Just weighed our Class C and something doesn't seem right

[JONWisconsin]

I just got delivery of my 2017 Class C. They filled all tanks full, gas, LP, and water. First thing I did was to run it through a licensed scale. I got 1,300 left for my DW and gear. DW is 140#, so I feel comfortable as it is the two of us.

[Santara]

[QUOTE=JONWisconsin;3637091]I just got delivery of my 2017 Class C. They filled all tanks full, gas, LP, and water. First thing I did was to run it through a licensed scale. I got 1,300 left for my DW and gear. DW is 140#, so I feel comfortable as it is the two of us.[/QUOTE how much on frt &how much on rear thats what is inportant

[cracker39]

[QUOTE=Capt Steve;3635869]

Originally Posted by cracker39

Happy to...

By moving the 420 to the front you would now be at 4,000 with 8,000 on the rears. This would give place 33 percent of your weight forward and 66 per cent of your weight on the rear which is considered the minimum proper {fore/aft}, weight distribution.

The only logic in this scenario is that each tire would be carrying 1/6 of the net load - a worthwhile goal if you're approaching the maximum. On the other hand nothing dictates that all of the tires must be rigidly inflated to their maximum design pressure and, likewise, that the front tires must have a minimum load (--- within reason) required to achieve proper performance. Simply reducing the inflation pressure to that matching the scale weight for the front axle, per the tires inflation chart, should insure proper safe performance and, in most cases, a better ride. Dangerous unloading of the front axle, due to excessive weight on the vehicle being carried behind the rear axle - as in trailer towing - should always be avoided, however, I'm not about to guess what constitutes a safe "minimum" front axle load for any given vehicle. There are simply too many factors involved. Certainly the 1/3 - 2/3 scenario is a worthy goal but, in my personal opinion, it is not an absolute. I will re-weigh, now that we're in our normal travel mode and, in all liklihood, reduce the front tire pressure slightly in accordance with Michelin's recommendations.

[JONWisconsin]

"much on frt &how much on rear thats what is inportant"..

Really??? This is important as GVWR and GCWR are, all these matter as much.

[Capt Steve]

"The only logic in this scenario is that each tire would be carrying 1/6 of the net load - a worthwhile goal if you're approaching the maximum. On the other hand nothing dictates that all of the tires must be rigidly inflated to their maximum design pressure and, likewise, that the front tires must have a minimum load (--- within reason) required to achieve proper performance. Simply reducing the inflation pressure to that matching the scale weight for the front axle, per the tires inflation chart, should insure proper safe performance and, in most cases, a better ride. Dangerous unloading of the front axle, due to excessive weight on the vehicle being carried behind the rear axle - as in trailer towing - should always be avoided, however, I'm not about to guess what constitutes a safe "minimum" front axle load for any given vehicle. There are simply too many factors involved. Certainly the 1/3 - 2/3 scenario is a worthy goal but, in my personal opinion, it is not an absolute. I will re-weigh, now that we're in our normal travel mode and, in all liklihood, reduce the front tire pressure slightly in accordance with Michelin's recommendations.[/QUOTE]


The industry standard is that a Class C needs a minimum of 1/3 of its actual weight on the front axle - much like the minimum tongue weight for a TT should be 13 per cent of actual weight to prevent needless sway. Somethings are just that simple and these are two of them.

I have always advocated that folks weigh their rigs loaded for a normal trip and then inflate to a psi commensurate with the tire manufacturers recommendations for that particular load. Ignore any psi recommendations on a sticker found in your coach keeping in mind it was put on at the factory when the rig was virtually empty and probably had different tires than you are now dealing with.

Never inflate any tire to its max unless that happens to coincide with the load it is actually carrying {this virtually never happens if you have adequate tires in the first place... but I digress}. Only the manufacturer of the tires you have knows what the proper psi should be for the loads you are running.

This is especially critical on an underloaded front end as over inflation will dramatically reduce an already minimal contact patch causing the steering to be "loose". Passing trucks and high winds will blow you all over the road and you will probably need to replace the steering wheel due to the damage you and your white knuckles have inflicted upon it.

Over loading the rear axle as you under load the front carries with it a whole new set of issues and none of them good. The larger the Class C the more critical these issues become as available payload will be in short supply leaving you even fewer options when it comes to weight distribution.

As always.... Opinions and YMMV

[Tireman9]

[QUOTE=cracker39;3637585]

Originally Posted by Capt Steve

The only logic in this scenario is that each tire would be carrying 1/6 of the net load - a worthwhile goal if you're approaching the maximum. On the other hand nothing dictates that all of the tires must be rigidly inflated to their maximum design pressure and, likewise, that the front tires must have a minimum load (--- within reason) required to achieve proper performance. Simply reducing the inflation pressure to that matching the scale weight for the front axle, per the tires inflation chart, should insure proper safe performance and, in most cases, a better ride. Dangerous unloading of the front axle, due to excessive weight on the vehicle being carried behind the rear axle - as in trailer towing - should always be avoided, however, I'm not about to guess what constitutes a safe "minimum" front axle load for any given vehicle. There are simply too many factors involved. Certainly the 1/3 - 2/3 scenario is a worthy goal but, in my personal opinion, it is not an absolute. I will re-weigh, now that we're in our normal travel mode and, in all liklihood, reduce the front tire pressure slightly in accordance with Michelin's recommendations.

I would recommend AGAINST assuming 50/50 side to side weight split on each axle and certainly NEVER assume each tire carried 1/6 of the total weight.

Suggest you review THIS post on tire inflation

Unless you are not going to campground you don't need much water in your tank. You can save 100"s pounds by planning on one stop at grocery this cuts food, pop, water and ice weight in half.

[Thor29.3inAZ]

Originally Posted by KeysVal

Hi

We just purchased our first motorhome. A C Class, 2014 - 4 Winds Siesta 29 TB.

Looking at the tag on the drivers door it shows a GVWR of 14,500 lbs. We just made our first RV trip and we loaded the RV with the things we felt we needed for this first trip. I'll list the items below:

• One set of bed linens and pillows
• A few bath and hand towels
• Clothes for 5 days for my wife and myself
• Groceries for 5 days for 2 people
• 48 quart ice chest with a couple of 12 packs of soda and 20 lbs of ice
• 2 laptop computers
• printer
• 2 folding rocking camp chairs
• A Magma gas grill and carrying case
• A guitar in a hard case
• A large tool box (probably 70 lbs)
• A battery powered impact gun and drill
• A large bike rack installed on the hitch holding 2 regular bikes and a bicycle for 2.
• A medium sized cat (about 18 lbs)
• A small dog (about 12 lbs)
• A slightly larger dog (about 18 lbs)

We stopped at a truck stop and filled the fuel tank. The water tank was "mostly" full and the grey and blackwater tanks were "mostly empty".
We then paid to have our rig weighed and it came in at 14,120 lbs. That only gave us 380 lbs of additional cargo. If we would have had 2 more people, we would have been over the limit.

Does that seem right? I was thinking with what we had packed we would have at least 1,000 lbs available.

A 29' MH that has a 14K GVWR seems a bit light. We have a 30' with a full slide and is on a F53 chassis rated at 18K. And ours weights in at around 17K with water.

[cracker39]

[QUOTE=Tireman9;3642559]

Originally Posted by cracker39

I would recommend AGAINST assuming 50/50 side to side weight split on each axle and certainly NEVER assume each tire carried 1/6 of the total weight.

Suggest you review THIS post on tire inflation

Unless you are not going to campground you don't need much water in your tank. You can save 100"s pounds by planning on one stop at grocery this cuts food, pop, water and ice weight in half.

I agree completely. I normally carry no more than 10-15 gallons of water on board simply to flush the toilet - topping off at the campground before parking if we don't have full hookups. As for the 1/6 of the load per tire, I was only using that as a "perfect world" scenario. I would never assume that my weight is perfectly distributed left to right. I normally take the scale weight per axle and add around 10% as a safety factor when determining inflation values. It's almost impossible to find a scale that can weigh a rig side-to-side. Unfortunately, loading a class "C" ("B") forward, without the overhead bunk, is difficult to do without using artificial weight (lead billets?) as there is simply few storage compartments forward of the rear axle that would serve the purpose. That said, I believe the prudent thing to do is to match the weight on the front axle to the inflation value that would theoretically put the same amount of rubber on the road that would result if the axle was carrying more weight. This has been a great discussion!

[Capt Steve]

Deleted

[Capt Steve]

I use the storage beneath my dinette and inside of the internal steps to store heavy items like my tool bags, bottle jack, chains, jack stand, {pots and pans, canned goods are accessed through cabinet doors at floor level} etc.. These are items that I don't reach for every day so digging them out is no big deal though I do keep my primary tool bag inside the step where it is instantly accessible.

All of this weight is we'll forward of the rear wheels and while most of it is on the street side this is balanced by the curbside location of my stove/oven, frig, water heater and furnace. the rig sits dead level all around and I have about 36 per cent of my total weight on the front axle.

I run the from at tires at 60 psi and the rears at 65 based on a GVWR of 11,500# and usually run pretty close to that often towing my Harley {bike and trailer weigh 900#}. This gives me an additional 15 per cent safety cushion above Michelins load table recommendations.

The ride is smooth and steady the point being that I can literally let go of the wheel and the coach tracks straight as an arrow every time. Passing trucks even in windy conditions simply are not an issue. Works for me.

[Sarz272000]

Weighing the RV axles is important. However, one might consider four corner weighing especially if you have multiple slides. RVs with two slides on the same side can have an over loaded or near over loaded rear dual set of tires. This can be highly likely if the water tank is on the rear axle. Knowing the weight of each corner and its impact to load limits keeps the owner informed.

Ron

[KeysVal]

Originally Posted by Firechicken

I'm curious what your specific weight ratings are from the manufacturer. There should be a sheet like this somewhere. This is from our 2007 HR Atlantis on a E450 chassis.

Where can I find the GCWR rating for our rig? I looked in all of the cabinets and did not find a spec sheet.

[Tireman9]

Capt Steve said
"The industry standard is that a Class C needs a minimum of 1/3 of its actual weight on the front axle"

Capt can you please provide a link to that standard?

[JONWisconsin]

Val, did you look at the door jams.