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I'm sure this has been addressed before, but I need your opinions interpreting on these actual numbers. We are not full-time, but when my husband retires in the fall, we plan to travel for several months at the time. We travel with 2 adults, 2 dogs, 2 kayaks on a camper top, 2 bikes, 2 30# propane cylinders, 2 batteries and assorted paraphernalia. Of course, we use a weight distributing hitch system.
I agree with you, we previously had a 30 ft TT with a Toyata Tundra. When we were weighed at the 2012 Fall Rally in OR we were 1000 pounds overweight. Of course, that was at the end of a month long trip and we were heading home, but it made us realize that we needed a truck with a lot of weight capacity as we have the art booth set up "stuff" in the truck, and that adds 1000 LB of stuff.
Your truck might be able to pull what you have now, but how well will it stop? Our experience crossing the Sierras is that our truck pulled just fine uphill but going down, even trying to shift to a lower gear and just occasionally tap the brakes, we had smoking brakes halfway down a 6%, 12 mile grade and had to pull over to let the brakes cool. That is not a comfortable situation to be in, knowing you still have a ways to continue down hill.
Your weight isn't too bad. 40 pounds over gross combined rating. If you can, tighten up your hitch to shift some weight off of your drive axle to your steer axle and trailer axle. It wouldn't hurt to have a little more truck but in my opinion you can safely live with what you have. Also, make sure to weigh it while you are both in the truck.
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MarkS & Jackie MSgt, USAF, Ret 2004 Volvo 780 530 HP Cummins 13 speed 2014 Trilogy 3650RE fulltime since Oct 8, 2016
well, you are right on the limit with GCWR and over the limit with GAWR.
You said you were fully loaded when on the scale. Does this include both of you in the truck?
Full tank of gas? Trailer tanks at 50% capacity? I.E. full freshwater, empty holding tanks of vice versa?
I would be concerned about the GAWR because you are probably overloading your tires which is not a good thing if it's done permanently.
If you were really fully loaded on the scale, I would try to pack more weight in the trailer (rear). If you can't get some weight off the rear truck axle I would look for truck tires that are rated to carry the weight you load.
FWIW
Bernd
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2009 Alpenlite 31CK Limited
2016 Northern Lite 10.2 CD SE
both hauled by 2015 GMC Sierra 3500HD Dually (one at a time ...)
We weighed exactly the way we travel with us as well as the the dogs in the truck, kayaks on top, bikes on the rear trailer, no fresh water (we dont ever travel with it), empty black and gray tanks, 2 full propane bottles and 2 batteries. Maybe moving some of the load from the back of the truck to the back of the trailer is all we need, although, I think I'd feel safer with more truck power and less bed length. It's a lot of money to make that kind of change, though.
I think if you take up another link or two on your WDH it will help a lot, shifting more weight to your front axle and trailer and taking some off your rear axle.
Chip
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1999 National Tropical Class A gasser
Toad - 2.4l Chevy Cobalt SS with 400k miles and counting.
if you try to mitigate your rig's weight problem by shifting weights, then you have to look for ways to move weight from the truck to the trailer (rear). The truck is over 600lbs over GVWR, shifting weight from the rear axle to the front helps the overloading of the rear axle (and rear tires) but you will still be over GVWR by a fair amount.
Bernd
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2009 Alpenlite 31CK Limited
2016 Northern Lite 10.2 CD SE
both hauled by 2015 GMC Sierra 3500HD Dually (one at a time ...)
