2021 Globtrotter 25FBQ Hitch weight

[Rich Anthony]

Hello!...Has anyone with a 2021 GT FBQ with 2 AC's have an accurate hitch weigth?. A couple of delars have stated the 882lb stays the same with the 2nd AC. I'll be towing with a 2019 1500 Sierra Denali, 1450 payload,910 hitch weight, 9400 tow capacity, and a Blue OX, the numbers will be close. Generally its Just me and the dog and I don't travel with much gear and will be mindful of loading. Either way I will be reducing the hitch weight about 30Lbs with reduced propane.Yes, I will bump up to a 2500 in a couple of years as my travel increases to more full time. Thanks!

[PB_NB]

Hi Rich, Welcome to the forum.

I don't have a GT but would love one in the future.

I think you will be surprised by how low the marketing department sets these weights. I think you could see about 10 to 20% more than that 882 lbs number. That seems to be what others are getting and we have as well with our trailer. Many have scales to measure this like the Sherline unit. you can find that on etrailer.com

We travel light but it doesn't take much to get the TW up.

You also need to be aware that too light in the tongue can cause stability issues like swaying.

When we load our trailer, we put most items up front to keep our TW at ~13% of our trailer weight. I would like to get closer to 15% but we just don't have that much stuff to carry.

The industry seems to favor a TW of 10 to 15% of the loaded trailer weight as a good range to help reduce sway potential. Other factors can contribute to sway such as speed and wind conditions to name a few.

Hope this helps. There are some good Youtube videos showing how TW can affect trailer sway.

[jeffmc306]

Hi Rich, you are asking the right questions! For reference, our 27’ GT with dual A/C and factory solar, full propane and full fresh water comes in around 1,100 lbs on a Sherline scale. I imagine yours will come in on the +1,000 lbs range. The published tongue weight is 871, less than a 25’.

Best thing would be to take a trip to the CAT scales and check your rear axle weight (with your WD disconnected). We had a 1500 RAM and were over the 4100 lbs. axle max. And yes, we did what you mentioned and moved up to a 2500.

Give it a try and see how the 1500 tows and feels. Good luck!

[Rich Anthony]

Thanks for the info!...I'll see how it goes in July when I take delivery,given no further delays. I'd like to make my current tv work for a couple of years,the
dealer seams to think so.

[panamerican]

Keep in mind Rich that when you use weight distribution (which is really mandatory IMHO at these weights) you are going to offload some of that hitch to the front axle/tires and back to the trailer.

Airstream hitch weights are notoriously higher than spec, my guess is that it may be an empty rating. Either way, with a good weight distribution, you will pretty easily shed a few hundred lbs off that dead hitch weight, maybe a bit more. Make sure that the GM hitch can handle these higher weights, per the label that should be on the receiver. Many large RV owners and particularly slide out folks found out about not only the weakness inherent in the GM supplied hitch many moons ago, but also had to upgrade them.

Depending on how you load your Airstream, that will be the real world weight which can vary from owner to owner. Based on that measurement, you'll be able to tell if the factory supplied receiver is sufficient for your load with weight distribution.

Without weight distribution from what you've shared and based on Airstream hitch weight experience, you will exceed what the factory hitch will handle.

I would not waste your time running with reduced LP, because weight distribution will do wonders to level it out, but if you really wanna shed some weight, get composite LP tanks.

[Dennis C]

GM generally publishes a hitch weight limit for a weight carrying hitch, and another limit for a weight distributing hitch. For example, my 2018 Sierra Denali 1500 has a 750 lb. limit for a weight carrying hitch, and a 1,250 lb. limit for a weight distributing hitch.

One of the challenges when trying to understand this is that GMC doesn’t make the information readily available. You’ll need to look at your owner’s manual, the stickers on your door jamb, and the GMC towing guide for your model. Even with all this in hand, it can be difficult. My Denali has something on the window sticker called the “Trailering Equipment Package”. I can find no reference to this package in any GMC literature, and my salesman had no idea what it is.

Your limiting factor will be payload/cargo. My Denali has a cargo limit of 1,479 lbs., and I have to be careful with loading even with a much smaller and lighter trailer than yours.

[DewTheDew]

Most of those numbers like payload are derived from other limitations, I believe, so the key parameters are GVWR, GCVWR and GAWR. With a Ford F150 3.5EB platinum we had about the same payload number as you. The GVWR was #7,000 and though I forget the axle ratings, our 2017 27' FBQ Flying Cloud (so not quite the same as yours but similar) with 2ACs put us right about the limits on total weight and axle ratings when loaded for a weekend (me, wife, Yorkie, moderate amount of things for a long weekend but nothing super heavy in the truck, full water tank).

Bottom line, you should likely be fine in general but you will want to hit the CAT scale and make sure you are load balanced correctly (the CAT app was very handy for this).

[Rich Anthony]

Thanks for the reply! I for sure will be using a weight distribution hitch,a blue ox from the dealer. It was unclear to me if it it shed weight from the hitch at first,good to know it can be as much as a few hundred lbs..Also, according to my tv owners manual the hitch can handle 1250 lbs. It has certainly been a challenge making sense of it all. Payload is still going to be something I will need to keep a close eye on. My tv has a 1450 lb. Maximum. I am still under the assumption a weight distribution hitch does nothing to eliminate tongue weight off the tv. even though some of the weight is transferred back to the trailer axles. So perhaps I will continue to look for ways to eliminate the tongue weight, lighter propane tanks and batteries. I'm looking forward to fiddling around with all when I get the trailer, and seeing what the actual numbers are. The really good news looks like I'll be within all the numbers!.

[Dennis C]

This thread actually caused me to do a little more research to better understand the GMC truck options, at least for my 2018 Denali. I would imagine that many of them are similar for the newer generation.

What I found was that the Max Trailering Package (NHT) was not available for Denali 1500 series trucks in 2018. That said, the Denali is already equipped from the factory with many of the components of the Max Trailering Package, and several others are optional.

Denali trucks are equipped with the same engines, transmissions, and axle ratios as the Max Trailering Package trucks. In my case, it's the 5.3L V8, coupled with the 8L90 8-speed transmission and the GU6 3.42 axle ratio. Denali trucks are equipped from the factory with the G80 heavy-duty locking rear differential. Denali trucks are also equipped from the factory with the KNP auxiliary external transmission oil cooler and the KC4 auxiliary engine oil cooler. Denali trucks are equipped from the factory with the QSS tires, P275/55R20 all-season tires, just as trucks with the Max Trailering Package.

Other options that can be added to the Denali that are part of the Max Trailering Package are the DQS chrome power adjustable, power folding mirrors, the JL1 integrated brake controller, and the Z82 trailering equipment package that includes the hitch and the 7-pin and 4-pin wiring and connectors.

What you can't get in the Denali 1500 is the C6G option, which includes heavier duty rear springs. This increases your GVWR and your maximum towing capacity.

So, the point of my rambling post is to let you know that your Denali likely has many of the components that are part of the Max Trailering Package, and it is a very capable towing vehicle. You'll need to watch your weights and balance as you mentioned, but it should serve you well.

[Timandbarb]

I recently weighed my 2021 GT queen bed with my Sherline scale.
Trailer empty.
Propane nearly full.
Tanks empty.

Tongue weight was 800 pounds.
TIM

[swed02]

This might be a dumb question --- and that's ok with me for you to say so,.... Does going up/down hill change this equation while you're traveling? I really like Colorado, so I force if I do get an AS, I'd likely want to take it through the various mountain passes to get to my favorite spots. Please advise. Thank you.

[jondrew55]

Originally Posted by swed02

This might be a dumb question --- and that's ok with me for you to say so,.... Does going up/down hill change this equation while you're traveling? I really like Colorado, so I force if I do get an AS, I'd likely want to take it through the various mountain passes to get to my favorite spots. Please advise. Thank you.

Tongue weight is measured on level ground. Like any other dynamic statistic, it changes once your are in motion and depends on angle and acceleration. I assume when they state a tongue weight capacity, it is calculated around some range of conditions that would cover going up and down hills and acceleration and decelerating.

[Timandbarb]

I know there’s a lot of opinions as far as tow vehicles.
We just completed a 13500 mile loop around the USA.
2021 Chevy 2500 with diesel and Allison trans did great.
Interestingly, the biggest pull was not in the Rockies, but climbing out of Columbia River Gorge! I never would have expected that.
In any event, if you gets your load numbers right when you’re on level ground and static, you’ll be fine, and we’ll ahead of most of the RVers out there.
Tim

[Mollysdad]

Originally Posted by swed02

This might be a dumb question --- and that's ok with me for you to say so,.... Does going up/down hill change this equation while you're traveling? I really like Colorado, so I force if I do get an AS, I'd likely want to take it through the various mountain passes to get to my favorite spots. Please advise. Thank you.

Yes and no. Yes, because the center of force changes with the angle. Think about it to the extreme, if you drove up a 90 degree hill, the tongue weight would be zero and all the weight would be hanging off the ball. Likewise on flat ground the tongue weight is maximized.
It's a bell curve.
But does that effect your capabilities? No.
I spent a lot on time on Colorado passes. Although they can be high elevation, I rarely found them to be over 7% . Going down always seemed to have my blood pressure increasing more than going up. Most roads with a long climb have a pull over lane to allow cars to pass.

[renderit]

I own the trailer you mentioned, a 2021 GT FBQ. I had a 1500 before I bought it and the initial thought was I would run it and buy a 3/4 ton if I felt it was not enough.

Running all the numbers from AS and GMC I chickened out because the ProPride I was going to go with was heavy enough in itself to put me so close to the numbers I was going to be payload limited on the truck.

I bought a 2021 Denali 2500 with the Diesel and Allison.

Glad I did. The fuel cost is about the same as the diesel hits better numbers if you are moderately careful and does much better MPG when towing than I did with the 1500 pulling my 20' AS. The ride is very slightly more stiff, but quieter and very acceptable. I also run it as a daily driver and have no complaints.

With the trailer behind it, it pulls like a dream and there is little stress on me. Less than the 1500 pulling the 20'.

The 1500 is a VERY capable truck. I had the towing packages on it and the downhill in the mountains with the 20 was no problem. Transmission brake on the 1500 is fantastic! That said, the prospect of the 25' was enough I caved. The tongue weight is pretty huge. The 3/4 ton does not care, after cranking down on the ProPride bars it is a pleasurable experience.

I am also pretty confident that getting the 3" lift on the 25' right off the bat probably saved me some mileage and MANY concerns with clearance as it gets the trailer bottom up close to that of the truck so it is not creating a wind dam while moving.

I am finding my tongue weight to be in the 950-990 range depending on how much I put under the bed. We have not used it enough to determine our final loading pattern and what we will take or leave on long trips. Cushions, tools, etc. make some difference. Tanks and such hit you as well hence the numbers being all over the place.