New member/New owner of a 91 Solaris t2460

[drewcrew6]

Hello All

Been a few years since I have had my own TT (about 10) due to Triplets And that rig was a 16.5' Wilderness.

I have just purchased a 1991 t2460 Solaris. This Rig is a little rough looks like it was used for partying. They painted the walls, Stripped the floor and installed vinyl over a base 1/4" plywood ( lifting), stripped the Valances over the windows, Lost the cushains for the dinnette, Lost almost all the interior light covers, broke the toilet, etc, etc.

This rig has been sitting on perm site for a bit, assuming since 03 since that is last state inspection of it.

Is there anything I need to watch when going thru rig and finding out what all works and what needs repaired. I need to figure that all out before starting any repairs.

I have some options for towing but can this be SAFELY pulled with a 04 Mazda Tribute, I know it is range of rating but the short wheelbase has me a little concerned. The wilderness I had I pulled for a couple of years with a 89 Mazda B2600 and that was ok just underpowered but it did surprisingly well.

Thanks For any advice
Drewcrew6

[Steve Collins]

Drewcrew6,

First, welcome aboard. You'll find lots of friendly, helpful folks here who can answer your questions.

About your question on towing. The '04 Mazda Tribute is rated to tow 3,500# max. trailer weight if it has an automatic transmission and the factory tow package. Without the factory tow package, it is rated for only 2,000# max. trailer weight.

Your T-2460 has the following ratings:
Axle weight................3,290#
Hitch weight..................490#
GVW (dry weight).......3,780#
GVWR.......................5,000# (Gross Vehicle Weight Rating)

There are a lot of calculations that can be done regarding Tow Vehicle (TV) axle ratings and so on, but here's a fairly simple rule of thumb that should tell you what you need to initially know about towing your T-2460. It is generally accepted in the travel trailer world that your tow vehicle's max. towing capacity should exceed the GVWR of the trailer by at least 10%. A larger percentage is very desireable in this regard. There are a lot of why's and wherefore's that go into that, but if the tow vehicle is rated less than the trailer's gross weight, IMHO it's a bad combination to start.

Your TV should also have a CGWR (Combined Gross Weight Rating) which is the total of the max allowable weights of the TV, the trailer, the load (your stuff!), and passengers. The CGWR needs to be bigger than the actual total weight, too.

In your case, the dry (empty) weight of the trailer is greater than the max allowable trailer weight of the Mazda *IF* it has the auto tranny and factory tow package. That right there should be a red flag for you.

[drewcrew6]

Hi Steve

And Thanks That info is invaluable.
The thing that was throwing me is the title lists unladen weight as 4165 and gross as 5000. everything I read could not verify these numbers. The tribute does have factory tow So that truck will be limited to short hauls less then 1/2 hour When ABSOLUTLY necessary.

My old setup with the B2600 and the wilderness I was under the rating of the truck by at least 10%.

Thanks
Drewcrew6