Newbie with tongue weight and black tank questions

[hargoni]

Hi - Will, Ottawa, Canada, just purchased a Conquest 197bh trailer to go behind my 2022 4Runner.

The tongue weight posted by the manufacturer is 638lbs. I assume that is fully loaded and with liquids. I want to purchase the Weigh Safe hitch to make sure I stay under my 500lb vehicle limit on that tongue weight. Any thoughts or feedback?

The black water tank is the scariest thing for me. I grew up farming, so it is not the material that scares me, I am afraid of doing a dump improperly and creating a nasty mess.

Anyone have the perfect video link regarding this process?

 

[donn]

First mistake. The mfg posted tongue weight is for a "dry" trailer. Look at the trailers GVWR, 15 percent of that will be far closer for tongue weight. Sadly no matter what you do you may still be over the hitches weight limit. By my calculations GVWR will be about 5700 pounds. Putting max hitch weight around 700 pounds.
As for dumping. Pull Into the dump station. Open the termination cap, attach the sewer hose, put the power end in the dump opening and open the black tank. Once its empty open the gray tank dump valve. Close both valves, disconnect from trailer leaving the hose in the sewer.if there is a hose there, lift up the end of the hose and flush it. Once it's all drained, take the hose and put it away. Takes maybe 10 minutes. If there is any mess you left, use the water hose to rinse the area for the next guy.

 

[Mark_K5LXP]

Can't help you with the hitch question.

Maybe practice dumping the gray tank with fresh water to get an idea of the order and feel of the process (connections, valve operation, flow, time). Beyond ensuring the hose is secure and the drain end is properly placed the result reliably per physics. Keeping a selection of various adapters and couplings I've found to be key to creating a 'safe' and secure drain path for various station situations.

Mark B.
Albuquerque, NM

 

[steveblonde]

that 638lb tongue weight is whats stated when the trailer is empty

197BH | Conquest Lite | Light Weight Trailers

197BH | Conquest Lite | Light Weight Trailers

www.gulfstreamcoach.com

gvwr is 5058lbs (dry weight + cargo weight (which includes the tanks)) so not sure where the 5700lbs is comming from

- you cannot "shave" 138lbs off of the hitch weight - so im confused at what your asking

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

just purchased a Conquest 197bh trailer to go behind my 2022 4Runner.

The tongue weight posted by the manufacturer is 638lbs. I assume that is fully loaded and with liquids.

Making assumptions about that is risky, but given the stated specs (3663 dry + 1395 cargo capacity = 5058 GVWR) I say you are correct. 638 would be 12% of GVWR, a quite reasonable estimate.

If you load lightly enough, i.e. no more than about 1000 lbs, you may be able to keep the tongue weight down to 500 or less. You would need to watch it like a hawk, though, cause it inexorably grows with every trip.

The black tank routine isn't tricky - it just takes care to avoid mistakes. Take your time and don't get distracted if somebody starts talking to you or stuff happens around you.

 

[steveblonde]

Hi - Will, Ottawa, Canada, just purchased a Conquest 197bh trailer to go behind my 2022 4Runner.

The tongue weight posted by the manufacturer is 638lbs. I assume that is fully loaded and with liquids. I want to purchase the Weigh Safe hitch to make sure I stay under my 500lb vehicle limit on that tongue weight. Any thoughts or feedback?

The black water tank is the scariest thing for me. I grew up farming, so it is not the material that scares me, I am afraid of doing a dump improperly and creating a nasty mess.

Anyone have the perfect video link regarding this process?

Tongue weight is usually posted at DRY weight- however it IS possible thats a loaded weight OR its a printing error , very common. A full tank of liquid is counted as part of the gvwr so if the cargo weight is 1395 and you have 30 gallons of water + 6 in the hot water tank at 8.3lbs per gallon= 298.8 lbs that 1395 has to minus 300 leaving 1063lbs for cargo

 

[Kirk]

Your 4Runner has a maximum towing weight of 5000# so if you put anything at all into your RV you will be pushing the maximum safe towing weight. Filling the water tank will add 250# so where that tank is located will impact the weight on the tongue in a big way. If it is behind the trailer axle it would lighten it. It is probably under the bed. Be very careful about what you add and also where you place things since it is important to keep proper weight distribution. You also have a trailer that is pushing the length that should be towed with your 110" wheelbase. You should be able to tow safely in good weather but it may not handle well and will probably be difficult in heavy traffic or poor weather conditions. You should be very careful.

 

[CharlesinGA]

Don't forget the weight of the hitch head and bars, about 100 lbs,

Charles

 

[donn]

Your 4Runner has a maximum towing weight of 5000# so if you put anything at all into your RV you will be pushing the maximum safe towing weight. Filling the water tank will add 250# so where that tank is located will impact the weight on the tongue in a big way. If it is behind the trailer axle it would lighten it. It is probably under the bed. Be very careful about what you add and also where you place things since it is important to keep proper weight distribution. You also have a trailer that is pushing the length that should be towed with your 110" wheelbase. You should be able to tow safely in good weather but it may not handle well and will probably be difficult in heavy traffic or poor weather conditions. You should be very careful.

And don't forget to subtract everything beyond a 150 pound driver from that 5000 tow rating. As everything you add reduces tow rating.

 

[hargoni]

First mistake. The mfg posted tongue weight is for a "dry" trailer. Look at the trailers GVWR, 15 percent of that will be far closer for tongue weight. Sadly no matter what you do you may still be over the hitches weight limit. By my calculations GVWR will be about 5700 pounds. Putting max hitch weight around 700 pounds.
As for dumping. Pull Into the dump station. Open the termination cap, attach the sewer hose, put the power end in the dump opening and open the black tank. Once its empty open the gray tank dump valve. Close both valves, disconnect from trailer leaving the hose in the sewer.if there is a hose there, lift up the end of the hose and flush it. Once it's all drained, take the hose and put it away. Takes maybe 10 minutes. If there is any mess you left, use the water hose to rinse the area for the next guy.

Hello and many, many thanks. Your feedback helped me get to the point where I realized this sale had to be cancelled and we are working on that. I appreciate your quick response and knowledge. You saved me.

 

[hargoni]

And don't forget to subtract everything beyond a 150 pound driver from that 5000 tow rating. As everything you add reduces tow rating.

Thank you, very helpful information and clearly I should have come here first.

 

[hargoni]

Your 4Runner has a maximum towing weight of 5000# so if you put anything at all into your RV you will be pushing the maximum safe towing weight. Filling the water tank will add 250# so where that tank is located will impact the weight on the tongue in a big way. If it is behind the trailer axle it would lighten it. It is probably under the bed. Be very careful about what you add and also where you place things since it is important to keep proper weight distribution. You also have a trailer that is pushing the length that should be towed with your 110" wheelbase. You should be able to tow safely in good weather but it may not handle well and will probably be difficult in heavy traffic or poor weather conditions. You should be very careful.

Super helpful -- we trusted the dealer to have this knowledge and it appears they do not. The manager said he would add a weight distribution system because he believed it would change the tongue weight, which I have learned is not true. It is unfortunate the dealer does not have the knowledge found in this forum. All of you have done a great service to my wife and I today, and we are very thankful to each of you. I will not buy something else without checking here. We are in the process of cancelling the sale, and it appears the dealer is going to cooperate. Here in Ontario, Canada, there are challenges getting out of a sales contract. There is a legal condition of "unfit for purpose" which can be applied, so I think we are going to be OK.

 

[hargoni]

Tongue weight is usually posted at DRY weight- however it IS possible thats a loaded weight OR its a printing error , very common. A full tank of liquid is counted as part of the gvwr so if the cargo weight is 1395 and you have 30 gallons of water + 6 in the hot water tank at 8.3lbs per gallon= 298.8 lbs that 1395 has to minus 300 leaving 1063lbs for cargo

It is my understanding after calling the manufacturer that the tongue weight is high (and correctly advertised) because of the axle placement (distant fulcrum, my engineer buddy explains, and I just sipped more coffee). Everyone here has helped me greatly today. We are very thankful.

 

[IBTripping]

I want to compliment on your wisdom in checking with the Forum members before making a decision. You saved yourself from some serious problems.

 

[CharlesinGA]

Super helpful -- we trusted the dealer to have this knowledge and it appears they do not. The manager said he would add a weight distribution system because he believed it would change the tongue weight, which I have learned is not true. It is unfortunate the dealer does not have the knowledge found in this forum.

99 out of 100 RV salesman will tell you that whatever you plan to tow with will be just fine. They don't care and have no liability if you damage the vehicle due to the weight or an accident. They just want to make the sale. Ask a RV salesman if he owns a camper and travels and camps himself............ most don't and have no idea what they are talking about. Actually a pretty common scenario with many businesses and products.

I highly recommend any Long Long Honeymoon video (LoLoHo) Here is the play list for beginners.

Youtube - LoLoHo Playlist For Beginners

Charles

 

[Rob&Deryl]

And, we want you to have a great rv experience so check back often with any questions.

 

[hargoni]

99 out of 100 RV salesman will tell you that whatever you plan to tow with will be just fine. They don't care and have no liability if you damage the vehicle due to the weight or an accident. They just want to make the sale. Ask a RV salesman if he owns a camper and travels and camps himself............ most don't and have no idea what they are talking about. Actually a pretty common scenario with many businesses and products.

I highly recommend any Long Long Honeymoon video (LoLoHo) Here is the play list for beginners.

Youtube - LoLoHo Playlist For Beginners

Charles

Great video, thank you for the link.

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

The manager said he would add a weight distribution system because he believed it would change the tongue weight, which I have learned is not true.

The WD (weight-distributing) hitch changes where the tongue weight is carried by the tow vehicle, but it still has to be carried somewhere. Typically some of the tongue weight is shifted from the hitch receiver & rear axle and gets moved forward to the front axle, allowing the tow vehicle to balance the load better. So that manager is right insofar as the hitch receiver on the tow vehicle is concerned, but not as far as the total cargo load on the tow vehicle is concerned.

 

[hargoni]

I want to compliment on your wisdom in checking with the Forum members before making a decision. You saved yourself from some serious problems.

Thank you. We were able to cancel the first contract and select a very similar model with a proper hitch weight, plus -- against all odds we found a seasonal site for the trailer, so I will be towing it once, then calling it the cottage ;-)

This forum has helped me in many ways, and I will be checking in regularly. Who knows, maybe one day I will be able to help someone else.

Right now, I will stick to repairing guitars as my area of expertise. Cheers.

 

[IBTripping]

Congratulations. So glad you found something that will work for you.