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KPaulson · 02-14-2018, 04:51 PM

I am about to purchase a 2018 Winnebago View 24D, the weight specs listed leave me with questions...

Spec's listed...

GCWR 15,250
GVWR 11,030
GAWR (front axle)

The front and rear axles have a GAWR 12,130 total

The GVWR is 11,030 does this include all tanks full...water fresh, black and gray...full propane and diesel fuel tank.

If 12,130 minus 11,030 = 1,100, is this the weight of the cargo I can add.

I understand the the 5,000lb hitch rating is not the max weight of toad, but how much can I tow

rk911 · 02-14-2018, 05:36 PM

I can appreciate your confusion. i'll try to simplify this for you.

GVWR = Gross Vehicle Weight Rating is the total amount of weight the RV chassis can support.

GAWR = Gross Axle Weight Rating is the total amount of weight each axle can support. Typically the sum of the axle weight ratings will equal the GVWR. in your case the difference may be the tongue weight rating of the hitch receiver.

GCWR = Gross Combination Weight Rating is the total amount of weight the motorhome can propel including itself.

all of these weight ratings include all weight on the chassis...food, fuel, fresh water, waste water, supplies, clothing, pets, people and other "stuff". in the case of the GCWR it includes the weight of the vehicle being towed and that would include fuel in the tank and any stuff inside the towed vehicle.

the trick for an owner is to figure out what can be added to the MH in terms of food, fuel, fresh water, waste water, supplies, clothing, pets, people and other "stuff" without violating these weight ratings. IMO the RV industry has confused the issue with all of their various weight definitions and ratings.

all you really need to know is the:

- empty weight of the RV: this would be how much the vehicle weighed when you took delivery. presumably the vehicle had minimal gas, no water, no waste in the tanks, no food, etc. this is good to know as it provides you with a baseline.

- wet weight of the RV: this would be the weight of the vehicle with full tanks of fuel, fresh water and LP. gas weighs ~6-lbs per gallon so you can deduct the weight of whatever gas was in the tank when you took delivery from the empty weight. it's usually a minimal amount and won't make much of a difference in the final calculation of payload.

- payload: this is the difference between the GVWR and the wet weight and represents how much weight you can add to the RV in terms of supplies, clothing, pets, people and other "stuff", etc.

all of these weights should be done by axle as it is possible to be overweight on one axle (usually the rear) by a similar amount that you'd be underweight on the other axle (usually the front). in these conditions if you weigh the vehicle with both axles on a scale you'll appear to be less than or equal to the GVWR when in reality you'd be overweight on one axle. so do the three weights as I've described but axle and then add the results.

in terms of towing...in general, the maximum amount of weight you can safely tow will be the lesser of the following:

- the GCWR (gross combination weight rating) of the MH minus the actual weight of the MH as it is loaded for travel (includes fuel, fresh water, food, clothing, people, pets, supplies, etc.)

- the weight rating of your tow bar

- the weight rating of your hitch

this is why it's vital to know what your MH weighs as it is loaded and configure for travel before choosing a toad. Your MH will not collapse if it is overloaded but you will experience handling issues as well as longer braking distances and accelerated wear on suspension, brakes, steering, etc.

so 5000-lbs is not necessarily the amount of weight you can tow. it may be the maximum amount of weight you can tow but it also may be less than 5K. you won't know until you know how much your MH weighs...by axle...as it is loaded for travel.

btw...water weighs 8-lbs per gallon and LP weighs roughly 4-lbs per gallon. gray water and black water weigh more per gallon than fresh but not many of us travel with those tanks full or mostly full.

good luck.

KPaulson · 02-14-2018, 06:41 PM

I am about to purchase a 2018 Winnie View 24D, have difficulty understanding the weight specs...
GCWR 15,250lbs
GVWR 11,030lbs
GAWR (front axle) 4,410lbs
GAWR (rear axle) 7,720lbs

They do not list curb weight or dry weight?
Does the GVWR include full fuel, propane, fresh water, black water and gray water?
From the spec numbers how do I determine the max weight of cargo View will carry?
How do I determine the safe weight for a toad?
Thanks in advance!

rk911 · 02-14-2018, 06:50 PM

you asked basically the same question in an earlier post in the same forum. rather than repeat my answer to you I'd direct you to check that earlier post.

KPaulson · 02-14-2018, 06:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rk911

you asked basically the same question in an earlier post in the same forum. rather than repeat my answer to you I'd direct you to check that earlier post.

Sorry, I wasn't finished with the first post and mistakenly posted it. The last question I had was the dry weight and you answered that...thanks. I will attempt to get that answered.

l1v3fr33ord1 · 02-14-2018, 07:24 PM

KPaulson-

Welcome to iRV2!

It would help if you review the definitions related to weighing. See this link.

Few manufacturers publish the number you need the most: OCCC. For a coach that has been built, that number is on a label in the coach. See if you can get a dealer or two to tell you OCCC numbers from their 24Ds.

This link has a nebulous "Cargo Capacity" of 1,100 pounds. No idea if that is OCCC, or what?

Hitch is rated at 5,000 pounds. GCWR - GVWR = 4,220 pounds. It's likely that the coach will weigh at or near the GVWR when loaded. If that is the case, then a toad of 4,220 pounds or less would keep you within the coach ratings.

luvlabs · 02-15-2018, 08:48 AM

If you are not used to these numbers, then it is easy to be confused. For your Sprinter based View, it can be a little less complex and the dry weight is really not needed as your load capacity is calculated for you (the OCCC):

GCWR 15,250
GVWR 11,030
Towing max 4,220
OCCC - look on the sticker on your driver's door post

Your combined axle weight rating is higher, but think of it as a safety margin.

What you need to worry about is the OCCC - this is how much stuff you can load into the motorhome including, fuel, water, propane, yourself, clothes, food, pets, spouse, etc. In terms of weighing this, it is not to exceed 11,030 lbs (your gross vehicle weight rating).

If you plan on towing a car or trailer behind your View, then you need to be aware that what is stamped on the receiver is not what you can tow. The actual tow capacity is the difference between the GCWR and the GVW. If you exceed the 11,030 lbs GVW, your tow rating decreases. So, if you are planning on towing a Jeep, you are right on the edge as far as weight is concerned. Better towing something smaller - Honda Fit, Chevy Sonic, Fiat, and so on.

And keep asking questions. It's the only way all of this is going to make any sense.

Scarab0088 · 02-15-2018, 10:04 AM

Here's the definitions:
Weighing Glossary

The most precise way to get your actual towing capability is to weigh the RV after you have it loaded as you wish (w/ full tanks as you would travel).

Take GCWR and subtract the number from your weigh-in to see the difference. You can tow that weight, up to the capacity of the hitch.

Safe travels

kayak70 · 02-22-2018, 05:13 AM

In a nutshell - tow the lightest vehicle you can find with 4 wheels. We tow an 09 Honda Fit, about 2500 lbs wet. Look at every little thing you want to carry and ask - "do I really need this". It is a small rig, think small. You might also want to rethink the 24D because the refrigerator as OEM installed is really unusable if you intend to "dry camp". Lichtsinn video is not reliable either. Bottom line is that refrigerator won't work on 12 vdc very well. So far I have been unable to make ours work in any case, either on shore or on the road or on solar in an acceptable manner. We bought the 24D new, love it. We are looking at a replacement for the refrigerator now, hard to find something that will actually work. Think this through and think about what I am telling you - we have 20 years experience camping in various RVs, including a prior 06 View. We never had one with a non-functional refrigerator before this. It will cost you about $3k to get a quality refer installed and some pain in the process. Norcold dealers just say "it won't work on DC". You will need a refrigerator replacement so budget about $3k in your purchase. The alternative is either frozen at -1F freezer and 20F refer or 34 freezer and 44 refer and stop for food on the road. The Sunfrost RF16 might work great but it weighs 3 times what the Norcold weighs.

Weight is manageable, non-functional refrigerator is expensive to replace and three "star" Norcold service centers have the same answer - "it won't work".

luvlabs · 02-22-2018, 08:16 AM

Kayak70,

Has your refrigerator been replaced? It is a warranty item and if it isn't functioning, Winnebago should replace it under warranty. Since this is a compressor refrigerator that runs on 12V normally, it should function fine on battery, line or generator.

If for some reason you have the older gas absorption model, it will run on 12V only when the engine is running. Otherwise, it is propane, line voltage, or generator.

Wayneey · 02-23-2018, 11:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kayak70

The alternative is either frozen at -1F freezer and 20F refer or 34 freezer and 44 refer and stop for food on the road.
Norcold dealers just say "it won't work on DC".

I remember reading a similar comment (but don't remember what forum it was on) about the Norcold compressor refrigerator in a Navion/View having wide temperature swings. According to the OP, a thermistor somewhere in the circuit was bad. After replacing the offending part, the frig worked fine.

Even though the Norcold power source specs are both AC & DC, as Roger said, it runs on DC regardless of the power source.

I have a 2018 Navion 24J on order so I guess I'll find out how things work in a month or so!

Wayne

bobmac · 02-23-2018, 05:38 PM

Found out at last years GNR that Winnebago weigh every coach just before it is shipped and then post the OCCC on the label reflecting the actual amount for that coach. Since installed options vary, they weigh each individually so whatever is posted, is unique to your coach. The 24D at the show had no weight label and the product manager told me why when I asked.

kayak70 · 02-23-2018, 06:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by luvlabs

Kayak70,

Has your refrigerator been replaced? It is a warranty item and if it isn't functioning, Winnebago should replace it under warranty. Since this is a compressor refrigerator that runs on 12V normally, it should function fine on battery, line or generator.

If for some reason you have the older gas absorption model, it will run on 12V only when the engine is running. Otherwise, it is propane, line voltage, or generator.

I have tested the fridge in my drive on 30 amp shore power, solid, for about 8 days now. I find that Norcold dealers I spoke to simply do not want to touch the thing. Today the "star" Norcold dealer said simply - "not our problem, take it where you bought it". Called WGO, said "take it where you bought it but only to a WGO dealer for warranty".

My results show the thing actually works great on 12VDC unplugged from shore. On a sunny day the two solar panels keep up fine although I'm working on proving one of those panels is dead, has a shorted cell. Voltage but will not pass amps, common issue. Anyway one working panel runs the thing with batteries, stock, for about 5 hours on a sunny day before batteries start going downhill. In this mode the fridge gives solid 1-10F freezer and 34-37F refer section. Perfect.

Plug into shore and it goes south, way south. Freezer goes to 33-35 and refer to 41-44F.

Found a recommended service guy who sounds great but he is not a WGO dealer. Sigh, back to CW or a drive to IOWA. Thermistor doesn't match the symptoms but a bad controller board or compressor motor that does not like the conversion from 120vac to 12vdc does match the symptom.

I can "demand" a replacement but that is a tough road. It is going in to the dealer Monday.

FWIW, I plan to change out the stock little house battery with two Lifeline AGM 6volt units and build up the solar array - after they replace the defective solar panel. That should allow the thing to at least keep food overnight but certainly will never allow "dry camping" in a NP unless you are sitting in sun and have clear days.

Life is short, I expect nothing but a run-around on the refer and knowing that I fully expect to spend my cash getting a new unit with major mods.

WGO certainly "sounded" different on the phone today than when I dealt with them before. No interest in the issue at all, no help. If I follow the path in the past I will insist on an open complaint with them, get the number, go to a half dozen dealers, get the run-around and finally drive to IOWA. OR - take the short cut and dump the Norcold now.

The 2018 24D does not have an absorption fridge, it is a compressor unit which is supposed to run on 12VDC or 120VAC, no LP function because it is a compressor unit.