The weigh in... towing with a half-ton

[major bumm]

Hi all,

We all see many posts asking about half-tons and towing a TT. Here is my experience. (one of many)



I had to make a relocation move recently. It was on short notice and I just finished shopping for the month when I got the news. The closest Walmart was 220 miles round trip and some things I just could not get locally.

Anyway, I saddled up and got on the scales.

Details:
- Truck had a full tank
- weight distribution hitch on
- truck bed ~100 - 120lbs (guess)
- camper fresh water tank had ~15gals out of 40
- waste tanks empty
- way too many groceries inside camper, of course
- three 35# propane cylinders mostly full

I guessed right that the camper was under 7000 gvw (5380lbs dry weight).

But look at the rear axle weight. Over by 360lbs. The camper, truck and I need to go on a diet anyway, but sheez! I even moved some things to the rear of the camper to offset the tongue weight. Did the truck and camper perform well? Yes, even with 20+ mph crosswinds. There was no time to relax and enjoy that part of the trip because, as expected, I got pushed around a bit. Even with a 1000lbs less, I would have been pushed around, but that's the winds out West.

So! As so many here have said, your payload is very limited when towing with a half-ton truck. Now, I need to go and lose some weight.