Community Forums

KWiK · 07-22-2019, 06:15 PM

We are looking for a new (to us) Class A.

We were at one dealership, and they were giving us the spiel of why we should by their 2011 Georgetown, over a 2018 new Georgetown at another dealer.

The 2018 was a 20500 lbs GVWR Chassis, and the 2011 was a 22000 lbs GVWR chassis.

Is the GVWR that important? I do like the looks of the 22000 with the bigger tires etc.

Given a choice between equal payload capacity, and the two different GVWR would it always be better to go with the heavier chassis?

greystroke · 07-22-2019, 06:43 PM

Understand the meaning of GVWR(Gross Vehicle Weight Rating)

This is the maximum weight of the motorhome when fully loaded that the MFGR considers safe.

Also part of the specs is GVW(Gross Vehicle Weight) this is normally the unloaded weight of the MH.

The difference between these tow values is how much you can load into the MH.

On your first trip drive to the truck scales and weight the MH to make sure you don't exceed the GVWR.

That being said I personally would choose the MH that I like better and within my budget. GVWR would not be a consideration for me.

aether_one · 07-22-2019, 06:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by greystroke

Understand the meaning of GVWR(Gross Vehicle Weight Rating)

This is the maximum weight of the motorhome when fully loaded that the MFGR considers safe.

Also part of the specs is GVW(Gross Vehicle Weight) this is normally the unloaded weight of the MH. No - INCORRECT

The difference between these tow values is how much you can load into the MH.

On your first trip drive to the truck scales and weight the MH to make sure you don't exceed the GVWR.

That being said I personally would choose the MH that I like better and within my budget. GVWR would not be a consideration for me.

Anything starting with "Gross" is NOT unloaded weight.

Crasher · 07-22-2019, 07:05 PM

I'm not familiar with either model, but the useful load rating would be important to me if I liked both floor plans. My guess is that the 22,000# chassis would have more payload and also handle better with the heavier chassis and larger tires.

Skip426 · 07-22-2019, 07:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tfryman

Anything starting with "Gross" is NOT unloaded weight.

Yup; don't know if , greystoke , miss-typed or????

UVW ( Unloaded Vehicle Weight ) determines the CCC ( Cargo Carrying Capacity; payload ) when compared to the GVWR.

REMEMBER !!!!!! Salesman will say ANYTHING to make a sale.

The higher rated GVWR coach if it has the same payload ( CCC ) will have heavier frame ,springs and as noted tires , and more likely handle better .

What was the payload ??

Gordon Dewald · 07-22-2019, 07:17 PM

Most important to check is the difference between each axle rating and the weight that you can put on it. Number of coaches have what seems to be a good capacity but one of the axles is so close to capacity that passengers or a tank of water will put it over.

gatorb8 · 07-22-2019, 08:13 PM

I would take a test drive to the CAT scales and determine the real curb weight and subtract it from the GVWR, then you know the real OCCC
I bet the 22000 wins with the 22.5” tires if the coaches are the same length....

greystroke · 07-23-2019, 07:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tfryman

Anything starting with "Gross" is NOT unloaded weight.

Correct it please with what you think is correct

Teamfoxy · 07-23-2019, 07:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KWiK

We are looking for a new (to us) Class A.

We were at one dealership, and they were giving us the spiel of why we should by their 2011 Georgetown, over a 2018 new Georgetown at another dealer.

The 2018 was a 20500 lbs GVWR Chassis, and the 2011 was a 22000 lbs GVWR chassis.

Is the GVWR that important? I do like the looks of the 22000 with the bigger tires etc.

Given a choice between equal payload capacity, and the two different GVWR would it always be better to go with the heavier chassis?

In looking at the 2011 specs from Ford, the bare chassis weight is about 250 lbs apart. So the rest will be up to the coach maker. The 22000 lb chassis can come with either 19.5 or 22" wheels. The engine and frame are the same, the difference is only in the suspension system. The 2011 will have the five speed transmission where the 2018 will have a 6 speed, but it makes little difference in practice.

What you need to look at is the difference between the build weight and the GVWR. That gives you the OCCC which is the amount of stuff you can actually carry. You can find all this information on the yellow stickers on the entry door and next to the driver's seat.

Also look at the wheel base in comparison to the overall length of the coach. The longer the wheelbase, the better the coach will handle. It will depend on the actual weight, but the rated tow capacity of the 20,500 chassis is 5,500 lbs where the 22,000 chassis is only 4,000 lbs.

We have the 20,500# chassis with 228" wheelbase and our OCCC is 4,060 lbs. At the truck scales we weigh in at 19,100 lbs fully loaded in travel condition. Our wheelbase to overall length is 56% and the ride is very good without any of the suspension modifications that some people tout as necessary.

Bigger / heavier is not better. We travel to many campgrounds where you need to pass over a bridge that will only handle 10 tons and have a max RV length of 35 feet.

greystroke · 07-23-2019, 09:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by greystroke

Understand the meaning of GVWR(Gross Vehicle Weight Rating)

This is the maximum weight of the motorhome when fully loaded that the MFGR considers safe.

Also part of the specs is GVW(Gross Vehicle Weight) this is normally the unloaded weight of the MH.

The difference between these tow values is how much you can load into the MH.

On your first trip drive to the truck scales and weight the MH to make sure you don't exceed the GVWR.

That being said I personally would choose the MH that I like better and within my budget. GVWR would not be a consideration for me.

Correction
Change GVW(Gross Vehicle Weight) to UVW(Unloaded Vehicle Weight)

KWiK · 07-23-2019, 10:08 AM

Thanks for the replies. I had forgot to mention I do believe the 2050# coach did have a longer wheelbase with the same length of coach.

I have to admit I didn't look at the UVW numbers on either coach. We have decided against both, but wanted more info as we continue to look.

My thoughts were longer wheelbase, bigger tires, most likely stronger suspension, that it should handle better, but it sounds like there are some downsides also.

Sandy Swede · 07-23-2019, 10:24 AM

Teamfoxy referred to GCWR (Gross Combined Weight Rating) being a consideration. You plan to tow a vehicle, right?

Teamfoxy · 07-23-2019, 11:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KWiK

Thanks for the replies. I had forgot to mention I do believe the 2050# coach did have a longer wheelbase with the same length of coach.

I have to admit I didn't look at the UVW numbers on either coach. We have decided against both, but wanted more info as we continue to look.

My thoughts were longer wheelbase, bigger tires, most likely stronger suspension, that it should handle better, but it sounds like there are some downsides also.

Suggest that you go to the Ford website and download the F-53 chassis specs for the year you are looking at. Not too much changes year to year, but some things do, like a 2011 still has the five speed transmission where the 2018 has a 6 speed. The suspension for a 22,000 chassis would be the same whether you have the 208, 228 or 242 inch wheelbase. I think 22 inch wheels would be standard and 29.5 optional regardless of wheelbase. Larger tires may give you a better ride, but will cost more to replace and weigh a lot more. We are quite happy with the 20,500# chassis with 228" whellbase on a 34 foot coach. Plenty of room for the two of us, comfortable for Nan to drive, and has more OCCC than we need. We can easily tow our car if/when we want to. How you load the coach makes a big difference in handling. A long wheelbase and short rear overhang let you keep the weight forward more easily and that counts for a lot.

Gary RVRoamer · 07-23-2019, 11:27 AM

The GVWR by itself is not a big deal, but the difference between the UVW (unladen weight) and the GVWR is, cause that's how much weight you can carry, whether that be passengers gear, water or whatever. However, life gets easy because the difference between the UVW and the GVWR is already calculated for you - it is shown as the OCCC (Occupant & Cargo Carrying Capacity) on the federal tire and loading label that all vehicles have had since July 2008.

Generally speaking, you want as much OCCC as you can get. If comparing two coaches and their OCCC is fairly close and enough for my expected load, I would not think much more about it. However, if one is substantially greater than the other, that's a plus.