How much does your C weigh?

2000 Four Winds 5000 26Q on 1999 Ford E350 chassis; per the coach Mfg label:
GAWR F/R 4600/7800
GVWR 11500
GCWR 18500
UVW 10190
NCC 1310
Water 42 gallons; 342 lb
LP 12.1 gallons; 54 lb

Hitch is rated at 3500/350.
This unit has a aft walk around queen size bed, no slides.
General fuel mileage average is 9 mpg.
With just my wife and I, a few supplies and full fresh/empty waste tanks, we generally see the axle weights at 3700/7300 or a tad more.

I think the weight question is VERY important. Since the dealer can add optional items after the CCC plate has been affixed,it isn't clear how much CCC capacity a unity really has. This is particularly important for the sprinters, which have barely enough CCC to begin with. I would prefer that dealers post the ACTUAL, on the lot, ready to be purchased weight. I can do the arithmetic from that point as to what the real CCC is going to be. Dealers - can you step up to the plate by giving us the actual weights ??

Just weighed mine on the CAT scale last night. It's 13,200 with 3/4 tank of fuel, full water tank and 1/2 tank of propane.

The RV: 31 foot, 2005 Gulfstream Conquest Limited Edition. Ford E450 chassis V-10.

I never tried to weigh it ;)

rjstractor, I have to thank you.
I was just verifying about the gasoline, etc.... and found a very interesting reference. It looks like it's likely from a dependable source....
Understanding MH Weights

It sees that i was way wrong about these ratings.
So when there is a published CCC, that not only considers full fuel, but also considers full LP, full potable water, and includes and allowance of 154# per sleeping position

So.... it looks like I probably can add a lot of weight back in for the water and fuel, and I don't have to subtract out the family!

Since the manufacturers aren't good at listing the CCC and the number of sleeping positions, etc... I still really can't get a handle on a way to compare these units, but you helped me figure out a bing chunk of the question!
Thanks

Ahh..... full gasoline and LP, that does make a bit of a difference.
By that, you mean the brochure curb weight I suppose..... or do you mean the yellow sticker actual coach weight numbers?
Do you think that's a standard accross the board with all manufacturers?

Your point about watching the rear axle capacity is a real problem spot for a shopper, too.

It's tough enough that many of the manufacturers don't even give a brochure curb weight or CCC number as a ballpark.... there really isn't much of a way that i can see to figure out the weight and balance of a typical load.

blw2 wrote:
So a Coachman Leprechaun 317SA
GVWR 14,500#
subtract the published CW 12,560# (brochure number, not the real weight of a real unit)
subtract the weight of full liquids (gasoline, LP, water, grey, black) 1,262#
Subtract the weight of the 5 bodies in my family maybe 600#
I'm left with 78# available for the tongue weight of my towable, clothes, food, chairs, bikes, etc.....
Now 864# of that is water (fresh, gray, and black) & I know that I would never likely have all of that full, but is it unreasonable to expect that I might want to have it all 30% to 50%?

Published weights are generally calculated being full of propane and fuel so your actual payload would be higher. It does illustrate that 2000 pounds of payload is not really that much to work with especially if you have a family. You also have to take into consideration axle weights. My rig would overload on the rear axle well before it reached its GVWR. Since everything in the coach adds weight to the rear, you really have to watch rear axle weight.

blw2 wrote:
Thanks Mitch, that's very helpful! Your rig is very similar to the floor plans I liked. The only major difference I'm seeing is that I was looking for a plan with the shower in the bathroom and not split out.
Looks like youve got plenty of cushion in you capacities..... except your tow capacity is pretty limited.... well for a trailer anyway.....
Gives me something to look at and chew on for sure.....

As for the shower, if it's a privacy issue the 31K has a sliding door between the bathroom area and the living area. The door to the bathroom sink/toilet area has a spring hinge and acts as a door between the bathroom area and the bedroom. It's a pretty neat set up actually, and results in a closed off bathroom/shower area if wanted.
You might want to check out the Minnie Winnie or Itasca Spirit 31H which does have a separate shower,toilet,sink area, along with bunk beds. I imagine it's not more than a few hundred pounds more weight than the 31K. It's also probably $20-$25,000 less than the Winnebago Aspect I assume you were looking at.
As for the hitch and towing it does have a 5,000# hitch and a relatively low 350# tongue weight rating. I've always been a believer in getting as much as the van maker allows as far as GCWR. In this case Ford says the E450 has a GCWR of 22,000#. The 14,500# GVWR and 5,000# Winnebago tow rating only add up to 19,500#. There's 2,500# missing there. If I needed to, I'd be off to a metal/ hitch fabrication shop to work out something that would safely get that van with frame extensions up to what Ford rates it for. I did that with my 1997 24' Coachmen which had a 3,500# hitch from the factory. It towed with no issues, a 25' boat that was somewhere around 6,500#.

Thanks Mitch, that's very helpful! Your rig is very similar to the floor plans I liked. The only major difference I'm seeing is that I was looking for a plan with the shower in the bathroom and not split out.
Looks like youve got plenty of cushion in you capacities..... except your tow capacity is pretty limited.... well for a trailer anyway.....
Gives me something to look at and chew on for sure.....

I have an Itasca Spirit 31K, which is the same as the Minnie Winnie line from Winnebago. It is a lower price line than what you were looking at from Winnebago. Lower price among other things, usually means the unit will have less "stuff" and more than likely weigh less also. That being said my MH has a sticker on the door which says that I have 3,275# of OCCC. I weighed my MH with my wife and I when we had about a 3/4 tank of gas, 1/3 tank fresh water and fully loaded for camping. It weighed 11,940# with 4,120# on the 5,000# front axle and 7,820# on the 9,600# rear axle. That left us 2,560# under our GVWR of 14,500#.
As for that 5,000# hitch which is common on many of the newer class Cs, Winnebago rates mine and a number of their other lines with only a 350# tongue weight limit.