Another newbie question

[jbigbryw]

How should I distribute weight in my bays? Heavier stuff in the middle or more toward the tires? Front or back? What I'm finding is confusing to me.

[bentjm]

Weigh it first. Then you will know what your current weight distribution is and can store stuff accordingly.

[Podivin]

Originally Posted by bentjm

Weigh it first. Then you will know what your current weight distribution is and can store stuff accordingly.

That seems like the best answer you'll get.
If you know that you have (for example) 1000 pounds available on the front axel and 2500 available on the rear, you'll know to put the heavier stuff towards the rear.
If you can get a four corner weigh, you'll even know where to store things left to right. Though a four corner weigh is harder to come by, so start with just getting it weighed. Any CAT scale will do it for a small fee. If you live in the country you could probably get it done at a grain elevator also.

[Rev. Roy]

I tend to put the heavier stuff toward the center. I also try to balance weight on each side. I worked for a couple years as a forklift driver at a warehouse and loaded semi trailers. I would try to load the trailers as balanced as I could. I can't recommend putting weight forward on a motorhome. Far more people overload the front axles than the back. I know that a few years ago Newmar moved the batteries to over the rear axles in order to better distribute the weight.

[Dutch Star Don]

Originally Posted by jbigbryw

How should I distribute weight in my bays? Heavier stuff in the middle or more toward the tires? Front or back? What I'm finding is confusing to me.

If you send Newmar an email, they will send you the weight of your coach as it came off the line. It's a complete weighing of the coach, all four corners and the tag. It's a good starting point.

It looks like this.....

[edge68474]

Hi Don. It looks like they got your coach pretty well balanced from the factory. Kudos to them.. Just curious, what is your maximum loaded gross weight allowed? I think that would be called, GAWR or something, lol. Sorry for my ignorance. I could look it up but.
Thank you.

[Dutch Star Don]

Newmar shows my GVWR is 49K pounds, my GCWR is 64K pounds (15K of towing capability). My GVW is 10K empty as my coach came from the factory at 38.5K. They show the CCC (cargo carrying capacity) at 11.2K, which varies with options.

My coach loaded for a trip weighs in at 42K and I tow a 6K toad. I'm 48K going down the road.

The 40' Newmars have the highest load capacity because of the tag axle on a shorter coach.

[edge68474]

Don. It looks like you have one heck of a load carrying coach.
If your max allowed is 64k, and you are loaded at 48K, You can add another 16K to your load and be good, if I'm figuring correctly. That's one beefy rig.

[Dave Reyburn]

Originally Posted by edge68474

Don. It looks like you have one heck of a load carrying coach.
If your max allowed is 64k, and you are loaded at 48K, You can add another 16K to your load and be good, if I'm figuring correctly. That's one beefy rig. [emoji144]

The 64K number is the gross combined weight. Meaning trailer or towed vehicle plus the coach. But these coaches do have a great cargo carrying capacity.

[Dutch Star Don]

Yes....Newmar is the only company offering a 40' with a tag axle, so you would probably have to load it with solid gold bars to bring it to capacity.

[edge68474]

Originally Posted by Dutch Star Don

Yes....Newmar is the only company offering a 40' with a tag axle, so you would probably have to load it with solid gold bars to bring it to capacity.

I was looking for a way to haul those bars around with me in case needed,lol.