Community Forums

Mark71 · 03-31-2018, 07:59 AM

Our 2018 DS4018 shows CCC of 11,700. If I subtract 2 people and assume half of fresh/gray/black tanks, that leaves me with more than 10,000 lbs remaining

Adding up all the stuff in our compartments (ladder, compressor, chairs, table, patio mat, etc) plus solar panels on top, I can't get more than 300 lbs. I.e. I still have about 10,000 lbs to cover clothing, dishes/cookware, and food. WAY more than enough it would seem.

What am I missing? The only thing I can think of is if appliances (fridge, micro, washer/dryer, TV's) need to be accounted for in CCC. But every definition I can find says the UVW is the coach as it leaves the factory, with full fuel, oil and coolants. Wouldn't that include accessories already in?

Let me know if I'm overlooking anything obvious, or if I also need to include appliances in the CCC. Even if, those are still not going to come close to 10000 lbs

BattChief · 03-31-2018, 08:56 AM

Your calculations are probably pretty close, but that doesn’t mean you can actually USE all that capacity. Once loaded, it’s imperative to have the coach weighed with all your stuff, including you and your spouse. You will find most of that capacity Is available at the rear of the coach and is mostly unusable.

GaryKD · 03-31-2018, 09:00 AM

Hi Mark71,
The UVW includes all the appliances the coach leaves the factory with. Like posted by BattChief, where the weight is available is important. Have the coach weighed and determine how much weight each axle has available.

tnedator · 03-31-2018, 09:05 AM

Everything factory installed should be included in the UVW. So, you don't need to account for everything.

As mentioned, you should have the coach weighed to figure out proper tire inflation. Ideally, a four corner weight, but at minimum the weight per axle and total weight, that you can easily get at any CAT scale.

Google CAT scale locations.

JFXG · 03-31-2018, 09:15 AM

Mark... Battchief is right. What you have is available weight, within the context of the total of the GVWR. But as you load you will encounter some inherent limits and imbalances. As you load things, you have to watch each axle weight limit, and also each individual wheel limit, bearing in mind that 500 Lb placed a few feet forward of the rear axle also puts some down force on the front axle.
There are also built in imbalances. For example, in my DS I have 400 Lb of batteries mounted at the extreme right rear corner.
The bottom line, as the chief said, is that there is a lot of “fudge factor” included in that total CCC.

Mark71 · 03-31-2018, 09:32 AM

Yep, all the comments make sense. It's not the lbs capacity because I will never even get close to that. It's the space/cube and where it's located. We bought it, took it out for several days, and then back in storage. Since then have been acquiring some things to complete the outfitting. Our first real trip will be in a couple of weeks and I will definitely get axle weights, if not 4 corners, early in the trip.

THANKS

Dutch Star Don · 03-31-2018, 10:16 AM

Mark, the 40' Dutch Star is the only coach on the market that comes with a tag axle. Consequently, it will have the highest CCC of most any coach out there. I've always said, you would have to load it with gold bars to get to the max.

Every other brand only has a single axle on a 40' coach. Newmar could probably get by doing the same, but it was perfect for someone like me who wanted to stay at 40', yet have the stability of the tag, extra brakes and ride comfort.

ptw · 03-31-2018, 11:02 AM

Mark, The number 11,700 looks like the number from the brochure for the Spartan chassis? The CCC for my 2017 Freightliner 4018 is 12,200 in the brochure. The actual CCC listed for the coach on the label in the kitchen cabinet is 9113 lbs. The 9113 number is as ordered with options. Your number should be less than 11,700, although you still have plenty of capacity.

We are full time in our coach and our actual weight is 40,300 with a 47,000 lb GVWR. Actual weight includes my wife, the dog and I with full fuel and 3/4 tank of water. Also, we still have 2,250 lbs capacity available on the front axle based on four corner weights.

TJ · 03-31-2018, 12:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dutch Star Don

Mark, the 40' Dutch Star is the only coach on the market that comes with a tag axle.

Don:

As of 2018, Newmar offers 40' coaches with tag axle in the Ventana (not LE), Dutch Star and Mountain Air lines. Since I'm not very familiar with other brands, I have no idea if there are other 40' tag-axle coaches out there. Then, it really doesn't matter; if it ain't Newmar, it ain't for us!

The 40' coach is the "sweet spot" in length for us and the tag axle in the MADP 4047 was one of the primary reasons we chose to order one (along with 500 HP and the Allison 4000 transmission). Of course, the DW had some non-mechanical reasons too!

TJ