Hello all, first time Grand Design owner....almost! Our new 297RSTS is on order and should be in the first of April. Our old trailer weighed in around 7,000 lbs and I used an Equal-i-zer 1000/10,000 WDH. Tongue weight was just under 900 lbs loaded which translated to about 12.6% of trailer weight. I'm looking to get a heavier hitch for the new trailer and noticed that advertised tongue weight on this unit is barely 10%. That makes some sense given the opposing slides at the back of the trailer, but I'm curious to see if the advertised weight translates in the real world. Would appreciate insight from other RSTS (or similar) trailers. If these truly run closer to 10-11% I'll probably go with the 1200/12,000 hitch. If the percentage is really higher, probably makes sense to go with 1400/14,000. Thank for the assist!
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Reflection 297RSTS Tongue Weight?
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Smiletwice
Welcome to the Forum.
The advertised weights are for an RV that is just off of the line being manufactured. These weights do not include propane , battery , or anything else that is added to the RV. That being said the general consensus is to use the gross weight and then determine your max tongue weight from that. TucsonJim and a few others that own this model will be along to advise with there own experience.
BrianBrian & Michelle
2018 Reflection 29RS
2022 Chevy 3500HD
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Originally posted by Smiletwice View PostHello all, first time Grand Design owner....almost! Our new 297RSTS is on order and should be in the first of April. Our old trailer weighed in around 7,000 lbs and I used an Equal-i-zer 1000/10,000 WDH. Tongue weight was just under 900 lbs loaded which translated to about 12.6% of trailer weight. I'm looking to get a heavier hitch for the new trailer and noticed that advertised tongue weight on this unit is barely 10%. That makes some sense given the opposing slides at the back of the trailer, but I'm curious to see if the advertised weight translates in the real world. Would appreciate insight from other RSTS (or similar) trailers. If these truly run closer to 10-11% I'll probably go with the 1200/12,000 hitch. If the percentage is really higher, probably makes sense to go with 1400/14,000. Thank for the assist!
I own a 2017 Reflection 297RSTS myself. That 1000# hitch weight must have been made after they filled the unit with helium! It runs MUCH heavier than that. First, if you have an optional front air conditioner installed, it will add about 80-90# of additional tongue weight. Without the AC, you'll likely be running around 1,300# when loaded. With the AC, you'll be closer to 1,400#. And to top it off, if you ever need to run with your fresh water tank full, you'll add even more weight. If you look at the picture below, it shows my tongue weight at 1,500#. This was with a full tank of water, a second AC, three lead/acid batteries on the tongue and a bunch of tools in the storage bay. I've done some weight shifting since then, and I typically run around 1,250-1,350# when I travel now.
I knew they ran heavy before purchasing my Blue Ox hitch, so I went with the 1,500# spring bars. But after putting on a few thousand miles, I switched to the Blue Ox 2,000# spring bars and it made a huge difference with the steering after putting more load on the front tires.
If you're going with the Equalizer brand of hitch, I'd go with the 1400/14,000 pound set up. If you go with the Blue Ox system, I'd go with the 1,500 bars as a minimum, and seriously consider the 2,000# bars.
One other thing to consider: I purchased a Sherline 2,000# scale from Amazon and it makes weighing the tongue very easy. It's a nice tool to have with you so you can properly balance your loads when traveling.
Jim
Jim and Ginnie
2024 Solitude 310GK - 2020 F350 Dually
GDRV Technical Forum Moderator
GDRV Rally Support Coordinator
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Smiletwice My 2018 runs around 1300 to 1400 tongue weight and I don't have the extra front AC nor the washer/dryer. I do have 2 batteries on the tongue though. Nearly all of the storage is between the axles and tongue so depending on how you load it tongue weight will increase. I have put some of my not to often used stuff under the sleeper sofa at the back but that is fairly minimal. I am using 1500 lb bars on my Reese Straightline hitch and still could tilt the head back if I needed to.
rob
Rob & Barb
2022 RAM 3500 Big Horn, 6.7 Cummins HO/Aisin
2022 Solitude 378MBS
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Originally posted by TucsonJim View Post
Good morning "SmileTwice". Welcome to the technical forum.
I own a 2017 Reflection 297RSTS myself. That 1000# hitch weight must have been made after they filled the unit with helium! It runs MUCH heavier than that. First, if you have an optional front air conditioner installed, it will add about 80-90# of additional tongue weight. Without the AC, you'll likely be running around 1,300# when loaded. With the AC, you'll be closer to 1,400#. And to top it off, if you ever need to run with your fresh water tank full, you'll add even more weight. If you look at the picture below, it shows my tongue weight at 1,500#. This was with a full tank of water, a second AC, three lead/acid batteries on the tongue and a bunch of tools in the storage bay. I've done some weight shifting since then, and I typically run around 1,250-1,350# when I travel now.
I knew they ran heavy before purchasing my Blue Ox hitch, so I went with the 1,500# spring bars. But after putting on a few thousand miles, I switched to the Blue Ox 2,000# spring bars and it made a huge difference with the steering after putting more load on the front tires.
If you're going with the Equalizer brand of hitch, I'd go with the 1400/14,000 pound set up. If you go with the Blue Ox system, I'd go with the 1,500 bars as a minimum, and seriously consider the 2,000# bars.
One other thing to consider: I purchased a Sherline 2,000# scale from Amazon and it makes weighing the tongue very easy. It's a nice tool to have with you so you can properly balance your loads when traveling.
Jim
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