Weight Info for Salem TT

mctruck · 06-17-2013, 01:10 PM

My wife and I bought our first TT last summer. 2004 Salem LE 28BH. We towed it mainly around town to local campsites getting the "feel" of things using our V6 Mountaineer. We quickly learned that if we want to go more than 50 miles from home, we're gonna need a bigger TV. So, that brings me to my question, All the info I have on our trailer says it's in the neighborhood of 5300lbs dry. We upgraded to an Expedition EL with the HD towing package. Took it out last weekend for the first time and it doesnt seem to be pulling it as well as I had hoped. Does anyone know where I can find info on our trailer so I can confirm the weight and, is there anything that might be adding to the "empty"weight of the trailer that I'm not conisidering?

Thanks

**ependydad** · 06-17-2013, 02:07 PM

There should be a sticker or paper posted on the side of a door, back of a cabinet or hiding somewhere that tells you what it's GVWR is. You're likely 1/2-way between the 2 numbers.

mctruck · 06-17-2013, 02:16 PM

Oh yeah. Crap, now I have to wait until I get home to find out. Refresh my memory, GVWR is the max weight the trailer can weigh when "fully loaded" correct? I think that is approaching 8,000lbs if I remember correctly. Too many numbers and acronyms to keep track of.

**ependydad** · 06-17-2013, 02:28 PM

Yes, you got it - "gross vehicle weight rating". It's the maximum amount the trailer was designed to carry. It's typically the axle weight plus 10-15% for tongue weight.

The absolute best thing you can do is go get your truck + camper weighed and then do the math to figure out tongue weight and stuff like that. It'll be an education.

mctruck · 06-17-2013, 02:39 PM

I think I will definitely have to do that. The Mountaineer we pulled it with last year did fine as long as you didn't want to go above 50mph. Wind resistance took over after that. The Expedition is defintely an improvement, but I would have though it would do a lot better on the highway. Looks like I'll be going through everything just to make sure there isn't any unnecessary weight or drag being created. I'll probably get this whole thing figured out about the time we're ready to trade up then it will start all over again.

Thanks for the help/info

**bikendan** · 06-17-2013, 08:09 PM

who told you that you could tow that trailer with a v-6 Mountaineer, the dealer i bet???

you're lucky you didn't have an accident!

calsmith1 · 06-17-2013, 08:47 PM

Before we traded this year, we towed with an Expedition EL - 33ft - 7500lb trailer. Best advise is to get it weighed so you can know what you are dealing with and then load accordingly. We had to travel light as we were just under the limits. I didnt listen to this advise from several forums for the first 6 months and had miserable towing experience. First upgrade was to LT tires (65 psi worked well towing) Big difference. Next was to a better WDH/Sway hitch from the basic model the dealer sold me. You can get lots of opinions and advise on this at a variety of price points. I went with ProPride because we travel 5-6 hours a time to visit family, not short trips and I found a great deal on it. Took a short trip or two to get it dialed in, but once everything was set, really enjoyed towing with the Expedition. Would have preferred a 3/4 truck, but family of 5 traveling with two dogs wouldnt work for us, so made the Expedition work for us. You can get it to tow well if you set it up right and watch your weights. We only loaded basics - full propane, just enough water for a couple of bathroom breaks, minimal stuff.

Take your time, ask quesitons and have fun!

mctruck · 06-18-2013, 10:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bikendan

who told you that you could tow that trailer with a v-6 Mountaineer, the dealer i bet???

you're lucky you didn't have an accident!

Yeah, it was a little dicey the one and only time we took it out on the interstate. Kept close to home and kept the speeds down and it was fine for the first year.

I found this chart (see attachment) seems pretty light, I'm pretty sure with the options it has, it's a little over 5000lbs and we travel light so I don't think we're anywhere near the 7500lb GVWR. Our longest trips are usually only 3-4 days so there's not a lot of stuff to take. We're leaving on a trip Thursday which doesn't leave a lot of time to do much before we hit the road. I'll definitely look at my hitch to make sure it's set up correctly for the new truck. I didn't change it from when we used it for the mountaineer since the height pretty much matched. I'll know more about it's road manners with the Expedition after this trip. There is one thing that I've been curious about. It has the load leveling suspension in the rear. Would it do better if it were turned off since I have an equalizer hitch and sway control?

Thanks

jeeplj8 · 06-18-2013, 10:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mctruck

Yeah, it was a little dicey the one and only time we took it out on the interstate. Kept close to home and kept the speeds down and it was fine for the first year.

I found this chart (see attachment) seems pretty light, I'm pretty sure with the options it has, it's a little over 5000lbs and we travel light so I don't think we're anywhere near the 7500lb GVWR. Our longest trips are usually only 3-4 days so there's not a lot of stuff to take. We're leaving on a trip Thursday which doesn't leave a lot of time to do much before we hit the road. I'll definitely look at my hitch to make sure it's set up correctly for the new truck. I didn't change it from when we used it for the mountaineer since the height pretty much matched. I'll know more about it's road manners with the Expedition after this trip. There is one thing that I've been curious about. It has the load leveling suspension in the rear. Would it do better if it were turned off since I have an equalizer hitch and sway control?

Thanks

I will put money down you are way over the 5000 pounds you are estimating.

Experience has shown me that manufactures do not deliver trailer with 3000 pounds of payload, unless it is a toy hauler, and even then not likely.

Notice the "shipped weight" of 4700lbs? That means it was around 4700 pounds dry empty without options. Logic suggests it was over 5000 pounds before it left the dealer lot brand new with propane, battery, awning etc.

Most campers add an average of 1000 pounds to their trailer. That puts you are 6000 pounds. I still think if you weigh that thing, it will be over 6000 pounds.

Weight add up REALLY quickly.

mctruck · 06-18-2013, 11:29 AM

I'd put money down that it's over 6000lbs as it sits right now also. According to the Ford towing guide, I can pull up to 8750lbs with a max GCWR of 15000lbs which I'm sure are inflated somewhat to make themselves look better. Either way, I think I'm on the upper end of it capabilities which accounts for it's lack of power up hills. better get to the scales to make sure I'm not overloading the front of the trailer and adding tongue weight. Still wondering if I should turn off the load leveling suspension and let the equalizer hitch do all the work. Hard to measure sag when the suspension raises it back up to level

mctruck · 06-19-2013, 01:21 PM

No thoughts on the rear suspension?!? I've read a few things saying you shoud have it off when setting up your hitch but nothing about leaving it off while towing with a WDH. Any thoughts?

jeeplj8 · 06-19-2013, 01:28 PM

you simply cannot set-up a WDH with it on, none of the numbers would matter. However I am not sure if it should be left off towing. Does the book say anything about it?

mctruck · 06-19-2013, 02:48 PM

The book was my next course of action. The truck has been at the dealer the last two days so I haven't been able to look. Fords towing guide doesn't mention anything about it.

mctruck · 06-20-2013, 07:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jeeplj8

you simply cannot set-up a WDH with it on, none of the numbers would matter. However I am not sure if it should be left off towing. Does the book say anything about it?

read the book, says just what you did. turn it off, set up the hitch, hook up the spring bars then turn it back on. Got it all set up last night. Haven't hit the scales yet but the rear is about 1" lower than unloaded height and the front is about 1/4" higher and the trailer rides level. Now we'll see if I get on down the road without the shank hitting the ground. tongue height of my TT was only 17-1/2" and the only dropped shank I had extends about 2" below the head but not below the spring bars so I guess if I didn't scrape when I was hitched to the Mountaineer, there's no reason to believe it'll happen in the Expy. Even with my 350lb arse bouncing on the hitch it didn't come very close to hitting the ground. We hit the road at noon. Wish me luck!

jeeplj8 · 06-20-2013, 08:54 AM

Good luck!! Most important thing that you truly need to remember on this trip:

HAVE FUN!!

mctruck · 06-20-2013, 09:11 AM

The "fun" will begin at noon but the real fun begins 5 hours (fingers crossed) later when we get to the CG and I crack open my first cold beverage.

mctruck · 06-24-2013, 10:26 AM

Made it there and back in one piece. Never did hit the scale but I'm pretty sure weight isn't the issue. It's wind resistance. With o/d off, it pulled it like it was nothing. Only a few hills gave it any trouble and even then it only lost 5-10mph and rarely downshifted. Although, in o/d, on straight flat runs it just wouldn't keep the speed up but then again, the wind didn't help matters either. So, as much as I don't like it, looks like o/d off is the way to go for now. The rpms may be high but I'm using way less throttle. I'm still not 100% on the hitch setup. Didn't quite feel right on the way there but 30mph cross winds for the entire 250 miles kept my mind on other things. Transfered a little cargo weight to the front and into the TV for the trip back and it seemed to be a lot better until, you guessed it, more wind for the last 100 miles. The camping more than made up for it though. Beautiful place. One of our best camping trips to date.

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