Help - Dry Weight of 1980 Bigfoot - 17 1/2 foot - 3500 lbs? - Fiberglass RV
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Old 04-29-2016, 03:47 PM   #1
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Name: Steve
Trailer: Bigfoot
British Columbia
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Help - Dry Weight of 1980 Bigfoot - 17 1/2 foot - 3500 lbs?

Hi there,

Can someone please verify that the weight in this ad is correct?

https://vancouver.craigslist.ca/van/rvs/5561328396.html

I have looked at a few of these early 1980 models of Bigfoot trailers before, and everyone claims them to be around 1875 lbs (dry)...

My current SUV will tow up to 3500 lbs, so I want to be sure before making a purchase.

Thanks in advance..
Steve
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Old 04-29-2016, 04:22 PM   #2
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Montana
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Wow that's a great price. I can't say I know where they got that figure...it seems high, but, I'd ask how they got it. The 1875 is only what people claim because that's what it says on the sticker inside the camper. It's a pretty big understatement according to most. It's also only a 17'. The "17.5'" trailers came out sometime after 2000. I'm wondering if they just looked up current Bigfoots and got the length and weight from there. The current ones are much heavier.

But I'd be surprised if that thing was over 3,000 dry. Still. It could be close to 3,000, and only gets heavier when it's not empty...

Is that the bumper capacity or your actual SUVs capacity? My truck bumper was 3500. With a hitch it's 5,000.
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Old 04-29-2016, 04:27 PM   #3
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Trailer: Sold the Bigfoot 17-Looking for a new one
Washington
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Welcome Steve. First, there is no such thing as a 1980 17.5 Bigfoot. The 17.5 model was first built in 2005 (maybe 2004) and everything prior was a 17 foot. The published weight of 1875 pounds is very misleading. My 94 weighs 3400 pounds with about 400 pounds of that on the tongue. The earlier units were a little lighter but still well over 1875. With your maximum tow rating you would be close to the limit. You also need to check how much tongue weight capacity you have. Tongue weight could be a deal breaker here. Some people like a little margin of extra capacity here and you would not have much if any at all.
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Old 04-29-2016, 04:32 PM   #4
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Name: Jack L
Trailer: Sold the Bigfoot 17-Looking for a new one
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I was typing when Zack was too. That is a great price. The photo looks like it has an original 4" drop axle so it sits pretty low to the ground.
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Old 04-29-2016, 08:03 PM   #5
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My guess would be in the 2600-2800 lb. dry weight. It could be done but you would have to be very careful with how much "stuff" you pack inside. Our Sienna has a 3500 lb limit.

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Old 04-29-2016, 10:03 PM   #6
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Name: Steve
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Thanks..I'll check my tounge capacity a little later (I assume I'll find this in my manual). Does anyone know the tounge weight of this 1980 Bigfoot? FYI my vehicle that I would potentially be towing with is a 2013 Santa Fe 2.0T. Thanks for all the responses so far. It seems that I'm going to be close to the max limit if it is around 2500-3000 dry.
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Old 04-29-2016, 10:52 PM   #7
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Name: Daniel A.
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Something to keep in mind is the Bigfoot is more than a foot wider than other fiberglass units. You may want to look at other manufactures as it will affect the pulling. I pull with an Astro Van V6 in tow mode, my van is rated at 5500 pounds towing.
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Old 04-30-2016, 06:46 AM   #8
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I had mine weighed with a Sherline scale at a rally. Loaded with everything we take to camp the tongue weight was 340 lbs. That is why I use a WDH.
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Old 04-30-2016, 08:22 AM   #9
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How much it weighed or if it was a 17' or 17.5' it doesn't matter any more.

Its sold! :-) Hope the OP purchased it.
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Old 04-30-2016, 09:30 AM   #10
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I bought our Bigfoot 15B17G 1986 and after preparing everything for a trip, I went to a balance, to reach a total of 2,900 lbs for a capacity of 3500 my tow vehicle.

If it can serve you for your next shopping ...
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Old 04-30-2016, 12:03 PM   #11
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Bigfoot weight

Probably totally useless at this point but for informational purposes here is my input. We own a 1981 17 foot Bigfoot and can tell you, not from speculation or manufacture's specs , but from the real world what the weight is . First a little info: I removed the propane tanks and batteries as the tongue weight is more than i was comfortable with and we do fine without them. The dry weight with those items removed is 2080 lbs dry 2300 lbs lightly loaded and the tongue weight is 300 lbs ( was more like 400 lbs with batteries and propane tanks on board ). We tow with a 2012 Toyota RAV 4 with the 3.5 engine ( unfortunately 2012 is the last year the RAV came with the 3.5 engine ). The RAV does a very good job as a tow vehicle for the Bigfoot. We live in Idaho and tow over the Cascades and Rockies with no problem. The RAV has enough power to keep us from being a hazard to navigation as we can maintain adequate speed on mountain roads. I don't feel the need for a WDH but do have a friction sway control bar just for my comfort. I have towed some without the friction device and it was not the least bit uncomfortable. Lee
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Old 04-30-2016, 03:44 PM   #12
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A great place to check what you might expect a fibreglass trailer to weigh is on the thread
Trailer Weights in the Real World . The majority of the trailers on the list were weighed at fiberglasss trailer meets - so they were loaded for camping. Full service campgrounds to how much water if any the trailers had in the tanks is anyones guess.

Only a few Bigfoot's on the list but lots of other 17' Fiberglass trailers to give a good idea as what you might expect a trailer of similar size to weigh. Keep in mind Bigfoots traditionally weigh in more than some of their fibreglass counterparts.
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Old 05-01-2016, 08:33 PM   #13
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Originally Posted by Gilles View Post
I bought our Bigfoot 15B17G 1986 and after preparing everything for a trip, I went to a balance, to reach a total of 2,900 lbs for a capacity of 3500 my tow vehicle.

If it can serve you for your next shopping ...
Hi Gilles, to confirm, that was loaded...fridge, the odd beer, food, bedding, full water tank, battery, propane tanks, the works ...weight in at 2900lbs.

Very timely discussion as I'm looking to replace my 215/75/14 Carlisle st tires...they are from 2010 and look fine, but ...

Thanks,
John
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Old 05-01-2016, 08:54 PM   #14
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Trailer: Bigfoot 25B21RB, 2004
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Tyhee View Post
Hi Gilles, to confirm, that was loaded...fridge, the odd beer, food, bedding, full water tank, battery, propane tanks, the works ...weight in at 2900lbs.

Very timely discussion as I'm looking to replace my 215/75/14 Carlisle st tires...they are from 2010 and look fine, but ...

Thanks,
John
Water in the tank, for my part I find it unnecessary to move me with a full tank of water.
If it is considered necessary to have water in the tank, we can usually expect a stop on the road to add the desired amount.
In this case you can calculate additional 10 pounds per gallon added ...

By cons must say that we had a meal before moving on to the balance with the trailer.
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Old 05-02-2016, 09:31 AM   #15
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Name: BajaDebu
Trailer: 1988 B19 BIGFOOT
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Originally Posted by Steve99 View Post
Hi there,

Can someone please verify that the weight in this ad is correct?

https://vancouver.craigslist.ca/van/rvs/5561328396.html

I have looked at a few of these early 1980 models of Bigfoot trailers before, and everyone claims them to be around 1875 lbs (dry)...

My current SUV will tow up to 3500 lbs, so I want to be sure before making a purchase.

Thanks in advance..
Steve
Hi Steve - I have a 1988 B19 which is 16' and 19 with the tongue. My Bigfoot weighs 2600 (says 2500) but I got my weighed too. I have a 2007 4Dr Wrangler and though towing limit says 3500 it does put a bit of pull when traveling and mountains. I did not want to where out my Jeep and just ordered a 2016 Ram 1500 which will more than do the job. Love my Bigfoot - have fun!
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Old 05-02-2016, 10:07 AM   #16
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Name: Steve
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Thanks everyone for the help..unfortunately it sold before I even got a chance to look at it. This thread has been very educational howeve., There seem to be a lot of smaller travel trailers popping up, I'm sure i'll come across one.
Cheers
Steve
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