GCWR

Executive wrote:

mpierce wrote:

Executive wrote:
I do and never do. As a LEO I was assigned commercial truck duty and yes, we weighed and cited motor homes as well as commercial trucks. Weight is weight, as is safety. Overweight vehicles tear up many of the roads, especially local ones that aren't designed for the weight placed on them..they are also a hazard to themselves and all those around them as to handling and stopping......Dennis

I have a question for you, as ex- wt police! I run a small trucking company too, so am well aware of wt. limits.

Did you enforce the per axle wts. allowed by the state? i.e., 20k# single axle, 34k tandem, as allowed in most states?

Or, as the OP's question here, did you look, and enforce the axle and gross wts. as the MFG. listed?

ie, if the mfg allowed 18k on a single rear axle MH, would you cite them for overweight if they weighted 19k? Assuming your state allowed 20k?

I have NEVER had one look at my mfg plate. They ONLY have enforced the STATES limits, NOT the mfg.'s.

We enforced per California CVC 35550-35558....Dennis

Thank you. since that means nothing to anyone except LEO, here is what 35550 states:

35550. (a) The gross weight imposed upon the highway by the wheels
on any one axle of a vehicle shall not exceed 20,000 pounds and the
gross weight upon any one wheel, or wheels, supporting one end of an
axle, and resting upon the roadway, shall not exceed 10,500 pounds.

This references the original question.

So, the answer is: States enforce to THEIR weight limits, NOT to the limits on the vehicle by the mfg.

ie, if your vehicle has a 18k rear axle rating, and you have 19k on it, there will be NO OVERWEIGHT ticket, as you are UNDER the 20k allowed by the state.

GVWR = 32,400
Hitch rating = 10,000

Weighs in loaded without water - full fuel and propane - black & gray empty - just under 28,000lbs.

GCWR = 42,400
Toad = just under 4000 lbs.

Pleanty of room to work with.

mpierce wrote:

Executive wrote:
I do and never do. As a LEO I was assigned commercial truck duty and yes, we weighed and cited motor homes as well as commercial trucks. Weight is weight, as is safety. Overweight vehicles tear up many of the roads, especially local ones that aren't designed for the weight placed on them..they are also a hazard to themselves and all those around them as to handling and stopping......Dennis

I have a question for you, as ex- wt police! I run a small trucking company too, so am well aware of wt. limits.

Did you enforce the per axle wts. allowed by the state? i.e., 20k# single axle, 34k tandem, as allowed in most states?

Or, as the OP's question here, did you look, and enforce the axle and gross wts. as the MFG. listed?

ie, if the mfg allowed 18k on a single rear axle MH, would you cite them for overweight if they weighted 19k? Assuming your state allowed 20k?

I have NEVER had one look at my mfg plate. They ONLY have enforced the STATES limits, NOT the mfg.'s.

We enforced per California CVC 35550-35558....Dennis

IMO, GCWR is a SWAG number, arrived at in negotiations between Engineering and Marketing. Marketing, of course, wants it as high as possible, while Engineering wants to keep it moderate, so they find a number they both can accept.
I have never been officially weighed; not in the motorhome and not in a pickup or truck while towing or hauling firewood.
I have weighed one rig, a 1994 Dodge 3500 CTD towing a 32 foot fifth wheel. I found that it was UNDER the stated GVWRs and GAWRs, but a ton and a half OVER the truck GCWR (the 1994 Dodge had a ridiculously low GCWR; Dodge increased it in every year after that, without changing the truck!).
That truck did just fine crossing the mountain passes in Montana, Washington, and California with that trailer. Nothing bent, nothing broke, nobody was injured or died.

Executive wrote:
I do and never do. As a LEO I was assigned commercial truck duty and yes, we weighed and cited motor homes as well as commercial trucks. Weight is weight, as is safety. Overweight vehicles tear up many of the roads, especially local ones that aren't designed for the weight placed on them..they are also a hazard to themselves and all those around them as to handling and stopping......Dennis

I have a question for you, as ex- wt police! I run a small trucking company too, so am well aware of wt. limits.

Did you enforce the per axle wts. allowed by the state? i.e., 20k# single axle, 34k tandem, as allowed in most states?

Or, as the OP's question here, did you look, and enforce the axle and gross wts. as the MFG. listed?

ie, if the mfg allowed 18k on a single rear axle MH, would you cite them for overweight if they weighted 19k? Assuming your state allowed 20k?

I have NEVER had one look at my mfg plate. They ONLY have enforced the STATES limits, NOT the mfg.'s.

Well there are coaches out there with plenty of CCC. I have over 7000 pounds. Loaded for travel with full tanks I weigh in at 39000 pounds. I can add another 3k at least. My limiting factor is the front axle. I also have a 10k tow rating on top. The newer Foretravels have 18k tow ratings.

The police have to suspect that you are doing something illegal before they can legally stop you and ask any questions. That said, if you are in a wreck, it might be standard practice to get the weight of all vehicles involved, and note that on the accident report. Along with towed vehicle braking system information.

I know one California accident that resulted in a ticket. The owner of a F-250 was towing a really heavy fifth wheel, and it crashed. The insurance company wanted to 'step aside' - a legal term to not cover a accident involving a overloaded vehicle, or say drunk driving, or something that is excluded from your insurance policy. However the insurance did have to pay the claim, because they insured both truck and trailer.

The CHP found that the weight of the truck and trailer exceeded the Ford towing ability for that truck.

Have fun camping!

Fred.

rk911 wrote:

dahkota wrote:
We know ours (26K). Our towed weighs 3856 lbs. We are under our GCWR and under our GVW.

Is your Winne on the 22K chassis or the 24K? You have too much weight in the coach - at least 700 lbs. Note on the 22K chassis, the GCWR is 26K (4K difference with a 5K hitch).

Our A is 2.5' shorter than yours on the 22K chassis - we have 3500 lbs of cargo capacity. With our extra batteries, solar panels, 2/3 water (60G), and full gas, loaded for fulltiming, we are under GVW by about 600 lbs.

that may be true but you may be overweight on one axle. do not assume.

yes that is true. I check my axle weight too. Corner weight is harder to get.

After a bad experience purchasing a coach we deliberately chose to demand the dealer get a certified scale weight with full tanks and fuel in the contract. The reason for this is I want to know what the unit weighs before I shell out my hard earned money. The weight stickers on motorhomes are frequently fudged. I also contact the state and ask for a copy of the MSO (Manufacturer's Statement of Origin)to verify any liens, title defects, or discrepancies are present. I had a unit that the MSO stated the unit was over 5K over the GVWR at shipment. Now the MSO was incorrect however it is still a problem because the title was also incorrect as a result.

rk911 wrote:

dahkota wrote:
We know ours (26K). Our towed weighs 3856 lbs. We are under our GCWR and under our GVW.

Is your Winne on the 22K chassis or the 24K? You have too much weight in the coach - at least 700 lbs. Note on the 22K chassis, the GCWR is 26K (4K difference with a 5K hitch).

Our A is 2.5' shorter than yours on the 22K chassis - we have 3500 lbs of cargo capacity. With our extra batteries, solar panels, 2/3 water (60G), and full gas, loaded for fulltiming, we are under GVW by about 600 lbs.

that may be true but you may be overweight on one axle. do not assume.

We aren't and we haven't.