Can y'all help me figure out my payload?

[Redfour5]

Wait, so I knew I needed to account for the battery and propane tank with the hitch weight (so a "dry" hitch weight of say 420lbs on a trailer will actually be like 540lbs after adding those two things), but then you ALSO add the WDH's own weight? So if that weighs 120lbs, then my actual total hitch weight is 660lbs?

30 lb propane tanks full are like at 55 lbs. A 20 lb tank is like 37 lbs. A Group 24 battery is right at 45 lbs...AND then at least 60 lb's for a weight distribution hitch. I'm looking at switching out my 30 lb tanks for two 20 pounders...and not for weight. I'm doing it for convenience... Twenty pounders are easy to switch out everywhere, thirty pounders not so much. Twenty pounders fit right under the tonneau, wrap a bungee around them hook them up to one of the corner hooks and you are good to go. Thirty pounders don't fit under a tonneau except sideways and then they want to roll. If two tanks at forty lbs won't cover a camping trip, then I'm not going that long. But every gas station has them now days so...

 

[IvoryHemi]

Thirty pounders don't fit under a tonneau except sideways and then they want to roll.

Never keep a propane tank on its side, they should always be standing upright so the pressure release valve can work properly.

 

[AngelPhoenix]

In case it helps, here's mine. Fully loaded Limited 4x2 with 6'4" bed. You can see the full specs in my sig. View attachment 103950

I just realized, you said "fully loaded" but your sig doesn't list the pano sunroof...?

 

[SBrentnall]

It might as well be 20,000 on max tow... That payload is your limitation...and you must have every bell and whistle there is if you have a 4X2 with that payload. AND so, if you decide to tow, you likely are in the range of a 25 foot travel trailer without a slide and ONE group 24 battery and ONE 20 lb propane tank and the lightest weight distribution hitch you can find... one petite wife and no big dogs and zip in the bed while towing.

Except none of that applies to me because I don't tow a travel trailer, I tow a horse trailer. I don't care about payload because ALL of my weight is in the trailer. And I don't have a wife or dogs

 

[SBrentnall]

I just realized, you said "fully loaded" but your sig doesn't list the pano sunroof...?

Good point. I think that's the one option I didn't want.

 

[AngelPhoenix]

Good point. I think that's the one option I didn't want.

Okay. Not looking too good for me based on this. 1130 - 50 for 4x4, -150 for sunroof = 930

930 + say 70 for MFT (don't have that), and we'll be modest and say +50 for everything else you have that I don't (Level 1, Tech Group BUG, trailer mirrors), so 1050. That's brutally low

 

[5thGenLoco]

Hmmm, really good to know, as I'm part of the 'Whoa, the 1500 Isn't Quite the Tow-vehicle I Thought It was Club'. Odd I'm even having to consider this.

I've been thinking of ways to increase the payload, and this one is a decent thought. Also, I've got a 2021 Longhorn with 1,418 lbs(door jam sticker) payload. How about removing the factory running boards? They are the chromed out, always there version(not automatic deploy). Does anyone know how much these weigh? I've looked semi-extensively, but no luck yet.

Currently have a travel trailer(17 foot box) with a tongue weight of 497 lbs empty, that weighs ~3,500 lbs empty. 4,997 lbs max loaded. It's a single axle, and we towed it maybe 8-10k miles with my 3.6L Durango Citadel. We have three younger kids and a 50 lb dog, and being in the west with all the mountains it was taxed at times. We were looking to get to a larger trailer in the 23-26ft box length, so nothing immense, but also throw our bikes/boats, and cooler in the back of the truck bed. Man...seems like that isn't really possible, well it barely is...for now. Kids will get bigger and then we'll be in a spot. Total weight of all the bikes is 155 lbs, if we take them all.

In terms of max trailer weight, I've also just back calculated how heavy of a trailer we can really tow. GCWR being 13,900 lbs, subtract the weight of our truck and payload, including the 65 lbs for the weight DHitch, estimated tongue weight from loaded trailer of 600 lbs, and no bikes or cooler, and we have 1,255. Adding the bikes takes us 1,410, so I'm not doing that. People and dog weight is 590 lbs.

13,900 - 5,682(truck weight) - 1255(people, WDH, and tongue weight) = 6,963 lbs.....this is the max trailer weight, when loaded, that we can tow, correct?

Sure, still plenty of trailer options, but wanted to make sure I wasn't missing something here, and it may help other calculate this amount. Like others have said, if you are gentle, etc.,.........lots of great help on this forum. HIGHLY APPRECIATED!

I also just got the back bad spray-in liner from the dealer today(part of the purchase). Anyone know how much this weighs?

We have been looking over trailers, and found a nice one we like, but the tongue weight out of the gate is 725 lbs, which seems to be way too much. Others are in the neighborhood of 625 lbs or 650 lbs, but of course there are before the loading. If the initial trailer weight with the 725 lb tongue weight) is 6,000 lbs before loading, and we take up to 7,200 lbs loading it, we are looking at an estimated tongue weight of ~825 lbs from what I've read, and that just wouldn't work out. We'd be at 1,415 lbs or so, no extra anything. What have travel trailers have you guys been able to run comfortably? haha...or maybe there is a thread I haven't found yet.

Guess you can see why I'm eyeing the spare tire to trailer move, or running board removal...such a shame, this truck really is nice. Is there a hard to find sticky that mentions the 'weight against payload' options out there? That would really have been handy to have. I like the thought of the 33-gallon tank I have...but would have rather not had it at this point. Thanks in advance for any thoughts.

Transfer all that stuff to the trailer

 

[AngelPhoenix]

Transfer all that stuff to the trailer

If you use the pass-through storage (almost always at the front of most trailers), aren't you still loading onto the tongue weight and still subtracting from your truck's total payload?

 

[IvoryHemi]

If you use the pass-through storage (almost always at the front of most trailers), aren't you still loading onto the tongue weight and still subtracting from your truck's total payload?

Yup

 

[AngelPhoenix]

Yup

And then of course, if you put too much stuff in the back (like underbed storage), then you'll be fishtailing.

 

[KWKSLVR]

It's definitely stuff people need to take into account. For me, as long as I have room for my 170lb rear, my two kids, my wife and a bunch of camping and hunting gear I'm good with the payload situation I'm in. I've accepted the fact that my Limited is a yuppie vehicle long before I ordered it.

 

[AngelPhoenix]

It's definitely stuff people need to take into account. For me, as long as I have room for my 170lb rear, my two kids, my wife and a bunch of camping and hunting gear I'm good with the payload situation I'm in. I've accepted the fact that my Limited is a yuppie vehicle long before I ordered it.

I was hoping to get less "yuppie" as I aged but it seems to be going the other direct lol

 

[KWKSLVR]

I was hoping to get less "yuppie" as I aged but it seems to be going the other direct lol

Me too and I'm the ripe old age of 41. I need those vented seats though.

 

[AngelPhoenix]

Me too and I'm the ripe old age of 41. I need those vented seats though.

Leather. Looks great. Cleans Easily. Toasts buns.

 

[silver billet]

If you use the pass-through storage (almost always at the front of most trailers), aren't you still loading onto the tongue weight and still subtracting from your truck's total payload?

If you take 100 pounds from the bed/cab of your truck and put it in pass through in your trailer, up to 15 pounds goes back onto your bed and the other 85 goes onto your trailer axle.

 

[5thGenLoco]

If you use the pass-through storage (almost always at the front of most trailers), aren't you still loading onto the tongue weight and still subtracting from your truck's total payload?

True. But you aren't fitting bicycles in the pass thru. You have a refrigerator, why the need for a large cooler? Or leave all that behind; drive a secondary vehicle; get a smaller trailer.

 

[Redfour5]

True. But you aren't fitting bicycles in the pass thru. You have a refrigerator, why the need for a large cooler? Or leave all that behind; drive a secondary vehicle; get a smaller trailer.

If you take 100 pounds from the bed/cab of your truck and put it in pass through in your trailer, up to 15 pounds goes back onto your bed and the other 85 goes onto your trailer axle.

And if you put it behind the axles you get a bump on the good side. Can I ask where you got the 15% "rule" there? I would have thought it was more.

 

[IvoryHemi]

If you take 100 pounds from the bed/cab of your truck and put it in pass through in your trailer, up to 15 pounds goes back onto your bed and the other 85 goes onto your trailer axle.

Actually it’s just the opposite.

Only 15% of the weight gets transferred to the trailer axles while 85% stays on the tow vehicle. (Per my cat scale slips)

 

[Eighty]

It’s all about where you place it.

• If you put the weight on the tongue, it’s 100% going into the truck
• If you put the weight over the trailer axle, it’s 100% going into the trailer
• If you place it exactly half-way between the tongue and axle, then it’s getting split 50/50.

 

[silver billet]

Yes where you place it matters of course. But the trailer is designed to transfer up to 15% of its total weight to the tongue. When you add stuff to the trailer and make it heavier, that proportion of weight transfer still holds true, more or less. Obviously if you put it more towards the front then the ratio moves more to the truck bed. In my trailer, there is no way I'd be putting 85% back on the tongue when using my pass through storage, it would definitely not even be 50%. Maybe if you put it in front of the propane tanks...