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From: Pudge99
Date: 07-03-2007, 05:11 PM (1 of 8)
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OK we are gearing up for our annual trip to Illinois. Roughly 3000 miles round trip. This will be the first time we use the pop-up camper that we bought last year. Silly me decided to read the owners manual. UUGH!!! I am finding out there is a lot more to this than I expected. Load distribution, tongue weight, gross vehicle weight etc. etc. etc. The books say that I am to weigh my tongue, trailer and the total package. Where on earth do I do this? Is there a special place somewhere? I was thinking the salvage yard but I can't imagine pulling my trailer through the dump. There must be a place to do this or is there a special scale that I need to purchase? UUGH! I am hoping someone can shed some light on this subject for me. I am gonna go Google and see if I can find anything. TIA!!! Gina
Pictures of my successes and failures Pfaff 2040 Janome Mylock 134D Singer Futura CE-100 w/ Autopunch Husqvarna Viking 3D Sketch |
User: Pudge99
Member since: 10-30-2001 Total posts: 1375 |
From: dmoses
Date: 07-03-2007, 05:33 PM (2 of 8)
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Hi Gina, What size camper do you have? We have an 8-ft one that sleeps up to six. We pull it with a Grand Caravan, but did pull it before with an Elantra sedan. When we arrived in Texas, we were required to have it weighed for registration and licensing purposes. We went to a feed store/ warehouse place here in Houston. Perhaps you could call some dealers in your area as they may have a list of places that can do it for you. Take care,
Donna |
User: dmoses
Member since: 02-22-2002 Total posts: 964 
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From: PaulineG
Date: 07-03-2007, 07:36 PM (3 of 8)
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The owners manual should be able to tell you what the tongue weight (I'm assuming this is the same as the ball weight here in Australia - the point at which the van attaches to towing vehicle's tow ball). It should also be able to tell you it's total weight before being loaded up. If not you can tell your tongue weight by just placing the tongue on a set of scales (reasonable domestic ones should be okay) while the van is level. You'll need to use something to lift the scales up to the right height. They might have a weight of anywhere from about 70-120 kilos (150-265 lbs). Where you load the van depends to a certain extent on the tongue weight. If it's at the lower end it's not so much of a problem but the higher it gets the less weight you want at the front of the van because it can contribute to swaying. Of course too much at the back can be a problem as well. If the tongue weight is high there are bars you can get to help distribute the weight more evenly. For sure if you look around you'll find a forum of dedicated travellers who should be able to answer your questions more accurately. If you want more detail and can't find anyone else to help - PM me and I'll get dh to answer your questions - only problem being the difference in legalities between countries. Have a terrific trip - I much prefer travelling in a van to camping in a tent - it's the difference between getting out of bed and putting your feet on the floor and getting up off the floor to your feet. I'm too old to be doing too much of the second. Pauline
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User: PaulineG
Member since: 09-08-2006 Total posts: 901 |
From: Pudge99
Date: 07-03-2007, 10:37 PM (4 of 8)
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Donna, I can't remember how long it is closed but the darn thing is 26 ft when it is open. Says it will sleep 9 but I think one of the beds is missing. Plenty of room for the 6 of us plus the dog. Yes Pauline I do have all the weights before loading in the owners manual. From what I am reading I need to weigh it after I load it up to ensure that I do not have too much tongue weight. I spent a good part of my afternoon googling and I found many references that said I should go to the feed store, truck stop, or yes even the salvage yard and use the scales there. I also found an article that explained how to weigh it properly. Pauline, as for joining other forums more geared to RVing I find that I get better more down to earth answers from the members on SWN and I trust the answers that I get. I used to join other sites but now I find that most things I have questions about someone here has a good answer. Gina
Pictures of my successes and failures Pfaff 2040 Janome Mylock 134D Singer Futura CE-100 w/ Autopunch Husqvarna Viking 3D Sketch |
User: Pudge99
Member since: 10-30-2001 Total posts: 1375 |
From: PaulineG
Date: 07-03-2007, 10:48 PM (5 of 8)
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If the only concern is what your loading will do to the tongue weight then I would simply not load anything heavy up the front. What's the layout - a lot of vans have externally accessible cupboards where people tend to put the heavy stuff - gas bottles, sports gear etc. Just try and keep the front fairly light and the whole van fairly even. If the back of the car sags when you hitch it up it's probably not a good sign. 
Pauline
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User: PaulineG
Member since: 09-08-2006 Total posts: 901 |
From: dmoses
Date: 07-04-2007, 10:34 AM (6 of 8)
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Hi Gina, Yours is bigger than ours...ours is a smaller model that opens to 17 feet, with two double beds. As for the beds, no doubt your dinette transforms into a bed, and if you have a sofa of some type in your camper, that may also convert to a bed. What brand and model do you have? Some of the bigger ones have more convenient features that make the trip a lot more comfortable. Have you figured out how to load it up? There is an art to it, you know...  We haven't used ours in a couple of years...went to Canada in 2005...but loading the camper the first few times takes almost as much planning as the trip itself! Once you figure out your system, it's not such a big deal.Sorry that I can't help you with the weight issue...since that is my husband's territory...but we've only weighed the trailer once, and that was for registration purposes. Take care,
Donna |
User: dmoses
Member since: 02-22-2002 Total posts: 964
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From: sewingrandma
Date: 07-04-2007, 08:51 PM (7 of 8)
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We loved our pop-up camper, put a lot of miles on ours and have many happy memories. Have seen a great deal of the US and Canada, and we never weighed our camper. I would load up our cupboards, such as they were with our food supplies, under the benches with camp supplies-stools, cooking utensils etc and DH worried about filling in the floor space with the cook top, generator, battery etc., bulky items. The way the camper was designed you couldn't put any extra weight on the tongue because there was no storage space there. Enjoy your trip.
Brockie
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User: sewingrandma
Member since: 03-06-2003 Total posts: 432 |
From: temom
Date: 07-07-2007, 11:28 PM (8 of 8)
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It sounds like a lot of fun. We tent camp, but are limited how much we can go because of the hot temperatures we experience over the summer. A pop up is something that we would like to have, but don't see that happening. Be sure and let us know all about your trip! Theresa
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User: temom
Member since: 01-19-2007 Total posts: 410 
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