Looking at a Survivor Legend 296qble

[bikendan]

Originally Posted by Marine3038

Been reading up on this weight issue you have pointed out .... what baffles me is that I have a 2014 Rockwood roo 233s (hybrid camper) -- the hitch weight on it is only 75 lbs less than the Surveyor ... 700 vs. 623 ... Do you think this is because trailers are generally much lighter than they were 6 years ago?

I get what you are saying -- thx for pointing it out

Again you're trying to compare fictional dry weights. A 233S has less factory options than that Surveyor. For example, the Surveyor Legend Value package is what's called a "forced" option and generally are not included in the dry weight numbers.
Personally, i would ask the dealer to weigh the tongue, many have a Sherline tongue scale.

[dbledan]

My suggestion when looking is assume between 13-15% of gross weight for TW. If a single axle trailer it will be 15%.

From my experience (others will vary) at about 6000lbs you will be at your payload. Even with a decent WDH well tuned at 7000lbs you will be over RAWR.

Even if you don't load a lot of gear your trailer it will never weigh the dry weight. It won't the day you drive it off the lot because they added a battery. Look at where your storage is...most trailers its all in the front. Water tanks same. Light loading will be 600lbs of gear. 1000lbs is pretty average.

I have a trailer that weighed in at 7000lbs loaded with scale tickets. My TW was at about 1050 lightly loaded and carefully balanced. I was over on my rear axle. I spent several hours at the scales figuring out how to better load so I could keep the truck and trailer. After a year I got tired of spending 30min moving things around after arrival and bought a 1ton to solve my weight issues. Now I am ready for my next trailer.

Don't overbuy! You will spend a fortune trying to fix it no matter what you do. Do the math on payload to know before you buy or be prepared to upgrade trucks or downsize trailers later.

Good luck and happy buying! Research now will mean relaxation later. Your are smart to investigate now!

[Marine3038]

Originally Posted by dbledan

My suggestion when looking is assume between 13-15% of gross weight for TW. If a single axle trailer it will be 15%.

From my experience (others will vary) at about 6000lbs you will be at your payload. Even with a decent WDH well tuned at 7000lbs you will be over RAWR.

Even if you don't load a lot of gear your trailer it will never weigh the dry weight. It won't the day you drive it off the lot because they added a battery. Look at where your storage is...most trailers its all in the front. Water tanks same. Light loading will be 600lbs of gear. 1000lbs is pretty average.

I have a trailer that weighed in at 7000lbs loaded with scale tickets. My TW was at about 1050 lightly loaded and carefully balanced. I was over on my rear axle. I spent several hours at the scales figuring out how to better load so I could keep the truck and trailer. After a year I got tired of spending 30min moving things around after arrival and bought a 1ton to solve my weight issues. Now I am ready for my next trailer.

Don't overbuy! You will spend a fortune trying to fix it no matter what you do. Do the math on payload to know before you buy or be prepared to upgrade trucks or downsize trailers later.

Good luck and happy buying! Research now will mean relaxation later. Your are smart to investigate now!

Great feedback. Thank you