Guesstimating Hitch Weight

[boggs]

To be clear, I'm NOT talking about guessing on hitch weight on something you own/have/can weigh.

My wife and I are looking at getting an RV and are down to about 8 RVs we're seriously looking at. My question is about manufacturer vs real time hitch weights. I have a '23 with max towing (13800), GVWR of 7050, and max payload of 1763. I'll be down to about 1000 lb available payload after us, the dog, toolbox, tonneau cover, etc are all added. One of the RVs shows a hitch weight of 815 pounds, which is about 12% of dry hitch weight.

Is there a rule of thumb when calculating loaded hitch weight? Can I go with a 12% steady percentage of weight when guesstimating, or a rough, plan on X pounds due to propane, batteries, etc. all sitting on the hitch?

I don't want to be okay on all my weights and blow that out and have an RV I can't safely tow. Especially since they're not giving them away.

TIA

James

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[Golf Cart Wizard]

It depends how the weight is distributed. If the propane tank goes up front nearly all of it’s weight will be tongue weight, whereas placing items behind the axles will actually decrease your tongue weight (think about a seesaw). It’s all a function of how far past the axles in either direction the load is placed as to how much it will increase or decrease

 

[fluffernutter]

This is very hard to guestimate as Golf Cart Wizard notes above when your stuff is loaded in.

I have one of these:
https://www.amazon.com/Sherline-LM-1000-Trailer-Tongue/dp/B007REJTGI/ref=sr_1_15?keywords=tongue+weight+scale&qid=1693938670&sr=8-15&ufe=app_do:amzn1.fos.18ed3cb5-28d5-4975-8bc7-93deae8f9840

My actual is WAY OFF from what is on the sticker (by about 250-300lbs). Some vendors account for full propane tanks (which is usually 80% filled with liquid propane), and dual batteries. But even having dual vs a single battery and agm can cause that to fluxuate.

Worth the piece of mind to ask the dealer if they have one of those scales and can setup on some blocks for you to get an idea (then try and factor how much extra gear could be added). And ensure they put some full tanks/batteries, or anything else that is heavy to get you an idea of how full you can possibly make it and go from there.

But so many things can cause this to be more/less (like the stuff you load being above/behind the axle/axles of the camper). Then you may have to factor in weight of batteries, full propane tanks (dual 30lbs can have some heft), and any water you may travel with in the fresh tank (not an issue if you always plan to tow with that empty). Then if there is storage (or pass-through storage) also no idea on how much stuff and what weight you will put there. We have our camping chairs, and sealable tote bags for water connections, power connections, firepit stuff, leveling blocks, x-chocks, etc. all up front near the tongue as well.

I have a 22 footer (with a 16 foot box) and mine is very tongue heavy due to the murphy bed setup. A weight distribution hitch helps absorb that load. Luckily mine is dual axle to help balance out the entire weight (otherwise a single axle can easily teeter tooter).

 

[turbopilot]

To be clear, I'm NOT talking about guessing on hitch weight on something you own/have/can weigh.

My wife and I are looking at getting an RV and are down to about 8 RVs we're seriously looking at. My question is about manufacturer vs real time hitch weights. I have a '23 with max towing (13800), GVWR of 7050, and max payload of 1763. I'll be down to about 1000 lb available payload after us, the dog, toolbox, tonneau cover, etc are all added. One of the RVs shows a hitch weight of 815 pounds, which is about 12% of dry hitch weight.

Is there a rule of thumb when calculating loaded hitch weight? Can I go with a 12% steady percentage of weight when guesstimating, or a rough, plan on X pounds due to propane, batteries, etc. all sitting on the hitch?

I don't want to be okay on all my weights and blow that out and have an RV I can't safely tow. Especially since they're not giving them away.

TIA

James

Be very careful with "sticker" hitch weights. With my Platinum PowerBoost I really had to know my hitch weights. Very little margin.

As a rule of thumb if the empty hitch weight is all ready near the limit of 15% of the trailer GW, loaded will likely be way in the red. I had to do major surgery on my 2022 Airstream to get an empty hitch weight of 12%, then work even harder to get a fully loaded hitch weight to no more than 13% of trailer GW. I finally had to refine everything with 4 corner weights. See this post.

 

[Davexxxx]

My published dry hitch weight, was ~11% of published dry weight.

When I picked it up from the dealer, actual was lot heavier. With full dual 20lb propane tanks, a single LE batt, and everything else empty, tongue weight was nearly 300 lbs. heavier than published. So, since that wasn't anything near 300lbs of added weight, its wise to take published weights with large grains of salt and build in a cushion. Mine is not an uncommon story.

 

[Davexxxx]

Here are the deets if you're interested.

Post #8

https://www.f150gen14.com/forum/threads/first-big-tow-coming-up.18998/#post-372352

 

[boggs]

wow. Those discrepancies can really cause some hazards on the roads. I'm amazed manufacturers are allowed to get away with THAT much leeway. I can something like 3-5% of advertised hitch weight, but some of those numbers are WAY off.

 

[Calson]

You need to also consider the weight of a weight distributing hitch attached to the truck. For my part I worry about the load capacity of the rear tires. If they cannot handle the load and overheat from too much sidewall flexing it can result in a sudden blowout.

With my last truck that would be carrying a heavy load I quickly sold the factory tires rates at 2750 lbs with ones rated for 3750 lbs. for a net cost to me of $500, having sold the newish factory tires on Craigslist.

The F-150 max tow is a bit of a fraud as all that Ford does is add a single leaf spring at each rear wheel and provides standard passenger car tires.

Even the hitch receiver does not meet the towing specs for the truck. My truck's receiver is rated for a maximum of 11,600 lbs with the use of a weight distributing hitch which is far less than the Ford tow rating of 14,000 lbs for my truck with its engine and gears indicated in the towing guide.

Few dealers order them with the 36-gal fuel tank which is a very important, especially when one cannot change out the factory tank for a larger one.

 

[boggs]

I hadn't thought of the tires, but I'm in the same boat there, rated at 2750. Luckily, I do have the 36 gallon tank and 1400 lb hitch receiver. Guess it's time to head to Discount Tire soon...

 

[Gros Ventre]

If you have a Powerboost, consider that maybe you don't need propane tanks or a battery in the trailer at all.

 

[Aron]

If you have a Powerboost, consider that maybe you don't need propane tanks or a battery in the trailer at all.

Legally, you absolutely need a battery if your trailer has electric brakes. It’s required to be there to slam on the brakes in case your trailer separates from your tow vehicle.

 

[Aron]

To be clear, I'm NOT talking about guessing on hitch weight on something you own/have/can weigh.

My wife and I are looking at getting an RV and are down to about 8 RVs we're seriously looking at. My question is about manufacturer vs real time hitch weights. I have a '23 with max towing (13800), GVWR of 7050, and max payload of 1763. I'll be down to about 1000 lb available payload after us, the dog, toolbox, tonneau cover, etc are all added. One of the RVs shows a hitch weight of 815 pounds, which is about 12% of dry hitch weight.

Is there a rule of thumb when calculating loaded hitch weight? Can I go with a 12% steady percentage of weight when guesstimating, or a rough, plan on X pounds due to propane, batteries, etc. all sitting on the hitch?

I don't want to be okay on all my weights and blow that out and have an RV I can't safely tow. Especially since they're not giving them away.

TIA

James

I’ve seen lots of advice on RV forums over the years to assume that you’re likely going to load up your trailer to whatever the max load limit is over time. I agree with that advice. So, if your trailer weighs 6000lb dry and it has a GVWR of 7000lb, it’s recommended that you assume that you’re going to add that 1000lb of gear in there. Things like water, propane, battery, solar panels, bikes, food, dishes, bedding, fancy decorations over the windows (don’t get me started), trailer mods (adding shelves, etc), pots, beach chairs, grill, tool box, clothes rack, water wagon, campfire gear, etc. You will likely fill up that space with stuff, even if you originally planned to “keep the weight down.” My experience bears this out—my trailer had a dry weight somewhere near 5500lb, and it now weighs about 6500lb after 7 years of use. We can’t even carry water anymore because the GVWR is 6500lb.

Unless the trailer has 2000 lbs or more of available capacity, I would recommend using the GVWR as your assumed weight for planning purposes, and take 12-15% of that number to determine the likely hitch weight. Worst case scenario in that situation is that you’re not going to be carrying as much weight as you possibly could, and you’ll have a bit of added flexibility for other uses of that weight.

Good luck with the trailer shopping!

 

[Davexxxx]

Wow, this thing went off the rails ...

" wow. Those discrepancies can really cause some hazards on the roads. "

How so? The sticker is printed on every trailer. By law, same as for your truck. You didn't know what it's capacities would be until it was delivered either.

"I'm amazed manufacturers are allowed to get away with THAT much leeway. "

Again, sorta like trucks. The same yr. F150 can have a payload sticker of over a ton, or 1100 lbs. and have tow capabilities of over 12K, or limited to 5K. Depends on how it is outfitted.

Now, I'll agree that in my TT's case, the discrepancies between published and actual are significant and the web page should definitely be updated. The one option we ordered, can't make up the whole of it. But even then, if you were looking at trailers on the lot, rather than ordering as we did, there should be no surprises.

" You need to also consider the weight of a weight distributing hitch attached to the truck. "

Everybody already knows this, or should.

" For my part I worry about the load capacity of the rear tires. If they cannot handle the load and overheat from too much sidewall flexing it can result in a sudden blowout.

With my last truck that would be carrying a heavy load I quickly sold the factory tires rates at 2750 lbs "

You do know thats for each tire, right? My axle is rated for 4150. The OEM tires handily exceed that.

"Even the hitch receiver does not meet the towing specs for the truck. My truck's receiver is rated for a maximum of 11,600 lbs with the use of a weight distributing hitch which is far less than the Ford tow rating of 14,000 lbs for my truck with its engine and gears indicated in the towing guide."

The tow guide for your yr. requires max tow for that rating. You don't get to pick and choose what should matter, they do.

https://www.ford.com/cmslibs/conten...rand/cpo/pdf/2022_RV_Trailer_Towing_Guide.pdf

"If you have a Powerboost, consider that maybe you don't need propane tanks or a battery in the trailer at all."

Wow.

 

[TXGREEK]

To be clear, I'm NOT talking about guessing on hitch weight on something you own/have/can weigh.

My wife and I are looking at getting an RV and are down to about 8 RVs we're seriously looking at. My question is about manufacturer vs real time hitch weights. I have a '23 with max towing (13800), GVWR of 7050, and max payload of 1763. I'll be down to about 1000 lb available payload after us, the dog, toolbox, tonneau cover, etc are all added. One of the RVs shows a hitch weight of 815 pounds, which is about 12% of dry hitch weight.

Is there a rule of thumb when calculating loaded hitch weight? Can I go with a 12% steady percentage of weight when guesstimating, or a rough, plan on X pounds due to propane, batteries, etc. all sitting on the hitch?

I don't want to be okay on all my weights and blow that out and have an RV I can't safely tow. Especially since they're not giving them away.

TIA

James

I too have an interest in towing a large boat or travel trailer so during a service at my local I Ford dealership I asked how much my 2023 F150 Lariat FX4 4x4 short bed with larger tires actually weighs, told 7k lbs and so I decided to check for myself and was completely shocked after visiting a Truck Stop (Loves) in Texas with a full tank of gas with me inside it weighed 5660 lbs. This way after I find out my total GCWR? I’ll be able to deduct this weight from my total GCWR and see total weight I can tow.

 

[EricR]

Legally, you absolutely need a battery if your trailer has electric brakes. It’s required to be there to slam on the brakes in case your trailer separates from your tow vehicle.

True.

A simple Ken & Barbie battery can suffice to handle break-away duties.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0049MMRI8

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