I may sound like a broken record asking about the dry weight vs gross rating on the 3600, 3611, and 3713 models. However, the silence instead of answers is deafening.
All of you know that isn’t enough.
All of you know that my parents aren’t the only one who purchased one of these models not knowing how limited their capacity is. Dealers and salesmen who don’t know or don’t tell their customers. Manufacturer who knowingly produce these models with axles too small to pinch a couple dollars and hit a price point.
All of those who have could be putting themselves and others in danger unknowingly and the dealers/manufacturer wipes their hands of the mess they choose to ignore and deny.
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Hi drittal,
Clearly, the carrying capacity of the 3611 your parents have is lower than people carrying toys would want. And now, for that and probably other reasons, it's no longer being sold.
As for solutions, the axles, wheels and tires could probably be upgraded for less than $6K. While that's a lot, it's probably way less than trading up to a different trailer. But, there could be other limiting factors. For example, a 10" frame, if that's what your 3611 has, might not carry any more than the current GVWR. So if upgrading axles, etc., spending a little more to strengthen the frame would be prudent. Reinforcing bars could probably be welded in to add strength. Crossbars would probably also be good.
Recognize that even if you do all this, the GVWR on the official plaque cannot be changed.
It's my impression that most owners have no idea what their actual weight is or whether they've exceeded GVWR. That applies to all trailers, not just toy haulers. On this forum, prospective buyers often ask what truck will tow a particular trailer, and they provide the empty weight of the trailer. Their thinking is that they wouldn't be adding much to the empty weight. They usually get a response that they should plan around the trailer GVWR, not the empty weight.
"Toy Haulers" often don't need enough carrying capacity to carry toys. Some people buy them to get office space, or for pets/show animals, or perhaps for grandkids to have play/sleep space. None of these applications require as much carrying capacity as for carrying toys. So a 3611 with lower carrying capacity may work just fine for some of these other uses.
In general, I think people are under informed and dealers don't help because they just want to sell. They don't want to give prospective buyers something to think about that might kill the sale. So they're not likely to help with any of this.
At this point, your parents might consider trading the trailer in for something more suitable. Or they might consider having some components upgraded. I'm not sure there's anything else in the way of solutions.
