P-pod for dry camping?

"So there is indeed good reason to doubt the sticker weight"

Sigh. If you have a higher rig load rating then you have more capacity to carry weight. But if you succumb to your human tendency to add load you can consume that capacity and be back where you started or worse. And the human capability to estimate how much things weigh is not very good. Hence the need to weigh your rig fully loaded for travel. Added safety factors should be determined based on that weight, not on empty weight.

I'll say it again, my empty trailer weighed about 250-300 lbs more than the number on the sticker. I could not account for that other than simply that the sticker was wrong. You are free to assume that I used an uncalibrated scale (I didn't) or am unable to perform basic addition and subtraction (I can) and discount my statement, but others have been surprised as well. So there is indeed good reason to doubt the sticker weight, but of course you aren't really looking for a reason, you want it to just be ok so you can do what you already decided to do anyway. That is a dangerous aspect of human nature too.

I've also weighed numerous airplanes. If they haven't been weight recently they always weigh more, often substantially more, than their weight and balance data inducates, which is supposed to be carefully obtained either by direct weighing or calculated per FAA regs. Here's an aviation saying for you: airplanes and people both gain weight as they age.

So, yes you are guessing your rig weight unless you actually weigh using a calibrated scale. It's very easy to do.

Sigh again. Do you understand the difference between a monotonic and a linear function? I can say without guessing that the controllability and therefore the safety of a rig monotonically decreases as load increases. There are not going to be any weird points where the controllability goes flat or gets better as the load increases. That is magical thinking. I'd be quite surprised if it's linear however.

Well I knew you don't have a trailer with electric over hydraulic disc brakes. Those are very expensive complex systems not for the likes of mere mortals like us with little rpods or similar TT's. If you could afford such a system I doubt you would be towing a boxy TT with a little bitty SUV.

Many many people on this forum and elsewhere have had problems with their drum trailer brakes. FR uses very poor quality insulation displacement connectors which have a bad habit of going open or to a high resistance connection resulting in magnets that don't get activated or are very unbalanced. Others have had issues with their self adjustment stars either not self adjusting or getting overtightened. Others have had problems even with brand new trailers because the brakes never got properly burnished per Lippert procedures. Or warped drums or poor quality brake linings that crumble in the drums I've had some of these issues myself. Do an advanced search on this forum as see for yourself.

So I'd recommend that you check your brake operation regularly especially as you seem to intend to rely heavily on your trailer brake function. An IR thermometer is a very easy and inexpensive way to do it. You're looking for consistent temps side to side on each axle and also for no one axle on your rig to be running very hot while others are cool. Check after descending a significant grade, takes just a few seconds. But of course you already know everything is ok without checking.

Shiny new sounded like off the new dealer lot to me. My point was simply that there are many choices that allow folks to have a capable tow vehicle at an affordable price which they can use to camp comfortably utilizing all their trailer's systems. It is very unusual for a family not to want to use the systems the trailer comes with.

Vehicles last a very long time nowadays if well maintained so no reason to be afraid of buying used. I personally would never buy new unless perhaps if there was a "must have" feature of that particular vehicle which was unobtainable in the used market, like for example the vehicle to home charging capability of the new electric F15O.

As for your aviation saying, if you were involved in aviation you'd know that there are at least as many of those as there are pilots. So I hadn't heard that one. My personal favorite IMC one is about avoiding flying around in the clouds with the rocks in them.

Do you understand the difference between IMC, VMC, IFR, and VFR? Your article was about scud running. That is an activity VFR pilots engage in. The accident rate doing that is very high. It's called "VFR flight into IMC". I obtained my instrument rating largely so I would never be tempted to scud run. I can file an IFR flight plan and climb through that low cloud layer to an altitude where it's safe to fly, and usually clear of clouds. Altitude is your friend in aviation, I never fly low except when in the airport environment.

Why would you be surprised that I fly? Is there something that suggested to you that I am risk averse? Life is full of risk/reward decisions, if you take no risks and just stay home you'll probably die young from lack of excersize or brain atrophy.

So I fly myself and my wife because to us the rewards are well worth the risks. I understand and manage the risks, making sure that the aircraft and I are both properly prepared and that the weather conditions are well within our capabilities.

I do most of my own maintenance as I own an EAB aircraft, and I actually listen to what my A&P/IA/CFII tells me, who has far more experience with stuff that goes wrong with airplanes that I do, and never just charge in making the assumption that everything will be fine. I assume it's not fine unless I came prove that it is. Since your decision making indicates that you unwilling to do that I would agree with your decision that aviating to too risky for you to engage in.

I'm retired so I don't need to be anywhere at a particular hour. I'll just wait for better conditions. "Time to spare, go by air", there is another good aviation saying for you.

And btw I weigh my aircraft and don't rely on the math skills of some long dead A&P who might have made up some numbers when he did a weight and balance calc 40 years ago, or before the aircraft got that pretty paint job that wasn't accounted for. And of course I never exceed max weight and stay well below that when flying out of high density altitude fields or in IMC.

Enough banter. I think we've both made our positions and methods abundantly clear by this point. Enjoy your trailer and good luck to you.

The ability of a heavier vehicle to allow an increase in tongue weight without exceeding max tongue weight is not to be underestimated. That headroom tends to be the limiting factor with light tow vehicles, because the TV manufacturers generally set max tongue weights at 10% of max trailer weight. and 10% is very close to or below the minimum needed to avoid sway in trailers like rpods. Also, that percentage changes as trailer loading changes, making it even more difficult to stay within specs.   In my 179 it changed by about 3% between full fresh water and full gray water tank conditions, and was the limiting factor in my loading capacity.

Of course having higher safety factors in towing and load ratings increases the capacity of a rig to handle extreme conditions. To say otherwise is just plain absurd: Or troll behavior, take your pick.

Not towing: safe
Towing within limits less safe
Towing over limits: unsafe.

Hmm. The 3 state quantum theory of towing.

Except that trailers aren't subatomic particles and outside the quantum realm physical phenomena do not reside in discrete states. Controllability and towing safety will follow a monotonically decreasing function as the weight increases. That is not a guess, there is no question.

And a larger vehicle will of course handle a swaying trailer better than a lighter one. How many times have we seen a untility trailer behind an F250 swaying all over while the truck tracks along as if planted? Higher mass, greater contact patch friction, siffer suspension, and longer wheelbase will all resist sway.

All mechanical and structural engineering involves the application of safety factors. Those are established either by standard practice, engineering judgement or they are regulatory. In towing they regulatory augmebnted by individual judgement guided by standard practice. Very few experienced operators choose to tow right at the OEM ratings.

But if you want to that's ok with me, as I said. Just don't imply that your use case (and empty box with no use of the onboard plumbin) is a normal one. It is highly unusual, placing anyone who might attempt to replicate it while loading more normally at risk.

Your statements indicate that you don't understand how trailer brakes work and what they can and can't do. First, there are no rotors They are 1950s technology drum brakes, modulated by a poorly regulated electromagnetic system. They are notoriously weak, grabby, unreliable   and imbalanced. Pull your wheels and inspect them as you should be doing and see for yourself. So absolutely, you are largely depending on your TV bydraulic disk brakes wih their
nice ABS and load balanced control systems for both emergency stops and control on grades. And if course a larger TV has more reserve braking capacity. Bring along an IR thermometer and see which brakes are getting too hot (or worse, not getting hot at all) under various conditions. It's an eye opener.of sure   

Not sure what you mean by a rig simply not being able to handle a trip. I have no doubt that any modern rig could negotiate just about anything within reason, taken cautionsly and slowly enough. I used to drive a loaded 1960 40hp VW bus over any number of mountain passes and bad roads I managed all of 10 mph up and down in low gear, it took forever and wasn't very practical but I could do it and not cook eithér the engine or brakes in the process By comparison stuff today is wildly overpowered and overbraked. That was never my concern here, highway safety is.

Sure have head of Peltzman. Did you not read my last post? I described tbe complacency effect there. It is certainly easy to just add more stuff and be overloaded with a larger TV. This is why I said that the rig should be taken to a scale and actually weighed. They apply your safety factor to that.

BTW, did you ever actually weigh your rig or are you still just guessing what your loads are?

No one has suggested buying a big new TV. I for one never buy new vehicles, there are plenty of great used vehicles and it's been my experience that vehicle size does not corellate with price much if at all. Lots of lighter vehicles cost more that heavier ones depending on what options or brand cachet they might have. Or if you are truly enamored of a particular TV you can get a trailer that is a good match for that vehicle.

I do agree with your driving safety recommendations and would adctd to always drive as if you your brakes will not be available, meaning use engine braking and decelerate early.

As an instrument rated pilot though I don't get that reference, Is it intended to imply that I shouldn't fly in IMC despite having the rating currency, and equipment to do so?

The challenge will be to resist the temptation to carry the few extra things that could push you over the limit and to be prepared to see signs of wear and tear on your drive train.  

MarkW, I'm glad you had a wonderful trip and had no serious issues with your trailer or TV.  As long as  you keep the weight down below the maximum capacity both in towing weight and combined gross vehicle weight, especially with the awareness of being close to the limit as you drive, you'll probably be fine.  The challenge will be to resist the temptation to carry the few extra things that could push you over the limit and to be prepared to see signs of wear and tear on your drive train.