Travel Trailer
Cargo Master
Joined: Apr 2010
Posts: 3,274
Likes: 4
From: Seattle area
GVRW is the weight of your truck plus the tongue weight from the trailer. It doesn't doesn't include the overall weight of the trailer. What's your GCWR? That's what you need to stay under.
Look in the owners manual to determine what your truck is designed to tow.
Look in the owners manual to determine what your truck is designed to tow.
Postmaster
Joined: Jun 2014
Posts: 2,775
Likes: 7
From: Lewisberry, Penn
The conservative figure is 20% weight of the trailer will go onto the tongue of the truck. For example, I used to have a 26' Dutchman and it had a GVWR itself of 5500. Obviously 5500 is well under the tow capacity of the truck, so I won't focus on that. What will matter is that would be 1100# on the tongue. So your truck as a GVWR of 6800, the truck probably weighs between 4500 and 5000, so lets pick the middle of 4750#. 6800-4750-1100 leaves you with 950# for passengers, fuel, yourself, luggage, etc. Of course if you don't load up the trailer, and get less weight on the tongue than 20% you'll have more payload on the truck. NEVER load up the back of a trailer to put less weight on a truck. You'll actually be lifting the rear of the truck up and causing a very dangerous situtation.
Senior User
Joined: Sep 2015
Posts: 339
Likes: 2
Give us the make of TT you are looking for and the yellow label details on your door. You are also going to need to factor a quality weight distribution hitch.
I have a 2011 F150 Platinum and my truck is limited to 1136 lb payload, my TT has a tongue weight of 883 lbs, so that leaves me with 278 lbs for me and stuff.
We are currently looking to upgrade trucks for this reason. The TT weight 7200 lbs which is 2000 lbs below max towing weight for my truck but am over with my payload. We drive to our campsite separate for this reason.
I have a 2011 F150 Platinum and my truck is limited to 1136 lb payload, my TT has a tongue weight of 883 lbs, so that leaves me with 278 lbs for me and stuff.
We are currently looking to upgrade trucks for this reason. The TT weight 7200 lbs which is 2000 lbs below max towing weight for my truck but am over with my payload. We drive to our campsite separate for this reason.
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Senior User
Joined: Feb 2011
Posts: 119
Likes: 0
Most travel trailers that have a conventional hitch will be around 10%. This will still usually net you more than a 500lbs tongue weight, which would require a weight distributing hitch. Most travel trailers will give you your tongue weight, your dry weight, and your gvwr for the unit. There should be a yellow sticker on your driver door that will tell your adjusted payload for your specific truck.
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Elder User
Joined: May 2011
Posts: 551
Likes: 4
I'll give you the short answer: Buy you a quality WD hitch, learn how to set it up and use it properly, and you should be fine with this camper.
Cargo Master
Joined: Oct 2015
Posts: 2,745
Likes: 72
From: West Virginia
Lead Driver
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 8,477
Likes: 728
From: Calgary Canada
We've got a whole different set of insurance companies, and insurance laws up here in Canuckland, but I have "comprehensive" which is basically, fire, theft and vandalism. Basically all the things that can happen to it while parked. If anything happens to it while I'm moving, my truck insurance covers the trailer for collisions and liability. Pretty cheap, but from what I've learned, not all auto insurance companies even offer it. I hear a lot of folks don't have any insurance on their trailers.
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