I am looking to buy a toy hauler. Its a 20' car hauler type. The advertised dry tong weight is 1200 lbs. and total dry weight is 5200 lbs. It has 80 gal. water tank and 38 gal. fuel tank. I will probably carry 1-3 dirt bikes and all the other usual stuff that one carries in their toy hauler. How much do you think this will weigh?

I have a stock 03 2500, short bed, 4x4, standard output ca. model. What do I need to add to the truck? Will the stock receiver work? Looks like I will be way over the weight limits of it. Do I need the weight distribution setup? Please advise.

 

You will definatly need a WD setup. I bought a toy hauler last year that claimed to have 1200 pounds of toung weight. I bought a 1200 pound WD hitch and it still squats the truck big time. I dont know what it actualy has for toung weight but its way beond the claimed 1200 pounds and the truck handles it fine. Personaly I would just get a good WD setup thrown in on the deal and hook on and go. The truck will handle it fine.
The truck wont hardly even care the 5800 pounds is back there. Mine is a little over 8000 pounds dry pluss 100 gallons of watter and all the rest of the normal camping stuff and it pulls it just fine.
Tis is th day I brought it home with no WD setup.

 

1200 lbs of tongue weight on a 5200 lb trailer? The tongue weight is grossly over what it should be. it should 10-15% of your trailer weight. You definately need a weight distribution hitch for the sure fact that the class IV factory hitch is only rated to 500lb w/o a WD hitch. 1200 with a WD hitch.

Water weights about 8.34 lbs per gallon so you have 667.2 lbs for water... Gasoline weighs 6.152 lbs per gallon and 38 gallons is 233.7 lbs for fuel. Bikes you should know the weight of those... You relly need to know the GVW rating of the trailer. It should be stickered with this info but when you weigh it it will suprise you. Remember dry weight is without things like AC, Fridge, etc. hAve the dealer weigh the trailer.

Hub

 

I had an 04 SO Cali 4X4 Short bed and pulled a 32 ft 5th wheel. It pulled ok stock but was a lot better with EZ set on 3. Most 20ft toy haulers will not exceed 10,000 GVWR. You might also think about a sway bar. If you are pulling in California don't skimp on the components.

 

I agree. Though I have never pulled my Toy hauler in Cali, I kinda went into the weight distribution not knowing as much as I do now. If I had to do it again I would have went with a Rese Dual cam system because it has sway control built in. Mine is a friction sway control and is a pain the the rear to get out and pt it on in windy situations and having to take it off for backing the trailer or in sharp turn situations. It costs more but I have heard of very very few issues with it.

Hub

 

the other day i had to pull a 35ft camper with my stock 95 single wheel 12 valve on hilly backroads...lol it pushed me around a little but i was surprised how well it pulled it powerwise didnt squat to bad

 

AIR BAGS!!!!!...................And WD system. Yes the stock reciever will work.

 

That is one nice TH (the Wolf Pack). It looks like it's 30ft long EZ. If you carry water and the tanks are in front of the axles it sure adds to the tongue weight, plus all that length out in front of the first axle.
Nice looking trailer........

 

Are you sure that dry weight does not include things like the refer? That doesn't seem right to me.
Would you think that this trailer is designed poorly to have so much tung weight compared to dry weight? I know the fuel tank is in the rear and i beleive that the water tank is over the axels, but I probably wont always be loaded with both.

 

The machines will be over and behind the axles,that's why so much weight is on it dry.Toy haulers are all that way as far as I know...

 

Either that or my trailer gained 900lbs on the way from the factory. I had it weighed before I bought it and that was without Propane and a Battery.

I would not say designed poorly but tongue heavy. All Toy Haulers are more tongue heavy that regular TTs because the wheels are set farther back to get weight distributed evenly when loaded. Are you sure that is the weight and not some talk about class IV hitches? What kind of trailer is it?

Hub

 

Thanks. It is 30 ft on the dot. Its called a 26 footer but I think they need to have there tape measure calibrated because its a little off. It is nice but I have had a bunch of problems with it that I shouldent have to deal with for the price of the unit. My wife and I are contimplating trading it or selling it because of all the problems but then I think abough it and dont wana take it in the shorts on it because we have only had it just over a year. It still under warenty so maybe I will just keep taking it back till its all correct.

 

The trailer is a Mirage Balboa toy hauler. Those are the weights that are on their spec sheet. Do you think this trailer will toy poorly when unloaded?

 

bk, Great pictures!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!, You have had some serious fun Dude.
If it was me, and I had troubles with that trailer, it would be History. We didn't buy the trailer we have going into it thinking about making a profit, we knew going in it was a total loss.
GET WHAT YOU'LL BE HAPPY WITH.

 

I am suuming you are looking at the 20TBV? I looked at their spec sheets online. Steel framed trailer that weighs 5200lbs dry? That seems a little light for a steel framed trailer. I would make them weigh it and give you the true weight. Anyways they seem like well built trailers from what I can see in the brocures.

As for towing empty, I would say no they should pull fine. What do you intend on doing with the trailer? Just hauling dirtbikes/quads? Some dry empty camping?

10400 GVW rating (because of the tires and Axels).

I tow mine empty alot just going camping with the wife and kid on a short weekend. It tows fine both ways but I do not over load mine with a car or anything like that. I suspect that trialer will tow fine empty with WD setup.

Hub