Weight, tires, overloading help needed, please

[surfergirl]

Hi everyone!

We've just bought a 2009 Carriage Domani DF310 (31') 5th Wheel from my in-laws, and we're halfway finished remodeling it. We are planning to take it from Texas to Mexico. Once there, it will mostly reside in the same place. I'm trying to make sure we don't overload it, but would appreciate your thoughts on weight loads.

As we've remodeled, we've been very sensitive to add as little extra weight as possible, and to make sure we do so as evenly as possible. In some places, we replaced a heavier built-in with a lighter one, and in others we are replacing a lighter item with a heavier one. It was hard to measure the weight (and we forgot to) of the items coming out, so we are thinking it might make sense to weigh the thing at this point to confirm where we are.

Here are the specs:
Sleeps 5
Slides 3
Length 30 ft 11 in
Ext Width 8 ft
Ext Height 12 ft 11 in
Hitch Weight 1800 lbs
Dry Weight 10150 lbs
Cargo Weight 1650 lbs
Fresh Water Capacity 72 gals
Grey Water Capacity 62 gals
Black Water Capacity 30 gals
Tire Size 16"

So it appears to us that the cargo weight is pretty small. We are doing our best not to exceed the combined total of the "dry weight" and "cargo weight." And of course we will transport it with tanks empty and with not many personal effects.

My questions are:
(1) What are the specific risks if we exceed this total?
(2) What is the proper/easiest way to weigh the trailer?
(3) What is the best way to confirm that the tow vehicle will be adequate? It will not be our vehicle--we are hiring someone.
(4) My understanding is that we need E rated tires. Is this correct?

Thank you for all of your insight! I really appreciate it!!!

[JohnBoyToo]

go to a https://catscale.com/cat-scale-locator/ find one close, read the site as it tells you how to weigh,
and for $10 for the first weigh and 1 or 2 dollars for the next weigh within 24 hours you can weigh the truck and 5'er, then weigh just the truck and the difference is the weight of the 5'er...

good luck !

oh, on 2nd read, you don't have a truck... will be problematic then...

and I assume, the numbers you got were from specs/brochures (which MANY times are wrong especially if you are remodeling) but 1650 lbs is a LOT of stuff !
the e rated tires decision only comes when you find out what the weight is...

but if you are hiring someone, it's up to them to have the right equipment - so not your problem

but, licensing, registration, and tires ARE your concern... good luck - again

[cruzbill]

Your biggest risk is overloading the tires. You did say you were going to put on new tires before going to Mx, right? Take your 5ver to a CAT or other scale and weigh each axle. Divide that axle weight by 2 to get the weight on each tire on that axle. Compare this weight with the max weight on the tire sidewall. Buy new tires with weight ratings in excess of the weight from the scale. Whatever tire you use or buy, inflate to the MAX pressure as listed on the tire sidewall. Don't let anyone tell you different, low tire pressure causes heat and heat will cause a blowout, you don't want that.

Good luck!

[surfergirl]

Super helpful replies. Yes, we are definitely buying new tires before the trip south. If we account for weight with the proper tires and inflation, what other risks of overloading do you see?

[keymastr]

pay for the extra passes at the scale and weigh each side of the trailer axles individually by pulling off to one side so only one side of each axle is weighed on that pass. This tells you if one side is carrying much more weight than the other. If you have 7000 pound axles you might have 6500 pounds when weighing both sides but one side could weigh 4000 and the other 2500. The wheel and tire on the heavy side may be overloaded by a significant amount.

If you are only making the one trip it will not be as crucial if you are slightly over on some of the individual weights but don't go over by very much. The side with 2 slides will likely be heaviest.

[Gordon Dewald]

Compare the capacity of the axles to the tire. If you have a 6000 lb axle for example you may have 3200 lb tires. Increasing the capacity of the tires will not change the capacity of the axle, springs or hangers.

If you bend an axle, or break a spring or hanger there could be very costly consequences.

[CecilD]

Congratulations on your new trailer. We have a 2008 Domani. The Domani has an unusually low cargo carrying capacity. I don't know if it is due to the engineered frame or the fact that they offered 20 inch wheels as an option with only around 2,300# of tire capacity. Mine doesn't have the optional wheels so I run ST235/80R16 load range E (around 3,400#). My loading on these tires is less than 60% of rated capacity. The wheels are rated for 80 psi. You have two 7,000# Torflex axles so they aren't an issue. Your trailer bearings are 50 mm Nev-R-Lube. These are the same bearings they use on 8,000# axles so no problem there. Your trailer is rated to 11,800# but mine is only 11,000#. I find my frame is extremely solid.

I'm not advising you to run overloaded. It sure would be nice if they were still around so they could be asked as to the loading rational. I think they were marketed as lighter weight alternatives to Cameo and other heavier lines.

We tow ours with empty tanks and loaded for 1 week trips and it only adds a thousand pounds for us, 10,000# total. We tow with an older Ram 3500 dually. It tows very well with our truck which has capacities similar to newer 3/4 ton trucks. We had severe chucking problems with ours so we had to upgrade our hitch to eliminate the issue. The front overhang height on ours when level is only 54" so if you hook it up to a newer truck it is going to be really nose high and will shift weight to your rear axle. Good luck with your trip.

[surfergirl]

Thanks so much for this great information, everyone.

I’m going to check our axles today, to see what they are rated. It sounds like they will be rated for 7000 pounds, but I want to be sure.

It appears that our existing tires do not have enough rating. Sidewalls say they are 285/50R20 116T. Max pressure is 50 PSI, and max weight is 2756 pounds.

[CecilD]

No need to crawl under your trailer to check for axle ratings. They are flange mounted to the frame and and the underside is sealed so you won't see an axle tag. The reason I assume they are 7k axles is Dexter uses a smaller bearing on their lower rated Torflex. 7k rating is the starting point for the 50mm bearing. That is 7,000# capacity each for a total of 14,000 pounds axle capacity supporting about 9,500# of trailer, way overkill.

A tire capacity of 2,756# will give you 11,000# of total tire capacity again supporting 9,500# of trailer (remember you deduct your pin weight from gross). Your tires will not be loaded equally especially if towing nose high. I have not weighed mine for a side to side differential and mine tows level. Don't worry about springs, hangars and shackles, you don't have any.

[FastEagle]

Originally Posted by surfergirl

Hi everyone!

We've just bought a 2009 Carriage Domani DF310 (31') 5th Wheel.


Here are the specs:
Sleeps 5
Slides 3
Length 30 ft 11 in
Ext Width 8 ft
Ext Height 12 ft 11 in
Hitch Weight 1800 lbs
Dry Weight 10150 lbs
Cargo Weight 1650 lbs
Fresh Water Capacity 72 gals
Grey Water Capacity 62 gals
Black Water Capacity 30 gals
Tire Size 16"

There should be a certification label on that trailer. If so it will be located on the LH forward external section of the trailer. It will list the OE tire size, GVWR & each GAWR. OE tires are fitted to (ea) GAWR. I'm pretty sure that trailer has 5000# or 5200# GAWR axles. Every one of the 2008 & 2009 models that I've personally seen were equipped with 20" passenger tires. (You know that all water is cargo, right?).

Someone may have put 16" ST tires on that trailer to save some money. It was designed for passenger tires and the correct ones have been very durable in all the feedback I've read about them. Probably gets a better ride, that's one of he reasons they were on there.

[CecilD]

"Someone may have put 16" ST tires on that trailer to save some money. It was designed for passenger tires and the correct ones have been very durable in all the feedback I've read about them. Probably gets a better ride, that's one of he reasons they were on there."

16" wheels were stock, 20" wheels were an option as it clearly states in the brochure. If you want to look at a brochure check: oconnorrv.com - New - Brochures - 2009 Domani

[Brad W]

everyone is giving you good info.

Based on your name, and your intended destination, I'm more curious where you and your SO are going (specifically)

[FastEagle]

Originally Posted by CecilD

"Someone may have put 16" ST tires on that trailer to save some money. It was designed for passenger tires and the correct ones have been very durable in all the feedback I've read about them. Probably gets a better ride, that's one of he reasons they were on there."

16" wheels were stock, 20" wheels were an option as it clearly states in the brochure. If you want to look at a brochure check: oconnorrv.com - New - Brochures - 2009 Domani

Actually, the vehicle certification label will list what was original equipment. Not the brochure.

[egwilly]

Please invest in a tire pressure monitoring system. They will tell you what's going on, even how hot the tires are getting.