Well, just made it back from my maiden voyage of our New 5er. It was a short 750 mile trip to the Indy races at Texas MotorSpeedway and then over to Wright Pattman Lake in Northeast Texas to visit my Dad who just happens to host a COE campground. Lake was way up and some of the best RV spots were covered with water but higher up spots was open and had a great time....off to Colorado in a week for 2-3 weeks of cooler and less humid air, I hope. She Weighed in on pin at 2132 lbs, loaded, Gross weight loaded was 11,890 lbs but I gotta say I did not hardly know it was back there..No air bags, no mods what so ever, and it rides pretty level, little sag but not much to notice.

 

Great report! Where you headed in Colorado? Going over Monarch Pass?

 

Congrats, looks good and be safe out there.

 

Sister and bro in law live on the east slope of Mt. Princton near Buena Vista, then headed over to Taylor Park. I thought about going over Cottonwood pass but have decided to just go over Monarch and back North. CottonWood pass is dirt on the West side for nearly 30 miles to Taylor Park itself. Last year I pulled Monarch with about 10800 behind me, I am sure this will not be much different, in fact it pulls easier and a little better fuel economy. After we leave Taylor, then headed down to Red River to see friends and then on down to Albuquerque and back to Central Texas.

 

Last year I pulled ours over Monarch. Course I am much heavier. I did fine. Water temp guage seems like it at the 3/4 mark a lot but no further.


Oil temp got up to 238 but didn't go any higher. So run a heavy oil.

 

Here in Texas 15w40 is pretty well a year round oil. I have always used it so I am always ready to go! I pulled Monarch with my previous 5er and had similar readings, water did make it to 215 and oil made 239.
Can't wait to leave the humidity, and now they are calling for a Tropical depression/storm to roll in here Wednesday with rain amounts over 8 inches. On top of the 25 inches in May, I may have to trade in the new 5er for a HouseBoat!

 

She Weighed in on pin at 2132 lbs, loaded, Gross weight loaded was 11,890

That's a pin of less than 18%; with that load the pin should be closer to 3000 lbs (25%).

 

Basement might not be loaded and maybe no water on board. Add those and the pin weight will probably increase.

 

Nice looking combo.


Why do I want to start singing a Christmas tune.... Silver and gold, silver and gold, everyone wishes for silver and gold...

 

great looking rig. New is always fun!

Steve

 

Rear Kitchen normally has more weight in the rear so takes off the pin and also I only carry about 10 gallons of water when traveling. The water tank is slightly rear of the axles, but not much. Now if am headed out to boondock for a week or more, such as NASCAR races, then its full up. Also, I was aware of the pin weight when purchased just by dry weight, which actually does not tell you much. I know that most look at 25% of gross as pin weight but that is not always true and also it is how you load it up. My old 5er normally weighed in at 11k but the pin never exceeded 1500lbs. That was full of water, generator hanging off the back and loaded to the gills underneath along with 4-6 volt batteries for boondocking. The numbers do not lie and I normally scale when I leave as I have a pilot 2 miles from the house. Now in 2 weeks when I head out to Colorado, I will weigh again and see where it comes in.

 

Actually the rule for % pin weight to fifth GW was never cast in stone and decades ago 20% was the target,with advice to try to increase the percentage, if your fiver was porpoising, If all is well when towing, all is likely well. With some configurations and floor plans it can be difficult or impossible to get 25% and that number changes with variation in load. It is one of those "it all depends", kind of thing.

I had to work on a water heater in the front bay of a fiver one time, but before I could get to it, I had to remove ten 80# weight that normally went on the tobacco farm's tractor. I always thought that was a tad extreme.

Steve

 

That is the percentage that I have always used was the 20% number. Now going to the more higher end 5ers, I could see the 25% pin weight rule of thumb. My Dad had a older Cardinal and man that thing was pin heavy. He had an issue up in Colorado and went up and pulled the 5er back. Over 3k on the pin and he was not loaded. Since then My Dad bought a Ceder Creek Silverback and we weighed it this past weekend and he was running near that 25% number.

Tractor weights, I guess you can experience anything to achieve your goal. And here we are trying to shed dead weight.

 

Only 80 lb mine are 100 lb and it makes you grunt trying to,pick them up. Might vary by mfr.

 

I had to grunt with the 80s and it was a spring race here in Bristol and we had snow on the ground.