mrbrown4christ wrote:
I am about to purchase a 37ft Class A RV, and I want to make sure it can tow my tow vehicle. The RV is a 2013 Thor Challenger 37DT. On all the brochures I have found online the GVWR is supposed to be 22,000 with a GCWR of 26,000. But on the Title from the dealership, when the vehicle was purchased new in 2013 it had a "Scale Weight" of 24,582 lbs. This Scale weight is listed on the Vehicle Title. Is this a problem since the Scale Weight is over the GVWR, and how much additional weight can I tow?
This was confusing because I do not understand how Thor would manufacture a new RV 2,500 lbs. over the GVWR.
First, you need to verify the weight of your MH and I recommend doing this
before the purchase. I also recommend keeping it simple with the three basic weights detailed below. in all three cases at a minimum you need individual axle weights. 4-corner weights are better but individual axle weights will suffice. why? well, it
is possible to be under the GVWR while at the same time being overweight on one axle. I know this from personal experience.
but before you weigh locate the GAWR (gross axle weight rating) for each axle. these will be in your documentation or possibly on the same door placard. the sum of the GAWRs should equal the GVWR (the rear GAWR may include the tongue weight of the hitch). after each weigh compare the actual axle weight to the corresponding GAWR.
The three weights you need to know are:
- Your empty weight: this is the weight of the MH as it rolls off of the dealer's lot. Minimum fuel, no fresh water, minimum or no LP but an otherwise empty MH...no clothing, food, supplies, etc. The empty weight is your base line. Oh, and be sure you and anyone with you are not in the MH when getting this and the wet weight. If that's not possible then be sure you are in the driver's seat when the weigh occurs. Then subtract your weight from the front axle weight. Do the same thing for the wet weight (next).
- Your wet weight: fill the fuel, fresh water and LP tanks and re-weigh. the difference between your wet weight and the GVWR is your
PAYLOAD. payload is the amount of 'stuff' you can add to each axle without being overweight.
Hopefully you will not be overweight on either axle after the wet weight but if you are you can calculate if removing part or all of your fresh water will get you under the rear axle GAWR (water weighs 8-lbs per gallon with most of that weight usually on the rear axle). so if your fresh water tank is 50-gal then your full water load weighs 450-lbs. subtract that 450-lbs from the actual rear axle weight and compare to the GAWR. still overweight? then, IMO, don't buy the MH. you CAN travel with less than a full tank of gas (6-lbs per gallon) but most folks wouldn't recommend it. LP weighs around 4.5-lbs per gallon but as with fuel you're going to want to start a trip with a full LP tank.
You now know how much payload you have on each axle...the total amount of weight you can add to each axle without being overweight. with luck you'll have between 1000-2000 lbs on the rear and 400-600 lbs on the front. But beware that, in general...there are exceptions, the smaller the MH the smaller the payload.
in order to know what you can safely tow you need to do a third weight. this will be your loaded or rolling weight. keep the fuel and lp tanks full and load whatever amount of water you've determined is appropriate based on the wet weight and load up your stuff just like you would for a trip...food, supplies, pets and people...don't forget your people. re-weigh and compare the actual axle weights to the corresponding GAWRs. if you're underweight on both congratulations; if not start unloading 'stuff' until you are underweight on the overweight axle.
in general, the maximum amount of weight you can
safely tow will be the
lesser of the following:
- the GCWR (gross combination weight rating) of the MH minus the rolling or loaded weight of the MH.
- the weight rating of your tow bar
- the weight rating of your hitch
it would be very desirable to do at least the empty and wet weight
before you buy the MH...make that a condition of the sale if you can. our dealer allowed us to do that on our last two purchases. the first time we did this back in 2000 we determined that the rear axle of the MH was overweight
after the
empty weight never mind adding water and 'stuff'.
why would Thor (and in our case Winnebago) do this? who knows? maybe they figure most people will never check or don't care to know their actual weights. the TRV industry has,IMO, done a masterful job confusing people with their CCC, sleeping and other weight ratings.
Your MH will not collapse if it is overloaded on one or both axles but you will experience handling issues as well as longer braking distances and accelerated wear on suspension, brakes, steering, etc. the extra weight will, sooner or later, catch up with you. and keep in mind that as you travel you will be adding 'stuff' and weight to the MH. it just happens. but with your baseline empty and wet weights you can, and should, periodically update your rolling/loaded weight to be certain you are safe.
safe travels.
