Overweight!! EMPTY!

Holy Barbells Batman! I really hope you found a defective scale. For reference, I don't have an actual empty weight, from a scale, for our 31-ft non-slide Jayco on E450. The label in a cabinet says something like 11,200. We pack awful heavy, and need to cut down, but we scale FULL (two of us plus too-much-stuff) at around 13,500.

Previous posts are right that you probably cannot fix it to legal. I'm covered up in stuff to do for awhile today. If you want to PM you phone number, I'll can call you later.

I'd like to know what the Wheelbase is. Ford probably provided a 158" chassis then Damon had somebody stretch it (ours stretched 60" to 218") and add a rear overhang extension as well. Damon's label, and maybe one from the stretcher, should have the extended length.

For those of you watching at home, this is why Ford brought out the E-Super Duty, which they shortly decided to call E450.

I've been saying lately, that a shopper should include a truck stop CAT Scale visit in their test drive. Dittmer would probably join the chorus. Ron, you know we'll be called by the derogatory term...

Weight Police...

wildtoad wrote:
I've never heard of an empty motorhome being overweight by almost one ton. What are your GAWR? May be worth weighing it at another set of scales. Has someone replaced the flooring , furniture, or appliances such that it now weighs that much?

Very good questions!

Then again, it must have been okay for the last 22 years. Do the springs sag? Is it due for new shocks and tires? How many miles are on the rig? It is late
in the game for these questions. Some Cs take a while to get used to there
driving habits.

I've never heard of an empty motorhome being overweight by almost one ton. What are your GAWR? May be worth weighing it at another set of scales. Has someone replaced the flooring , furniture, or appliances such that it now weighs that much?

There are a lot of Class C's that are at or near their GVWR ratings empty, as you have found in your case. There is nothing you can do to overcome this legally. The only people who can increase your actual GVWR legally are the factory or a licensed up fitter who can issue a new federal weight sticker. It is highly unlikely you will have any luck with either of these possibilities due to liability issues. You can add aftermarket options to mitigate your weight issues, but as you have already stated this will still not make you legal. Sorry I don't have a better answer for you.

Wow, that surely stinks. I wonder what can be done sensibly to bring up the GVWR....higher rated springs? Make sure your tires are rated for your actual load. If your frame isn't rated to handle the load, then you're in deep do-do. Make sure your rig isn't coming apart at the seams, an indication the frame is inadequate.

I used to know this stuff fairly well but I recall the gauge thickness of the frame of an E450 is significantly thicker than that of an E350. But ratings within a particular chassis like the E350 for example, are rated at 12,500 11,500, 10,700 and 10,000 of which I believe some of the weight ratings are determined by the springs Ford installed. Other factors are the engine, fuel tank, and wheel base. It seems to me that smaller ones weigh less so maybe you could load more on the chassis with the difference in weight. There are a lot of dynamics going on with ratings. It's not just about weight. Some of it is about capability. So a smaller V8 Triton engine may rate the GVWR downward even though it is lighter than the V10.

I recommend you call Champion Frame Align and pick their brain over the phone. I always appreciated working with George but he might have recently retired. They might be able to offer some practical solutions. One of Champion's specialty is just this kind of thing.

Oh.....I see ScottG beat me to some ideas.

Not much you can do now but make sure the tires themselves aren't overloaded.
You could also talk to a spring shop about adding a leaf or two.
Or add some air bags.