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Old 06-30-2020, 09:03 AM   #21
Campy Sullivan
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Originally Posted by sourdough View Post
Campy it is nice for you to be looking at the numbers and trying to get it right.

The only numbers that matter to you are the ones inside the driver door...they are "specific" to your truck and your truck only. I have a few "service manager" friends as well but none, no one, can get into a conversation about RV weights...they just don't know. They do know what their respective manufacturer hype says.

"Classic", "max tow", heavy duty package, etc. etc. etc. mean absolutely nothing. Whatever that sticker says is what all those "things" have done for you as far as towing capability; there is nothing more to add to it.

Short of a fully loaded, cat scaled weight of the trailer the only way to safely estimate what you have is to go with gvw. At 9480 your estimated tongue weight at 13% (which mine have ran over time) would be 1232 lbs. With an actual payload, for that truck, by the sticker (the definitive number - nothing else) of 1667 you are not in a good place. With 2 children and the things they will want to take on a trip vs a couple, you are going to be hard pressed not to be "between a rock and a hard place".

Remember, whatever they call a truck "classic", hd, mega xxx etc., the only thing that defines the towing/carrying capability is the sticker inside the door. Factory brochures, anecdotal thoughts from those that "know" etc. are meaningless. Look at the numbers that are being presented; they aren't as rosy as you think and will need careful scrutiny along with diligence to keep you from endangering you and your family....did I say btdt?
Well Sourdough i will keep you posted sir!! Thanks for keep me on my toes with all the opposite side of seeing this experience. All im doing is gathering as much information as possible to ensure i can get this going and get my family out for new experiences. I was just trying to share that with a cool community with similar trailers and experiences. I heard good things about the travel trailer and camping community.....so ill leave this forum at that....good luck to you all....the shared knowledge was very much appreciated and I thank you all again!!
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Old 06-30-2020, 09:29 AM   #22
sourdough
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Just trying to make you aware of the pitfalls that so many of us have faced and had to overcome; sometimes at great expense.

RV camping with children can be a barrel of fun with kids and they will get to see and do so much. Don't know what kind of memories we would have had if they were minus all the traveling and camping.

Load the truck and trailer along with all the family and "stuff" you want to take for a fun outing then hit a scale. You've got the numbers you need on the door of your truck. Stick within those and you will be good to go. I don't recall anyone mentioning trying to give yourself a 10% safety cushion below those max numbers but that would be ideal.

As you progress, when you have questions about those numbers or their implications, please post back and someone will address it. The ultimate goal is for you and your family to have as much fun as humanly possible with as little inconvenience and confusion as possible while keeping you and yours as safe as possible (how's that for an overextended, compound, fractured sentence?).

As you travel please post back with your experiences and travel locations. We are all looking for interesting places to visit and love to see/hear of others fun and adventures.
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Old 06-30-2020, 10:42 AM   #23
travelin texans
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With the 298BHWE it's not 28' but most likely 32-34' from hitch to bumper with a tongue weight of 1000lbs or more.
Your truck payload of 1667 doesn't leave you any room after you add the 800lbs you've stated for people/pets, the tongue weight alone will exceed the payload by a couple hundred pounds BEFORE you add the weight distributing hitch or 1 bag of potato chips into the RV.
Your truck will pull it, but nothing ruins the camping experience worse than a stressful screaming engine white knucklehead towing experience to your campsite, BTDT!
Unless your buddy at the truck dealer has been towing RVs in excess of 40 years like a few, possibly several, on here he doesn't know what RV length/weight that truck is capable of except what they advertise.
The same with the RV dealer you're about to deal with, their goal is to sell you as much RV as you're willing spend money on & will swear your truck can handle it, believe me they don't know or care as long as they sell you whatever you want.
Good luck to you & be safe!
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Old 06-30-2020, 11:15 AM   #24
Campy Sullivan
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Originally Posted by travelin texans View Post
With the 298BHWE it's not 28' but most likely 32-34' from hitch to bumper with a tongue weight of 1000lbs or more.
Your truck payload of 1667 doesn't leave you any room after you add the 800lbs you've stated for people/pets, the tongue weight alone will exceed the payload by a couple hundred pounds BEFORE you add the weight distributing hitch or 1 bag of potato chips into the RV.
Your truck will pull it, but nothing ruins the camping experience worse than a stressful screaming engine white knucklehead towing experience to your campsite, BTDT!
Unless your buddy at the truck dealer has been towing RVs in excess of 40 years like a few, possibly several, on here he doesn't know what RV length/weight that truck is capable of except what they advertise.
The same with the RV dealer you're about to deal with, their goal is to sell you as much RV as you're willing spend money on & will swear your truck can handle it, believe me they don't know or care as long as they sell you whatever you want.
Good luck to you & be safe!
HAHAHA....Ok community thank you...yea i clearly understand that there is a difference between the box length and the overall end to end length, thank you....so to review....All the factory numbers that are given to us by the manufacturers of our trucks and our rv's are bs and lies....my attempt at this experience will be awful....I have the wrong truck....My trailer is too big...the cargo i am physically weighing is actually heavier based on the advice here.....alright, sounds good boys lol this has been a very uplifting experience and just like every other social media outlet i will be rethinking this as well....thanks for the warm welcome RV Community!
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Old 06-30-2020, 11:28 AM   #25
Bill-2020
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Well, you all tried...
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Old 06-30-2020, 11:56 AM   #26
flybouy
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HAHAHA....Ok community thank you...yea i clearly understand that there is a difference between the box length and the overall end to end length, thank you....so to review....All the factory numbers that are given to us by the manufacturers of our trucks and our rv's are bs and lies....my attempt at this experience will be awful....I have the wrong truck....My trailer is too big...the cargo i am physically weighing is actually heavier based on the advice here.....alright, sounds good boys lol this has been a very uplifting experience and just like every other social media outlet i will be rethinking this as well....thanks for the warm welcome RV Community!
If you were expecting a a warm hideho and welcome to the campfire as we turn a blind eye when you asked if you should have any other concerns then I'm sorry we didn't meet your expectations.

The weight numbers for your truck and trailer you were stating are incorrect. Not BS, not a lie but a misinterpretation of published generic numbers that do not reflect the reality of your truck or your loaded trailer. This is a very common occurrence with "new" RVrs. No one was belligerent or belittling towards you but quite the opposite. Everyone has been trying to help you with a genuine concern for your safety. What you do with this information is your decision as is whether or not you choose to remain a member in this community.

Whatever you decide I wish you well and safe travels in the future.
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Old 07-03-2020, 06:57 AM   #27
DetnNet
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Congrats on the new rig! Welcome from Indiana!
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Old 07-05-2020, 12:31 PM   #28
formyfelinebabies
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I have to say... I have been reading these forums for many years and this is the most gentle kind “your truck ain’t big enough” set of replies I have ever seen. Good job guys! I really am sorry the OP took offense but sometimes the male ego is a mans downfall... I wish I had been told all this when I tried the travel trailer route. I was told all the BS by dealer, sold the WD hitch and waved off with my fat check in their pocket. It ruined towables for me. One trip over seven mile bridge in the keys with practically NO wind and I was literally thanking God we made it to the other side. I have been driving Rv’s since I was 19 and NEVER have I been so miserable as I was in an oversized overweight trailer that my truck should NEVER have been pulling. But I hadn’t been on these forums so I believed the BS. all we can do now Is pray his ego doesn’t hurt himself or his family’s someone else that is innocent.

It’s even harder to hear the truth when you think you have done your best to be smart. But advice is only good if it’s correct and you guys are correct. Just because SOMEONE said you can pull it doesn’t mean you should...
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Old 07-07-2020, 03:03 PM   #29
Campy Sullivan
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Definitely don't need or want a new truck thats for sure but thanks for the kindly spoken words...Towed like a dream....cruise control at 70 the way to Flagstaff climbing up to almost 8,000 elevation...65 on the way home with 30 mph winds....before leaving, we weighed in at 6450 empty and 6,850 loaded and ready to roll...so i guess the factory does get it right when printing and posting their numbers. Thats only 3060lb on my front axle and 3320lb on the rear and a hitch weight of only 1085lb with the family and bikes.

Have a wonderful day Keystone Community and thanks for those who reached out kindly!!

Safe travels
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Old 07-07-2020, 03:51 PM   #30
wiredgeorge
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Originally Posted by Campy Sullivan View Post
Definitely don't need or want a new truck thats for sure but thanks for the kindly spoken words...Towed like a dream....cruise control at 70 the way to Flagstaff climbing up to almost 8,000 elevation...65 on the way home with 30 mph winds....before leaving, we weighed in at 6450 empty and 6,850 loaded and ready to roll...so i guess the factory does get it right when printing and posting their numbers. Thats only 3060lb on my front axle and 3320lb on the rear and a hitch weight of only 1085lb with the family and bikes.

Have a wonderful day Keystone Community and thanks for those who reached out kindly!!

Safe travels

Glad to hear you are enjoying yourself. My only advice is to keep to camp grounds that have 50A so your kiddos don't fry. Almost all the parks in our neck of the woods have 50A (my trailer is 30A) and have only been to one with no 30A and only had 50A and I did have an adapter. Get that EMS as campground electricity can be no bueno at times... Frying a new camper's electricals may void your warranty!
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