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Old 03-21-2014, 12:33 AM   #1
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Smile Tongue weight

I recently purchased a new Heritage Glen 282 RK TT. The spec for the TW is 700 pounds. What I need to know is; Does this spec include the two 30 pound propane tanks and a battery? I'm trying to determine what rate spring bars I need for my WD hitch. I last towed a TT in the 80's, and I don't know the rating of the old bars that I hung onto. Any help would be appreciated.
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Old 03-21-2014, 12:58 AM   #2
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Ideal tongue weight will be 13-15% of loaded trailer weight. Often times people do not know what this is so many opt to go with a hitch capable of 13-15% of tt gvwr. Your tt has a gvwr of 8521 lbs (dry weight + cargo capacity= gvwr). 15% of 8521 is 1278 lbs. You will not likely load the entire 1900 lbs of cargo into your trailer so a 1200 lb bar should be a good size for you. I would get one with integrated sway control like Reese dual cam or equal-i-zer.
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Old 03-21-2014, 05:25 AM   #3
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no, propane and battery are not likely part of that figure. Nor is all the stuff you will load in the front storage compartment.
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Old 03-21-2014, 06:22 AM   #4
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Go to Equal-i-zer® Hitch - The “American Original” with 4-Point Sway Control™ and Weight Distribution for great information. They have calculators that will help with your decision...Anaro has it figured right for you probably 1,200...good luck
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Old 03-21-2014, 09:57 AM   #5
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Smile

Thanks for the answers to my questions about my units TW. I have looked at several videos, and read several articles about getting the correct spring bars. I believe they all state that TW must be determined in order to get the right bars.
So, I guess I will just pick up the unit with the WD hitch I have now, and then get it weighed at a Cat scale. Or, just purchase the 1200 pound bars and go with those. Is everything that is placed on the tongue and in the front storage area count as actual weight on the tongue? Could that weight actually exceed the 15% figure? If so, I guess one just has to move stuff around to stay within those limits. I think I just answered my own question!

Again, thanks for the help!
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Old 03-21-2014, 10:58 AM   #6
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Dry weight plus 1000 lbs, times 0.15 = Good estimate for loaded tongue weight. If you are close to a cutoff point, go up a level. For example, if calculation tells you 940 lbs, just get the 1200. if you get 1150 estimate, go 1400. Having more capacity is OK, as long as it's not like double what's needed (would result in stiff ride). And if you decide to get something slightly larger in a few years, you'll likely not need to upgrade your hitch.
But you do not want to underestimate.

I know plenty of people (me included) with TW around the 600-700 point, and are more than happy with our 1,000 lb rated Equal-i-zer. If they made an 800 lbs unit, I'd own it. But 1,000lb rating has caused me no problems at all.
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Old 03-21-2014, 12:08 PM   #7
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The weight of the propane tanks is included, but not the propane itself, and the weight of the battery is also not included. I would get 1000 lb bars for a 700 lb dry TW. You should be around 900 lbs fully loaded.
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Old 03-24-2014, 12:54 PM   #8
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I thought dry weight only included weight of items included from the factory. Do some campers come with empty LP tanks from the factory? I thought those were only added at the dealer.
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