Tongue weight 2922 KS

[CamperBink]

The specs list 434 - ish lbs tongue weight. This is a bit higher than I would like for the unloaded app 3400 lb dry weight. Does that tongue weight perhaps include the propane tanks? Have any of you with the 2922 KS checked actual tongue weight, loaded or unloaded? Thx.

[Bill]

I'm not sure exactly where you are going with this, and I'm not sure where your 3400 pound dry weight came from - I see 3130 pounds dry. Using the specs on the TM site, I'm finding the following.

RVers have always been taught that the tongue weight of a trailer must be at least 10% of the towed weight. TMers have always been taught that TMs have a higher tongue weight because the TM axle is farther back than it is on most trailers, to make the trailer sway-proof. And TMs do indeed seem to be sway-proof. The price of moving the axle back, of course, is increased tongue weight, and for TMs, the number has been 14% (there is no spec on this, but it is what I, and others, were told at the TM factory years ago). The spec sheet for the 2922 shows that the dry weight - not same as unloaded weight! - is 3130 pounds, and the tongue weight is 434. A few taps on the calculator shows that 434 is 14% of 3130. So the specified tongue weight applies to the specified dry weight - not the loaded weight.

So now what happens when you start loading up the trailer? The spec sheet shows that the Load Capacity is 1350 pounds. So if you load it to the max, the gross towed weight is 4480 pounds. And 14% of 4480 is 627 pounds, which is a whopper of a tongue weight. To keep to a 500 pound tongue weight, you have to keep the loaded weight to about 3600, since 14% of 3600 is 500 pounds. That gives you about 3600-3130 = 470 pounds above dry weight to work with, and much of that is taken up with things like the air conditioner and the awning. I admit that I'm having trouble with this answer, so you might want to confirm it with the factory. They don't have everything quite up to speed yet, and perhaps they use a slightly different definition of "dry weight". But the numbers do seem to be in line with my knowledge of the 2720 series.

I'm not a degreed mechanical engineer - my degrees are elsewhere. I would love to have someone show me a different answer. But this is where I end up. I'm not sure exactly where you are going with this, and I'm not sure where your 3400 pound dry weight came from. But I think (someone please correct me if I am wrong) that the term "dry weight" includes the propane tanks themselves, since they are not options, but does not include the propane in those tanks.

Bill

[oldstick]

I would tend to agree with Bill. On average the tongue weights for a single axle TM tend to be higher than 10% of the trailer weight due to the rearward location of the axle. So determine the actual weight of the loaded trailer, with any extra options like AC, awning, full propane tanks, full water tanks, extra cargo etc. It would not be that surprising to me if the tongue weight pushed 500 or more. As Bill said, sway should not be a problem but you still need a truck/SUV rated for that much tongue weight. Otherwise you are into the realm where a load leveling hitch is mandatory.

[CamperBink]

Thanks - I was wondering what was included in that tongue weight. Propane tanks, then, but not fuel, obviously. I assume the optional tongue jack is not included. I plan to actually measure as soon as I am able, but was wondering whether I will need to remove a tank or make some other change to be sure it stays under 500 lbs. Very helpful. Thanks.

[CA2619]

The actual trailer weight with options should be on the sticker inside the kitchen cabinet door. This sticker will also list the GVWR for the trailer and break down the carrying capacity with full water and propane weights. The storage in the rear of the 2922 will affect the tongue weight making it lighter. There is a trailer weight distribution calculator on engineersedge.com that is very interesting.

[lisasTM]

We are borrowing a friends trailmanor and planning to tow with 2019 Highlander XLE. We have installed Redarc brake controller and tough tow WDH. BUT, we are still a bit worried about damaging new Highlander by towing TrailManor with too much tongue weight.
We decided to measure the tongue weight using the methods suggested at Curt. https://www.curtmfg.com/trailer-part...ers/learn-more

First set of measurements using scale at local dump:
highlander w/o trailmanor attached 4940 lbs (2 highlander axles on scale)
highlander WITH trailmanor attached 5500 lbs (2 highlander axles on scale)
----------------------------------------------------------------
tongue weight 5500 - 4940 = 560 lbs

Then we removed 2 propane tanks (30lbs x 2 = 60lbs)
from the tip of the tongue and repeated measurement at local dump
highlander WITH trailmanor attached 5380 lbs (2 highlander axles on scale)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
new tongue weight is 5360 - 4040 = 440 lbs.

QUESTION IS: how is it possible to remove 60lbs and change tongue weight by 120 lbs = 560-440 ??

we also did the other method that CURT suggests with a bathroom scale and got pretty much the same result ??

Can anyone explain why ?? What the heck ?

total rig weight including us was 8460 on dump scale
TM only was 3520 on dump scale loaded with water, propane tanks, battery and spare tire

[Larryjb]

I thought I had replied to this question already, but here's my answer again...

The 30 lb on the tank is for the tank only. A full 30 lb tank should weight in about 55 lbs. For 2 full 30 lb tanks, this comes to 110 lbs, pretty close to the 120 lbs you are trying to account for.

[lisasTM]

thanks, we'll check ...husband said he measured 30 lbs for each propane tank on bathroom scale.