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Old 09-25-2018, 10:59 AM   #1
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Am I okay on weight?

I went to the CAT Scale for the first time before the last trip, all packed for travel. If you like, take a look at this and offer any advice or assurances?

The sticker in my 17B says:
Tongue Load Range: 160 kg/353 lbs
GVWR: 1,590 kg/3,505 lbs
Cargo Carrying Capacity: 309 kg/681 lbs

Website lists:
GVWR: 4,000 lbs - discrepancy with above?

CAT Scale:
Steer Axle: 2,920 lbs
Drive Axle: 3,620 lbs
Trailer Axle: 3,300 lbs
Gross Weight: 9,840 lbs

Sherline Scale:
Tongue Weight: 480 lbs - I'm a little worried about this number.

Jeep Grand Cherokee Ltd Diesel with me, 2 dogs, kayak on top, etc.:
Steer Axle: 3,100 lbs
Drive Axle: 2,980 lbs
Gross Weight: 6,080 lbs

Jeep GC Ratings:
Curb weight: 4,685 lbs
Payload: 1,815 lbs
Towing capacity: 6,200 lbs

My tongue weight is about 12.5-13% of total trailer weight depending on which number you use, 460 or 480. I know I'm okay with towing capacity with the Jeep (adding weight of the trailer plus Jeep cargo). This is about the most I will ever be loaded with for a trip to my property, carrying tools, herbicides, kayak and accessories, food, not that many clothes, a 48-lb tent shelter.

I have the solar panel and batteries and storage box and AC and am pretty loaded with trailer options. I imagine I was over the limit when I took the lumber and metal frame for a 200-lb picnic table.

After 3.5 years I probably should go through the trailer now and take out items I don't use.
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Old 09-25-2018, 11:13 AM   #2
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Weights and capacities have gone up a bit. Here is from the wayback machine for your trailer in 2015.
https://web.archive.org/web/20150302...17-foot-escape
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Old 09-25-2018, 11:21 AM   #3
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Originally Posted by wetzk View Post
Weights and capacities have gone up a bit. Here is from the wayback machine for your trailer in 2015.
https://web.archive.org/web/20150302...17-foot-escape
That explains the 3,505 vs. 4,000. Thank you.
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Old 09-25-2018, 12:10 PM   #4
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Just think how less the t/w will be with the rear box loaded?
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Old 09-25-2018, 12:33 PM   #5
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Put up a shed on your property and leave some of the stuff there. Have a friend with acreage in NY state, he put up a garage just to leave stuff in more or less secured.
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Old 09-25-2018, 12:37 PM   #6
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I don't understand that tongue weight.
My 2008 17B comes in at 320 - 340 lbs, loaded for camping. I, occasionally, have moved my beer supply forward to under the front dinette to increase tongue weight.
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Old 09-25-2018, 02:51 PM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Nindy View Post
I went to the CAT Scale for the first time before the last trip, all packed for travel. If you like, take a look at this and offer any advice or assurances?
.
Hi Nindy,
Based off the listed weights:
1. TV w/attached Trailer Wt. = 6,540 Lbs.
2. TV Weight = 6,080 Lbs.
3. Trailer Gross Weight = 3,760 Lbs.
4. TV & Trailer Combined Weight = 9,840 Lbs.
5. TV GVWR = 6,500 Lbs. (curb weight 4,685 + payload 1815)

A. You are 40 Lbs. over your vehicles GVWR.
B. You are 255 Lbs. over your trailers GTWR. (GVWR)

My advise would be to re-evaluate the contents of TV and Trailer.
I also would re-evaluate adding weight to the rear of the trailer exceeding 150 Lbs. as you are 200 Lbs. away from exceeding your trailers GAWR of 3,500 Lbs.

Happy Camping
Tin
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Old 09-25-2018, 05:52 PM   #8
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Originally Posted by cpaharley2008 View Post
Just think how less the t/w will be with the rear box loaded?
... and how much less stable the trailer will be.
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Old 09-25-2018, 06:26 PM   #9
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... and how much less stable the trailer will be.
Aw, truer words have never been spoken.
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Old 09-25-2018, 06:55 PM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by gbaglo View Post
I don't understand that tongue weight.
My 2008 17B comes in at 320 - 340 lbs, loaded for camping. I, occasionally, have moved my beer supply forward to under the front dinette to increase tongue weight.
I don't either. I don't have that much in the front storage box and it's not real heavy stuff. I tend to put a couple of bags of field guides up front on the lower bunk and my clothes are in the upper storage on the front right, laptop and battery chargers on the left. I was working for the conservation department doing butterfly surveys all summer and probably had too many books and paperwork.

I may empty the trailer, weigh my stuff and reweigh the trailer too. Okay, I just weighed most of the books and laptop and they were 50 lbs. I also have a rather lightweight toaster oven under the lower bunk and a TV I never use under one seat. I also had a mothing light with battery that was rather heavy up front.

I can leave most of the books at home and ditch the TV. I'll work on this. Thank you for looking at my numbers.
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Old 09-25-2018, 06:57 PM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Tin View Post
My advise would be to re-evaluate the contents of TV and Trailer.
I also would re-evaluate adding weight to the rear of the trailer exceeding 150 Lbs. as you are 200 Lbs. away from exceeding your trailers GAWR of 3,500 Lbs.

Happy Camping
Tin
Thank you, Tin. I was forgetting to add the tongue weight to the Jeep weight. I don't plan on exceeding the 150 on the back of the trailer.
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Old 09-25-2018, 06:59 PM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by padlin View Post
Put up a shed on your property and leave some of the stuff there. Have a friend with acreage in NY state, he put up a garage just to leave stuff in more or less secured.
I plan on doing that probably sooner than I thought. It will probably get broken into but that's what you have insurance for.
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Old 09-25-2018, 07:28 PM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Nindy View Post

Sherline Scale:

Tongue Weight: 480 lbs - I'm a little worried about this number.

Can you verify that this number is right using a different measuring tool? Your Sherline could be off. Possibly. Doesn’t hurt to verify.
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Old 09-25-2018, 07:30 PM   #14
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Nindy View Post
I may empty the trailer, weigh my stuff and reweigh the trailer too. Okay, I just weighed most of the books and laptop and they were 50 lbs. I also have a rather lightweight toaster oven under the lower bunk and a TV I never use under one seat. I also had a mothing light with battery that was rather heavy up front.
The published base dry weight of a 2015 17B is 2170 pounds. This trailer weighs 3760 pounds, so the trailer is 1590 pounds over the dry and empty weight, although some of this is options and fluids (propane and water). Do you know the weight listed by Escape for this specific trailer, which is shown on import paperwork?

Whatever the option and fluid weight, there's a lot of stuff somewhere that is not listed above. I think taking everything out and seeing what's really there is a great idea.
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Old 09-26-2018, 05:41 AM   #15
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Where's the fresh water tank on a 17 in relation to the axle, behind it? Did you do your weights with or without a full fresh tank? Might be worth checking the tongue weight both ways.

Taking it ETI specs are in US gallons vs Imperial.

Fresh, up to 166 lbs
Grey, up to 216 lbs
Black, up to 158 lbs
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Old 09-26-2018, 10:28 AM   #16
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Originally Posted by sclifrickson View Post
Can you verify that this number is right using a different measuring tool? Your Sherline could be off. Possibly. Doesn’t hurt to verify.
Might be. If the total trailer weight was 3,760 and the trailer axle weight was 3,300, would that calculate to a 460 lb tongue weight?
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Old 09-26-2018, 10:29 AM   #17
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Originally Posted by Nindy View Post
Might be. If the total trailer weight was 3,760 and the trailer axle weight was 3,300, would that calculate to a 460 lb tongue weight?

Yes. My calculator app agrees.
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Old 09-26-2018, 10:30 AM   #18
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Originally Posted by padlin View Post
Where's the fresh water tank on a 17 in relation to the axle, behind it? Did you do your weights with or without a full fresh tank? Might be worth checking the tongue weight both ways.

Taking it ETI specs are in US gallons vs Imperial.

Fresh, up to 166 lbs
Grey, up to 216 lbs
Black, up to 158 lbs
I weighed it packed for a trip, gray and black empty, fresh water full.
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Old 09-26-2018, 03:01 PM   #19
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Quote:
Originally Posted by padlin View Post
Where's the fresh water tank on a 17 in relation to the axle, behind it?
Yes, all models have a similarly placed fresh water tank, behind the axle(s).

Quote:
Originally Posted by padlin View Post
Taking it ETI specs are in US gallons vs Imperial...
By coincidence, a recent thread included a photo of the sticker on a fresh water tank, confirming that the ETI spec is in U.S. gallons... at least on a 5.0TA.
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Old 09-26-2018, 03:06 PM   #20
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The difference between the Sherline's 480 pound reading and the 460 pound calculation of tongue weight is insignificant. The truck scale precision is likely only in 20-pound steps, and calculation of tongue weight as a difference of weights introduces more error, so even if the scales are perfectly accurate the 460 pound result could mean a weight anywhere between 440 and 480 pounds; the two values of 480 and 460 are the same within the measurement and calculation tolerance.

Just out of curiosity, does the coupler have a maximum tongue weight stamped on it? A 2" coupler rarely has more than 5,000 pound trailer weight capacity rating, and towing equipment for 5,000 pound trailer capacity often has only a 500 pound tongue/hitch weight rating.
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