Buying 2013 27RKSS - Cargo Capacity low?

[toastedoat]

Hello,

Just registered for this site. I am in the process of purchasing a new Salem 27RKSS. My wife and I love the floor plan, the way it looks etc. We originally went looking for a bunk house, but went inside this one and that was it. We already put money down on it and are supposed to be going tomorrow to sign all of the paperwork.

One thing that I am reading (almost too late of course, since I researched bunk houses before we went shopping) is the cargo carrying capacity of this trailer is only 1,327lbs, and it is making me question this decision a little. Everything else Salem is making has a higher rating. So several questions come to mind:

1. Why is the rating so low? Is it because the rear kitchen distributes the weight differently?
2. How "real" is this, and is this meant more for towing where things are bouncing around, or is this all the time, so if I have my family (2 adults one child) and some friends in the camper we risk damage and/or injury if the thing collapses?

Thanks in advance for any and all advice/input.

[Terier]

Based on my TT the number you gave does seem low especially as a family unit. Hopefully some of our experienced members will drop by to offer some feedback.

[Dave_Monica]

The manufacturer usually sets the campers GVWR by adding the axle weight capacity to the dry tongue weight. It appears that the 27RKSS uses 3500 lb axles with a 720 lb dry tongue weight (the math doesn't work out exactly in this case). The CCC will be the campers GVWR minus the actual dry weight. The specs number for dry weight is lower than the actual weight will be as it doesn't include propane, battery(s) and any dealer added options. In other words, the actual CCC will be less than stated in the spec (1327 lbs). It appears that the 26XXX and 27XXX are all on 3500 lb axles then the 28XXXX and bigger models use 5200 lb axles and have a resulting higher CCC.

If the camper is to be ordered, sometimes they can upgrade the axles to heavier units which would increase the CCC. I'm betting than the actual CCC on the camper delivered will be around 1150 lbs which is very low and restrictive. It's fairly normal to load a 1000 lbs of gear/supplies in the camper with 2 people.

Dave