Which weights make up the total?

[Lou]

If a vehicle can pull 3500 lbs, can someone please explain which of these numbers make the TOTAL weight that can be pulled (before we add supplies)?


One place told me the trailer had hitch-222 lbs, UVW-2014 lbs and CCC 1208 ibs.
Another place described one as tongue-370 lbs weight base-1995 lbs, GVWR 3500 lbs


For the curious (like me), this is the reason I want to know, . I used to understand it, but I think a sales person was trying to mislead us about the significance of the weights. I just need to know which weights matter for estimating pulling ability. We know all about other towing complications.



We have a Pleasure-Way and our daughter's family is considering a hard sided pop up to pull behind their Honda Odyssey. We thought that when we all go camping together this summer, instead of tenting they could rent a pop up from a place near the campground and we could pick it up and pull it to the campsite. Then they could try living in it before they decide what to buy ( and before they add a trailer hitch).

[Jon in AZ]

What you can tow depends in part on what's in the tow vehicle. It gets even muddier when the tow vehicle is heavily modified and much heavier than the stock van.

The real bottom line numbers you need to stay within are the GVWR of the van, the front and rear GAWRs of the van, and the GCWR of van plus trailer. Those numbers should be on a placard on the driver's door jamb. They should also be in your owner's manual.

A good starting point would be determining the actual gross weight of your van (fully loaded and provisioned with all passengers on board). A CAT scale at a truck stop can give you axle-by-axle weights for a modest fee.

Once you have your weight ratings and your actual gross weights before adding a trailer, then you can so some simple calculations.

First, calculate GVWR - gross scaled van weight and rear GAWR - scaled rear axle weight. The lesser of the two is your maximum tongue weight.

Second, calculate GCWR - gross scaled van weight. That's your maximum trailer weight.

Personally I'd multiply those figures by 75% to give myself some margin.

Your daughter will have the same issues when selecting a trailer she can tow with the Odyssey. The full tow ratings only include a driver and front seat passenger and no other cargo on the van. The tow ratings go down as you add additional people and cargo to the van. Unlike a Class B, Honda spells it all out pretty clearly in the owner's manual (we tow a small travel trailer with a Honda Pilot).

[Rockwood27]

Based on the values, it appears that both trailers have a GVWR of 3,500 lbs. My guess is that you will be approaching that value, with supplies, batteries, propane, water, toys, etc. You should figure around 10% to 15% of that weight to be on the hitch (tongue weight). That's about 350 to 500 lbs added as load to your PW. If all the people that you mentioned, above, are going to be traveling in the PW, I would recommend that you load it up for the camping trip, less the trailer, but including all the people and get it weighed at a certified scale (truck stop, grain store, gravel yard, etc). Get both the front and, most importantly, the rear axle weights. Subtract these values from the vans GVWR, front and rear axle ratings. This will determine how much tongue weight you can add. In a Class B, you may amazed how little capacity you have for a trailer.

[Jon in AZ]

The numbers for the first one make more sense than the second. Neither is 100% clear.

On the first, I would probably understand 222# as the unloaded hitch weight, 2014# is probably the unloaded total weight (possibly the unloaded axle weight), and 1208# is how much gear you can add. If 2014# is total weight, then the GVWR is 3222#. If 2014# is axle weight only, then the GVWR would be 3444#.

On the second, the 370# hitch weight seems extremely high for an empty trailer that weighs less than 2000#. I'd be asking for clarification.

Either way, you really need to assess your van's weight. If it's rated to tow 3500# post-conversion, everything you add beyond a driver and passenger will potentially reduce your available towing capacity.

[Nic7320]

Originally Posted by Lou

One place told me the trailer had hitch-222 lbs, UVW-2014 lbs and CCC 1208 ibs.
Another place described one as tongue-370 lbs weight base-1995 lbs, GVWR 3500 lbs

General recommendations is to have about 10 - 15% tongue weight.

from: https://www.trailersoftheeastcoast.com/

Tongue weight (TW) refers to the weight that a fully loaded trailer exerts downward on the hitch ball of the tow vehicle. Tongue weight should be between 10-15 percent of gross trailer weight (GTW). For example, a 10,000-lb trailer should have a tongue weight between 1,000 lbs and 1,500 lbs. You can adjust the tongue weight of your trailer by removing or adding cargo, or redistributing the load on the trailer. The tongue weight should never exceed the capacity of your tow vehicle, your hitch, or any of your towing components.



So 222 lbs for a UVW-2014 lbs is about right for an empty trailer.

And 370 lbs for a 1995 lb trailer is either based on about a 15%+ tongue weight or about a 10%+ tongue weight with a loaded weight of 3500 lbs.

Proper tongue weight and proper load distribution reduce sway.

[llemberg]

Originally Posted by Lou

If a vehicle can pull 3500 lbs, can someone please explain which of these numbers make the TOTAL weight that can be pulled (before we add supplies)?

A fairly good explanation of the various trailer/towing weights and weight ratings can be seen at https://familyrvusa.com/dry-weight-g...-does-it-mean/

[Peder_y2k]

Always best to have the tow vehicle weigh more than the trailer. Although I personally towed an 11,000lb. trailer with a 6,000lb. van, I dont reccomend that as it is like the tail wagging the dog......unsafe in many circumstances.

[mangomike]

So,If I understand what has been said
My 165 lbs of Bikes and 45 lbs of bike rake is about all my RT ''08 Chevy 210p can handle?
Tanks
Michael