dieseldad55 wrote:
I am new to the forum. We've been RV'ers for several years, and have had our 5er since late '05. Now that tires are blowing out, cracking, etc., I'm finding more and more info on how important weighing your rig is, especially when looking to purchase new tires.
However, I live Sacramento, Ca.,the most ignorant and least informed community when it comes to RV's. I have visited 2 of the largest and oldest RV dealers in this area, and found that no one has a clue as to where to take a fifth wheel trailer & truck to weigh. Also, to find a tire company that can actually help you with tire requirements in relation to trailer weight is near impossible.
So, does anybody know for sure, (not looking for maybe's) where I can get my rig weighed???
You have a number of options such as
CAT scales. If you get to a large RV Rally you could use
RVSEF services. Any certified scale will work for getting your RV weighed. You might find a local company if you check your phone book or try
this link.
You should NOT adjust your inflation for each tire based on it's real load. Tire inflation affects both load carrying capability as well as vehicle handling (turning right forces should = turning left forces). You should have all tires on an axle at the same inflation +/- 1 psi which is easy to achieve with a digital inflation gauge.
Now, knowing that all tires on an axle should have the same inflation we need to be sure no tire is overloaded. The procedure recommended by experienced tire design engineers is to:
1. Get the corner weights with the vehicle fully loaded (water, fuel, food, clothes, co-pilot, pets etc.
2. Use a published Load & Inflation table. You should be able to find that info
HERE.
3. Look up the lowest inflation that has the load higher than yours.
4. Be sure to note that if you have Duals there are different load numbers.
5. That lowest inflation is your MINIMUM "Cold" inflation.
6. "Cold" inflation is measured at ambient, not in the sun and at least 3 or 4 hours after it was driven.
7. All tires leak air at about 1% - 3% per month. Also cold tire pressure changes with ambient temperature at about 2% per 10 Degrees F, so to avoid having to inflate your tires every few days as you travel around many recommend that you inflate your tires to 5 psi above your minimum. That way it will be longer before you have to add air.
Finally, If you discover you are a few (1 to 5) psi lower than you want to be, but have to drive a bit to get to high pressure air, simply make a note of the number of pounds you need to add for each tire. Drive the few miles at speeds lower than 50 and when you get to the location with air again measure the now "Hot" pressure. Check your notes and add the number of pounds you want for each tire and add that plus 1 psi to the hot pressure to get your new inflation.
If you follow this procedure I think you will find that you are back to your desired +/- 1 psi cold the next moning.
