SHape shifter,
In the end, even for myself, I am not trying to argue with wadcutter or an equal. The idea, is to get wording such that we all understand, to the best of our abilities, what the actual weight laws are, and what we will have to do etc, if caught overweight! and it is VERY apparent, that for those with a little reading, will realize, manufactures ratings are not the law, it is based to protect the roads. Not the other vehicles etc on the road. From what I can tell, many of the weight laws go back to "cart/horse paths" in the mid to late 1800's. Some states like mine, ie washington, you still find these terms in the laws! Interstate, state highways are not part of the law per say. The laws were set up to keep folks from rutting dirt and crushed rock roads and early bridges/elevated structures from carts etc being towed by horses/oxen and the like. The only way back then, was actual weight on the cart transfered to the road bed, as SAE and equal specs, were still a fig nutten of ones imagination!
BUT, with that, I would agree, that there are some poorly designed type A MH's, of some folks that do not distribute the load correctly, or look at the RA and say, I have a 25K GRAWR from manufacture, load it accordingly, and find out due to a fluke, they are overweight! They may or may not understand why. Initially I was a bit confused, but when I realized "what" the overweight laws where ment to protect, it started to make sense. Just the figuring out "which law" per say would effect on in a given situation. And to realize as that last link to the US DOT points out, the goal is not to fine folks per say for being overwieght, it is to get folks under legal max weights. Legal max, is also legal minimum excepting by the formula, or if a road has a max overall legal limit or what ever reason. I've seen roads around here and elsewhere where do to frost heaving, you are limited for certain periods of time until the ground thaws completely too.
Marty
