First trailer for a new Volvo XC90 T8 - 5000 lb wt limit

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Dochands

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Joined
Jun 24, 2017
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10
Trying to make a decision about a travel trailer for my new Volvo. I have a 5000 lb wt limit. I am interested currently in the Jayco and the Springdale. Love Air Streams but think they are way out of my weight and price range.

Open to suggestions and advice. Also, I am confused about why I am being told not to drive with a filled water tank and only hook up at a camp ground. The point of this is to go somewhere quiet and not necessarily a campground. Is this a hard fact or just CYA advice? I am assuming my water weight will be within the carrying limit of the trailer.

Thanks in advance.
 
There are probably two reasons for the water suggestion:
    1.  So the salesman can sell you a larger ($$$) trailer
    2.  The person doesn't camp and is clueless

I prefer having 3/4 to a full tank.  You can camp or use the bathroom anywhere.  If you get into a campsite late or in bad weather or too far from the connection you have water ready to go.  It's also nice for one-nighters on a long road trip .  My TT also rides a little smoother when the tank is full.

Check out R.Pods and Minnies
 
Water ways about 8 lbs/gal and will add considerably to the weight of the trailer. The trailer itself will not have a problem with the weight of the water BUT... With that Volvo, you may have a 5000lb weight limit on the hitch BUT but you will have to calculate how much total weight that Volvo can tow safely including passengers and supplies. Just looking at a brochure for that car, I feel the trailer maximum trailer weight it will be able to handle comfortably will be well under 5000 lbs. As OBX said, R.Pods or Minnies.
 
Salesmen and advertising depts. LIE!!!  This explains their thought process!

http://www.rvforum.net/SMF_forum/index.php/topic,90933.0.html

The BEST  way is to go to the car and find the yellow label on the driver door latch pillar that states, "Max weight of all passengers and cargo shall not exceed XXXX lbs"  This is exactly what it says!

Now add the weight of all passengers, pets, car seats, snacks and other cargo carried in the Volvo.  Add 80# for a WD hitch.  Subtract this from the yellow label wt.  What remains is the max tongue wt you can handle.  Assuming 10% tongue wt, multiply this number by 10 to get the max trailer GVWR you can handle.
 
grashley said:
Salesmen and advertising depts. LIE!!!  This explains their thought process!

http://www.rvforum.net/SMF_forum/index.php/topic,90933.0.htmlThe BEST  way is to go to the car and find the yellow label on the driver door latch pillar that states, "Max weight of all passengers and cargo shall not exceed XXXX lbs"  This is exactly what it says!

Now add the weight of all passengers, pets, car seats, snacks and other cargo carried in the Volvo.  Add 80# for a WD hitch.  Subtract this from the yellow label wt.  What remains is the max tongue wt you can handle.  Assuming 10% tongue wt, multiply this number by 10 to get the max trailer GVWR you can handle.
Click to expand...

Not all "Yellow Labels" give the same information. My label (which is white) tells me the GVWR is 5815#. There is a yellow label that says (written with a Sharpie) that the CCC is reduced by 198# due to options added. On Nissan's site I can see that the max towing weight is 6100# with a hitch weight of 610#. They are using the 10% rule. I "assume" the 6100# number is an empty truck, no options, all candy wrappers removed weight. The GCWR number is 11,230 (weight of truck and trailer combined). Max payload is 1368#.

If I subtract the max payload of 1368# and the 198# for the options added from the stated towing max I get 4,534#. Is that my max weight trailer I can tow? When I say max weight trailer I mean loaded trailer. The hitch weight would be about 450#. I can see how confusing all this can be. Folks on here are saying check the yellow sticker on the vehicle. It would seem not all yellow stickers are created equally.

Sorry but it seems my post is not separating from the quote
Click to expand...

Edit: Fixed quote.
 
Oldgator73 said:
Not all "Yellow Labels" give the same information. My label (which is white) tells me the GVWR is 5815#. There is a yellow label that says (written with a Sharpie) that the CCC is reduced by 198# due to options added. On Nissan's site I can see that the max towing weight is 6100# with a hitch weight of 610#. They are using the 10% rule. I "assume" the 6100# number is an empty truck, no options, all candy wrappers removed weight. The GCWR number is 11,230 (weight of truck and trailer combined). Max payload is 1368#.

If I subtract the max payload of 1368# and the 198# for the options added from the stated towing max I get 4,534#. Is that my max weight trailer I can tow? When I say max weight trailer I mean loaded trailer. The hitch weight would be about 450#. I can see how confusing all this can be. Folks on here are saying check the yellow sticker on the vehicle. It would seem not all yellow stickers are created equally.

Edit: Fixed quote.
Click to expand...

The load in the car doesn't change the max towing weight but it does affect the available capacity for the hitch weight.
The hitch weight should be assumed to be at least 10% of the trailers GVWR (which is dry weight plus carrying capacity).
So, tow vehicle max load (as indicated on the sticker) minus the people and other stuff in the car needs to be bigger than the calculated hitch weight.
 
Lynx0849 said:
The load in the car doesn't change the max towing weight but it does affect the available capacity for the hitch weight.
The hitch weight should be assumed to be at least 10% of the trailers GVWR (which is dry weight plus carrying capacity).
So, tow vehicle max load (as indicated on the sticker) minus the people and other stuff in the car needs to be bigger than the calculated hitch weight.
Click to expand...

So I am looking at a GVWR for the trailer of about 4500#. Hitch weight should be no more than 450#. Max payload fromtruck is 1368# minus people and other stuff comes to about 650#. Well above the 450# stated above.

We have found several trailers that fit that weight standard. Now we just have to find the right floor plan and price. Anybody want to buy a 2016 Winnie Drop?

Hopefully this conversation also helps the OP.
 
Dochands said:
Trying to make a decision about a travel trailer for my new Volvo. I have a 5000 lb wt limit. I am interested currently in the Jayco and the Springdale. Love Air Streams but think they are way out of my weight and price range.

Open to suggestions and advice. Also, I am confused about why I am being told not to drive with a filled water tank and only hook up at a camp ground. The point of this is to go somewhere quiet and not necessarily a campground. Is this a hard fact or just CYA advice? I am assuming my water weight will be within the carrying limit of the trailer.

Thanks in advance.
Click to expand...

I had the same general weight limit to work with and after all of the proper calculations, I decided on a Winnie Drop 170k, based on layout and features.  It would be similar to a Jayco Hummingbird or an R-Pod. 
 
Thanks for the replies. A lot to consider here but clearly I need to be no where near my max capacity in choosing a trailer. I am a private pilot and am reminded of the calculations I have to make regarding fuel weight, passengers, and cargo. You rarely push that to the limit for safety's sake and it appears the same is true with travel trailers.

I am heading to the Crestview in Buda today to look at their inventory since they carry different products than the one near Georgetown. I am a bit enamored with the Alto teardrop but they don't seem very available in the States and are a bit expensive like Airstreams.
 
This is my favorite layout so far but I am concerned that it is too heavy. What do you all think?

http://www.crestviewrv.com/product/new-2017-keystone-rv-summerland-2020qb-626037-29
 
Dochands said:
This is my favorite layout so far but I am concerned that it is too heavy. What do you all think?

http://www.crestviewrv.com/product/new-2017-keystone-rv-summerland-2020qb-626037-29
Click to expand...

Yeah, I think it's a bit too heavy for your truck. My loaded trailer weight max is about 5400-5500#. We currently have a 17' Winnie Drop 1710. Loaded weight max is 3800#. We don't take too much stuff with us so cargo weight is not a big concern. I have noticed that some trailers we like floorplan wise that seem to be within our loaded weight parameters have a pretty heavy tongue or hitch weight.
 
Read something rather confusing. I had the factory hitch installed. Ordered and installed. Read on line that they're is an aftermarket hitch called an Invisihitch. They claim their hitch increases the towing capacity by 20% to 6000 lbs. Does this make any sense?
 
On some vehicle's a tow rating may be limited by the OEM hitch capacity (load and draw) installed by the vehicle mfg. If a aftermarket hitch with a higher rating is used then it could be safe to assume the vehicle has another 1000 lb tow numbers.
However it would be safe to assume only the truck mfg or a certified dealer can give you their answer.

 
Dochands said:
Read something rather confusing. I had the factory hitch installed. Ordered and installed. Read on line that they're is an aftermarket hitch called an Invisihitch. They claim their hitch increases the towing capacity by 20% to 6000 lbs. Does this make any sense?
Click to expand...

The only thing I can find about an Invisihitch is it is hidden from view. It looks like they are manufactured by Draw Tite.
 
That hitch will not increase your tow capacity.  Your limiting factor is the car.  IF the car had a 3000# / 300# hitch, then replacing it with this hitch would indeed increase your towing capacity from 3000# (hitch limit) to 5000# (vehicle  limit).
 
My vehicle?s sticker says I have a GVWR of 6355 and it says you cannot carry more than 1200 lbs of people and cargo.

So. What does this mean for what size trailer I can have? And my sticker is black. Lol

Sorry if this has already been answered but I am truly confused on this.
 
Dochands said:
My vehicle?s sticker says I have a GVWR of 6355 and it says you cannot carry more than 1200 lbs of people and cargo.

So. What does this mean for what size trailer I can have? And my sticker is black. Lol

Sorry if this has already been answered but I am truly confused on this.
Click to expand...

So, you understand about the 1200 lbs? Right? The tongue weight of the trailer is considered cargo.

If the car is fairly new and sold in the USA, there should be a yellow or white & yellow sticker on the "B" pillar of the drivers door.

Many people are surprised at how little a given vehicle is built to haul. Some think that since it has 6 sets of seat belts, it is ok to pile 6 250 lb people plus luggage and a cargo thing on the roof and pull a trailer. NOT!

You also need to know your spec for max towing. It might be on a door sticker or the owners manual.

Take the 10% of trailers GVWR and that is tongue weight to be included in the cargo weight.
 
Very specifically, the GVWR of 6355# is the most your fully loaded car is designed to carry.  This includes the car and all contents.

The CCC, by definition = GVWR - curb wt of car.  Curb wt includes a full tank of gas and all factory options.

The CCC is exactly what it says.  The total combined weight of all passengers, pets, car seats, snacks, toys, other cargo, hitch and TT hitch wt shall not exceed 1200#.

In other words, add up all of the above except TT hitch weight.  Subtract this from 1200# to get the max hitch wt you can handle.  Assuming 10% hitch wt, multiply max hitch wt by 10 to get the max TT  GVWR you can handle.    Assuming 12.5% hitch wt, multiply max hitch wt by 8 to get the max TT  GVWR you can handle.

Thanks for asking.  BE SAFE!
 
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