weights on the 210RS? My other TV option is a 2005 Silverado crewcab Z71 with the following specs:

GVWR 7,000
Loaded truck weight 6,350
Remaining cargo cap. 650

GCWR 13,000
minus loaded truck weight (6,350)
Tow capacity 6,650

I assume this is a better TV due to the higher remaining cargo capacity that can be applied to the tongue weight, but it looks about as puny as my Tahoe. Based on the above weights and specs, are any of these trailers safe for either of my TV's? Will I be happy towing these trailers with the above setup in the rockies, or should I just buy a 3/4 ton and be done? Thanks for your insight.


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## CamperAndy (Aug 26, 2004)

K1500 said:


> So if I weigh the truck with the trailer attached (but keep the trailer off the scales) attached and no WDH it would weigh 6,300 + 650 = 6,950. If I attach the WDH does the truck still weigh 6,950 or is it less?


Weighs the same but the front and rear axle loads change.


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## camping479 (Aug 27, 2003)

The actual tongue weight on our 2003 21RS is between 750 and 800#. That is with battery, full propane and packed for a trip.

We towed it with a 2000 yukon for 5 years and with a properly set up weight distribution hitch it performed well, we travelled a lot of miles with it. That being said we were over the yukon's GVWR by several hundred pounds.

The WDH will transfer some weight to the trailer axles but not by hundreds of pounds. the only way to figure that out would be to weigh all axles without the weight distribution on and then with it off.

Unfortunately with a 1/2 ton vehicle there's no getting around that you will hit your GVWR long before you get to the tow rating or GCWR. If you're able to, a 3/4 ton truck will be much more comfortable towing a trailer, especially in the mountains.

Mike


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## rsm7 (Aug 8, 2009)

BTW, Welcome to outbackers.com!



K1500 said:


> should I just buy a 3/4 ton and be done? Thanks for your insight.


The towing difference between a 1/2 ton and a 3/4 ton is night and day. Only you can decide. Daily driver? MPG? How often and how far do you tow? These are all things you have to weigh out and make your choice. I would say you could start out with your current vehicles and see how you like it. But if you end up with a 3/4 ton are you then going to want a bigger trailer? Have you considered hybrids/expandables?


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## K1500 (Apr 19, 2010)

All,

I pulled the trigger on the Grey Wolf. At the CAT scales with an Equalizer hitch, all four passengers in the truck, and an empty trailer with full propane and battery, we scaled as follows:

Front 3,440
Rear 3,340
Trailer axle 3,760

All the GAWR were under list, and the scaled weight of 6,780 for the truck is a scant 220 pounds less than the GVWR. The combined weight of 10,540 is no where near the 13,000 GCWR.

The trailer towed fine on a short 30 mile journey. Since all the water tanks are in the back, I would expect that a full load of water would not put me over the GVWR on the truck. We will not be able to haul anything of substance in the truck while towing, but the trailer has plenty of storage. I will weigh again when I am loaded for a trip and verify things. Depending on load distribution, and especially with the water tanks in the back, the GVWR situation is not likely to get much worse (and may get better).

Hopefully I will be satisfied with the on the road performance of the truck. If not, I will upgrade right away. Otherwise, I will drive my current truck until time to trade in comes and then upgrade. Either way, a 3/4 ton is in the future for me (but perhaps not for a while).


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## Nathan (Jan 2, 2007)

K1500 said:


> All,
> 
> I pulled the trigger on the Grey Wolf. At the CAT scales with an Equalizer hitch, all four passengers in the truck, and an empty trailer with full propane and battery, we scaled as follows:
> 
> ...


You're doing everything right! Just keep an eye on weights and have fun camping!!!


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## K1500 (Apr 19, 2010)

Thanks Nathan. I tend to be overly analytical (like these posts show) and I am very pleased that everything is within 'spec' for now. Thanks to all who contributed!


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## rsm7 (Aug 8, 2009)

"Overly analytical", yeah I think I'm the same way, but my wife calls it "overly anal"?









LOL! Anyway, congrats and enjoy!


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## john7349 (Jan 13, 2008)

rsm7 said:


> "Overly analytical", yeah I think I'm the same way, but my wife calls it "overly anal"?
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I'm that way too, but I think it's better to make a mistake on paper than on the road.


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## navycranes (May 29, 2008)

Congratulations on your new Trailer!!

Your truck will not have any problems towing it.

If you go by the letter of the law, a lot of half ton SUV's can only tow a pop-up. My personal opinion is that this is due to the soft springs installed to give the truck a more car-like ride. The frame and power train have more than enough to tow a much heavier trailer but the soft springs are lacking.

You might find yourself bouncing down the road a little more than you would like. A good set of helper springs or air bags will cure that. Other than that have fun and enjoy.


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## hautevue (Mar 8, 2009)

One thing we do to reduce the towing weight is not haul much water around, unless we deliberately intend to dry camp as we knew we had to do at Glacier Nat Park.

Water weighs 8 pounds per gallon. Drop 40 gallons of wet into the tank and you're hauling another 320 pounds. Put 10 gallons in so you can flush, etc. when you stop for lunch somewhere, and you save 240 pounds of weight. Then at the campsite you're probably on "city water" so we find no need to haul full water tanks. We dump the black when it gets to 50%-60% full so we don't haul a lot of liquid around.

This does not mean to overload either the TV or the hitch, but it's one of those "little things" that help.


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