I am looking to buy a 2015 Livin Lite 16 TBS and pull it with a 2012 Tacoma with tow package ( 6500/650). I am worried about the tongue weight, it is listed at 385 LBS. However when I bought my other 2 trailers, the tongue weight listed did not include battery or propane tanks. They were anywhere from 60 to 100 LBS more. Has anyone used a scale to get a real tongue weight that was loaded on a 16 TBS?
Tongue weights are highly variable on trailers. When I bought our 2014 16TBS a year and a half ago, the tongue weight on the LL web site was listed at about 290 lbs. When I got ours home, with one battery and a single LPG tank, but no gear in the forward pass through, it weighed 240 lbs. That was rather light for a trailer that had at the time an empty, no options weight of 2,900 lbs.
I don't know what it is now. I still have the single battery and LPG tank, but I have lots of stuff in the pass through, and since it is close to the tongue, all of that stuff adds tongue weight. I am guessing about 300 lbs. That is still a bit light for our assumed 3,500 lb trailer weight, but the trailer doesn't sway so who cares.
The listed tongue weight has gone up about 100 lbs since we bought ours. Was it because of LL moving the axle location or ???
I would suggest taking your scale to a LL dealer and measure it on the lot. Then add at least 50 lbs, maybe a 100 for added gear.
But in any case your Tacoma with those tow numbers should do fine. You have 1,lbs more tow weight and 150 lbs more tongue weight than our 2013 Pathfinder which tows it just fine.
David
That's interesting about the LL listed tongue weight going up 100 pounds. When we bought our 2015 16TBS it was still listed at the lower figure. Hmmmm. Anyway, though I have no data to back me up, David is absolutely right about the number of variables. The fresh water tank status and waste tanks status have a major effect. I also agree that you'll be fine with the Tacoma, assuming it's a 6cyl.
Do any of the 16TBS owners know what the approximate height is from the ground to the bottom of the standard LL coupler? Haven't been able to find any diagrams - trying to figure out how much of a drop/rise I'll need for the tow ball.
We use a 1" drop on our Pathfinder which after a bit of rear end sag, seems pretty level. The bottom of the receiver is 15.5" above grade unloaded and with the sag is about 14".
But your Tacoma could be different.
David
[font size="3"]Can't help you on the ball height, but I can tell you I tow my 21RBS with a 2013 Tacoma DCSB 4WD, 4.0L V6. I use an E2 WDH and it works fine. The measured tongue weight with 2 batteries, 2 full propane tanks, gear, and empty waste tanks is 525#. The Taco does fine.
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[quote timestamp="1444697706" source="/post/16013/thread" author="@dan"]Do any of the 16TBS owners know what the approximate height is from the ground to the bottom of the standard LL coupler? Haven't been able to find any diagrams - trying to figure out how much of a drop/rise I'll need for the tow ball.[/quote]I have the 13qbb not sure if the height is the same but in my case with my Ford Escape I needed a rise, it all depends on your towing vehicule
Wanted to find out Rig, TT, and Tongue weight after TT modifications. Visited local county landfill with electronic scales to come up the following weights. Will eventually buy a trailer tongue weight scale since we have three trailers.
We installed vinyl flooring, wood counter top, microwave, 60X80 memory foam mattress, and Television in our 2010 CampLite 11. It's advertised empty weight was 1400lbs with gross weight of 2200lbs. Also have a 13,500BTU roof mount AC, very cool on those hot & humid days! 8-)
Mighty 11 loaded ready to camp results.
Nissan Frontier (TV) & CampLite 11 (TT):
TV GVWR 5,730 pounds
TV towing capacity: 6,300 pounds
TV GCWR: 11,135 pounds
TV Max tongue weight: 630 pounds
CampLite 11 GVW: 2,200 pounds
Scale Results:
2013 Nissan Frontier Crew Cab Pickup (TV) with Leer Shell, and two occupants: 4,860 pounds
Combined TV and 2010 CampLite 11 (TT) weight: 6,800 pounds
TT axle weight while connected to TV trailer hitch: 1,640 pounds
TV weight 4,860 pounds subtracted from combined TV/TT weight= TT weight: 1,940 pounds
TT axle weight subtracted from TT weight= tongue weight: 300 pounds
So if I am reading that right, you are 500 lbs over the advertised empty weight. That is more than I would have guessed for a CL11.
But looking at LLs current specs, the dry weight of the CL 11FDB is now listed at 1,995 with a GVW of 2,700 lbs. Maybe it is not the same camper as yours.
David
Yep, you're right.
Our 2010 CampLite 11 was one of the early Travel Trailers built by LivinLite, as per LivinLite. On the VIN tag it's listed as a CampLite 11 with 2200lb GVWR. It has a 2200lb capacity Dexter axle assembly. They equipped it with a 13,500BTU AC BTU, but did not have LP gas System, Stove, refrigerator,TV, toilet, and Microwave. It had a small water tank under the small sink with water hand pump. Heating strip in the AC, but we never use it. Would say the majority of weight increase over original weight is the AC, memory foam mattress, vinyl floor material, larger all wood counter top, TV/Microwave and camping gear packed in the camper the cabinets.
That's why it was important to me to weigh it, so I knew the correct weight. The 300lb tongue weight surprised me, too.