Tag Axle

[Conquest102]

Any ideas on how much a Tag Axle would increase my GVWR. I am currently going by the sticker but its for a stripped chassis before the Tag axle was installed. The tag axle is made by Morryde. The sticker say 11500 GVWR. I'm betting money the Gulfstream box eats up most of that.

Also for airlift suspension would I have to put one on the tag axle too or just the duallies. The rear sits kind of low and I have scapped it a couple of times. I even took off the the tow hitch to help get some ground clearance. Right before I picked it up the dealer had new rubber springs put on the tag axle and I have ordered new shocks with coil springs on them from monroe. I hope these will help get me a little lift not expecting a lot but every little I get will help. It only has 37,000 miles on the RV so I am guessing Gulfstream just built it low to the ground. The leaf spring seem to be in really good shape can't see any cracks and they do have some up curve to them. It does only sit on 16 inch tires as well.

[mpaton]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Conquest102 Any ideas on how much a Tag Axle would increase my GVWR. I am currently going by the sticker but its for a stripped chassis before the Tag axle was installed. The tag axle is made by Morryde. The sticker say 11500 GVWR. I'm betting money the Gulfstream box eats up most of that..

I didn't realize you had a tag axle. It's probably a safe bet that you'd be over gross without it. I don't know exactly what your gross weight increase would be, but I believe the "biggest" 460 engined Class A chassis from Ford had a GVWR of 17,000lbs, and after Winnebago added a tag the GVWR became 20,000lbs. That may be a guide, but it may not be as simple as that.

[Conquest102]

Thank you that makes me feel better knowing what it can be capable of. I was only guessing acouple thousand.

[LVJ58]

Conquest102, we have a tag axle on our 2000 coach with the f53 chassis. Our chassis is rated at 20,500 GVWR without the tag. With the tag axle it's rated at 22,000 GVWR.

[Conquest102]

Just got the message back from gulfstream they say it weighs 7900lbs dry weight he also says the GVWR is 9600lbs. The sticker on the door says 11500lbs so I am to assume the sticker is the GVWR with the tag.

[LVJ58]

'11500lbs so I am to assume the sticker is the GVWR with the tag."

YES, you are correct with your assumption. That's the same way it is with ours.

[SteveLevin]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mpaton I didn't realize you had a tag axle. It's probably a safe bet that you'd be over gross without it. I don't know exactly what your gross weight increase would be, but I believe the "biggest" 460 engined Class A chassis from Ford had a GVWR of 17,000lbs, and after Winnebago added a tag the GVWR became 20,000lbs. That may be a guide, but it may not be as simple as that.

The 17,000lb. GVWR is also derived from the 16" tires max load carrying capacity. (11,000 on the dual axle, 6,000 on the front)

I didn't realize that Class C's were so much lighter... my 30' Class A (no slide) weighs 14,500lbs. loaded full with 70 gallons of water, 75 gallons of fuel, and all our stuff.

Steve

[Conquest102]

From Gulfstream;
The Conquest weighs 7900 dry weight this is without water and fuel. The GVWR for this chassis is 9600.

From MorRyde;
Gulf Stream determines how much the GVWR changes
as they are the final stage manufacturer. Mor/ryde cannot make any
vehicle rating changes as we are an intermediate stage manufacturer.
Typically most OEM's were increasing the rating by around 3500lbs w/ the
addition of the tag axle. I do not know if this is what Gulf Stream
chose to do.

Now I know the sticker is correct at 11500gwvr. Now I just need to get my dually air valve exstenders installed and get the tires up to psi. The sticker said 60psi on rears (1995lbs) I'm going to put 75psi(2330lbs) the tag is at 70psi(1000lbs) the fronts I will leave at 65psi(1060lbs) It might ride a little stiff if it does I will drop 5 psi and should still be well within weight range for tires.

[mpaton]

I'm not so sure about your conclusions. I believe Ford wrote an accurate GVWR sticker for their "incomplete" vehicle as it left their factory. I also believe what MorRyde said, and so I distrust what Gulfstream told you.

Today a 31' class C with a slide weighs about 14,000lbs; I don't see why it would be any different in 1996. When you have yours weighed, that's around what I'd expect, maybe a little more because of tag axle weight.

I couldn't find a 1996 Conquest brochure on Gulfstream's site, but Winnebago has data going back quite a way, and they show a 1996 Winnie Minnie Class C, with no slide 31' with a GVWR of 12,400lbs, and a 24' no slide with a GVWR of 11,500lbs. No tag axles or slides, but these would be the same chassis that Ford was delivering at that time.

Probably what is key is the Wheelbase of your coach. That 24' unit had a Wheelbase of 158" with a GVWR of 11,500 from Ford, same as yours. Winnebago's 31' used a heavier chassis with a Wheelbase of 190", GVWR of 12,400. Maybe there was a price break in 1996 for taking a lower GVWR chassis that made it worth their while to use a lower GVWR chassis and add a tag axle.

Either way, if a slide adds around 1000lbs to the weight, it seems very unlikely that your 31' could weigh only 7900lbs empty.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Conquest102 From Gulfstream; The Conquest weighs 7900 dry weight this is without water and fuel. The GVWR for this chassis is 9600. From MorRyde; Gulf Stream determines how much the GVWR changes as they are the final stage manufacturer. Mor/ryde cannot make any vehicle rating changes as we are an intermediate stage manufacturer. Typically most OEM's were increasing the rating by around 3500lbs w/ the addition of the tag axle. I do not know if this is what Gulf Stream chose to do. Now I know the sticker is correct at 11500gwvr. Now I just need to get my dually air valve exstenders installed and get the tires up to psi. The sticker said 60psi on rears (1995lbs) I'm going to put 75psi(2330lbs) the tag is at 70psi(1000lbs) the fronts I will leave at 65psi(1060lbs) It might ride a little stiff if it does I will drop 5 psi and should still be well within weight range for tires.

[Conquest102]

You got me thinking I went back and looked at the pics you uploaded and the rear axle says 7810. Thinking maybe I was just given a number rounded up because if the number he gave 7900 is right then I'm almost 200lbs over empty. So the scale weight is going to be very important. Do you think my pressure numbers are closer to what they should be or should I go higher? The tires max at 80psi.

[mpaton]

It was subford who uploaded those pics for you.

Ford said with the decal that if you load the drive axle up to its max, then you should have 60psi in those 4 tires. Putting more pressure in them won't make the axle or its bearings or its springs any stronger. I'd on;y reduce the pressures if I could weigh each axle and find it was loaded below max.

Supposedly some manufacturers lengthened the wheelbase on the chassis they bought, but I would expect that to increase build costs. Still, you could get under and see if that had been done. If not, measure the wheelbase, and that may confirm some of this information.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Conquest102 You got me thinking I went back and looked at the pics you uploaded and the rear axle says 7810. Thinking maybe I was just given a number rounded up because if the number he gave 7900 is right then I'm almost 200lbs over empty. So the scale weight is going to be very important. Do you think my pressure numbers are closer to what they should be or should I go higher? The tires max at 80psi.

[Conquest102]

I measured front tire center to center of duallies 205" . Front to Tag 245". Sorry got my upload helper wrong. I would never go below the ford recommended I would assume they are smarter than me about that. I guess next step is to find out how long it was when it left ford.

[96 Wideglide]

The Mor-ryde tag on my A class, takes it from 18,000 to 20,500 lbs.

[preston56]

any tag axle is supplied on a vehicle for a number of reasons,the most common being weight distribution,a less expensive way to provide a more stable ride for safety and comfort,wheelbase and axle weight are important as thats how they determine where to put the heavier components during manufacturing.they are also considered a perk for some buyers who believe it increases the value of their coach,and it does.any class of fivers,tts or coaches are built to meet or exceed the needs of the rv user,add ons cost more money and sometimes on add confusion,unknown problems,for example if you pull off the road and there is a deep dip or gutter you could high center and get stuck,especially in sand or dirt,the push axle gets no traction,bottom line is if everything is up to spec,ie good tires at the correct pressure and so on,the tag axle overall should serve you well