Hitch weight spec on momentum info sheet question

**robinson468** · 06-23-2018, 09:11 PM

On the "Vehicle Weight Information Sheet" that came with our new Momentum 349M it lists hitch weight at 3070 lbs. Is this just an estimate of hitch weight of the the trailer unloaded?

I think we may be screwed. We are complete newbies. Our research consisted of asking the dealers questions about towing capabilities. After choosing the 349M as the trailer we wanted both the RV dealer and the Ford dealer assured us the F350 SRW Lariat 4X4 crew cab styleside 6.7L diesel would be plenty for towing that trailer.

As I am researching more I figured out today the truck's payload is 3052 lbs so we have exceeded payload without any passengers and with an unloaded trailer.

Also the RV dealer assured us the 349M would take our RZR 900 4 seater with no problem. "That's what they made these for" he said. Well it fits all right but I'm now thinking its going to push us over the trailers Gvwr of 16500.

I just wondered if I have this all thought out right. As a newbie I'm not sure if I have the concepts down and I just wondered "Are we screwed?"

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

**gigattime** · 06-23-2018, 09:25 PM

You'll probably want to have everything weighed at a CAT scale to get your actual numbers.

The Razr will probably help you on the pin weight. We only haul bicycles in our Momentum so we have a lot of pin weight. We pull with a DRW and it does great, but I often think hauling some additional weight in the garage would be nice.

Either way, you are going to be close. So to answer you specifically on "being screwed" depends on how you plan to use your unit. Long trips/short trips, mountains/no mountains, a large family/2 people, etc.

I'm sure some of the "weight" guys will be along soon to help with all the details about the different weights.

Good luck and safe travels!

Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk

**robinson468** · 06-23-2018, 10:47 PM

Thank you gigattime. If I feel like if we are close we may just go with it it. Otherwise we will have to try and trade up for something with enough payload. I hate the thought of trading our brand new F350 because I'm sure we will lose a lot in depreciation but I don't want to be sketchy with our towing.

Even if we trade up we will still have our problem with trailer GVWR with the RZR. We will have to get weighed to see how close we are. We may be close if we don't carry freshwater or gas in the generator and pump tanks; but Dry camping was our whole reason to do get the toy hauler. There aren't many full hookup campgrounds that we can ride our RZR from.

It seems kind of futile to have a Toy Hauler with a Cargo Carrying Capacity of 2300 lbs before subtracting out fresh water and gas in the tanks. It doesn't leave a lot of weight for toys

**kevinpo** · 06-24-2018, 05:04 AM

Well it fits all right but I'm now thinking its going to push us over the trailers Gvwr of 16500.

Hello,
The GD web site says the GVWR is 17,000 lbs. on the Momentum model 349M (could be a change for the 2019 model year?). What does the sticker say on the trailer for the weight of the trailer from the factory as equipped.
Sure hope it works out for you. You could get water and gas just before you arrive near you destination to help with the weight issue.

All the best,
Kevin

**Second Chance** · 06-24-2018, 07:44 AM

Rob,

The specs provided by manufacturers (not just Grand Design, but all of them) are notoriously inaccurate. As gigattime suggested, do this:

1) Fill the truck up with fuel, install the hitch, load anything you would carry in the truck while on the road, and hitch up the trailer. All of you (wife, kids, pets, animals you are babysitting from the zoo, etc.) get in and take a ride to the nearest truck stop with a CAT scale. I would also suggest loading the RZR in the garage, too, as this will affect the weights.

2) Pull the rig onto the scale. There are three "plates" on a CAT scale. Make sure the front/steer axle of the truck, rear/drive axle of the truck, and the trailer axles are all on their own individual scale plates. Push the button and tell them you want to weigh (you stand beside the driver's door or hop back in the truck for the weight). (They'll ask for a truck number and I usually just give them the four digit model year.)

3) Pull the rig over to the parking area and unhitch the trailer (I used to say "drop" the trailer, but that can cause sleep problems with some RVers).

4) Drive the truck (still with all of you in it) back onto the front two plates of the scale. Push the button and tell the operator it's a re-weigh. You'll get weights for just the front/steer and rear/drive axles for the truck this time. Go inside, pay and pick up your weight tickets.

5) From the first ticket (the one with the trailer hitched up), you'll have your actual front, rear and trailer axle weights. You can compare these to the weight ratings on the truck's door sticker to see where you stand on our limits. The total combined weight can be compared to the GCVWR (Gross Combined Vehicle Weight Rating) To see where you stand there.

Most folks are comfortable with being a few pounds over their GVWR (Gross Vehicle Weight Rating) and/or their GCVWR. The critical numbers here are the rear axle and tire ratings. The 4WD on your truck will give you less total payload than the same truck in 2WD because of the weight of the diesel drive train - but most of that weight is on the front axle. If you are a bit over on the GVWR and/or GCVWR but under on the rear axle and tire ratings, you'll be OK. If necessary, you can save 150 lbs. or so by using an Andersen Ultimate or PullRite UltraLite hitch in place of a standard fifth wheel hitch.

Rob

**robinson468** · 06-24-2018, 10:05 AM

Thanks kevinpo. We may have to adjust our camping plan like you suggest. I hadn't thought about getting water later on in the trip. We may have to take some gear off the rzr as well. The aftermarket metal roof is fairly heavy and we were talking about ditching the doors as well.

**robinson468** · 06-24-2018, 10:08 AM

Thanks Rob. We are going to load up and head to the scales today. I appreciate your detailed procedure. I've been trying to wrap my head around this whole weight thing, it gets kind of confusing.

**Second Chance** · 06-24-2018, 10:28 AM

Originally Posted by robinson468

Thanks kevinpo. We may have to adjust our camping plan like you suggest. I hadn't thought about getting water later on in the trip. We may have to take some gear off the rzr as well. The aftermarket metal roof is fairly heavy and we were talking about ditching the doors as well.

The fresh water tanks are usually over the axles. As a result, they'll add to the gross weight but will not affect the pin weight. Waste tanks are a different story... Also, anything you take off the RZR will add to the pin weight on the truck (think teeter-totter).

Rob

**robinson468** · 06-24-2018, 10:40 AM

So I can see how we can get our pin weight from this, but wouldn't we need to do another reweigh with the truck empty to figure out how close to the truck cargo capacity we are considering the weight of gear and passengers?

**Second Chance** · 06-24-2018, 11:16 AM

Originally Posted by robinson468

So I can see how we can get our pin weight from this, but wouldn't we need to do another reweigh with the truck empty to figure out how close to the truck cargo capacity we are considering the weight of gear and passengers?

No need. Weighing just the truck with everyone and all cargo in it tells you what you have left over for payload for pin weight. That's all that matters. No need to make it any more complicated.

Rob