How heavy is your Adventure Trailer?

[Bergger]

Has anyone put their Adventure Trailer on the scales? My work buddies had the mobile weigh station set up down the street from me the other day so I hooked up the Chaser and took it down. It was loaded with everything minus the 19 gallons of water and the clothing. No food in the fridge but stuffed with beer so I figure that's a wash. The weight came out to 1400lbs. Add the water and a few misc items and probably in the area of 1575lbs loaded. It was still hooked to the truck when it was weighed, does anyone know if that will throw the actual weight off? On a side note the front axle weight of my 2003 Tacoma Dbl Cab was 2400lbs. Didn't do the rear axle since I started to back the line up and could not unhitch the trailer.

 

[Tucson T4R]

You probably had about %10 - %15 of the trailer weigt sitting on the hitch of the truck.

 

[goodtimes]

You cannot get an accurate weight that way. When you hook a trailer up, some of the weight is picked up by the rear axle (as mentioned, 10 - 15% is a good target). But also, as you add weight to the rear axle, from a point behind the rear axle, it actually removes some weight from the front axle as well. Basically, your frame acts like a big lever....push down on one end, the other end will try to lift up.

The only way to weigh the trailer without putting it on the scale solo, is to weight the entire truck/trailer combination, then go back and weigh the truck without the trailer. Subtract the truck weight from the combined wieght.

 

[goodtimes]

On a side note....the Chasers weigh that darn much?!?!?!

Crap....I don't see one of those in my future.

 

[Bergger]

On a side note....the Chasers weigh that darn much?!?!?!

Crap....I don't see one of those in my future.

But man do they tow nice. Even with my 3.4l engine. Still about 1000lbs lighter than my previous trailer. The weight adds up quick though. The base weight of the trailer is only 700lbs. I figured just the weight of my wheels/tires, 1800 Eezi Awn, Waeco 50 and 12v battery add on a little over 400lbs right there. Throw in the lid for the cargo box, the nose box, water tank (unkn weights) and all my camping gear and your at about 1600lbs or so. It's really tough to keep a trailer around 1000lbs when loaded, especially if you plan on mounting a tent, water tank and 12v system. But that's the beauty of the trailer. All that weight is not on my truck and gets left at the camp site.

 

[Martyn]

On a side note....the Chasers weigh that darn much?!?!?!

Crap....I don't see one of those in my future.

An M416 trailer weighs 600 lbs, and a base Chaser trailer weighs 700 lbs, so both a relatively light weight trailers.

Without the trailer being weight accurately I have no idea of what it actually weighs, but to that base trailer weight you have to add the weight of;
Trailer lid
Tailgate
roof rack
Large Roof top tent
Nose box
Fuel cans and holders
50 liter fridge
Deep cycle battery
Water tank
Full size tires and rims

If you were to add the same equipment to a M416 what do you think it might end up weighing?

My guess is that most M416 trailers filled with camping gear stuffed in milk crates, food, water and clothing for a weekend, and covered in a tarp would weigh in at 1000 lbs +

I know I’ve seen some fine examples of expedition prepared M416’s and M 101’s at our shop that would have come close to the mentioned weight of 1550 + lbs.

 

[adventureduo]

Before we head out for our next trip, i will run the trailer and the rig over to the scale fully loaded and weigh them both individually and together. I'll post up the results.

 

[Martyn]

Before we head out for our next trip, i will run the trailer and the rig over to the scale fully loaded and weigh them both individually and together. I'll post up the results.

That would be great. When you post please specify all your options and accessories plus a ball park on your own gear food and drink.

With 54 cubic feet of capacity in your Horizon filling it with beer instead of your usual gold bars could make a huge difference in mass.

 

[Steve Curren]

I guess maybe I over packed my Chaser but I got everything in it that I have including an Ezy-Up. I had both the Jeep and Chaser weighed at the same time and then went back the next day with just the Jeep. I have a Jeep weight of 4840 lbs and a Chaser weight of 1700 lbs.. That is totally loaded for both and I will never take all the items at once I had in them for the weigh in. My Jeep is a 2005 LJ with a goodly bit of armor and added items on it.

 

[Martyn]

I guess maybe I over packed my Chaser but I got everything in it that I have including an Ezy-Up. I had both the Jeep and Chaser weighed at the same time and then went back the next day with just the Jeep. I have a Jeep weight of 4840 lbs and a Chaser weight of 1700 lbs.. That is totally loaded for both and I will never take all the items at once I had in them for the weigh in. My Jeep is a 2005 LJ with a goodly bit of armor and added items on it.

OK Steve, your Chaser has 46 cubic feet of storage, and you have a lot of options and accessories, plus all your gear. Can you provide us with a list of options, accessories, and types of personal gear you have filled his baby with.

What surprises me is that your still under the maximum cargo capacity by a 1000 lbs, couldn't you find room for a few more sand bags? :victory:

 

[Bergger]

An M416 trailer weighs 600 lbs, and a base Chaser trailer weighs 700 lbs, so both a relatively light weight trailers.

My guess is that most M416 trailers filled with camping gear stuffed in milk crates, food, water and clothing for a weekend, and covered in a tarp would weigh in at 1000 lbs +

I agree Matyn. Once you load up any small off road trailer the weight is going to climb fast.
Mine is configured as follows:
Eezi Awn 1800- 145lbs, Waeco 50- 44lbs, Deka Battery- 69lbs, steel rock crawler wheel with Firestone tire- 80lbs each, that's 418lbs just for that. I have no idea how much the following options weigh, nosebox, trailer lid, thule rack, water tank, battery tender, but i'd imagine it'd be in the 200lbs range. I'm guess my Chaser without any of my gear in it and no water hits the scales at around 1300lbs. Loaded with gear and water 1700lbs or so. Like I said earlier the trailers tow really well and I've only had mine on pavement and some dirt roads so far.

 

[Martyn]

I agree Matyn. Once you load up any small off road trailer the weight is going to climb fast.
Mine is configured as follows:
Eezi Awn 1800- 145lbs, Waeco 50- 44lbs, Deka Battery- 69lbs, steel rock crawler wheel with Firestone tire- 80lbs each, that's 418lbs just for that. I have no idea how much the following options weigh, nosebox, trailer lid, thule rack, water tank, battery tender, but i'd imagine it'd be in the 200lbs range. I'm guess my Chaser without any of my gear in it and no water hits the scales at around 1300lbs. Loaded with gear and water 1700lbs or so. Like I said earlier the trailers tow really well and I've only had mine on pavement and some dirt roads so far.

Truth be told, I'm l a bit surprised that the weight issues came up. When we first starting in the business back in 2001 it was everyone's concern. "My vehicle can't tow that" was right up there with "That will never go over the Rubicon". Well the Rubicon was easy to disprove, we just did it.

Then over the past 7 years we have been actively educating people about the towing capacities of their vehicles, and how a good balance between tires size and gearing is critical when towing off road. Almost all the people who have off road towing problems have lifted their vehicles, fitted larger tires, and never re geared. When you add a trailer to that mix the results are not good.

But despite the additional weight a small trailer being towed on the highway reduces your fuel consumption less than adding a roof rack. If you drive a Wrangler or Rubicon a Chaser almost triples your storage capacity. If you are going on expedition it will provision four people in one vehicle instead of four people in two vehicles.

What is a trailer for? Basically increasing cargo capacity, and cargo means weight. If you didn't need all of the things in and on the trailer you wouldn't be towing one.

So you could decide to pack everything you need into the back of your SUV and add about 500 lbs to the vehicle, stress the suspension and reduce interior space. Or you could tow a trailer weighing 1500 lbs, but it is only applying 150-225 lbs of load to the rear of the vehicle.

The biggest blessing is the small conveniences a trailer brings to expeditions and weekends in the outback, things like a soft bed, cold drinks, fresh food, shade, and safari reclining chairs to name a few.

But as you can see I have had seven years to think about this.

 

[Steve Curren]

Just so happens I do have a few sand bags, empty but they are still there.I have the two fuel cans, 10 gallons of water, two Lifeline batteries,RTT, sleeping bag ( Cabela's Adam & Eve ) 10x10Ezy-Up. Cooking gear, 45 Qt. Engel, fire pit, two 5 gallon propane bottles,shower & enclosure, two folding tables, stove, water pump, and stuff I don't even know that I have.
I have had nothing but GREAT times in my Chaser and I know I will get many years of faithful service from it. I really love the ability to pull into camp and have the tent set up in a few minutes and then sit down with a cold one and get things out at a slow pace for the night and the next morning. Even with the Unlimited I could never take what I want but do with the Chaser, I have had so many positive comments on it and people just turning around and catching me just to talk about it.
Thanks AT for a great product and I know the other owners feel the same.

:26_7_2:

 

[Bergger]

Truth be told, I'm l a bit surprised that the weight issues came up.

For me the weight is no issue at all and did not intend the thread to lean that way. I was just curious about the accuracy of my scale reading and wanted to know how close it was to others that have had thier trailers weighed.

So you could decide to pack everything you need into the back of your SUV and add about 500 lbs to the vehicle, stress the suspension and reduce interior space. Or you could tow a trailer weighing 1500 lbs, but it is only applying 150-225 lbs of load to the rear of the vehicle.

The biggest blessing is the small conveniences a trailer brings to expeditions and weekends in the outback, things like a soft bed, cold drinks, fresh food, shade, and safari reclining chairs to name a few.

These are exactly the reasons we've always preferred using a trailer. We just need to get ours dirty now!

 

[Bergger]

Steve we also use a 10x10 E-Z Up Awning for our Chaser. They actually set up very nice on the passenger side of the Chaser. We put ours up nice and snug against the trailer and it covers the side past the water tank. Very nice for a kitchen/hang out area. Have you tried the side walls yet to make it an exta room? I just got two walls in the other day but have yet to try them out.