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Old 11-15-2009, 04:25 PM   #1
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1996 Solaris weight

I picked up my 1996 Solaris today and on the way home stopped at a CAT scale to check weights. The truck weight was no surprise, 2940# front, 2660# back but the trailer was a shock. The advertised base weight was about 4200# and the actual weight is 5500#. This weight does include an Onan Generator mounted on the read bumper (which I plan to remove), two 30# propane tanks, a battery but little else, all cabinets and fridge are empty, no bedding or other items.

Any ideas what might be contributing to the over all weight? What is included in and excluded from the base weight?

I am concerned a little about pulling this with a 4.7 Ram QC although it towed nicely on the way home without the WD setup hook in.
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Old 11-15-2009, 05:06 PM   #2
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Did you release the WD before scaling? Depending on your adjustments, it's possible to throw quite a bit of weight back to the tandems.

Also, what model?

Were the tanks full or empty? Water is a bit over 8 pounds per gallon.
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Old 11-15-2009, 06:06 PM   #3
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Steve Collins
Did you release the WD before scaling? Depending on your adjustments, it's possible to throw quite a bit of weight back to the tandems. I am concerned a little about pulling this with a 4.7 Ram QC although it towed nicely on the way home without the WD setup hook in.
Also, what model? But being a Sunline owner I am always on the look out for similar trailers. So Just recently I found and purchased a 1995/96 Solaris T2670
Were the tanks full or empty? Water is a bit over 8 pounds per gallon.
Steve here are answers to some of your questions.
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Old 11-15-2009, 06:11 PM   #4
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Steve, the Solaris is a T2670. I towed it home on just a ball hitch without the WD setup linked, I need to get a new Shank and Head. The trailer is completely winterized so no water on board.
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Old 11-15-2009, 08:55 PM   #5
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Hi Dryflie

Did you look for the weight sticker inside the TT? It is sometimes in the medicine cabinet door or in a kitchen cabinet door.

See what the unloaded weight is. Then we need to start adding in other added options. The UVW is as shipped not dealer options, no prior owner adders. The propane in the tanks, the battery and for sure the Onan on the back are not included in the catalog weight. Even a spare tire and scissors jacks where not in the catalog weight I do believe. They where options. If Sunline added them, then it is in the UVW. If the dealer added them, then they will not show up on that sticker.

Here is what the 2004 sticker looked like.


By the way, my the T2499 is also a 26’ foot TT like yours on a 7,000# frame. You have bunks and the T2499 does not. And on mine, it came with spare tire and scissor jack from the factory so it is in my UVW as that is the As shipped weight

Hope this helps

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Old 11-16-2009, 10:11 AM   #6
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John, unfortunately I cannot locate that label anywhere in the TT. I looked at every door and then some. I do have all the TT documentation including the Sunline specs where they list a dry weight of 3890#. Other sources mention 4200#.

Seems incredible to me that there is 1200-1500# hiding somewhere. The Gen set is listed at 178# BTW.

I bought this trailer expecting it would probably weight out at maybe 4500# leaving me some room to add cargo etc. However if it is an accurate weight I've got very little extra to work with.
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Old 11-16-2009, 03:49 PM   #7
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The brochure is showing 4350 as the dry weight & 7000 as GVW

see here on page 4

http://www.sunlineclub.com/docs/96.pdf
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Old 11-16-2009, 06:03 PM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by dryflie
John, unfortunately I cannot locate that label anywhere in the TT. I looked at every door and then some. I do have all the TT documentation including the Sunline specs where they list a dry weight of 3890#. Other sources mention 4200#.

Seems incredible to me that there is 1200-1500# hiding somewhere. The Gen set is listed at 178# BTW.

I bought this trailer expecting it would probably weight out at maybe 4500# leaving me some room to add cargo etc. However if it is an accurate weight I've got very little extra to work with.
Hi again dryflie

H’mm, a dry weight of 3,890#??? Something not adding up. First I do know many of the older TT’s where built actually lighter then the recent new ones. BUT on your 96 it is built on a 7,000# frame. Sunline made many on 5,500# frames. Then I think they found folks overloading them and up’ed to a 7,000# frame. That was because they came in dry in the mid to high end 4,000# range. 4,500 to 4,800#

Why would they put a 7,000# frame on a dry weight of 3,890#?? That seems odd. That could be 3,110# cargo capacity which is more then some 8,600# rated campers have. If that weight was a true 3,890# going on a 5,500# frame would be 1,610 # cargo capacity which is about right for a camper that small.

BUT, you said the thing weighs 5,500#??? And that does not seem right either. But it would come closer to lining up with a 7,000# frame. How did you arrive at 5,500#? The TT “only” on the scale? Or still hooked to the truck and you weighed the truck that day unhooked and subtracted? Or option C, some other way.

Let’s try this thinking your weight is correct, which I need to know how you figured it.

5,500 weight
(-) 175# genny
(-) 50# battery
(-) 63# LP filled in 2, 30# tanks
-------------
5,212# H’mm still high for a 27 footer but maybe a few adder options in there.

I would “guess” it should of weighed in around 5,000# dry. I have no idea how it would come to 3,890#.

OH one moment Do you have a walk on roof? That is about 300# all by itself. It may have been a custom order coach.

And does it have fiberglass siding or Aluminum? I think fiberglass is another 300# option.

Or a power tongue jack. Another ~ 45#.

Hope this helps

John
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Old 11-16-2009, 06:08 PM   #9
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[quote="JohnB"]
Quote:
Originally Posted by dryflie
And does it have fiberglass siding or Aluminum? I think that is another 300# option.
John,

The SE Fiberglass siding option only came out in late 1997 as the Advancer Package, and then the SE in '99. So that couldn't have been an option.

Here's the link of his last post which has a picture: http://www.sunlineclub.com/forums/ph...ic.php?p=24991

Jon
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Old 11-16-2009, 06:20 PM   #10
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John,

I knew I had these, because I remember taking them. This coach was at General Wixom. It's a 1997 though, not a '96.

The stickers inside the cabinets came sometime, possibly this was the first year. I know the '94's did not have them, because someone who came to look at my 2363 looked for it, and couldn't find it...

Anyway:





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Old 11-16-2009, 06:46 PM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Sunline Fan

Quote:
Originally Posted by JohnB
Quote:
Originally Posted by dryflie
And does it have fiberglass siding or Aluminum? I think that is another 300# option.
John,

The SE Fiberglass siding option only came out in late 1997 as the Advancer Package, and then the SE in '99. So that couldn't have been an option.

Here's the link of his last post which has a picture: http://www.sunlineclub.com/forums/ph...ic.php?p=24991

Jon
Yup, no fiberglass, that's for sure. Can't see the back if there is a ladder or not on there for a walk on roof. Did all walk on's have a ladder or only the newer ones?
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Old 11-16-2009, 07:02 PM   #12
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H'mm I just went back to 95 catalog

http://www.sunlineclub.com/docs/95.pdf

A 1995 T2670 lists a dry weight of 4,330# on a 7,000# GVWR

Now maybe a slip of the columns.

A 1995 T2470 lists a dry weight of 3,980# on a 5,500# GVWR

OK dryflie where did you get the 3,890# from?

Now you really have us curious.

John

BTW, that 95 fifth wheel looked great inside even in 1995. looks like real cabinets.
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Old 11-16-2009, 07:22 PM   #13
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I got the 3860# from a large yellow Sunline document, it's 11X17. A picture is included here. See top left corner. It reads axle: 3860 LBS (dry). Perhaps this is just an Axle weight rating??

We do have a hitch Jack, also the Reese Dual Cam WD setup, that's got to weight a few lbs. No ladder on the back. It's alum sided. Got most of the standard equipment, radio, TV.

As far as the actual weight this was done with the truck and trailer on the scale at one time, not independently.

Jon, I have the exact outside label you posted, nothing on the inside of the TT that I could locate. Interesting that the bottom label lists a weight of 4700+, now that's something that is closer to making sense given the generator, hitch, jack etc.

A lesson learned here, never trust what is printed. I wish I have gotten it weighted before hand but that was impractical. I'm going to strip the generator off have it weighted again, this time I'll try to do the TT only.

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Old 11-16-2009, 09:01 PM   #14
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Quote:
Originally Posted by dryflie
I got the 3860# from a large yellow Sunline document, it's 11X17. A picture is included here. See top left corner. It reads axle: 3860 LBS (dry). Perhaps this is just an Axle weight rating??
OK this helps. The 3860 is pure axle dry weight. To get GVW, you add the tongue to it.

So 3,860 + 490# tongue weight = 4,350# dry no options

4,350# dry
+ ~50# battery
+ ~ 63# LP gas in the 2, 30# tanks.
+ ~ 50# Reese part of the hitch on the TT
+ ~ 45# power tongue jack
+ 175 genny
-------
4,733 #

Now back to the weighing, how did you add up 5,500#? If you never unhooked, what was the axle weight?

We are gaining a little. You "might" still have a walk on roof. Which is not a bad thing, just for sure test the roof surface before you assume it is or you will go thru it.
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Old 11-17-2009, 07:10 AM   #15
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John, the 5500# came right off the scale printout. Granted the TT and TV were still hooked together. Would you advise doing the vehicles separately?

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Old 11-17-2009, 09:43 AM   #16
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I can't help with the "weight issue" but have been on this forum long enough that "the guys" will want to know, year, make, model, 4x2 4x4, gear ratio of your current tow vehicle, we know you have a 4.7 engine....

I found this http://www.fowlerdodge.com/quickQuot...quad%20cab.pdf link for a 2006 Dodge QC - hope that helps "you guys".
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Old 11-17-2009, 12:21 PM   #17
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My current TV is RAM 1500 4.7 with the 3:55 gears, not the ideal vehicle in this situation. It's CGVR is 11,500 and as you can see from the weight document I'm at 11,100 already.

My first inclination was to try to determine if the scale weight was really accurate, it seemed very high given the the printed infomation I had available but as the truck did work pretty hard to get the trailer home I suspect it is.

I could change the gearing but that doesn't help the power situation. I might just change the truck to a 5.7 HEMI with 3:92 gears. That would get the GCVR to 14,000.
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Old 11-17-2009, 03:55 PM   #18
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Quote:
Originally Posted by dryflie
I could change the gearing but that doesn't help the power situation. I might just change the truck to a 5.7 HEMI with 3:92 gears. That would get the GCVR to 14,000.

When we upgraded to our 2499 - we upgraded the TV also, see sig for info.
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Old 11-17-2009, 10:26 PM   #19
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Quote:
Originally Posted by dryflie
John, the 5500# came right off the scale printout. Granted the TT and TV were still hooked together. Would you advise doing the vehicles separately?

OH boy, your issues just got worse. That weight slip can be about +-20#.

And the Trailer weight listed is only the TT axles, not including the TT tongue. So since you had no weight distrabution hitch and just on the ball, You add 5,500# + maybe 500 to 600# tongue = maybe 6100# GVW of the TT.

Which is really really sounding high for an empty TT of yours. Something is not adding up or the prior owner some how added a bunch of weight in that camper somehow hiding from you.

Try this. Weigh the camper again. Pull on the scale, TT axle on 1 scale, TV rear axle on the 2nd scale and TV front on the 3rd. Grab a weight. This I belive is the same way you did it before. Yes/no?

Then, pull off, go unhook the truck right there in the yard and go back and weigh the front and rear axle of the truck alone. Tell the scale attendent you are doing a reweigh. They charge less if you never leave the yard

Subtract the 2 total numbers (truck weight alone total comonebd weight or TT & TV) and that is the TT GVW. And then figure the TV total weight gain hitched up minus the TV weight alone and that is the TT tongue weight

Then to check, tongue weight plus TT axle weight should = the figured TT GVW.

Since you have no WD bars on this will work. When you put WD bars on, well it changes how you do the weighing as the hitch move the rear axle weight around.

Some how you are coming up real heavy on the TT axles.

Good luck

John
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Old 02-06-2010, 07:23 AM   #20
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Same here

Just bought a 1995 Solaris T-2653. Brochure says 4265# (including tongue and propane tanks).
When I weighed the trailer it came in at 5300# so a true weight of 1000# over what that lying brochure states seems to be about right.

Your weighing procedure can't be the cause. Both units are on the scales at the same time. Simple subtraction gives the answer.
In my case TT+TV= 10,500#
TV=5200# (weighed alone), so TT is 5300#

"Is est quis is est" (It is what it is)

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