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Old 01-11-2014, 09:47 PM   #281
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Name: Harry
Trailer: 7/24/13...ordered a 2014 13 ft Scamp w/Shower/Toilet
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That's what I meant...once you got home. That's a good %. Thanks!
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Old 01-19-2014, 12:36 PM   #282
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Smile Moving the battery to back / tongue weight changes

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Originally Posted by John Linck View Post
We picked up our 2014 front bath Scamp 13' Deluxe Oak Jan 9 in Backus. ($15k) A truck stop certified scale showed 1460 pounds on the tires and 230 pounds on the tongue making the total 1690 pounds with one full propane bottle and a group 27 battery. Pretty much all the options except awning and AC. No cargo or water aboard. Salesman said the deluxe wood adds 3-4 hundred pounds. Our 4cyl Outback performed very well towing.

John
Today I played a bit with moving my Group 27 battery around. The tongue weight is 230 pounds fresh from the factory as above. After removing the battery the tongue weight went down to 210 pounds. This small change surprised me even though its placement is between the ball and the axle. I then moved the battery to the back of the trailer under the rear dinette table to simulate placement behind the hot water heater and the tongue now weighed 195. All these weights are without any water or cargo in the trailer. Still only a 35 pound difference between fore and aft placement. I think I will make the move permanent since I will no doubt add a lot of weight to the front closet when traveling. Shifting the battery has the added advantage of shorter wire runs from the converter and better cold weather performance since the battery will be warm. A downside is a greater distance to the tow vehicle's alternator. Now to figure out how to vent it properly and keep the Hydrogen gas away from the hot water heater flame (probably straight out the back). Any mixing of gas and flame could get problematic. ;-) I will check into vented battery boxes and see if they seal as well as I need. Have any of you looked into such boxes? Would you trust their seals? I would prefer no power vent, but with the fantastic fan exhausting at full speed there will be some negative pressure in the Scamp. A poorly sealed batter box might leak gas.

Thanks and cheers, john
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Old 01-19-2014, 01:24 PM   #283
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Hi
You might want to repost this question as a new topic as most readers don't pick up on the weight topics beyond the first few pages.

But my input: I have had battery vents within a foot or two of the hot water heater on trailers and other RV for years without issue. Except in boats, where there are other considerations, a couple of battery vent plates near the battery is usually all that's provided by builders.

In over 40 years of RV'ing I have never heard of an actual problem from the small amount of hydrogen emitted from a battery, except in one case where a battery was overcharged and then the charging cable disconnected while the charger was still on, causing a spark and little more than a loud POP.



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Old 01-19-2014, 02:20 PM   #284
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You might consider an Optima AGM battery. Though not 100% proof from gassing, it is far less likely to do so.
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Old 04-10-2014, 08:20 PM   #285
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Set our '79 16' Scamp on scales at local recycle center. 1580 #
Pretty basic . Ice box, cooktop/oven, no A/C or heat. No porta-potty in privacy room, no water, 2 empty 20# gas bottles,spare tire, battery. I am thinking about 700 # more ready to camp.

Will
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Old 04-10-2014, 08:36 PM   #286
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Wyowill View Post
Set our '79 16' Scamp on scales at local recycle center. 1580 #
Pretty basic . Ice box, cooktop/oven, no A/C or heat. No porta-potty in privacy room, no water, 2 empty 20# gas bottles,spare tire, battery. I am thinking about 700 # more ready to camp.

Will
Will was the trailer still hooked up to the tug while on the scales?
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Old 04-13-2014, 04:44 PM   #287
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No, that was just the trailer sitting on the scales, unhooked from tug.
Amazing what all the modern conviences add up to!
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Old 04-14-2014, 12:42 PM   #288
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As Delivered weight Escape 21

I forgot to post this here...
I stopped at the scale on the way home from picking up our new Escape 21 to get the "as delivered" weight.

With no WDH engaged it was 3220 on the axles and 3600 total for a 380 hitch.

No water anywhere & 2 full propane tanks.
Options included:
Extra insulation, double pane, spray foam, extra window in bath, AC, solar, dual 6 volts, screen room & poles, storage box, surge pro, 2 reinforced walls, 3 shelves in cabinet, bike rack ready, some extra lights and outlets, outside propane quick connect & hose.

I'll post a "ready to go camping" weight soon.
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Old 04-14-2014, 01:18 PM   #289
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Wyowill View Post
Set our '79 16' Scamp on scales at local recycle center. 1580 #
Pretty basic . Ice box, cooktop/oven, no A/C or heat. No porta-potty in privacy room, no water, 2 empty 20# gas bottles,spare tire, battery. I am thinking about 700 # more ready to camp.

Will
If you can give me the tongue weight, I'll add your trailer to the Trailer Weights in the Real World Spreadsheet.
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Old 04-14-2014, 02:31 PM   #290
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Originally Posted by paulw View Post
I forgot to post this here...
Escpae 21ft
With no WDH engaged it was 3220 on the axles and 3600 total for a 380 hitch.



Love to hear that! Nice to have 4 extra feet and not a whole lot more weight over my 17fter. I want a 21 so bad, but keep talking myself out of it!
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Old 04-14-2014, 02:57 PM   #291
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Love to hear that! Nice to have 4 extra feet and not a whole lot more weight over my 17fter. I want a 21 so bad, but keep talking myself out of it!
Wellll... wait and see what the loaded for a trip weight come to.
With all the storage available, I'm pretty sure we're going to use more of the 4500# gvwr
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Old 04-14-2014, 07:26 PM   #292
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Originally Posted by Jon Vermilye View Post
If you can give me the tongue weight, I'll add your trailer to the Trailer Weights in the Real World Spreadsheet.

160# tongue weight now.
Be interesting to see how much weight we gain getting ready to camp.

Will
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Old 04-14-2014, 09:34 PM   #293
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Wellll... wait and see what the loaded for a trip weight come to.
With all the storage available, I'm pretty sure we're going to use more of the 4500# gvwr
Will do, but that isn't an issue with my tow cap. I have plenty of room to grow. My tow cap that is! And I don't tend to drag a bunch of stuff with me. It's camping after all......
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Old 07-13-2014, 08:30 AM   #294
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Trailer: 1972 COMPACT JR
Colorado
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Hey Frederick...Were those units measured in a campground with food, clothing, etc. aboard ?? I had my "new Compact Jr" weighed totally empty, last winter at two different commercial scales and each weighing was exactly the same....1240#. Is there some kind of a comparison that I can make between my empty weight and your chart ?? Thanx, TJ
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Old 07-18-2014, 12:57 PM   #295
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Originally Posted by THOMASJU View Post
Hey Frederick...Were those units measured in a campground with food, clothing, etc. aboard ?? I had my "new Compact Jr" weighed totally empty, last winter at two different commercial scales and each weighing was exactly the same....1240#. Is there some kind of a comparison that I can make between my empty weight and your chart ?? Thanx, TJ


I'm going to say yes to your question of, ready to camp weight versus empty. Unless otherwise stated. Because Frederick weights them at rally's where people are pulling into camp!

What would be interesting is, if when people weighed their trailers they would include the weights that were reported by the manufacture as well as what their weight were. Because as we know the "real world" weight is so different than what the manufactures state the weight is.....
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Old 07-18-2014, 01:19 PM   #296
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Quote:
Originally Posted by THOMASJU View Post
Hey Frederick...Were those units measured in a campground with food, clothing, etc. aboard ?? I had my "new Compact Jr" weighed totally empty, last winter at two different commercial scales and each weighing was exactly the same....1240#. Is there some kind of a comparison that I can make between my empty weight and your chart ?? Thanx, TJ
TJ, as Robin suggests Frederick weights the trailers on arrival at trailer meets. So they would be loaded up for camping but I do know that at one of meets where he did a great many on the list it was a full service campground so its doubtful that many had much if any water in their tanks.

A good rule of thumb is to add about 500lbs to your dry weight to cover the weight of your own "stuff" - food, clothing, bedding, cook wear, dishes, hoses, cords etc.... that number may seem high but for many that have actually weighed everything they put in their trailers its actually on the low side....
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Old 08-12-2014, 09:19 AM   #297
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Steve LaBroad provided some additions to the "Trailers in the Real World" spreadsheet that let you filter the columns for manufacturer, length, model, etc and provides averages, maximum/minimum, etc. Use the up/down arrows in the headers of each column to choose, and the result appears at the bottom.

The excel spreadsheet can be downloaded at http://lakeshoreimages.com/spreadsheets/Weight.xls
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Old 08-17-2014, 09:16 PM   #298
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What a production to do this weighing in! Have never made it to one of the rallys but eventually I will. Thanks for listing all this info-it's a treasure!
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Old 04-11-2015, 09:25 AM   #299
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Name: Christian
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Frederick, I haven't read the whole string, so please forgive me if this is already mentioned. I am planning on attending rallies after fall of 2015. Do you know which ones you will be at? I would love to add my Boler to the list. Thanks.

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Old 04-11-2015, 09:49 AM   #300
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You can also do it yourself at a truck stop, waste disposal site, or any place that has a certified auto & truck scale. Many provide public access, usually for a small fee. You can do two weighings- hitched, axle only, and unhitched, total trailer weight- or you can do one weighing- typically axle weight while hitched- and measure the tongue weight at home using a bathroom scale.
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