32 ft class c

c5er wrote:
I did some thermal calcs based on the insulation value walls, ceiling, windows, floors and interior volume. Doesn't include loses to leaks in slides, or heat injected by persons or sun. It require 12800BTU's to cool from 90 to 70... So 15000BTU is pushing the limits - 2 units would definitely be better but not an option on these sized C's.

My understanding is there should be a UVW as delivered stamped on the vehicle which should tel me what it really weighs vs the spec from the brochure. is there a way to tell axle loading empty without going to something like a CAT scale? I don't want to wait until after i buy it to get this data. Its an e450 GVWR 14500, weighs (brochure) 12780lbs leaving 1720 for people cargo, water... GAWRR 9600 smf GAWRF 5000

I don't believe you will find an UVW per se stamped on a vehicle. You will find that each vehicle has an OCCC figure. If you subtract that from the GVWR, that should be your UVW (usually full fuel is included in that figure).

Many builders (most?) don't list UVWs in their brochures. It can vary quite a bit based on options. I don't believe you can determine axle weights without going over a scale. Perhaps you could get that information from the manufacturer.

I did some thermal calcs based on the insulation value walls, ceiling, windows, floors and interior volume. Doesn't include loses to leaks in slides, or heat injected by persons or sun. It require 12800BTU's to cool from 90 to 70... So 15000BTU is pushing the limits - 2 units would definitely be better but not an option on these sized C's.

My understanding is there should be a UVW as delivered stamped on the vehicle which should tel me what it really weighs vs the spec from the brochure. is there a way to tell axle loading empty without going to something like a CAT scale? I don't want to wait until after i buy it to get this data. Its an e450 GVWR 14500, weighs (brochure) 12780lbs leaving 1720 for people cargo, water... GAWRR 9600 smf GAWRF 5000

Rick Jay wrote:
Mich F,

For full disclosure, while your OCCC number looks good, from a CAT Scale slip you once posted on a different forum, you only have about 1,800 lbs. capacity on your rear axle. Almost 900 lbs. of your OCCC is unusable unless as rjstractor says, you hang a lot of stuff off the front bumper. (To piggyback onto rjs comments, when you put weight behind the rear axle, it not only adds it's weight to the rear axle, but the rear axle acts as a pivot point and it takes weight OFF of the front axle and transfers it to the rear axle too. Think of a see-saw.) A couple could probably live with that if they're careful about weight. But I think a family would be hard-pressed to keep it within the limits. But it really depends upon your intended use of the rig.

That 1,800# you're referring to was actually 1,780# ;)
It was 7,820# on the 9,600# rear axle. That weight was taken about 6 months after I bought the MH. I thought I was fully loaded with everything we needed . Last July about 5 years after the first weigh in I went over a CAT scale. I somehow gained a little over 1,100#. About 300# more on the front axle and about 800# more on the rear axle. Really can't figure out how I could have added so much "stuff". As of the last CAT scale weigh in I'm about 4,400# on the front axle and about 8,600# on the rear axle for a total of a little over 13,000#. I still have over 1,400# before I hit the GVWR and I'm about 500+ # under the front axle rating and about 1,000# under the rear axle rating. That 1,400# left over is more than some MHs have for an OCCC when they leave the factory.

Mich F,

For full disclosure, while your OCCC number looks good, from a CAT Scale slip you once posted on a different forum, you only have about 1,800 lbs. capacity on your rear axle. Almost 900 lbs. of your OCCC is unusable unless as rjstractor says, you hang a lot of stuff off the front bumper. (To piggyback onto rjs comments, when you put weight behind the rear axle, it not only adds it's weight to the rear axle, but the rear axle acts as a pivot point and it takes weight OFF of the front axle and transfers it to the rear axle too. Think of a see-saw.) A couple could probably live with that if they're careful about weight. But I think a family would be hard-pressed to keep it within the limits. But it really depends upon your intended use of the rig.

c5er, when we were looking for our first RV for our family of 6 back in 2004, we looked at the E-450 based rigs, and anything large enough that would comfortably fit the family the way we wanted to use the rig, would be WAY over weight. I estimated we'd need about 3,000 lbs. for water, people & stuff. That estimate seemed to be pretty accurate based upon various CAT scale weight tickets I've picked up over the years. The "Super C's" on the Kodiak chassis's were just coming out at that point. We found our "ideal RV" as a class A. It has a GVWR of 22,000 lbs. and full fuels, 1/4 water and me it weighed in at 18,800 lbs. So we have about 3,200 lbs. of capacity for the family and all of our stuff. Due to the axle weight specs (the rear & front axle specs actually total to over 22,000 lbs.) we have yet to load it and exceed an axle weight rating. The heaviest we ever rolled through the scales was about 21,600 lbs. And by the way, our rig is 36' long, has 2 slides, 2 AC's, hydraulic levelers and TONS of storage space inside and out. With a large family, we needed that and pretty much use most of it.

By the way, all of that research paid off. We still have the same rig today and I'm planning on keeping it for at least another 5 years, maybe longer. So moral of the story, do your research first. It looks like you're doing that, so keep asking questions here.

Anyway, try to make a real good estimate of what you'll need to carry for weight and understand that in a Class C, pretty much all of that weight will be carried on the rear axle, so excess front axle weight capacity isn't helpful.

We knew we'd be travelling and need the water tank (80 gallons) full, and I usually travel that way anyway...just in case. Some people are comfortable carrying minimal water. Some people are very good at being minimalists. My wife and I aren't. I'm a "do-it-yourselfer" so I have about 3 storage bins for tools and spare parts. I swear the wife had winter parkas stowed under the bed when we went to Florida IN JULY a few years back. You know, just in case! LOL

The only thing I'd recommend is not to rule ANYTHING out in your search. Even look at some class A's. I'd recommend looking at 5-10 year old Tiffins, Newmars and Winnebagos. They might seem a bit more intimidating, but driving one isn't any more challenging than driving a C. But STILL be vigilant with weight ratings and actual weights. KNOW before you buy!!! :)

Good Luck in your search.

~Rick

c5er wrote:
Ugh, So the CCC is only 1720 lbs for the larger unit compared to 2800lbs for the 2500TS. With a pot shot guess, it seems 3 people, 2dogs , fuels 1/3 tanks in water, gray, black has me just slightly over the weight limit per the spec sheet. Have a good feels for people, fuel, water... But don't have a good feel for weight of food, drinks, camp chairs and all the rest of the stuff needed - does anyone have a good estimate for that stuff? I also suspect that coach options such as the auto level would drag that CCC down further.

When I had my 30 foot C with no slides, it had about 2500 lbs of CCC. Even with that much capacity I had to watch my weight. It wasn't so much the GVWR but the RGAWR. Anything you load in a motorhome puts weight on the rear axle (unless you hang it off the front bumper) so the rear axle will often overload before you hit max GVWR. And you have to watch it since at max RGAWR the tires are getting close to their max weight. Loaded for a week with family (three kids, wife and dog) I was right at the max. When the dog went to the back to take a nap I think I was a little over. :)

I have a 32 1/2' C with a single ducted 15,000 BTU air conditioner and it's never been a problem while living and camping in south Florida. My MH has a 3,275# OCCC, which I know is better than a lot of Class As. I tow either an 18' boat or a Ford F150 super cab 4 wheels down. Naturally you have to plan ahead maneuvering at gas stations and similar places, and watch the tail swing

Ugh, So the CCC is only 1720 lbs for the larger unit compared to 2800lbs for the 2500TS. With a pot shot guess, it seems 3 people, 2dogs , fuels 1/3 tanks in water, gray, black has me just slightly over the weight limit per the spec sheet. Have a good feels for people, fuel, water... But don't have a good feel for weight of food, drinks, camp chairs and all the rest of the stuff needed - does anyone have a good estimate for that stuff? I also suspect that coach options such as the auto level would drag that CCC down further.

Sun shades on the front and driving compartment side windows make a big difference. Of course this only applies when parked. We have ones that go on with magnets - very quick & easy to install.

We have a 32 ft Thor Chateau and tow our HHR on a tow dolly. Only 1 AC but it works fine for us. We do keep a small fan handy should it get overly warm but it hasn't been used that much. I do agree with the issue on getting in and out of gas stations. It can be a hassle but we have learned to be very diligent in checking before we get ourselves in a bind. Usually try to use Flying J's or Pilot as they usually have RV lanes that make it much easier.

I think 32 is a good sweet spot for livability/size for RV parks. I haven't had much trouble, but some state parks are suppose to be limited to 22 foot. I haven't had a problem there except on corner sites. My first time out I booked a corner site that was advertised as ok for 32. The site was plenty deep, but the issue was I couldn't cut the corner because of trees at the opposite edge of the road. Plus there were also limbs that hadn't been trimmed. Some parks are not maintained well enough for the height of the rigs. I don't book corner sites any more for that reason.