Tukus45
Oklahoma
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Buying my first travel trailer and have a question. My truck is rated at 12500 towing capacity and the toy hauler I am looking at is 9900 dry weight. Am I going to heavy?
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phillyg
SWFL
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You're probably getting close to max on the truck, but you need to know the actual hitch weight before you can be sure.
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QCMan
Independent Republic of Horry
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What is the gross weight rating of the trailer? Quoting dry weight is unrealistic as even as the unit hits the dealer lot it will not weigh that. There is no use having a trailer if you are never going to have anything in it when you travel as that dry weight is without batteries, propane or any options the factory installed.
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bgum
South Louisiana
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You need more truck.
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RetiredRealtorRick
St. Augustine Beach, FL
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bgum wrote:You need more truck.
Definitely.
By the time you load your toys and other stuff in that TH, you're flirting with danger.
. . . never confuse education with intelligence, nor motion with progress
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Lwiddis
Southern California :(
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No matter what your truck is rated, if it’s a half ton you won’t be happy towing.
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KD4UPL
Swoope, VA
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Dry weight plus weight of:
Batteries
Propane
Fresh water in tank
Fresh water in water heater
Water in sewer tanks
Food
Clothes
Gear
What ever toy goes in the toy hauler.
You will likely be really close to that 12,500 pounds.
Vehicle tow ratings are given with empty tow vehicles. Every pound of passengers, pets, tool box, tools, truck accessories, cooler, firewood, etc. you load into your truck deducts from the tow rating.
Most vehicles, particularly 1500 series trucks, will run out of payload capacity long before they reach their tow rating when towing a hard sided RV.
Tow ratings are rather generic; there are many types of trailers: flat bed, horse, equipment, dump, boat, etc. I would say that by far a hard sided RV is the most difficult to tow based on it's huge frontal drag, large side sail area, high percentage of tongue weight, and inability to change much of the tongue weight.
A truck that may handle an 8,000 pound boat just fine may be a struggling handful with a 7,000 pound RV.
If you travel alone (light) and are careful you might be able to make it work. I think the experience would be much more enjoyable with a smaller trailer or more capable truck.
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Bobbo
Wherever I park
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If the toy hauler is a fifth wheel, it should have around 25% pin weight. If it is a bumper pull it should have nearly 15%. What is the pin/tongue weight of the trailer, and what is the payload rating of the truck? You DO realize that the pin/tongue weight counts against payload, don't you?
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Desert Captain
Payson
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"You will likely be really close to that 12,500 pounds."
Let's not overlook the tongue weight that a 12,500# {assuming you can keep it to that} will generate. Tongue weight should be around 13 percent of the loaded weight of the trailer so you will have approximately 1,600+ # and then add another 100# for the weight of the WDH.
Now you are at 1,700#+ that comes right off of your trucks payload and this is before you load anything or anyone into the truck. Even if your truck has 2,000# of payload, and most do not until you start looking at 3/4 - 1 ton models, you can only load 300# of people and gear {which is not much} without being over. Now check your max rear axle weight rating and do not be surprised if you are well over it... ![[emoticon]](https://forums.trailerlife.com/sharedcontent/cfb/images/eek.gif "eek")
Anyone who quotes you "Dry" weights is not your friend. ![[emoticon]](https://forums.trailerlife.com/sharedcontent/cfb/images/doh.gif "doh")
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philh
Belleville MI
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Desert Captain wrote: you can only load 300# of people and gear {which is not much} without being over. Now check your max rear axle weight rating and do not be surprised if you are well over it...
one correction, 300 lbs of passengers are already accounted for in the payload capacity. Also some amount of hitch wt, maybe 100 lbs(?) is also accounted for.
You're absolutely correct, 1/2T will very likely be out of payload capacity long before running out of tow capacity.
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