I went to the Rockwood site and found a 2716F. You can look up your specific model but I doubt it's much different.
The trailer had a nominal hitch weight of 360 lbs. The UVW (Unloaded Vehicle Weight) is 2854 lbs. A neutrally-weighted trailer (50% of weight in front and behind axles) would have a 0 lb tongue weight. Of course, that would tow like crap. Industry standards are somewhere between 10%-20% loading toward the front for optimum towing. So, your 360 lb tongue weight is your nominal tongue weight (360) divided by your UVW (2854), or about 12.6%. This is within the range of industry standards.
So now you need to add propane, food, clothing utensils, water, and everything else you need for camping. Your total CCC (Cargo Carrying Capacity) is 506 lbs. So the total weight of the trail at maximum capacity is UVW (2854) + CCC (506) = 3360 lbs. Well within the towing capacity of your vehicle. You also need to consider your black and gray tanks, though those are usually either 1) offset by the water you use or 2) dumped before you travel. So it wouldn't a common situation to run with full fresh, black, and gray tanks. I think your trailer has a cassette tank that is for both black and gray. The point is you only need to consider a full fresh-water tank.
Manufacturers generally assume the weight distribution will remain roughly the same between dry weight and fully loaded. So it is safe to assume that your tongue weight will still be in the ballpark of 12.6% +/- a couple of percent. Your fully loaded tongue weight with a full load, including propane, should be about 424 lbs +/-. That is still within your towing limits.
Even if you run around with an empty trailer but full propane tanks, the weight is distributed to some degree between the tongue and the trailer axle, so you are not puting the full weight of the propane on the tongue. That would probably only be when you go to fill the tanks before a trip anyway so distances are short.
Remember you need to look at your placard on the driver's door to see what the maximum load is. In my case in 900 lbs.
Per the owner's manual:
Consider the following items when computing the weight
on the rear axle of the vehicle:
• The tongue weight of the trailer.
• The weight of any other type of cargo or equipment put
in or on your vehicle.
• The weight of the driver and all passengers.
So you need to subtract the tongue weight from the total capacity to figure out how much you can put inside your Cherokee. With a fully loaded trailer, you only have about 476 lbs of passengers and equipment inside the car (assuming your capacity is 900 lbs). I would bet most people don't even concern themselves with what they are stuffing in the car.
The funky thing about the weight distribution is the limit in the owner's manual is on the GAWR (Gross Axle Weight Rating) for the rear axle (also found on the placard). But the total capacity is against the GVWR (Gross Vehicle Weight Rating). Your load will be biased toward the back of the vehicle when towing. Technically you need to consider the maximum capacity against the GVWR and the GAWR, but you are within the limits with the trailer. The only thing that might exceed the GAWR is if you put something very heavy in the back of your car and you and your passenger are feather-weights. Even then it would be hard to exceed the GAWR. In my case, the GAWR for both front and rear is 2805 lbs, but the GVWR is 5500 lbs. The total axle capacity is 2805 + 2805 = 5610 lbs. Most cars are weight-based toward the front because that is where the engine and transmission are. So to shift the bias from the front to the back to the point that you exceed the GAWR but are still within the GVWR would be somewhat unlikely. Not impossible, but not worth worrying about IMO.
Bottom line is - don't worry about it. Even if you stuff your trailer to the max you are still within the towing limits.
A bit long-winded, but I hope this helps.
The trailer had a nominal hitch weight of 360 lbs. The UVW (Unloaded Vehicle Weight) is 2854 lbs. A neutrally-weighted trailer (50% of weight in front and behind axles) would have a 0 lb tongue weight. Of course, that would tow like crap. Industry standards are somewhere between 10%-20% loading toward the front for optimum towing. So, your 360 lb tongue weight is your nominal tongue weight (360) divided by your UVW (2854), or about 12.6%. This is within the range of industry standards.
So now you need to add propane, food, clothing utensils, water, and everything else you need for camping. Your total CCC (Cargo Carrying Capacity) is 506 lbs. So the total weight of the trail at maximum capacity is UVW (2854) + CCC (506) = 3360 lbs. Well within the towing capacity of your vehicle. You also need to consider your black and gray tanks, though those are usually either 1) offset by the water you use or 2) dumped before you travel. So it wouldn't a common situation to run with full fresh, black, and gray tanks. I think your trailer has a cassette tank that is for both black and gray. The point is you only need to consider a full fresh-water tank.
Manufacturers generally assume the weight distribution will remain roughly the same between dry weight and fully loaded. So it is safe to assume that your tongue weight will still be in the ballpark of 12.6% +/- a couple of percent. Your fully loaded tongue weight with a full load, including propane, should be about 424 lbs +/-. That is still within your towing limits.
Even if you run around with an empty trailer but full propane tanks, the weight is distributed to some degree between the tongue and the trailer axle, so you are not puting the full weight of the propane on the tongue. That would probably only be when you go to fill the tanks before a trip anyway so distances are short.
Remember you need to look at your placard on the driver's door to see what the maximum load is. In my case in 900 lbs.
Per the owner's manual:
Consider the following items when computing the weight
on the rear axle of the vehicle:
• The tongue weight of the trailer.
• The weight of any other type of cargo or equipment put
in or on your vehicle.
• The weight of the driver and all passengers.
So you need to subtract the tongue weight from the total capacity to figure out how much you can put inside your Cherokee. With a fully loaded trailer, you only have about 476 lbs of passengers and equipment inside the car (assuming your capacity is 900 lbs). I would bet most people don't even concern themselves with what they are stuffing in the car.
The funky thing about the weight distribution is the limit in the owner's manual is on the GAWR (Gross Axle Weight Rating) for the rear axle (also found on the placard). But the total capacity is against the GVWR (Gross Vehicle Weight Rating). Your load will be biased toward the back of the vehicle when towing. Technically you need to consider the maximum capacity against the GVWR and the GAWR, but you are within the limits with the trailer. The only thing that might exceed the GAWR is if you put something very heavy in the back of your car and you and your passenger are feather-weights. Even then it would be hard to exceed the GAWR. In my case, the GAWR for both front and rear is 2805 lbs, but the GVWR is 5500 lbs. The total axle capacity is 2805 + 2805 = 5610 lbs. Most cars are weight-based toward the front because that is where the engine and transmission are. So to shift the bias from the front to the back to the point that you exceed the GAWR but are still within the GVWR would be somewhat unlikely. Not impossible, but not worth worrying about IMO.
Bottom line is - don't worry about it. Even if you stuff your trailer to the max you are still within the towing limits.
A bit long-winded, but I hope this helps.
