New here
 

Hello found the site while looking for Hi-Lo camper info.
Looking to purchase 2004, Towlite, 2404T.
Tow vehicle will be:
2012 Sliverado
4x4 ext. cab w/ factory towing package
Finding the trailer tongue height quite a bit higher than I am used to ( 8" rise ).
Looking for the appropriate information as to if this tv will handle without issues?
Thanks for any assistance

Welcome to the forum.
 

Welcome. Look in the library for the trailer weight. HiLos tend to be heavier than the posted weight. Remember to account for gear and passengers.

Thanks Sam,
I haven't spent enough time here to research all that is offered as yet, but seems family friendly and informative.
I have done limited research on-line regarding the camper, I did purchase it though.
Have a family relative that had similar unit truck, said no issues and enjoyed the unit.
So I will spend time here in the yard getting to know the camper in / outs.
Have others that are willing to instruct / teach me on camper towing as I have limited experience with this size unit as yet.
Thanks again.

One other inquiry.
This regarding weight / sway bar assembly.
Differing opinions as to the need, camper weights in at 4650 lbs.

Church, welcome to the forum! I've posted this numerous times, but you don't usually need to be concerned with the gross weight of the trailer. Most any vehicle will "pull" those weights.

What you DO need to be concerned with though is the tongue weight of the trailer. That is the weight you will be putting on your tow vehicle's axles. You can find the axle weight limits on a sticker inside the driver's door. Then, you have to go weigh your tow vehicle on something like a CAT scale at a truck stop (it's easy and inexpensive). This will tell you the current weight your axles are supporting.

Then the tongue weight of the trailer will be 9-15% of its gross weight, so you are looking at a tongue weight of around 700# for that trailer. This will be supported by your tow vehicle's axles. You will need a Weight Distribution Hitch (WDH) and that will add another 70+ pounds. Then, you have to add in the weight of all passengers, and other things you take camping. ALL of these additional weights are carried by the axles. Do all those weights added to the current weight carried by your axles keep you under the limits?

- Jack

I received this email from Church, which I am copying here, since I think it is of interest to all members:

...Getting to many people involved in working out the clarity makes it difficult.
This is where it gets a little confusing to me, maybe a lot.
The GAWR front and rear: 3950 lbs.
Why weight the truck? Are they not rated when full tanks, fluids and driver?
The hitch weight ( tongue weight ? ) according to spec sheet is 520lbs.
You have the tongue weight @ 700lbs., how did you calculate that?
Just for round figures, let's say additional 800 lbs, passengers and gear.
Not sure what the propane tanks and battery weigh in at, but aware of the additional lbs for the hitch.
Again I thank you for reply.
I want to make sure that we are all safe on the roadways.
Tom

This was my reply:

The GAWRs on your truck are pretty good, better than the ones on my F150. You might find that the maximum gross vehicle weight rating of your truck is actually more than the sum of those two ratings, which makes no sense to me, even though I saw an explanation for this once.

But, why weigh the truck? Because you may well find your truck weighs more than you think it does, based on the specs you see. As I recall, my truck is about 1000# heavier than I expected. Some of that is caused by the bed cap I have, but that is only about 250#. My experience is that vehicles are heavier than what the manufacturers say they are. Weigh it with a full tank of gas and you in the truck, as well as any ordinary equipment you always have aboard.

Now, tongue weight: Ideally, you want the tongue weight to be about 12.5% of the trailer's gross weight and NO LESS THAN 9%. You gave me a trailer weight of around 4500# so I just did a quick calculation in my head and got ~700# (450 + half of that).

The trailer spec sheets are SUPPOSED to include the weight of the two propane tanks and all standard equipment including the battery. You have either 20 or 30# propane tanks, and a lead-acid battery is about 70#. My trailer is SUPPOSED to weigh about 3000#, but actually weighs about 3500# with an empty water tank. If I fill the water tank, it weighs 3800#, which is its max gross weight. Others have found their trailers are heavier than "spec" too.

As an aside, my trailer was initially constructed badly from HiLo and the axle was too far back. This gave me a tongue weight of slightly over 600# which was way more than its "listed" weight. I had the axle moved forward to correct this.

Yes, you should probably weigh the trailer too, but basing the tongue weight off the trailer's max gross weight is a safe bet. And, the tongue weight should NEVER be less than 9-10% of the gross weight, or you can get trailer sway, which is VERY dangerous!

I hope this explains things a bit better. If not, ask for clarification.

I know it was long, and possibly tedious, but I've found that things seem to weigh quite a bit more than they are supposed to and if you want to be safe, you need to respect those weights.

- Jack