We recently had a chance to weigh our setup for the first time, for free at our local recycling place.
In the Flex (some rough guesses):
3/4 fuel
Me & Karen
90 lbs of dogs (2)
45 lbs of tools
Emergency supplies bag - 20 lbs
Clothing 50 lb
Firewood 30 lbs
Misc computer bags, purse, etc. 20 lbs.
Rubber mats - 30 lbs
EAZLift hitch 75 lbs
In the trailer (2014 CampLite 21BHS w/"XL Living Package"):
All our usual camping gear, food supplies
1/2 fresh water tank
No grey or black water
Propane about 3/4
No bikes
We first drove the entire rig onto the scales, and as described the scale read 10,000 lbs. (apparently measures in 20 lb increments)
Unhooked the trailer, and with the hitch the Flex and contents weighed 5,520 lbs.
So that means "Campy" weighed in at 4,480 lbs.
That's good news, in that the maximum tow weight for the Flex is listed at 4,500 lbs (Whew! Cutting it close!)
But now a dilemma.
I later acquired a digital scale to measure tongue weight. The Flex is rated for 450 lbs and the CampLite 21BHS is advertised as having a 440 lb tongue weight, albeit with an asterisk about it being dependent on equipment.
The setup:
With the hitch in place and the trunnion bars in the pass-through…
Yikes!
I then weighed it without the hitch, and came up with 586 lbs. - trunnions still in the pass-through.
I then completely emptied the pass-through storage and got it down to 516 lbs.
Still well in excess of the Flex's 450 lb. limit.
I looked in the under-bed storage, and though Karen has it stuffed with bedding and the like, there's nothing heavy there. Ditto the kitchen supplies.
We can always carry some or all of the pass-through stuff in the Flex, but that sort of defeats the purpose. Similarly, we can put camping chairs and the like on or under the lower bunk, shifting some weight to behind the axle. And we can only carry one propane tank, which would help a lot right there.
Still, I'm a little perturbed. Not to say the 440 lb. tongue weight that CampLite advertises is dishonest, but it certainly is misleading.
I think they should really publish a more representative number so people like myself can make a more informed decision when shopping for a tow vehicle.
I suspect we'll be fine, with several thousand miles behind us in all sorts of terrain, but being a fairly conservative by-the-book guy it bugs me to exceed published limits at all.
I don’t know if Andy from CanAm is monitoring this thread, but I’d like to ask him…
1) If I need to worry, and,
2) If so, if there's a way to beef up my Class III hitch or the rear of the Flex to carry the extra weight.
Open to any comments or suggestion - including if we simply need a different tow vehicle.