Dry Weight 1976 Trillium 1300

[Randy J.]

There has been a lot of discussion lately of trailer weight v.s. towing capacity. The wise advice suggests actually weighing your trailer, fully loaded and working from there. I cannot disagree with that!

I do intend to weigh our Trillium, soon as I can move it in the spring. In the mean time, so I can do some calculations, has anyone actually weighed their 1976 Trillium 1300. I am especially interested in the DRY WEIGHT as I can then estimate our own minimal cargo needs. The sticker on our closet door claims 1500 lbs. but other posts on this site indicate that it is actually quite a bit less.

[Cathi]

Dry weight with our trailer means about nothing because that does not include options which in our case are another 600-700 lbs. Then there is what we load. Dry weights for just about any trailer have been shown to be highly unreliable.

Maybe someone can tell you the weight with their options from a weighing at a scale.

[Raz]

I've got a "new" Trillium, made in 2010. Same molds but different appliances and frame. My sticker says 1400 lbs. I weighed it at a truck scale on the way home from a weekend outing. It was just under 1700 lbs. I tow with a pickup so cooler, grill, chairs, etc. were not in the trailer. In the trailer was bedding, clothes, kitchen stuff, porta pot, and a few gallons of water in the tank. Raz

[MAP 56]

Some of the confusion on trailer weight is in reading the tag. mine is 1600 gvw or trailer + all my stuff +wet or full lp gas + water and so on . dry weight i think is about 1100 lbs . pay load would be 500 . not much, water is about 10lbs a gal .

[Randy J.]

Thanks for your replies. I've done a little research on my own. Seems the "sticker" rating is GVWR or the maximum gross weight that the trailer can be, including cargo (in most cases...). That makes sense since with our minimal kit our trailer certainly doesn't "feel" that heavy going down the road. I'll weigh it with our usual stuff on board in the spring to be sure we are legal and safe.

Hints for lightening: By all means do not exceed either your vehicle's tow capacity or any of the load limits! But here are some things I've already done or am planning to do this spring to help reduce the loaded weight:

1. Drain our 10 gal fresh water tank and fill up at destination (save 100 lbs!)
2. Switch to a smaller 'house battery' to power new LED lights and low-draw propane alarm (had to anyway and saved 30 lbs.)
3. Switch down to a smaller propane bottle - Our "20 pounder" weighs 40 lbs. Our normal summer needs are very minimal and so I am planning to switch down to a 5 or 10 pounder which weigh about 10 or 20 lbs full, respectively. (Save 20 or 30 lbs).
5. Look at purging what we carry (including tools) to the essential and using lighter alternatives.
4. Other thoughts - that 1970s bed/table is a heavy sucker (I read lots of complaints here). I'm going to try making a new one using composites or hollow-core construction. (Maybe not much saving, except my back).
5. Total weight saved: More than 150 pounds or about a third of the average load for this size of trailer.

All these measures of course require some compromise. But we bought a light trailer, and called her "Little Green" with the desire to be at least somewhat environmentally responsible. Don't compromise on safely. But reducing cargo weight will improve mileage, no matter what your tow vehicle.

[Larry C Hanson]

Hi All,

My 1978 Trillium 1300 was weighed on the local Waste
Management (free) scale and came in at 1560 lbs. No
water in the tank, full 20 lb (16 lbs?) propane tank,
group 27 battery on tongue, ice box empty (no refrigerator),
closet and all drawers empty, and stock 13" tires wheels/spare.
The rig has a reinforced rear bumper that probably weighs 40- 50 lbs.

Larry H

[sokhapkin]

What is the precision of a free truck scale? I bet it is around +/- 500lb...

[Randy J.]

Larry, thanks for sharing. Tom from Trillium Parts tells me that Trills of our vintage would probably weigh around 1200 lbs. empty or dry (the first ones were closer to 1000). So your weigh sounds reasonable.
I believe that the scales at truck stops must be pretty accurate and are likely certified since truckers use these to keep them out of trouble with the highway authorities. I believe there is a small fee. Come to think of it, our local metal dealer buys and sells scrap metal using truck scales, so I'm guessing these may be certified as well. I'll check, maybe try both places. The government scales along major highways will apparently weigh your rig, but do give the warning that if they find something seriously wrong, you might be paying for a wrecker.

As for gas bottles - my standard "20 pounder" weighs just over 20 pounds EMPTY on commercially certified scales. It weighs just over 40 lbs. full. So depending on one's usage, there can be significant weight saving here. Some rigs carry two...

[Larry C Hanson]

Hello All (Especially Sergey),

I stopped by the local Waste Management yesterday to inquire
about the scale that weighed my Trillium. It is professionally
callibrated every 3 months with a 20,000 weight. The scale is
'zeroed' many time each day by the operator. It appears to
be accurate to at least +/- 20 lbs. Since the scale is used to
charge customers for their loads there are state regulations
regarding the accuracy and calibration. I trust the results.

Now, I just need to get the courage to weigh it loaded and ready
for the road.... YIKES!

Larry H

[Bob Miller]

As Larry mentioned, commercial scales, such as found as Waste Management sites, are closely regulated to assure that they are accurate. I use the one at my local Waste Management transfer station every time I take a load of trash/garden clippings and the inspection tags are clearly displayed on the scale house where the driver can see them.
BTW: "Waste Management" is a noun, not a verb

[Carol H]

Originally Posted by Randy J.

Hints for lightening: By all means do not exceed either your vehicle's tow capacity or any of the load limits! But here are some things I've already done or am planning to do this spring to help reduce the loaded weight:

2. Switch to a smaller 'house battery' to power new LED lights and low-draw propane alarm (had to anyway and saved 30 lbs.)
3. Switch down to a smaller propane bottle - Our "20 pounder" weighs 40 lbs. Our normal summer needs are very minimal and so I am planning to switch down to a 5 or 10 pounder which weigh about 10 or 20 lbs full, respectively. (Save 20 or 30 lbs).
Don't compromise on safely. But reducing cargo weight will improve mileage, no matter what your tow vehicle.

Without knowing factually what a trailer weighs in at on the axle, loaded up for camping I would be very very careful about taking an weight off the tongue. There is a good reason for why trailer manufactories place those items on the tongue.

It is very easy to over lighten the tongue resulting in a not so great towing experience.

[Roadsterrv]

My trailer was weighed on automotive Race Scales..Now, I use my trailer for White water Kayaking and Scuba Diving in The Keys..So I have no Interior, no carpets,I took out the water tank, stove, heater and sink, there are no closet doors which are very heavy, no rear table, again very heavy..So it's a absolute shell except for Windows and curtains.It weighs.961 lbs then I add a 60 lb Honda Generator..I pull this either with my MX5 or My Ford Ranger with no problems at all..