Moderator: volvite
Great post!pathy-logical wrote: ↑Wed Nov 16, 2022 3:56 pmThe bigger hammer solution. LOL. The whole thing is a numbers game if you want to stay within recommended safety margins.
I'll use the numbers from my vehicles as an example. Just take it for what it is, an example of what I did, not a model to be duplicated.
My 2012 Pathfinder S 2wd, your numbers may vary.
Curb weight: 4428# (Edmunds)
GVWR: 6000# (Door jam sticker and Nissan Owner's Manual)
Max payload:' passengers, luggage, etc.: 1102# (tire size label on door jam)
Towing capacity, tongue wt/trailer wt: 500/5000# deadweight; 600/6000# weight distributing hitch (with Nissan frame hitch; Nissan Owner's Manual)
GCWR, max combined weight of V6 PF and trailer: 11,135# (Nissan Owner's Manual, Section 9)
*Note the total of my curb weight and the max payload (5530#) is less than 6000# GVWR
**Note that deducting 5530# from the GCWR 11,135# leaves only 5605# for max trailer weight
***Trailer tongue weight and hitch weight are considered as part of Payload
My trailer 2020 Jayco 212QB
Curb weight: 4303# (Label on trailer from the factory, no dealer installed options)
Payload: 1197# (same Label on trailer)
GVWR: 5500# (total of above two)
*Max trailer tongue weight is not specified, the dry trailer tongue weight of this trailer is 480#
The weight of my PF before coupling is 4428# (curb weight) + 509# (my wife and I, two dogs, personal items and trailer hitch) = 4937#
5530# (curb wt + max payload) - 4937# = 593# (allowable for tongue weight as additional payload)
I'll use a loaded trailer weight of 5000# as an example which is still 605# below the max to stay within the GCWR.
It is recommended to keep tongue weight at 10% to 15% of the total trailer weight to help prevent trailer sway. However anything over 12% in this example would take the tongue weight well over 600#.
Lets say I load the trailer to it's limit of 5500#. I'm still within the GCWR limit by 105# but now I'm limited to 10% to 11% of trailer weight on the tongue so as not to exceed 600#. Why is this important? Because sometimes a redistribution of weight inside the trailer can make a difference if the trailer sways too much or has a tendency to wag the dog. Typically what is done is to move weight forward to increase the tongue weight. If you're already at or near max allowable tongue weight this could be a problem.
There are those within the RV community who use a rule of thumb that says keep your trailer weight at or below 80% of your tow vehicle's maximum towing capacity. If one travels light it can be done in a trailer this size. 80% of 6000# is 4800#. At 4800# it's well within all the weight parameters but still allows only 10% to12.5% trailer weight to tongue weight ratio without going over 600#..
And finally three more important considerations - trailer frontal area (Max is 60 sqft for any R51), trailer side area and trailer height - all of which affect pulling, handling and stability in headwinds, sidewinds, gusts from any direction and passing or being passed by large vehicles.
I hope this is helpful and not just confusing because of the way I put it. It's pretty much all in Section 9 of the owners manual in general terms.