Fudging of the numbers used to be a fairly standard practice. They would list the dry weight as the weight without any options. If you looked in the fine print, you would find that there were "standard options" that all units came with. Things like the air conditioner, the water heater, the fridge, the furnace, the water pump, the steps, the spare, the propane tanks, the converter, the stove, the vent hood . . . pretty much everything except the cabinetry, toilet, and holding tanks frame and shell was considered options. There were probably units delivered that would be overloaded as soon as the battery for the legally required breakaway switch was installed. Now many manufacturers actually weigh each individual unit before it leaves the factory and that number is somewhere on the unit. I noticed when I was at Beckleys RV in Thurmont summer before last, they had the numbers written with a grease pencil on the frame somewhere near the front of the unit. You could see two units on their lot with the same model number but different weight numbers. If you looked at them carefully, there would be a difference in the real options.
So things are starting to improve some. There are also new rules for rating the tow capability of the tow vehicles. This was all a safety issue with too many rigs on the road that were too big for the tow vehicle -- had nothing to do with overloaded tires.
