Great Video.

Most people don't do the math. It looks like you are just squeaking by on the trailers GVWR (pin + axles), but that's your worst case scenario as you point out. Our trailers payload is just under 3500 pounds and it's not hard to go over given the enormous amount of storage, my wife's propensity to pack stuff and my solar and battery upgrades.

Our trailer is 34' and has a gross of 15,000# I would have liked to gone SRW for the truck but the math didn't work. Your example of almost maxing your truck with a much lighter trailer is the kind of homework I don't see displayed often with people towing huge rigs with 3/4 ton trucks.

One question. You mentioned "roadside scales" not certified scales. Can you clarify? Are you going the through the commercial truck scales that rigs are required to use? I thought they frowned on that.

In British Columbia and on the Oregon coast they have highway scales for the transport trucks but they aren't always open. Guess that means that they aren't staffed, with anyone in the booth. But, they leave the scale on when closed. So anyone can just drive in and onto the scale and look at the weight readout. If there were trucks in there I wouldn't but that is very rare if they are closed. Most of the trucks only stop if they have to.

Great video!! be nice to see a video on how to actually weigh a set up like that. There are so many people who don't know even where to start I see so many rigs on the road with trailers that ride high and low at the hitch bad tires wrong tires etc. Scares me to think what would happen in a emergency brake situation or cross wind causing a sway or a blow out. Most cases dealers sell trailers based on dry weight which is not how it should be in my opinion. I did a full scale up on my unit which is 11.995 with 5200lb axels 3 slides. what I found on mine weighing it side to side I was 600lbs heavier on the street side due to all the appliances Tv etc being on the one side. What I had to do was upgrade the spring pack on the street side to a 3000lb springs from 2600lbs to offset the heavier side. This does not increase caring capacity just compensates for the extra weight. For the tires I have 15 inch Goodyear's on the unit now due to a blow out last summer. After doing further research I have determined the load range E 15" is bare minimum when fully loaded which is rare unless drying camping. So to give me more of a buffer Iam going to upgrade to 16" wheels and tires with more capacity, this will give me about 20% more tire capacity even fully loaded. Disc brakes are coming in the spring for much better braking capability.

Randy from Victoria,

Ray...as I was watching one of the storage areas where all the electrical additions have been installed, I was thinking that your trailer has to be the most updated, added to, and modified trailer in all the US and Canada. I'm one of those who wishes I had the skills and know how to do all that you do.....truly amazing.

Good video! You are very organized!

This may be a little off topic, but I have noticed something about trailer axels. Our trailer has two axels rated at 3,500 lbs each. So 3500 x 2 = 7,000 lbs. However, the trailer weighs 5,720 lbs dry and has a cargo capacity of 1,680 lbs which together would equal 7,400 lbs. That's 400 lbs over what the axels are rated for. I called the manufacturer (many times before I got through) and the answer was the tongue and truck takes some of the weight off the axels. I guess when you are parked the tongue jack supports the additional 400 lbs? I just think that is cutting it really close. We took the truck and trailer the day before heading out on a trip to our local landfill because they have scales. They were nice enough to let us unhook and weigh the trailer. With a full tank of water we were at 7,286 lbs. I thought that was cutting it a little close so I've gotten rid of some things. It's so confusing and then you have to figure out the payload and towing capability of your truck. We have a 3/4 ton truck that pulls the trailer easily, but I just worry about overloading the trailer.

Since I'm on the subject my neighbor has a single axel trailer with the 3,500lb rated axel. Her trailer weighs dry 3,300lbs. Her full tank of water weighs 250 lbs. So she is over the 3,500lb axel rating right there. Her max cargo is 600 lbs plus the dry weight of the trailer which is 3,900 lbs. That leaves that magic 400lbs again on the tongue. Anyway, she overloaded her trailer and bent her axel. She replaced it with a 5,500lb axel and some bigger tires so she can at least fill her water tank and load more than 350lbs of cargo in her trailer.

I just think the axels should be rated to carry the entire weight of the trailer. I think about how much weight is on the tongue jack or the landing gear. But maybe they are meant to take the load. What do I know LOL!

Some of the weight of the trailer transfers to the truck axles when hooked up. For my fifth wheel, it's almost 2500 lbs. 25% That's one reason to try and keep the truck and trailer level so that the proper amount of weight is shared between the truck and trailer. If for example, a trailer is too much nose high then more weight ends up on the rear trailer axles and tires. If close to the max limits already it can lead to them being overloaded. See that quite a bit these days with the newer tall trucks.
My fifth wheel landing legs can easily handle the 2500 lbs when unhooked, each leg is rated for 4000 lbs. I imagine number pull jacks are similarly built for the job. Axle weights are rated for a moving trailer where it will encounter much greater forces than sitting. Cheers, Ray