Community Forums

LIKENIT · 09-11-2006, 02:31 PM

There have been many discussions on many RV Forums about
staying within your weight ratings with people on each
side of the fence. The discussion seems to go back
and forth between what can be pulled safely, what can
be towed period with any given truck and what can be
towed without damaging various componets of the truck;
bearings, transmission etc. We even have a term for cautious RV'ERS of "Weight Police"

Perhaps the the most important concern should be safety
and whether your insurance will cover you in an
accident if you are hauling a weight in your truck or
towing a weight beyond what you are rated to tow.
This requires actually weighing each axel of the
loaded truck and trailer filled with fuel, passengers
and everything you will have with you going down the
road. I have heard very little about what insurance
companies do if you are in an accident when overloaded
on any forums.

This summer a fellow RV enthusiast told me he heard a
report of an insurance company that denied coverage in
an accident involving an overloaded RV. The insurance
company acually had the rig towed and put on a scale
and weighed and added the weight of the passengers to
that weight. This is a critical concern that all of
us need to be of aware of and we need the correct
information before we are out on the road overloaded
and risk the loss of everything in an uncovered
accident that might cause major damage or death to
ourselves and others. This may not be true, but it would be helpful if someone could post documented factual information that would be
doing a great servive to all of us.

Replys greatly appreciated!

LIKENIT · 09-11-2006, 02:31 PM

There have been many discussions on many RV Forums about
staying within your weight ratings with people on each
side of the fence. The discussion seems to go back
and forth between what can be pulled safely, what can
be towed period with any given truck and what can be
towed without damaging various componets of the truck;
bearings, transmission etc. We even have a term for cautious RV'ERS of "Weight Police"

Perhaps the the most important concern should be safety
and whether your insurance will cover you in an
accident if you are hauling a weight in your truck or
towing a weight beyond what you are rated to tow.
This requires actually weighing each axel of the
loaded truck and trailer filled with fuel, passengers
and everything you will have with you going down the
road. I have heard very little about what insurance
companies do if you are in an accident when overloaded
on any forums.

This summer a fellow RV enthusiast told me he heard a
report of an insurance company that denied coverage in
an accident involving an overloaded RV. The insurance
company acually had the rig towed and put on a scale
and weighed and added the weight of the passengers to
that weight. This is a critical concern that all of
us need to be of aware of and we need the correct
information before we are out on the road overloaded
and risk the loss of everything in an uncovered
accident that might cause major damage or death to
ourselves and others. This may not be true, but it would be helpful if someone could post documented factual information that would be
doing a great servive to all of us.

Replys greatly appreciated!

Lee C · 09-11-2006, 04:20 PM

Well written post. What did your insurance agent tell you about your concerns?

LIKENIT · 09-11-2006, 06:03 PM

I have not talked to my agent because I am presently more than 3000 pounds under my CGVWR and over 1000 pounds uhder my GVWR. I posted the question because I have never heard anything besides bantering on this issue and see so many 3/4 ton trucks towing and carrying what I would perceive to be beyond their ratings. I have noticed this year that there seem to be a lot more 1 ton trucks and MDT & HDT.
I plan to contact my agent and a few other companies, as one never knows whether a post is based on knowledge and facts, verses opinions.
I thought it might be an insightful topic that could lead to more people considering what they are doing if it might lead to a financial consequence.
I would really like to know what the right answer to this question is!!!!!!!!!!!

jfb · 09-11-2006, 06:33 PM

It's VERY important to stay within the weight limits set by the manufacturers for at least two reasons: 1) Manufacturers warranties on the units; 2) MORE IMPORTANTLY!! Civil liabilties in case of an accident. In this day of mega-million settlements, most of us do not carry enough liability insurance to cover us where injuries are concerned. If we are not at fault,and our equipment is within equipment limits, we'll probably escape an adverse judgement. HOWEVER, even if we were not at fault, say T-boning another car running a stop sign, a plaintiff could prove we were negligent if our rig was overweight and, as a result, could not stop in time. I read something in MOTOR HOME magazine recently that was very emphatic on the subject of driving over-loaded for this reason. The courts have little sympathy for neligence, and driving overloaded is negligence.....

Scottiemom · 09-12-2006, 04:43 AM

Also posted on Escapees and RV.net. Answered well by insurance broker. Basically you are going to be covered, but likely not renewed. Just as your insurance would cover if you were DUI or ran a red light, etc.

See here:

Overweight and insurance

Dale

Gary RVRoamer · 09-12-2006, 02:42 PM

Your liability insurance will cover you if you are overweight and have an accident - just like it covers you if you are speeding or reckless and cause an acccident. It covers just about anything except the commission of a felony with a motor vehicle, e.g. using it as a getaway car in a bank robbery.

Your collision and comprehensive coverage on your own vehicle may be a different story. I've heard stories (not verified) of people who supposedly were denied coverage on their own Rv because they had not maintained it per the manufacturer's recommendations, e.g. tightened the wheel lugs. However, I'm a bit skeptical of that - they don't deny coverage if your brakes are inadequate or similar mechnical deficiencies. But overloading is perhaps a conscious act (operator error?) whereas mechnical failure could be called "wear and tear"?

The Big Kid · 09-14-2006, 02:41 PM

Friends of mine, and I heard it firsthand from them, not " I heard it from a friend who has a friend", got into an accident in Tennesee.

The insurance company did everything in thier power to not pay out. They even questioned thier "home residence" status, as well as claimed overwieght.

Truck was written off, and the trailer had over 60,000 damage.

They were able to prove they were not overwieght, had not been out of country/province more than the maximum amount of time and came out OK. But, it was hard work for them. The Insurance company did everything to try and get out of paying.

The funny thing is, they were 100% not at fault, they got head on'd in thier lane of divided highway. But, the lady that died when she crossed over, her insurance didn't want to pay the other insurance company, and it snowballed from thier. It ended up in court.

LIKENIT · 09-14-2006, 04:24 PM

Thanks for the reply.
I posted the original question about overweight and insurance. I am more than 3,000 lbs under my ratings for my truck , trailer, belongings, passengers and full gas and propane. I'm also around 1200 lbs below my truck GVW.
I get nervous when seeing so many 3/4 ton trucks overloaded and now even 1 tons, as RV'S continue to gain weight with all the equipment that people want on their rig.
I believe it is an issue that needs to be discussed more and clarified with an answer that can be verified.
The "Weight Police" label given to people concerned about this issue seems to be an attack on those actually trying to make the roads safer and maintain a good image for RV enthusiasts. I would suspect that those who know they really are overwight or think they are, get pretty defensive and need to rationalize what they are doing.
When I see a 36 ft Mobile suite roll in being towed by a single rear wheel 3/4 ton pickup, it causes me to want to sit down and chat with them with a calculator and get them on a scale. That approach would most likely not be well accepted, so I brought the subject up here.
I will eventually post summary of what I would term well intentioned advice from many people, again from both sides of the spectrum.
I intend to contact my insurance company and a few others eventually.
Was the friend a Canadian Citizen or American? It would be good to know the standard for both Countries. I had also heard that British Columbia is a stickler on this and will pull you off the road to a scale and ground you like a semi truck if overweight. Don't know if I read that in the paper, saw it in an RV Forum or heard it from my former brorther-in-law who heard it while he was attending the "World's Biggest Tall Tale Competition"
In the mean time, these links should be very helpful to anyone wanting an education on towing and weights.

http://www.rversonline.org/ArtWtandBal.html

http://www.klenger.net/arctic-fox/weight/index.html

j2detoit · 09-15-2006, 06:32 AM

I don't think that this message can be discussed enough If only one person has their eyes opened and they do the right thing ,then it is well worth a little repatition

The Big Kid · 09-17-2006, 10:17 AM

LIKENIT,

they were Canadian citizens in the states, they were traditional snowbirds. They "reside" for the 186 days in British Columbia.

I just moved out of BC. They used to pull over RVs but, the legislation changed, and now all the wieght regulations are part of the commercial vehicle act, so they can't charge you.

Its not smart, but they cannot ticket a minivan that is overwieght, cannot see behind him due to stock mirrors and such. But, If you get into an accident, then the insurance companies start to say that the reason you got into the accident was due to the overloaded condition, so they don't need to pay. cuz its your fault.

I showed a buddy what can happen. There was a 3/4 ton with a 12,000 lb Golden Falcon fifth wheel in the local parking lot. As we walked by, I showed him the rear springs which were actually bent the wrong way. They were separating and bending into an upside down U.

Thats not good.

campernut2 · 09-19-2006, 02:48 PM

excellent topic! Safety is my profession and I care a great deal about this topic. I have to say if I see a rig overloaded I stop and talk with the folks. Most don't seem to know how over loaded they are. We carry our certified weight ticket with us when we travel. I know what we usually take and weighed with a full water,fuel and propane load just to error on the side of safety. Contents were already inside too.

campnut2