BFL13 wrote:
ISTR if you upgrade the axles and tires and whatever, you don't get a new, higher GVWR. There have been threads in the other forums related to all that and what different jurisdictions say about how to get a higher GVWR.
There is also something about GVWR in BC's rules if "they" ever wanted to weigh your trailer. ( Mostly they only do commercial trucks, but sometimes they do RVs, I gather.) So putting it all together---
If you are going to Alaska via BC and are over the sticker GVWR that might be a problem, but you have to check, because I cannot confirm what the real story is. Just thought it worth a mention, in case.
Meanwhile, it does makes sense to upgrade the axles based on the OP weights alone, where you are over, and are likely to be that way for many future trips.
Good point on the GVWR. I understand that you don't get a new GVWR after doing upgrades. It's kind of like adding air bags to a truck to give you more payload capacity. It doesn't change the truck's rating, but in the real world it makes a difference.
As far as traveling in the U.S. goes, I'll weigh the rig with the tanks empty and carry that printout with me. I'm not worried about the ability of our truck to safely tow 17,500 pounds. It's rated for almost 30,000 pounds of 5th wheel towing. So carrying the print out from the CAT scales would be purely for covering my rear.
Thanks for the tip about B.C. I didn't see them stopping RVs the last times we went to Alaska or Whistler, but I'll look into it before we go up again. I can dump some water through B.C. and fill up in the Yukon if necessary. The last time we went up we had problems getting fresh water since the pipes were still frozen. That shouldn't be an issue this year since we're going up in June.
