A lot of first time RVers come in with the question of "Which is better? A travel trailer or a fifth wheel?" As with most questions in this industry, it is a personal preference based on each individual customers wants and needs, more than it is a standard in the industry. Let's start with the difference between the two:
Travel Trailers
Most people remember these trailers as the rv's the older generation grew up with. Travel trailers are designed to be towed by a frame mounted reciever, that is the metal piece that goes under the tow vehicle and sticks out just under the rear bumper. Some of the larger tow vehicles like pickup trucks and some vans also have ball mounts on their rear bumpers, however these are generally not strong enough to tow even most small travel trailers.
Travel trailers can be anywhere from 13' to almost 40' long and can weigh from under 1000 lbs to over 10,000 lbs and come with no slides or multiple slide outs. When considering the length of a travel trailer keep in mind that there is usually 3 and 1/2 to 4 feet worth of A-frame at the front of the trailer that most manufactures don't take into account when they label the RV. The A-frame is the part that sticks out of the front of the trailer, that comes to a point where the coupler is located (the part that goes on the ball of the hitch). If you have a spot to park the trailer that is only 28 feet long make sure the trailer you are looking at will fit by overall length, not just the model number (ie a 28 RK travel trailer is probably 31 feet overall.)
The other big difference with a travel trailer is that the interior of the trailer is usually all on one level. From the front to the rear of the trailer there will not be any steps, and the ceiling height and exterior height of the trailer will be consistent along the entire length of the trailer. What this means is that you will be able to stand up in the bedroom whether it is a 18' or 35' trailer, whether it has a front or rear bedroom, and whether it has 3 slide-outs or no slide-outs.
5th Wheels
When people think of luxury recreational vehicles they usually think of big class a diesel motorhomes, or huge 5th wheels. A fifth wheel is a trailer designed to be towed by a pickup truck. The hitch for the 5th wheel is mounted in the truck box.
Fifth wheels also come as small no slide rvs to large mutliple slide units. They can be light weight units under 3000 lbs with single or tandem axles, or they can be 40+ feet that weigh over 18,000 lbs and have triple axles or dually axles (8 wheels on two axles) and you need a small Freightliner to haul.
Most 5th wheels have a bedroom in the front over the hitch area, although there have been a number of "Penthouse" models made that have the main bedroom in the rear and a living room above the hitch. There are always steps up to the bedroom in a fith wheel because of the way the frame is manufactured. The main living area is on one level and then there is a step up in the frame to accomodate the clearence needed for the truck to fit under the hitch and still be able to turn. Because of this, fifth wheels tend to be taller than most travel trailers and often the lower level or living area has a taller sloped ceiling leading up to the bedroom. Some 5ths are called low profile units because they don't have as high of a ceiling as the normal 5th wheel. The difficulty with the low profile unit is that the only way to move around the bedroom is on your hands and knees.
Most new larger 5th wheels also have large storage areas under the bedroom with what is referred to as pass through storage that goes from one side of the rv to the other with doors on both sides. I like to refer to this area as the in-law suite.
Once you know the difference between the two different types of trailers the next thing you need to know is what kind of a vehicle you are going to use to tow the trailer.
If you have a van, mini van, SUV or car you will be towing a travel trailer. There is no normal way to hook up a 5th wheel hitch to any of these types of vehicles, although I have seen some one off custom cars, some safe, some not, that have been set up to tow a fifth wheel. I'm sure there is someone out there right now reading this and thinking there is a way to make it work. For the rest of us, deal with the fact that you will be towing a travel trailer and get on with your life.
If you have a pickup, or are thinking of buying a pickup, you can tow either a travel trailer or a 5th wheel. When towing a travel trailer, some people like the idea of having the truck box available to take things like a Quad in the truck box, and other people like to have a canopy on the truck so they can store extra items in the truck box.
No matter whether you are towing a travel trailer or fifth wheel, keep in mind to remain safe you must not exceed the capabilities of your tow vehicle by towing a trailer that is too big to be safe. All vehicles have a gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) that is the maximum they are allowed to weigh. When you are looking at getting a trailer, remember that the tongue or hitch weight must be added on to the actual weight of the tow vehicle when you are looking at what size trailer you can tow.
A quick estimate for hitch weights on towables is approx:
10% of the the travel trailer overall weight for hitch weight
15% of the 5th wheel overall weight for hitch weight
(Check with your dealer or manufacturer to get the actual hitch weight for the towable you are considering).
When you are figuring how much weight you can tow behind your tow vehicle don't forget to factor in the occupants and items you stuffed into your car as well. That is considered part of your tow capacity.
Also check with your vehicle manufacturer to find out how much your tow vehicle is rated to pull. Often there is a section in your owners manual that covers towing a trailer. This number is established by the manufacturer and is based on engine size, transmission, and drive axle ratio.
Most 4 cylinder front wheel drive vehicles are just not set up for towing. Some of them have a hard enough time moving themselves around, let alone towing a trailer as well. Some 6 cylinder front wheel drive vehicles will tow up to 3000 or 3500 lbs. Most 6 cylinder rear or all wheel drive vehicles can tow up to 5000 - 6000 lbs. 8 cylinder vehicles can usually tow over 6000 lbs but it all depends on the manufacturer and whether the vehicle is set up to tow or to get good fuel economy. Check with the manufacturer.
There are some differences in towing travel trailers as opposed to fifth wheels. A fifth wheel is designed to have a hitch in the box of the truck. The hitch is installed directly over the rear axle of the truck which is exactly where the truck likes to have the weight. This tends to make the trip with a 5th wheel a little more comfortable as the truck doesn't tend to bounce around quite as much as with a travel trailer. Also, because the hitch is in the truck your overall length for a 5th wheel is less, as 4 to 6 feet of the trailer is over the truck box instead of it all being behind the truck. Fifth wheels are also a little more manuverable than travel trailers, again because of the hitch being farther forward on the truck. You can even jack-knife a fifth wheel so it is pivoting on its axles and you can turn it on the spot.
Travel trailers are pulled behind the tow vehicle which gives you more options for what kind of vehicle you can use for towing. The down side is that all of the hitch weight is hanging off the back of the tow vehicle. I'm sure you have seen a truck pulling a trailer when the back of the truck and the front of the trailer both look like they are going to hit the ground. It doesn't have to be that way. It is recommended when you are towing a travel trailer that you use an equalizer or weight distribution hitch which will spread the tongue weight over the frame of the trailer and the frame of the tow vehicle. This keeps both units driving level and really smooths out the bumps on an uneven road. Equalizer hitches come in several sizes and weight catagories so make sure that the hitch matches the weight of the trailer you will be pulling.
Those are the main differences between travel trailers and 5th wheels. Again it all depends on you and how and where you want to use your new RV as to which type will be the best for you.
Happy camping and we will talk to you soon,
Rob Atkinson
Hub City RV
Monday, March 30, 2009
Monday, March 23, 2009
On your side.
If you have ever applied for a loan, you have had to sit in front of someone you really don't know and discuss your private life. It can be uncomfortable sometimes, because the experience forces you to look closely at what you have been doing with your money for the last several years.
I run the business office at Hub City RV, which means that I am the guy you get to talk to when you want to finance a RV purchase. It has been quite an eye opener to be on the other side of the desk and see what it takes to actually "get a deal bought".
Before you even step on the lot at your local RV, Boat, Car, or motorsports dealer, they have invested a great deal of time and money in their business, to make sure you have the best chance of purchasing the product you have come to their lot to buy.
Most dealers have several options for financing based on the client making the purchase, the unit being purchased, the amount of money needed to finance the deal, and current market conditions. Each of the financial centres (banks) that the dealer has signed up, require a great deal of paper work be completed before they will allow the dealer to send in applications. The banks want to be sure that they are dealing with an established, reputable dealer because they are really entering into a partnership with their dealers and how each of them conducts business, will reflect on the other partner as well.
There is also a great deal of paperwork that must be done on each application and approval which is where the business manager comes in. It is the business managers job to do everything he/she can to get you an approval on your purchase. To do this they need to collect customer and purchase information and make sure that that information is submitted to the buyers in the proper format and in the best light possible.
To help the business manager get you into the unit you want to purchase, the biggest thing is to make sure you give him complete information for the questions that you are being asked. Don't hold back on any debts or assets that you may have because you don't like the way it sounds. With our current market conditions and the economic outlook that has put corporations and individuals in such desperate standings, the banks have become a little more picky about what they will and won't except in a loan application. If there is something in your credit past that you don't like to mention to strangers, you can be pretty sure that it will impact the banks consideration of you as a credit risk. However, if you are upfront with your business manager and explain that you once had a credit problem, whether its your mistake or some one else's, they can help present that to the lenders. If there is a good reason for the situation, and there always is, the banks are more willing to work around it if they have the story.
This is where a good business manager can make all the difference. If they are willing to take the time to talk to the lenders on your behalf and explain your situation sometimes that is what it will take to make a deal. I have had deals approved, that had been initially declined but I was able to convince the bank to have another look at the deal after carefully addressing the banks concerns and explaining why things are the way they are.
Usually, we can have a response from the bank within 5 mins to a couple of hours, however I have also spent a couple of weeks working to get a deal approved by the time I had satisfied the banks concerns and forwarded all the pertinent paperwork.
If you want to be a business manager, you have to like paperwork!
The other thing to keep in mind when dealing with a business manager or loan manager, is that it is also that persons job to make sure that you are presented with all the options to make an informed decision on your purchase. The services that a business manager offers to their clients, are of a benefit to their customers, whether it is extended service contracts, protection packages, credit insurance or whatever items the dealer has to offer. Not only do each of these items offer protection for the customer and their purchase, but it offers the bank and the dealer protection as well.
It is as upsetting for the dealer, as well as the customer, to have to explain that the manufacturers warranty expired 3 months ago and that the customer is responsible for paying for the repair out of their own pocket. Especially if that same customer declined to purchase an extended warranty at the time of purchase.
So keep in mind, whatever the purchase and whomever you are dealing with, the business manager is on your side and wants to see you successful in your request for financing.
Talk to you soon,
Rob Atkinson
Business Manager
Hub City RV Ltd
I run the business office at Hub City RV, which means that I am the guy you get to talk to when you want to finance a RV purchase. It has been quite an eye opener to be on the other side of the desk and see what it takes to actually "get a deal bought".
Before you even step on the lot at your local RV, Boat, Car, or motorsports dealer, they have invested a great deal of time and money in their business, to make sure you have the best chance of purchasing the product you have come to their lot to buy.
Most dealers have several options for financing based on the client making the purchase, the unit being purchased, the amount of money needed to finance the deal, and current market conditions. Each of the financial centres (banks) that the dealer has signed up, require a great deal of paper work be completed before they will allow the dealer to send in applications. The banks want to be sure that they are dealing with an established, reputable dealer because they are really entering into a partnership with their dealers and how each of them conducts business, will reflect on the other partner as well.
There is also a great deal of paperwork that must be done on each application and approval which is where the business manager comes in. It is the business managers job to do everything he/she can to get you an approval on your purchase. To do this they need to collect customer and purchase information and make sure that that information is submitted to the buyers in the proper format and in the best light possible.
To help the business manager get you into the unit you want to purchase, the biggest thing is to make sure you give him complete information for the questions that you are being asked. Don't hold back on any debts or assets that you may have because you don't like the way it sounds. With our current market conditions and the economic outlook that has put corporations and individuals in such desperate standings, the banks have become a little more picky about what they will and won't except in a loan application. If there is something in your credit past that you don't like to mention to strangers, you can be pretty sure that it will impact the banks consideration of you as a credit risk. However, if you are upfront with your business manager and explain that you once had a credit problem, whether its your mistake or some one else's, they can help present that to the lenders. If there is a good reason for the situation, and there always is, the banks are more willing to work around it if they have the story.
This is where a good business manager can make all the difference. If they are willing to take the time to talk to the lenders on your behalf and explain your situation sometimes that is what it will take to make a deal. I have had deals approved, that had been initially declined but I was able to convince the bank to have another look at the deal after carefully addressing the banks concerns and explaining why things are the way they are.
Usually, we can have a response from the bank within 5 mins to a couple of hours, however I have also spent a couple of weeks working to get a deal approved by the time I had satisfied the banks concerns and forwarded all the pertinent paperwork.
If you want to be a business manager, you have to like paperwork!
The other thing to keep in mind when dealing with a business manager or loan manager, is that it is also that persons job to make sure that you are presented with all the options to make an informed decision on your purchase. The services that a business manager offers to their clients, are of a benefit to their customers, whether it is extended service contracts, protection packages, credit insurance or whatever items the dealer has to offer. Not only do each of these items offer protection for the customer and their purchase, but it offers the bank and the dealer protection as well.
It is as upsetting for the dealer, as well as the customer, to have to explain that the manufacturers warranty expired 3 months ago and that the customer is responsible for paying for the repair out of their own pocket. Especially if that same customer declined to purchase an extended warranty at the time of purchase.
So keep in mind, whatever the purchase and whomever you are dealing with, the business manager is on your side and wants to see you successful in your request for financing.
Talk to you soon,
Rob Atkinson
Business Manager
Hub City RV Ltd
Saturday, March 14, 2009
What is the deal with truck camper weights?
Here is a good one.
We get a lot of people in wanting to buy a truck camper for their pickup and they want to know what size camper they can haul.
Truck campers come in sizes from 7' 6" campers made for import pickup trucks, to 11' campers, sometimes complete with side entry doors and slideouts. Some campers are regular wood-framed, aluminum sheeted (stick and tin) and others are fully laminated units with aluminum framing and fiberglass exteriors. Other manufactures make campers with pop-top roofs that raise about 8"-12" when the roof is cranked up. I have seen campers that weigh in at less than 900 lbs, and I have seen units that weight closer to 4000 lbs. The reality is that if you have any kind of a medium to heavy duty truck, someone probably makes a camper to fit it.
For those of you with lite duty trucks there may be some possiblities, but it all depends on your particular truck.
There are a great deal of options for trucks as well. Most people are familiar with the terms of 1/2 ton, 3/4 ton and 1 ton pickup trucks, but not everyone knows how to correctly identify them. The 3 big North American builders, Ford, GM and Dodge use a similar method of numbering their trucks according to size:
Ford
-1/2 ton is F-150
-3/4 ton is F-250
-1 ton is F-350
GM
-1/2 ton is 1500
-3/4 ton is 2500
-1 ton is 3500
Dodge
-1/2 ton 1500
-3/4 ton is 2500
-1 ton is 3500
Most of these manufacturers also make larger trucks such as F-450's and F-550's in the Ford but these are more often bought by people needing commerical vehicles.
I haven't quite got a handle on the imported trucks, but I know Toyota and Nissan both make trucks large enought to handle truck campers.
Now the trick is, what camper will go with what truck. Obviously if you already have the truck you want to find a camper that will fit. There is a ton of information that you can dig up on truck weights, but the 2 things you need to know about your truck are:
- how much is your truck legally allowed to weigh.
- how much does your truck actually weigh.
The first one is easy. To find out what your truck is legally allowed to weigh, open the drivers door and look on either the door post, or the edge of the door itself. Attached to all vehicles by the manufacturer is a information decal that lists all the relavent information about the vehicle.
This sticker will have information such as the VIN (Vehicle Information Number), month and year of manufacture, model year (not always the same as year of manufacture), tire sizes and ratings, axle ratings (front and rear) and the GVWR (Gross Vehicle Weight Rating). Depending on the age of your vehicle, the GVWR will be listed in Kilograms and pounds.
The GVWR of your vehicle is the maximum weight your vehicle was designed to weigh, including passengers and cargo. This number is determined by the manufacturer and is based, among other things, on the capacity of the frame, suspension, and brakes of your vehicle. If your vehicle is being operated at a weight greater that your GVWR you are taking a chance on having some part of the frame, suspension or brakes fail while driving which would make you a large hazard to yourself and other motorists.
I'm sure you have all seen the guy in the old pickup truck driving down the highway with a full load of gravel or firewood, and it looks like the rear axle is about to bounce right through the bottom of the truck box. Sometimes, they are throwing sparks everytime they hit a bump because their trailer hitch is hitting the road surface. Other times they are having a hard time steering because the front of the truck is pointing at the sky and the front wheels are hardly touching the road.
Give them a wide berth. These are the people our government is trying to protect us from!
The second item can be a little bit harder to determine. All manufacturers have brochures and web sites that describe their products. Weight and size information is listed under specifications. Remember the same brochures are mass produced and distributed throughout North America (and sometimes the world) and are a general description of the product line, not individual vehicles. Because of this any reference to the actual weight of the vehicle is usually an estimate and can be effected by the local dealer putting running boards on the truck to increase its curb appeal. This also means that if a cargo capacity is listed, again it could be just an estimate and not the actual capacity of that specific vehicle.
Some manufacturers will actually weigh the unit and put a decal somewhere on the vehicle telling you what the actual weight of the vehicle was when it came off the production line. This helps, but can still be affected by your local dealer putting on optional equipment after the unit is delivered to his lot.
The best way to determine the actual weight of your vehicle is to load everything you would normally take with you (including passengers and cargo), filling up the gas tank, and then going to a commercial scale where you can weight the whole vehicle in one shot. Sometimes your local dump may let you weigh in as they ususally have a scale to track the loads that are dropped by all dumpers. Sometimes the commercial highway scales will let you weigh your vehicle. Keep in mind that these scales are designed to measure commercial traffic and the big rigs that go through are often in a hurry, and not happy they have to stop in the first place. They can get a little upset when a private guy shows up and slows down their progress back onto the highway. To get around that, a lot of the highway scales are not open 24 hrs and some will leave the scale on at night. Just drive on the scale and check the display that is usually within site on a pole in front of you.
Once you have determined the actual weight of your vehicle follow this formula to find out your real cargo capacity:
GVWR minus actual weight equals Cargo capacity of vehicle.
For example if your truck has a GVWR of 8200 lbs or 3720 kgs and you weighed in at your local scales at 5390 lbs or 2450 kgs, your cargo capacity would be:
8200 lbs
-5390 lbs
------------
2810 lbs
This means that the most weight you can carry in the truck box is 2810 lbs, or 1277 Kgs.
Anything more than that and you will be over your GVWR and a menace like the guy our government is protecting us from.
There are some opinions of there being some leeway in weights, a 5 or 10% over allowance, and questions about manufacturers down rating capacities and GVWR to minimize warranty claims, but if you go according to the law, 8205 lbs is 5 pounds overweight no matter how you look at it.
Now for a camper. Just to keep things interesting, all campers have a weight sticker ususally on the back of the camper next to the door. Don't believe it. In over 10 yrs in the RV business I have yet to see one that is even close to accurate. I even spent a week working with a camper manufacturer to make a unit for customers that had a very specific weight in mind (which the manufacturer said they could meet), only to weigh the camper and find it was still almost 400 lbs heavier than they said it would be.
If you are within 500 lbs of a camper putting your truck overweight, make it a condition of the sale that the camper falls within the weight range you need. Any dealer should not have a problem with this as long as they don't have to spend a bunch up front. If your plan is to get a camper anyway and you just need to decide which one, you will need to have all the equipment for hauling a camper installed anyway. Once that is done, go camper shopping, and find the unit you like. Once you have made your deal, subject to weighing the camper, make arrangements with the dealer to load the camper and run it over the same scale you used to weigh your truck without a camper. If you still come in under the GVWR listed on your truck, you are OK.
Make sure you leave yourself enough room for items loaded in the camper once it is installed. Propane tanks when full will weigh whatever their capacity is (20lb propane tanks weight 20 lbs when full). Water can be estimated at 10lbs per gallon (don't forget the hot water tank if the camper has one) and normal rv batteries weigh between 45 and 50 lbs. Then you have your clothes, dishes and food (don't forget the beer). If your camper has holding tanks it is not usually a problem because most times you will dump the tanks before hitting the road. If not just estimate it at the 10 lbs per gallon weight and you should be pretty close.
Once you get the idea of what you need to watch for, you should get the hang of the whole process and be on your way to getting that camper you have been thinking about.
I hope this helps with your quest. If you have any questions just let us know and we'll get back to you.
To check out Hub City RV's campers for sale click here.
We get a lot of people in wanting to buy a truck camper for their pickup and they want to know what size camper they can haul.
Truck campers come in sizes from 7' 6" campers made for import pickup trucks, to 11' campers, sometimes complete with side entry doors and slideouts. Some campers are regular wood-framed, aluminum sheeted (stick and tin) and others are fully laminated units with aluminum framing and fiberglass exteriors. Other manufactures make campers with pop-top roofs that raise about 8"-12" when the roof is cranked up. I have seen campers that weigh in at less than 900 lbs, and I have seen units that weight closer to 4000 lbs. The reality is that if you have any kind of a medium to heavy duty truck, someone probably makes a camper to fit it.
For those of you with lite duty trucks there may be some possiblities, but it all depends on your particular truck.
There are a great deal of options for trucks as well. Most people are familiar with the terms of 1/2 ton, 3/4 ton and 1 ton pickup trucks, but not everyone knows how to correctly identify them. The 3 big North American builders, Ford, GM and Dodge use a similar method of numbering their trucks according to size:
Ford
-1/2 ton is F-150
-3/4 ton is F-250
-1 ton is F-350
GM
-1/2 ton is 1500
-3/4 ton is 2500
-1 ton is 3500
Dodge
-1/2 ton 1500
-3/4 ton is 2500
-1 ton is 3500
Most of these manufacturers also make larger trucks such as F-450's and F-550's in the Ford but these are more often bought by people needing commerical vehicles.
I haven't quite got a handle on the imported trucks, but I know Toyota and Nissan both make trucks large enought to handle truck campers.
Now the trick is, what camper will go with what truck. Obviously if you already have the truck you want to find a camper that will fit. There is a ton of information that you can dig up on truck weights, but the 2 things you need to know about your truck are:
- how much is your truck legally allowed to weigh.
- how much does your truck actually weigh.
The first one is easy. To find out what your truck is legally allowed to weigh, open the drivers door and look on either the door post, or the edge of the door itself. Attached to all vehicles by the manufacturer is a information decal that lists all the relavent information about the vehicle.
This sticker will have information such as the VIN (Vehicle Information Number), month and year of manufacture, model year (not always the same as year of manufacture), tire sizes and ratings, axle ratings (front and rear) and the GVWR (Gross Vehicle Weight Rating). Depending on the age of your vehicle, the GVWR will be listed in Kilograms and pounds.
The GVWR of your vehicle is the maximum weight your vehicle was designed to weigh, including passengers and cargo. This number is determined by the manufacturer and is based, among other things, on the capacity of the frame, suspension, and brakes of your vehicle. If your vehicle is being operated at a weight greater that your GVWR you are taking a chance on having some part of the frame, suspension or brakes fail while driving which would make you a large hazard to yourself and other motorists.
I'm sure you have all seen the guy in the old pickup truck driving down the highway with a full load of gravel or firewood, and it looks like the rear axle is about to bounce right through the bottom of the truck box. Sometimes, they are throwing sparks everytime they hit a bump because their trailer hitch is hitting the road surface. Other times they are having a hard time steering because the front of the truck is pointing at the sky and the front wheels are hardly touching the road.
Give them a wide berth. These are the people our government is trying to protect us from!
The second item can be a little bit harder to determine. All manufacturers have brochures and web sites that describe their products. Weight and size information is listed under specifications. Remember the same brochures are mass produced and distributed throughout North America (and sometimes the world) and are a general description of the product line, not individual vehicles. Because of this any reference to the actual weight of the vehicle is usually an estimate and can be effected by the local dealer putting running boards on the truck to increase its curb appeal. This also means that if a cargo capacity is listed, again it could be just an estimate and not the actual capacity of that specific vehicle.
Some manufacturers will actually weigh the unit and put a decal somewhere on the vehicle telling you what the actual weight of the vehicle was when it came off the production line. This helps, but can still be affected by your local dealer putting on optional equipment after the unit is delivered to his lot.
The best way to determine the actual weight of your vehicle is to load everything you would normally take with you (including passengers and cargo), filling up the gas tank, and then going to a commercial scale where you can weight the whole vehicle in one shot. Sometimes your local dump may let you weigh in as they ususally have a scale to track the loads that are dropped by all dumpers. Sometimes the commercial highway scales will let you weigh your vehicle. Keep in mind that these scales are designed to measure commercial traffic and the big rigs that go through are often in a hurry, and not happy they have to stop in the first place. They can get a little upset when a private guy shows up and slows down their progress back onto the highway. To get around that, a lot of the highway scales are not open 24 hrs and some will leave the scale on at night. Just drive on the scale and check the display that is usually within site on a pole in front of you.
Once you have determined the actual weight of your vehicle follow this formula to find out your real cargo capacity:
GVWR minus actual weight equals Cargo capacity of vehicle.
For example if your truck has a GVWR of 8200 lbs or 3720 kgs and you weighed in at your local scales at 5390 lbs or 2450 kgs, your cargo capacity would be:
8200 lbs
-5390 lbs
------------
2810 lbs
This means that the most weight you can carry in the truck box is 2810 lbs, or 1277 Kgs.
Anything more than that and you will be over your GVWR and a menace like the guy our government is protecting us from.
There are some opinions of there being some leeway in weights, a 5 or 10% over allowance, and questions about manufacturers down rating capacities and GVWR to minimize warranty claims, but if you go according to the law, 8205 lbs is 5 pounds overweight no matter how you look at it.
Now for a camper. Just to keep things interesting, all campers have a weight sticker ususally on the back of the camper next to the door. Don't believe it. In over 10 yrs in the RV business I have yet to see one that is even close to accurate. I even spent a week working with a camper manufacturer to make a unit for customers that had a very specific weight in mind (which the manufacturer said they could meet), only to weigh the camper and find it was still almost 400 lbs heavier than they said it would be.
If you are within 500 lbs of a camper putting your truck overweight, make it a condition of the sale that the camper falls within the weight range you need. Any dealer should not have a problem with this as long as they don't have to spend a bunch up front. If your plan is to get a camper anyway and you just need to decide which one, you will need to have all the equipment for hauling a camper installed anyway. Once that is done, go camper shopping, and find the unit you like. Once you have made your deal, subject to weighing the camper, make arrangements with the dealer to load the camper and run it over the same scale you used to weigh your truck without a camper. If you still come in under the GVWR listed on your truck, you are OK.
Make sure you leave yourself enough room for items loaded in the camper once it is installed. Propane tanks when full will weigh whatever their capacity is (20lb propane tanks weight 20 lbs when full). Water can be estimated at 10lbs per gallon (don't forget the hot water tank if the camper has one) and normal rv batteries weigh between 45 and 50 lbs. Then you have your clothes, dishes and food (don't forget the beer). If your camper has holding tanks it is not usually a problem because most times you will dump the tanks before hitting the road. If not just estimate it at the 10 lbs per gallon weight and you should be pretty close.
Once you get the idea of what you need to watch for, you should get the hang of the whole process and be on your way to getting that camper you have been thinking about.
I hope this helps with your quest. If you have any questions just let us know and we'll get back to you.
To check out Hub City RV's campers for sale click here.
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Hello to all.
Hi there. This a new idea to me that I hope you will find useful and even interesting.
Over the coming months (and hopefully years) I plan to offer insight on the lifestyle that is RVing.
It is my hope that this blog will help and entertain people who are new to the RV industry, as well a veterans who are looking to stay current and up-to-date. I also hope to do this with a distinctly Vancouver Island flavour to it, as anyone who has decided to make the Island their home knows that it is a place unique to Canada and the world.
So sit back, relax and enjoy.
And as always, if you have any comments please feel free to let me know what you think!
Cheers
Over the coming months (and hopefully years) I plan to offer insight on the lifestyle that is RVing.
It is my hope that this blog will help and entertain people who are new to the RV industry, as well a veterans who are looking to stay current and up-to-date. I also hope to do this with a distinctly Vancouver Island flavour to it, as anyone who has decided to make the Island their home knows that it is a place unique to Canada and the world.
So sit back, relax and enjoy.
And as always, if you have any comments please feel free to let me know what you think!
Cheers
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