It's Now Official
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Joined: Jan 2010
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From: Bristol, TN.
It's Now Official
One of the frequent bits of advice offered on this forum is the suggestion to weigh whatever you intend to tow as published weights are seldom accurate. The most recent issue of RV Executive Today, which goes out to all members of the RV Dealers Association, echoed that advice in an article entitled "Dealer Offers Tips to Improve Customers' Towing Experience.
The final bit of advice in that article says "Check the hitch weigh on trailers you sell. Brochure weights are rarely accurate, and RVIA weight standards don't apply to hitch or pin weights." The emboldening is mine.
Simply put, even RV dealers acknowledge the printed page is seldom valid. If you don't scale it, you will never know the accurate weight of your towable.
Steve
The final bit of advice in that article says "Check the hitch weigh on trailers you sell. Brochure weights are rarely accurate, and RVIA weight standards don't apply to hitch or pin weights." The emboldening is mine.
Simply put, even RV dealers acknowledge the printed page is seldom valid. If you don't scale it, you will never know the accurate weight of your towable.
Steve
Molon Labe
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 5,272
Likes: 1
From: Alaska
Maybe it will trickle down into the sales department. A bit of training on the salesman's part would go along way towards informing the customer before they hook that brand new camper to their little SUV.
Back before I bought my first camper I stopped at an RV dealer with a friend just to look. ( I was driving my 01 F250 w/5.4 ) the salesman glanced at my truck and said It was plenty big enough to pull any camper they had on the lot....REALLY!!! a 40' toy hauler behind my 5.4 .....
The only thing that mattered to him was making a sale...
On the other hand, When I bought my current 5'r I was surprised with the dealers knowledge and concern for safety. I overheard a salesman in the next cubical going over the benefits of a sliding 5'th wheel to a customer that had a short bed truck & a non sliding fifth wheel. The customer had no clue that he was risking cab damage without one. I was pretty impressed with what the salesman knew.
In fact they had to look at my setup before they would let me sign the papers.
I think a set of portable scales at the dealers would help end the grey area. Weigh it with the options installed and slap a sticker on it.
Back before I bought my first camper I stopped at an RV dealer with a friend just to look. ( I was driving my 01 F250 w/5.4 ) the salesman glanced at my truck and said It was plenty big enough to pull any camper they had on the lot....REALLY!!! a 40' toy hauler behind my 5.4 .....
The only thing that mattered to him was making a sale...
On the other hand, When I bought my current 5'r I was surprised with the dealers knowledge and concern for safety. I overheard a salesman in the next cubical going over the benefits of a sliding 5'th wheel to a customer that had a short bed truck & a non sliding fifth wheel. The customer had no clue that he was risking cab damage without one. I was pretty impressed with what the salesman knew.
In fact they had to look at my setup before they would let me sign the papers.
I think a set of portable scales at the dealers would help end the grey area. Weigh it with the options installed and slap a sticker on it.
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Joined: Aug 2008
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From: Frederick, MD
Interesting, it is certainly a step in the right direction. What would really help here is a set of scales at the local rv dealer.
Last edited by senix; Aug 9, 2012 at 08:35 PM. Reason: spelling
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From: Bristol, TN.
Steve
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From: Western Central NV
I'm not surprised by this. I have often wondered how accurate weights are. It is like back in the day with performance cars. LS7 454 rated at 425HP when on a dino it was more like 625HP from the factory. But insurance companies would of never insured a 625HP car to an 18 year old kid. So they lowered the way they measured HP. RV weight may be the same in some cases.
Craig
Craig
Senior User
Joined: Mar 2011
Posts: 173
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From: Richmond, VA
Another vote for checking it yourself.
When I bought my 5er, the brochure said the pin weight was 2400 lbs (Cross Creek 2011 36RE). I thought that seemed high for a 14,000 trailer. The salesman called the factor rep, who said that was a typo and it's really 1,400 lbs. Since I have a 2011 F-250, I was more comfortable with that and bought it.
A few weeks later, I go to the commercial scale and weight the truck and the truck/trailer combination. Guess what? The pin weight was 2,400 lbs! With my slider hitch, etc, I'm about 1100 lbs over the weight limit for my truck.
Buyer beware!
When I bought my 5er, the brochure said the pin weight was 2400 lbs (Cross Creek 2011 36RE). I thought that seemed high for a 14,000 trailer. The salesman called the factor rep, who said that was a typo and it's really 1,400 lbs. Since I have a 2011 F-250, I was more comfortable with that and bought it.
A few weeks later, I go to the commercial scale and weight the truck and the truck/trailer combination. Guess what? The pin weight was 2,400 lbs! With my slider hitch, etc, I'm about 1100 lbs over the weight limit for my truck.
Buyer beware!
Molon Labe
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 5,272
Likes: 1
From: Alaska
Another vote for checking it yourself.
When I bought my 5er, the brochure said the pin weight was 2400 lbs (Cross Creek 2011 36RE). I thought that seemed high for a 14,000 trailer. The salesman called the factor rep, who said that was a typo and it's really 1,400 lbs. Since I have a 2011 F-250, I was more comfortable with that and bought it.
A few weeks later, I go to the commercial scale and weight the truck and the truck/trailer combination. Guess what? The pin weight was 2,400 lbs! With my slider hitch, etc, I'm about 1100 lbs over the weight limit for my truck.
Buyer beware!
When I bought my 5er, the brochure said the pin weight was 2400 lbs (Cross Creek 2011 36RE). I thought that seemed high for a 14,000 trailer. The salesman called the factor rep, who said that was a typo and it's really 1,400 lbs. Since I have a 2011 F-250, I was more comfortable with that and bought it.
A few weeks later, I go to the commercial scale and weight the truck and the truck/trailer combination. Guess what? The pin weight was 2,400 lbs! With my slider hitch, etc, I'm about 1100 lbs over the weight limit for my truck.
Buyer beware!
I have yet to tare my truck to find out, but with the Creek hooked I'm right at 1800 lbs over.
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Laughing Gas
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 939
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From: Central Kansas
When I bought my 5er, the brochure said the pin weight was 2400 lbs (Cross Creek 2011 36RE). I thought that seemed high for a 14,000 trailer. The salesman called the factor rep, who said that was a typo and it's really 1,400 lbs. Since I have a 2011 F-250, I was more comfortable with that and bought it.
A few weeks later, I go to the commercial scale and weight the truck and the truck/trailer combination. Guess what? The pin weight was 2,400 lbs! With my slider hitch, etc, I'm about 1100 lbs over the weight limit for my truck.
A few weeks later, I go to the commercial scale and weight the truck and the truck/trailer combination. Guess what? The pin weight was 2,400 lbs! With my slider hitch, etc, I'm about 1100 lbs over the weight limit for my truck.
I really hope dealership managment reads that notice and actually follows it. Unfortunately I have a feeling that if they cared they would already be doing it and no note in an industry mag will change their mind.
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I got a 04 F-250 super cab 4x4 5.4 auto 3.73 Fx4 with a 02 carriage cameo 36 ft triple slide 5'er weighting about 12,000 lbs +. It's my first and I am impressed at how it handles it. I know it's over the limit but the truck don't act like it. The temp gauges bearly rise over where they run when empty.
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From: Stillwater, OK
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