tires cannot hold full wtg?

[stormy2000]

hello,

  we are new to rv'ing and just starting FT with about 1 1/2 mos so far.  we haven't weighted our trailer  yet with our "stuff,"  but will be
doing so shortly.  we have a 2013 keystone sprinter 300 KBS TT, with ST 225/75R15 D @ 2540 per tire (4) and empty wtg of 7880 and
CCC 3270 and hitch @ 990.

  looking at the #, it seems we are shorted, in that we cannot carry the CCC as stated with the tires
installed on our TT and the hitch wtg will be short of the 10%.

  do not want to replace tires yet as they are still brand new with less than 100 miles on them.  just checking that my calcs is correct,
that we cannot load up 3270 lbs of stuff on our trailer due the tires cannot hold them.

  we won't know our full wtg till we weight the TT which will be shortly when we go camping in a KOA down south not too far, as
we want to "practice," first before going far.

  thank you for inputs.


bill & jodi

 

[donn]

What is your  axle rating?  The tires only need to carry a load rating equal to or greater than the axles ratings.  Making guesses on your actual weights can be a foolish mistake.  They are seldom very accurate.  You really need to load the trailer up and get it to the scales for some accurate numbers.  Most full timers carry far more than the average weekender, so expect to be at or very close to the trailers GVWR.

 

[Ernie n Tara]

By your numbers each tire should be rated for 2,535 lb. if you load for 10% on the tongue. You determine the loading, so they can handle the load with a 15 lb margin each. That said, trailers often (usually) have the cheapest tires they can legally use. They also will be speed limited, probably to 65 mph and you won't be that good at weight distribution, so expect tire problems!
Ernie

 

[dave61]

If I were you I would make an effort to travel light since your tires are at max weight with the full cargo load. Tanks only as full as really necessary and keep a really close eye on tire pressure. One tire a little under inflated is going to overload the other on the same side. Good luck.

 

[stormy2000]

ok thank you for your inputs, we are looking daily to cleaning up what we really "need," before going out.


bill & jodi

 

[FastEagle]

hello,

  we are new to rv'ing and just starting FT with about 1 1/2 mos so far.  we haven't weighted our trailer  yet with our "stuff,"  but will be
doing so shortly.  we have a 2013 keystone sprinter 300 KBS TT, with ST 225/75R15 D @ 2540 per tire (4) and empty wtg of 7880 and
CCC 3270 and hitch @ 990.

  looking at the #, it seems we are shorted, in that we cannot carry the CCC as stated with the tires
installed on our TT and the hitch wtg will be short of the 10%.

  do not want to replace tires yet as they are still brand new with less than 100 miles on them.  just checking that my calcs is correct,
that we cannot load up 3270 lbs of stuff on our trailer due the tires cannot hold them.

  we won't know our full wtg till we weight the TT which will be shortly when we go camping in a KOA down south not too far, as
we want to "practice," first before going far.

  thank you for inputs.


bill & jodi

You are very close to being correct about your Original Equipment tires. Keystone has a long history of providing marginal tires. Your trailer is a classic example of a Keystone product pushing the limit with their OE tire selection.

Here are the specs for your trailer. Unless there were some options installed before or after it left the factory these specs would be correct.

http://www.keystonerv.com/sprinter/#/specs

Using these particular specs you add the shipping weight to the cargo weight to get the trailer?s GVWR. Then subtract the hitch weight from the GVWR and divide by two to get the GAWR. Each of your axles should be listed on the tire placard as 5080#. Your installed tires match that figure. By DOT regulations that is the minimum acceptable tire fitment for those axles. THEY WONT LAST LONG, especially with loads close to the trailer?s GVWR.

Even the most simple upgrade to LRE tires of the same size will most likely require new rims. Keystone uses the standard white spoke rims on travel trailers. The ones they use for LRD tires are normally pressure rated for 70 psi.

If you have to buy new rims you might want to consider going to a larger 16? tire/rim configuration. The LT215/85R16E is 1.6? taller than your OE tires. It?s an option you have available to you if your  axle spacing is great enough for the fitment. It would  give you the much needed load capacity reserves for safety  and increased speed ratings. They are sold by most major American tire manufacturers.

FastEagle

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

As the others have already said, if you load to the max (GVWR), your tires will also be at their max load. That's pretty much a guarantee of an early life failure, since few products will have a long life when stressed to their limits 100% of the time.

You can either keep the load down so the weight stays around 10,000 lbs, or get tires with more weight capacity. That mean either a greater load rating for the same size, or a larger size (if you have room).

 

[stormy2000]

would it help if we need to, to move some things to the bed of our truck? we have a 2010 silverado 2500hd diesel, and stay within the axle wtg
of the silverado? and keeping the tt to about 10,000 lbs.

does the wtg of the bed of truck figure in with the wtg of the hitch?  since the storage space of our tt is the bedroom with the cabinets and under
the bed storage,  would moving some of the items to the living room/kitchen also help to even the wtg of our tt, or would that increase the wtg of
our hitch?   

we'll keep our traveling speed below the 65 mph that should be no problem.  just need get the wtg balancing/gvwr/axle correct.

  thanks for inputs.

bill & jodi

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

would it help if we need to, to move some things to the bed of our truck? we have a 2010 silverado 2500hd diesel, and stay within the axle wtg
of the silverado? and keeping the tt to about 10,000 lbs.

Probably. Any weight removed from the trailer reduces the load on the axles and tires.

does the wtg of the bed of truck figure in with the wtg of the hitch?

Not sure what you mean by that, but none of the truck weight ratings include the weight of any hitch you might install, nor any passengers or gear in the truck. The truck ratings are with a full tank of fuel and a 154 lb driver onboard.

would moving some of the items to the living room/kitchen also help to even the wtg of our tt, or would that increase the wtg of
our hitch?

Moving stuff forward shifts weight from the axles to the tongue, i.e. changes the balance of the trailer. 

 

[stormy2000]

thank you for the info, that cleared up a lot of mystery for us.  we are cleaning up everyday getting ready for our first true voyage south to that
KOA, but will be stopping to weigh our truck & TT first.  least now we feel better about this.


bill & jodi