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Old 10-02-2022, 06:52 AM   #1
Rocketsled
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Join Date: Jun 2019
Location: Parker
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800 lbs left over?

The GVWR for our new to us Grand Design 351m (3 AC’s, double paned windows, aux tank) is 16800.

With some of our stuff in it, a Kayak, no food, and no fresh water, it came off the cat scales at 16000 and change.

No motorcycle, No Solar/Inverter/Victron stuff yet (I’ll get a little weight back moving from Lead batteries to Lithium)

I’m betting the two memory foam queen mattresses didn’t help. I can see where I can move 200+ lbs to the truck almost immediately (Toolbox, Blackstone, Power Cable, etc.)…

The plan is to add solar, and occasionally pull with my 850 lb motorcycle onboard. I can see where you could pull the motorcycle but not Fresh Water, I’m good for that…but I’m tiptoeing around a fully loaded trailer by GVWR, even if the Axles aren't near their max.

There’s an option for 8000 lb axles, and trailers with them show a GVWR of 17,000…but is this a situation like Tow Vehicle magic where Airbags don’t equal improved weight capacities?

(edit: The Truck's a 3500HD Dually with 5200 lb payload, so there's budget to move stuff off the trailer.)
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Old 10-02-2022, 07:32 AM   #2
JRTJH
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The Dexter 7000 pound axles are built with a 3" axle tube, 2x12" electric brakes and weigh 232 pounds. The Dexter 8000 pound axles are built with a 3.5" axle tube, 2.25x3.375 brakes and weigh 275 pounds. The spring sets to upgrade also weigh more than the 7K spring sets.

So, that extra GVWR is probably to accommodate the weight of the upgraded equipment, I'd guess with a little "fudge factor" added in to keep the GVWR at an even number.

It's likely that the frame rails/chassis is rated by Lippert at a specific GVWR "with 7K axles" and at a different GVWR "with 8K axles". Sort of like Ford uses the same "frame rails" on the F250 and the F350, but upgrades axles and suspension components to achieve a larger GVWR.

But, adding the 8K axles will add several hundred pounds to the trailer weight, just in hardware weight, so all that GVWR is not "bonus", much of it is needed to keep a reasonable payload by not eating up the payload with trailer weight upgrades.
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Old 10-02-2022, 07:39 AM   #3
Rocketsled
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Suddenly it makes a whole lot of since why:

People move a lot of weight to the pickup bed
People buy triple axle trailers

The latter isn't an option for where we want to go, and if I have to make sacrifices to pull the motorcycle, so be it.

Having given it some thought, I'm betting I can free up 400 or so lbs without much effort...the Kayak won't be in the garage with the motorcycle, The toolbox, the propane for the fire pit, the fire pit, and the blackstone can all go in the pickup bed.

Good info on the Axles...in fixing an alignment issue on the last trailer, they added a spring to each Dexter 7000 axle (after I consulted with Dexter and got the greenlight from them) and had really good results from it...sounds like that's not an option here.

I've managed to get the truck to the point where I don't need to worry about it's capacities, but it doesn't mean I can ignore the trailer.
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Old 10-02-2022, 08:56 AM   #4
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Thats a lot cargo............my trailer dry weight / GVWR is similar to yours and loaded weight is only ~15,000 lbs with no camping supplies in the truck, just the DW and dog.
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