What to look for in a MH when going full-time
My wife and I are considering going full-time while our health holds our and until it is no longer possible to stay full-time. We will be looking for a new or late model motorhome to replace our curre...
Forum Discussion
As mentioned above, something you need to be aware of.
Many full timers find that they need at least 1500 pounds of cargo carrying capacity (CCC) for each adult. The CCC or the newer designation OCCC will be on a sticker somewhere in the motor home - usually in a cabinet or closet.
You can see the definition of CCC HERE, and OCCC HERE.
Scroll down to "2009 New weight label" and download the pdf file.
To get CCC subtract the weight of water you will carry and the weight of the people you will carry from the OCCC.
It is common to see CCC numbers as low as a few hundred pounds (even on diesel pushers) which means it would be overloaded for weekend trips and unusable for full timing.
We have 2800 pounds of CCC and would like to have 3500. We started with a 30 footer with no slides and after a year traded it in on a new 35 footer with two slides.
This is a reprint of Gary Rinker's article from the rvforum.
"The federal government has stepped in and issued regulations concerning weight labels in Cars and RVs. Previous RV weight labels were under the auspices of the RVIA and all their member companies used them while others did not. The new label, called the Occupant and Cargo Carrying Capacity label (OCCC) will supersede the previous RVIA label, i.e. the RVIA will no longer require its members to place the RVIA version of the label on each RV. The new label requirement requirement went into effect June 2, 2008.
The main effect is that OCCC replaces the RVIA CCC definition and that's important because OCCC is a much different number. The previous CCC was a net number, showing how much capacity was left for actual cargo after subtracting everything else that is normally carries, e.g. people, water and propane. The new OCCC combines people, water and cargo weight into one number, leaving it to the owner to compute how much he has of each on board. Propane, however, is NOT considered cargo and is included in added to the chassis UVW (Unladen vehicle Weight), which also includes fuel, oil and coolant.
The new OCCC label will show the maximum combined weight of occupants and cargo, the weight of a full tank of fresh water and the number of seating positions that have seat belts. For RV trailers, the word "occupants" and the information on seat belts are omitted from the label.
OCCC is computed as follows: OCCC = GVWR - (UVW + Propane)
Simply add the weight of a full load of propane (including the tanks, if portable tanks are used) to the Unladen Vehicle Weight (UVW) and subtract that number from the Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR)
Regulations specify that the label must be permanently affixed and visibly located on the interior of the forward-most exterior passenger door on the RIGHT side of the vehicle. That should make the new label much easier to locate than the former RVIA label, which could be tucked away almost anywhere.
Another feature of the new regulation is a requirement that dealers must provide an updated weight label if they add more than 100 lbs to the factory weight between the time they receive the RV and its sale to the first retail customer. This assures the customer gets a useful OCCC number.
Many full timers find that they need at least 1500 pounds of cargo carrying capacity (CCC) for each adult. The CCC or the newer designation OCCC will be on a sticker somewhere in the motor home - usually in a cabinet or closet.
You can see the definition of CCC HERE, and OCCC HERE.
Scroll down to "2009 New weight label" and download the pdf file.
To get CCC subtract the weight of water you will carry and the weight of the people you will carry from the OCCC.
It is common to see CCC numbers as low as a few hundred pounds (even on diesel pushers) which means it would be overloaded for weekend trips and unusable for full timing.
We have 2800 pounds of CCC and would like to have 3500. We started with a 30 footer with no slides and after a year traded it in on a new 35 footer with two slides.
This is a reprint of Gary Rinker's article from the rvforum.
"The federal government has stepped in and issued regulations concerning weight labels in Cars and RVs. Previous RV weight labels were under the auspices of the RVIA and all their member companies used them while others did not. The new label, called the Occupant and Cargo Carrying Capacity label (OCCC) will supersede the previous RVIA label, i.e. the RVIA will no longer require its members to place the RVIA version of the label on each RV. The new label requirement requirement went into effect June 2, 2008.
The main effect is that OCCC replaces the RVIA CCC definition and that's important because OCCC is a much different number. The previous CCC was a net number, showing how much capacity was left for actual cargo after subtracting everything else that is normally carries, e.g. people, water and propane. The new OCCC combines people, water and cargo weight into one number, leaving it to the owner to compute how much he has of each on board. Propane, however, is NOT considered cargo and is included in added to the chassis UVW (Unladen vehicle Weight), which also includes fuel, oil and coolant.
The new OCCC label will show the maximum combined weight of occupants and cargo, the weight of a full tank of fresh water and the number of seating positions that have seat belts. For RV trailers, the word "occupants" and the information on seat belts are omitted from the label.
OCCC is computed as follows: OCCC = GVWR - (UVW + Propane)
Simply add the weight of a full load of propane (including the tanks, if portable tanks are used) to the Unladen Vehicle Weight (UVW) and subtract that number from the Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR)
Regulations specify that the label must be permanently affixed and visibly located on the interior of the forward-most exterior passenger door on the RIGHT side of the vehicle. That should make the new label much easier to locate than the former RVIA label, which could be tucked away almost anywhere.
Another feature of the new regulation is a requirement that dealers must provide an updated weight label if they add more than 100 lbs to the factory weight between the time they receive the RV and its sale to the first retail customer. This assures the customer gets a useful OCCC number.
