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Old 07-20-2013, 05:11 PM   #21
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Ah cool! Wasn't sure about the water part of it so I went to the safe side...

With Techfans weight at 2,840 the key is to keep the tongue weight at about 284 lbs. It should be noted as the trailer gets loaded more or less, the tongue weight should be adjusted accordingly by shifting the load inside the trailer forward or aft.

Too much in the front, the TV will squat, reducing the ability to properly steer and reduce TV handling.

Too much in the rear, the trailer can begin to sway.

I experienced this with my boat and it scared the mud out of me ONCE... I vowed that that would not happen again.

Ultimately, it comes down to safety. One should NEVER exceed the GVAW of the trailer and the Combined GVWR of the TV and Trailer combination. The responses that state to keep a 20% reserve of TV towing capacity and trailer GAWR are dead on.

There is nothing worse than overloading or overworking a beloved TV and have it turn around and cost thousands of dollars in repair costs. Or worse yet, end up in a ditch with our little eggs laying on their backs! That would totally would ruin a great trip for me!!!
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Old 07-28-2013, 04:41 PM   #22
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On a recent trip to southern Oregon, we pulled into a vacant weigh station and weighed our car and 15B. All three tanks were reading 1/3 full and propane (1 tank) was at about 1/2 full. Escape Industries-installed equalizer hitch was connected. The Jeep Liberty came in at 4800 lbs, our 15B at 2450 and the whole unit at 7250. Options include dual 6 volt, outside shower, three-burner stove and stainless sink, 4-drawers instead of wardrobe, 15" aluminum wheels, window in bath and extra window over counter, extra insulation with foam, and thermal windows. Also, it was a short trip and we didn't have much food/clothes/stuff with us.
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Old 07-28-2013, 08:24 PM   #23
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JimJ View Post
The Jeep Liberty came in at 4800 lbs, our 15B at 2450 and the whole unit at 7250.
Jim:

Was the trailer hitched to your tow vehicle when you weighed it? If so, the trailer weight did not include the tongue weight, so the total trailer weight would be more than 2450 pounds.
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Old 07-28-2013, 08:30 PM   #24
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Good to know, Brian. Yes, it was attached. I'll disconnect next time.
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Old 07-28-2013, 09:25 PM   #25
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We were loaded for the full month trip. Also, we have the A/C and the front box which Jim and Robin don't have which would add about another 200 pounds. Our E-qualizer hitch adds about 60 pounds also. That makes Jim and Robin's weight about the same as ours if you take the differences into account. I think I was just surprised to find out that the 15B was heavier than I first estimated when we were making the purchase decision. Some build to order sites list the weight of each option. This might be a good addition for Escape to add to their options page.
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Old 07-29-2013, 04:46 PM   #26
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JimJ View Post
... we pulled into a vacant weigh station and weighed our car and 15B. All three tanks were reading 1/3 full and propane (1 tank) was at about 1/2 full. Escape Industries-installed equalizer hitch was connected. The Jeep Liberty came in at 4800 lbs, our 15B at 2450 and the whole unit at 7250...
Also, it was a short trip and we didn't have much food/clothes/stuff with us.
Thanks for the information, Jim. Of course even with 1/3 tanks and a light cargo load, the weight will be more than that of just the trailer itself.

The real challenge is the weight-distributing (WD) hitch. The trailer axle measurement of 2450 pounds is the actual trailer weight on the axle, plus some added by the WD system. At the same time, as already mentioned, it doesn't include the tongue weight. So the weight of the lightly loaded but well-equipped Escape 15B is 2450 lb, minus the WD contribution, plus the (unknown) hitch weight. The WD contribution should be much less than the hitch weight, so the trailer loaded this way weighs significantly more than 2450 pounds.

At least we know that the trailer's axle and tires are definitely not overloaded (3500 lb GAWR, tires are much higher if sufficiently inflated). If the individual Jeep front and rear axle weights were noted, then they can be compared to the GAWR (on the door sticker) to make sure they're okay; similarly the 4800 lb can be compared to GVWR (I'm sure 4800 lb is fine).
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Old 07-29-2013, 04:57 PM   #27
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JimJ View Post
Yes, it was attached. I'll disconnect next time.
It seems like a lot of work, but to determine what a trailer weighs and how the WD system is working, three trips across the scales are required, noting the individual reading for each axle each time:
  1. once with the whole rig, WD system connected
  2. once with the whole rig, but the WD system disconnected (even if you wouldn't normally drive that way) - this provides the portion of trailer weight on the tongue
  3. once with just the tug (no trailer)
The differences between readings tell you what the WD system is doing, and how much of the total is trailer (including tongue). The tongue weight itself can also be calculated from these axle readings, but it is much more accurate to measure it directly. If both tug axles fit on the scale at the same time, noting that can save accumulated error from separate axle readings.

This is all much simpler without WD.
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Old 07-29-2013, 06:30 PM   #28
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I need a beer........
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Old 07-29-2013, 10:14 PM   #29
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Thanks, Brian. I'll need a scale that will allow a LOT of time (and then a beer).
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Old 08-25-2013, 10:08 PM   #30
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Update... tongue weight. Well, with all of this discussion I started I thought I'd better buy a Sherline for the next trip. Got it just in time for out trip to the Olympics in Washington. Shock!!! My tongue weight was 450 pounds with 1/3 fresh water and empty other tanks when I should have been around 280 as previously mentioned. We have the box and dual batteries and one 1/2 full propane tank. The box has water hoses, chocks, and a few other set up items. The front of the 15 has assorted cooking things, knives a few pots, some small boxes of food, a rice cooker and a small toaster oven. I don't think we have that much up front. It is a good thing the fresh water tank is behind the axle. By taking it up to 2/3 full I reduced the tongue weight more than 100 pounds. Almost full, takes me to where I need to be. My lesson learned... don't guess, weigh. I never would have thought the 15B with the few things we had up front would have had a tongue weight so heavy. I'd rather pull more weight around than have that heavy a tongue weight. Now carrying the Sherline with us on every trip.
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Old 08-25-2013, 10:36 PM   #31
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That is an astonishingly high tongue weight, especially for the Escape 15 (or similar Trillium 4500 or Surfside TM-14), which has the axle proportionately closer to the body centre than most designs.

The 15B has the galley across the front, which would tend to shift load forward, but with the fridge still back over the axle, I wouldn't expect this to be a big issue.

By the way, is that really the tongue weight, or was that measured under the jack? The jack is closer to the axle, so it carries more load.
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Old 08-26-2013, 07:02 AM   #32
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sounds like a good plan, I try to weigh myself before each trip or carry it with me, many times other campers have asked to use the Sherline.
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Old 10-02-2013, 10:25 AM   #33
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My 15B weighs in at 2350 axle plus 280 tongue for a total of 2630#.

All tanks were empty, the trailer was empty. Both propane tanks were full, dual batteries. No a/c. Insulation and thermopanes. The trailer weighs about 500# more than I expected even allowing for propane and batteries. Where does the weight come from?h
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