GailHernandez
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- Joined
- Sep 14, 2017
- Posts
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What is the tongue weight on a 2002 Thor Wanderer Wide Lite Series 253RB?
tongue weight
- Thread starter GailHernandez
- Start date
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grashley
Well-known member
Welcome to the Forum!
Forget any published numbers. They only apply to EMPTY campers. There should be a label in or on the camper giving you lots of required information, like GVWR - Gross Vehicle Weight Rating, max CCC - Cargo Carrying Capacity, axle ratings, manufacture date and location, etc.
Your tongue weight (TW) is impacted on how the camper is loaded. Stuff in the very front will increase TW. Stuff in the back will reduce TW. Stuff loaded above the axle will have very little effect.
The TW must be at least 10% of the actual weight of the loaded camper, or towing will be horrid. The best estimate of TW is to use 10% of the camper GVWR. If the camper is a bit lighter, it becomes a safety margin.
There are resources to show how to weigh the tongue at home, if you want those.
What is your intended tow vehicle?
We are here to help!
Forget any published numbers. They only apply to EMPTY campers. There should be a label in or on the camper giving you lots of required information, like GVWR - Gross Vehicle Weight Rating, max CCC - Cargo Carrying Capacity, axle ratings, manufacture date and location, etc.
Your tongue weight (TW) is impacted on how the camper is loaded. Stuff in the very front will increase TW. Stuff in the back will reduce TW. Stuff loaded above the axle will have very little effect.
The TW must be at least 10% of the actual weight of the loaded camper, or towing will be horrid. The best estimate of TW is to use 10% of the camper GVWR. If the camper is a bit lighter, it becomes a safety margin.
There are resources to show how to weigh the tongue at home, if you want those.
What is your intended tow vehicle?
We are here to help!
I agree that loaded tongue weight is the important number but I would not say to forget empty tongue weight as published in the specs, especially when considering a purchase of a travel trailer. I always consider the empty tongue weight as a clue as to how I will have to load the trailer to arrive at a loaded tongue weight of between 10 and 15% of the loaded trailer weight. I use the empty tongue weight and the location of storage areas to consider how easy it is going to be to load this trailer to the proper loaded tongue weight. I also figure say 12+ percent tongue weight on the max gross weight in the trailer specs and consider how that tongue weight relates to my hitch rating.
You are going to have to hear from someone who has the spec sheet on that 2002 trailer or do an online search for your empty tongue weight if you still want it after reading these posts.
You are going to have to hear from someone who has the spec sheet on that 2002 trailer or do an online search for your empty tongue weight if you still want it after reading these posts.
