Finally weighed my unloaded 2001 24' Hi-Lo at a Certified Automated Truck Scale!

[tlnovack]

Today was a monumental day of sorts for me. It was a very fun day. Took my 2001 24' Hi-Lo out on the road for the first time. Took it to Chevron to a public dump station for the first time and emptied the tanks which only had clean water in them. I was worried about doing it until I did it. No big deal. Then drove to a truck scale and weighed the trailer. The Hi-Lo weighed 3720 lbs. Then took it to a trailer business and dropped it off for a tow ball upgrade. May not sound like a big deal but it was A VERY BIG DEAL for me. Got a lot of looks on the road. It pulled well but I did feel the difference.

 

[JackandJanet]

Congrats, tinovack! Your trailer almost matches the unloaded spec weight for that length! If you look in the 2001 brochure, your unloaded weight is supposed to be 2673#. So, you're well within the ballpark. Many of us have found our trailers to be quite a bit heavier than they were supposed to be.

If you get the hitch set up right, you'll hardly know you're towing it except for the reduced acceleration from a stop and, of course, a reduction in fuel economy. Mine costs me about 2-3 mpg.

- Jack

 

[tlnovack]

Thanks Jack.

 

[RICHARD1943]

I enjoy this site as I learn so much every time I check in. Getting things accomplished this time of year eliminates or at least reduces wait time. Knowing your tanks are clean eliminates those concerns. Getting the correct hitch is critical for towing. I notice a number of vehicles towing trailers looking like a V with the back of the two vehicle to low and the trailer hitch and front of the trailer the same. This is an accident waiting to happen.

I tow my 1509 Hi Lo with my 6 cyl. 2002 4 Runner with 289,000 miles. I have a compressor under my hood which inflates air bags in my rear shocks (second set in ten years) leveling both the rear of my vehicle and front of my camper no matter what the load. I have only one sway bar but it definitely assists with keeping the camper from wandering side to side.

When winterizing my lines with pink antifreeze I also run some with a small amount of water into my holding tanks as I don't believe they should be completely dry at any time . So far so good.

At 60 mph on major level highways ( not I 70 through the tunnels or over Vail pass I can get 15+ mpg. At 65-68 mph I get 13 mpg. I feel the mid or premium gas is worth the price difference when traveling. Pulling over Berthoud and some other winding passes the leveling and sway bar make the most difference.

I envision what it would be like to pull this camper with an eight cylinder. Of course then I would want a bigger heavier camper.

I think I will weigh mine next spring after I get it out of the snow.

 

[tlnovack]

Sounds good Richard. I dont plan to use my black tank so I just wanted to make sure it was empty and clean. Plus i think its actually a great idea for a newbie to dump their clean tanks to practice. I like the idea of air bags very much. I pull my trailer with a V8. I think my trailer is heavier than what the manual says because it came with ALL the add-on options: pull-down bunk, outside bumper/storage, furnance and on and on. 1,000 lbs. over still seems excessive to me. I have alot I still want to add: solar panels, batteries, Truckfridge etc. Its going to be close. I have already added a ceiling, reversible Maxx air fan where the original "toy" one was in the bathroom area. Makes a big difference (just the sound alone). And it fit into the square opening perfectly. And you can leave the Maxx air fan open in the rain.

 

[JackandJanet]

tinovack - Richard MAY be OK with his 15ft trailer and airbags, but they are NOT a substitute for a good Weight Distributing Hitch (WDH). The airbags DO level the tow vehicle and the hitched trailer, but all of the trailer tongue weight is still on the tow vehicle's rear axle. It is easily overloaded using air bags. In addition to the unsafe stress applied to the rear axle, and tires, you will have reduced handling and braking due to the uneven weight distribution.

Please do some research (etrailer, RVLife, and this forum are good sources) before you decide on airbags instead of a WDH (with sway control).

Richard, I'd strongly advise you take your 4-Runner/Trailer combination to a CAT scale and weigh the load on each axle, with your airbags inflated to the normal towing value. I suspect you will find the load on the 4-Runner's rear axle may well exceed the GAWR (Gross Axle Weight Rating) you will find on a placard inside the driver's side door.

- Jack

 

[tlnovack]

Understood. Yes I think the one main thing I have learned on this forum is the absolute importance of a WDH. Not only to protect myself but others on the road. So I will definitely be checking it out.

 

[Savage709]

my suggestion

get the Blue Ox anti sway weight distribution hitch...mine saved my butt one trip when I had a blow out. The short of it was the tire blew at 70+MPH and hit the rim in a fraction of a second....however the Blue Ox kept every thing straight and true so I could make a safe and complete controlled stop with absolutley no sway what so ever. I am sold on the Blue Ox!!!!

 

[Heretothere]

New to the forum. Considering a new to us 04 31c. Owner said dry weight is close to 6900 lbs. I know most can be near 1000 lbs over the stated dry weight but is it possible we could only put 600 lbs max in it?
I’ll also keep looking for answers on the forum

 

[JackandJanet]

Hello, Hereto - I just checked the brochure for your model and year HiLo. You can find it on this page: https://hilotrailer.com/home/then - at the bottom, click on 2004, which should download it.

The "Max" vehicle weight (GVWR) for that model is listed as 7500#. so if it weighs 6900# empty, then 600# is your limit. If you have a properly sized tow vehicle, you can put some of your camping gear in it. You'd need a tow vehicle that can handle around 1100# hitch weight at the trailer's GVWR. This means you need a SuperDuty class truck that has a heavy duty tow package.

Don't worry too much about the trailer's weight, when it comes to your tow vehicle. Most modern trucks can "pull" a 7500# trailer. What you have to respect is the load it puts on your truck's axles with the tongue hitch weight, which needs to be between 10-15% of the trailer's weight. Your truck will also need a WDH that can support that load.

- Jack

 

[Savage709]

What is the tow vehicle you are using. I have one and it's loaded with all sorts of extra gear probably as the very least 1000 lbs and my 2010 Toyota I force tows it like it's hardly back there. Last fall I towed it up to Ohio from Austin Texas to have some work done on it by Midget Trailer and it towed like a dream! Heretothere I would snag that baby up in a heartbeat. You'll love it. We love ours and I have even converted the bed to a king size as there is just enough room to do that. What a difference that makes!

 

[Heretothere]

Picking up a 18 F150 supercab 6.5 bed 6.5 L gas 7050 GVWR. Owner of the 31C said empty weight is 6900 lbs.