Curb weight

[concord_05]

We are trading our class A for a 2016 Forest River 2401w with the Mercedes Diesel engine. We tow a 2008 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4wd which has a curb weight of around 4600. Our new rig is rated to tow at 4200/350. Do I really have to get rid of my Jeep? I know that I am going to have to trim down what we put in there as these rigs can’t carry a lot. We have never had a diesel RV. Our advancing age is pushing us to go smaller in hopes we can continue this for many more years and share the driving more. I like the freedom a toad vehicle provides us for exploring but may just do without if I can’t tow my Jeep.

[way2roll]

"I'm over on GCVWR of 15,250 by 250 pounds"

This - is the only relevant piece of information. The rest is noise.

I feel like you are taking this a bit personal and knowing you or the type of person you are has absolutely no bearing on the mechanical constraints of your RV. I never once said the MB sprinter brakes are under built, or the chassis etc, I was pretty factual. Heck I like the sprinters, I have 2 friends that own them. But, it's built a certain way and engineers arrive at capacity - Period. I think you are trying to justify why it's ok to be over. To each his own and I am sure you do just fine. But just because you feel that way does not make the facts and figures irrelevant.

[dbertheau]

way2roll wrote:

dbertheau wrote:

way2roll wrote:

dbertheau wrote:

road-runner wrote:

dbertheau wrote:

Curb weight is significantly less than 11,030.

The 11,030 number is the GVWR, not the curb weight. The sum of the curb weight, passengers, water, fuel, and any supplies is supposed to be under 11,030. Over 10 years of comparing notes with other Sprinter class C owners, I've not found a single one who has weighed their rig loaded for camping, and not being at least a couple hundred pounds over GVWR.

You are correct (others on this forum who like to give advice are clueless on the concept). 11,030 is the GVWR...as defined by Mercedes for their Sprinter 3500 extended chassis. RV manufactures purchase these chassis and need to build their coaches on the chassis staying below that weight rating enough that passengers and cargo are below 11,030.

I've removed some items that are not important to me to further reduce the curb weight. My loaded camping weight is indeed below 11,030.

How much lower? and even at 11,000 with a 5k toad you are still over the 4,200. You'd have to be at almost 10,000. I am betting you aren't.

Sir, you don't know me, you know nothing about Sprinters or you would not make statements that Mercedes under built their brake systems and under built their frames. You state GVWR as actual weight of the vehicle and advice folks that they should know facts.

Please don't comment on my posts anymore.

it's simple, numbers are numbers, you are over or you aren't. You are over. Simple.

I'm under on FGAWR
I'm under on RGAWR
I'm Under on GVWR of 11,030 -10,525
I'm Under on tow rating of 5,000 -4,975

I'm over on GCVWR of 15,250 by 250 pounds

This is what I've stated since my first post.

You don't know me and you don't know my rig.

[way2roll]

dbertheau wrote:

way2roll wrote:

dbertheau wrote:

road-runner wrote:

dbertheau wrote:

Curb weight is significantly less than 11,030.

The 11,030 number is the GVWR, not the curb weight. The sum of the curb weight, passengers, water, fuel, and any supplies is supposed to be under 11,030. Over 10 years of comparing notes with other Sprinter class C owners, I've not found a single one who has weighed their rig loaded for camping, and not being at least a couple hundred pounds over GVWR.

You are correct (others on this forum who like to give advice are clueless on the concept). 11,030 is the GVWR...as defined by Mercedes for their Sprinter 3500 extended chassis. RV manufactures purchase these chassis and need to build their coaches on the chassis staying below that weight rating enough that passengers and cargo are below 11,030.

I've removed some items that are not important to me to further reduce the curb weight. My loaded camping weight is indeed below 11,030.

How much lower? and even at 11,000 with a 5k toad you are still over the 4,200. You'd have to be at almost 10,000. I am betting you aren't.

Sir, you don't know me, you know nothing about Sprinters or you would not make statements that Mercedes under built their brake systems and under built their frames. You state GVWR as actual weight of the vehicle and advice folks that they should know facts.

Please don't comment on my posts anymore.

it's simple, numbers are numbers, you are over or you aren't. You are over. Simple.

[dbertheau]

way2roll wrote:

dbertheau wrote:

road-runner wrote:

dbertheau wrote:

Curb weight is significantly less than 11,030.

The 11,030 number is the GVWR, not the curb weight. The sum of the curb weight, passengers, water, fuel, and any supplies is supposed to be under 11,030. Over 10 years of comparing notes with other Sprinter class C owners, I've not found a single one who has weighed their rig loaded for camping, and not being at least a couple hundred pounds over GVWR.

You are correct (others on this forum who like to give advice are clueless on the concept). 11,030 is the GVWR...as defined by Mercedes for their Sprinter 3500 extended chassis. RV manufactures purchase these chassis and need to build their coaches on the chassis staying below that weight rating enough that passengers and cargo are below 11,030.

I've removed some items that are not important to me to further reduce the curb weight. My loaded camping weight is indeed below 11,030.

How much lower? and even at 11,000 with a 5k toad you are still over the 4,200. You'd have to be at almost 10,000. I am betting you aren't.

Sir, you don't know me, you know nothing about Sprinters or you would not make statements that Mercedes under built their brake systems and under built their frames. You state GVWR as actual weight of the vehicle and advice folks that they should know facts.

Please don't comment on my posts anymore.

[way2roll]

dbertheau wrote:

road-runner wrote:

dbertheau wrote:

Curb weight is significantly less than 11,030.

The 11,030 number is the GVWR, not the curb weight. The sum of the curb weight, passengers, water, fuel, and any supplies is supposed to be under 11,030. Over 10 years of comparing notes with other Sprinter class C owners, I've not found a single one who has weighed their rig loaded for camping, and not being at least a couple hundred pounds over GVWR.

You are correct (others on this forum who like to give advice are clueless on the concept). 11,030 is the GVWR...as defined by Mercedes for their Sprinter 3500 extended chassis. RV manufactures purchase these chassis and need to build their coaches on the chassis staying below that weight rating enough that passengers and cargo are below 11,030.

I've removed some items that are not important to me to further reduce the curb weight. My loaded camping weight is indeed below 11,030.

How much lower? and even at 11,000 with a 5k toad you are still over the 4,200. You'd have to be at almost 10,000. I am betting you aren't. That's the real question isn't it? Ignore curb weight for a second, your weight loaded for travel with all your gear, food, water and people, plus your 5k toad needs to be under your GCWR. I am willing to bet it isn't. Actually I don't need to - you said it yourself. The OP asked if his toad would push him over, the answer is yes. But the OP never came back to the thread so it's all wasted typing.

[dbertheau]

road-runner wrote:

dbertheau wrote:

Curb weight is significantly less than 11,030.

The 11,030 number is the GVWR, not the curb weight. The sum of the curb weight, passengers, water, fuel, and any supplies is supposed to be under 11,030. Over 10 years of comparing notes with other Sprinter class C owners, I've not found a single one who has weighed their rig loaded for camping, and not being at least a couple hundred pounds over GVWR.

You are correct (others on this forum who like to give advice are clueless on the concept). 11,030 is the GVWR...as defined by Mercedes for their Sprinter 3500 extended chassis. RV manufactures purchase these chassis and need to build their coaches on the chassis staying below that weight rating enough that passengers and cargo are below 11,030.

I've removed some items that are not important to me to further reduce the curb weight. My loaded camping weight is indeed below 11,030.

[road-runner]

dbertheau wrote:

Curb weight is significantly less than 11,030.

The 11,030 number is the GVWR, not the curb weight. The sum of the curb weight, passengers, water, fuel, and any supplies is supposed to be under 11,030. Over 10 years of comparing notes with other Sprinter class C owners, I've not found a single one who has weighed their rig loaded for camping, and not being at least a couple hundred pounds over GVWR.

[dbertheau]

zb39 wrote:

dbertheau wrote:

zb39 wrote:
What do you have on your wrangler that makes it weigh so much. I have a 2 door JL myself.

Steel bumpers front and back, winch, steel armor under, beefier drag link, tie rod, track bars, control arms, 8-lug wheels and slightly larger tires (full float axles with locking hubs up front), roof rack, etc... This weight also includes the tow bar.

Well, OK You have loaded it right up. But I bet it is fun to drive off road. Lots of protection.

Yep. It's great fun. Mostly used when hunting and fishing in the Sierras. It's a great combination...the small Mercedes based RV at camp with the Wrangler to get further remote as possible.

[zb39]

dbertheau wrote:

zb39 wrote:
What do you have on your wrangler that makes it weigh so much. I have a 2 door JL myself.

Steel bumpers front and back, winch, steel armor under, beefier drag link, tie rod, track bars, control arms, 8-lug wheels and slightly larger tires (full float axles with locking hubs up front), roof rack, etc... This weight also includes the tow bar.

Well, OK You have loaded it right up. But I bet it is fun to drive off road. Lots of protection.

[dbertheau]

way2roll wrote:

dbertheau wrote:

way2roll wrote:

dbertheau wrote:
We have a Thor Siesta 24SS. Also has the Mercedes Sprinter 3500 chassis with the 3L turbo diesel. We tow our 2 door wrangler...it weighs in at just under 5,000. We are a bit over combined GVWR, but take it easy.

The vehicle has enough power and with the braking shared between the Mercedes and the Jeep (via the ReadyBrake system of the toad setup) I don't feel any issues with braking. The tranny temps do rise quicker on mountain inclines with the toad compared to no toad, but I take it slow and easy monitoring the temps (using ScanGauge to monitor). Towing on flat highways the rig is great with the Jeep in tow.

With a GCWR of 15,250 and a GVWR of 11,030 that is a net of 4,200 lbs capacity. That's before you add a drop of water, fuel, a single person - anything. After adding everything you need to travel my guess would be it's overloaded by a 1-2k lbs with the toad. To each his own but I wouldn't feel good about being over capacity by 10-20%. Not trying to be the weight police, but there are reasons the capacities exist. If you are over capacity 1-2k on a DP the percentage is much smaller, but due to the low weight to start with on the sprinter - (and thus smaller brakes, motor (188 hp) smaller frame rails) small variances make up a much larger percentage of the total combined weight. That said, people ignore these capacities all the time without issue. But, know the facts. If you choose to ignore them and have an issue or an accident because of it, well that's on you. I would expect a warranty claim related to a frame/chassis, engine, tranny, brake or receiver issue would be denied.

Thanks for your concern.

Torque is 325ftlb. Sprinter braking system is not under designed. Rating for towing is 5,000. GVWR is 11,030. CGVWR is 15,250.
I have scales and I know my weights. Curb weight is significantly less than 11,030. Loaded combined weight is about 250lbs over CGVWR - 15,500.

Your telling me that despite the specs from the manufacturer and your toad weighing in at 5k lbs, that you are only over by 250lbs? That means the specs on GVWR must be off by a LOT. Like 1,000 lbs. Not sure why they would fudge the numbers to make it worse for the consumer but ok...Or do you weigh like 50 lbs and you travel dry with no food water - well anything really??

GVWR is a max load rating...it's not the actual weight of the vehicle.

[way2roll]

dbertheau wrote:

way2roll wrote:

dbertheau wrote:
We have a Thor Siesta 24SS. Also has the Mercedes Sprinter 3500 chassis with the 3L turbo diesel. We tow our 2 door wrangler...it weighs in at just under 5,000. We are a bit over combined GVWR, but take it easy.

The vehicle has enough power and with the braking shared between the Mercedes and the Jeep (via the ReadyBrake system of the toad setup) I don't feel any issues with braking. The tranny temps do rise quicker on mountain inclines with the toad compared to no toad, but I take it slow and easy monitoring the temps (using ScanGauge to monitor). Towing on flat highways the rig is great with the Jeep in tow.

With a GCWR of 15,250 and a GVWR of 11,030 that is a net of 4,200 lbs capacity. That's before you add a drop of water, fuel, a single person - anything. After adding everything you need to travel my guess would be it's overloaded by a 1-2k lbs with the toad. To each his own but I wouldn't feel good about being over capacity by 10-20%. Not trying to be the weight police, but there are reasons the capacities exist. If you are over capacity 1-2k on a DP the percentage is much smaller, but due to the low weight to start with on the sprinter - (and thus smaller brakes, motor (188 hp) smaller frame rails) small variances make up a much larger percentage of the total combined weight. That said, people ignore these capacities all the time without issue. But, know the facts. If you choose to ignore them and have an issue or an accident because of it, well that's on you. I would expect a warranty claim related to a frame/chassis, engine, tranny, brake or receiver issue would be denied.

Thanks for your concern.

Torque is 325ftlb. Sprinter braking system is not under designed. Rating for towing is 5,000. GVWR is 11,030. CGVWR is 15,250.
I have scales and I know my weights. Curb weight is significantly less than 11,030. Loaded combined weight is about 250lbs over CGVWR - 15,500.

Your telling me that despite the specs from the manufacturer and your toad weighing in at 5k lbs, that you are only over by 250lbs? That means the specs on GVWR must be off by a LOT. Like 1,000 lbs. Not sure why they would fudge the numbers to make it worse for the consumer but ok...Or do you weigh like 50 lbs and you travel dry with no food water - well anything really??

[Racine96]

You need a different car. Too much weight to make the trip enjoyable.

[irishtom29]

Lwiddis wrote:
This “getting older” stuff is mental, not physical.

Nonsense. It's very physical for many people.

[dbertheau]

way2roll wrote:

dbertheau wrote:
We have a Thor Siesta 24SS. Also has the Mercedes Sprinter 3500 chassis with the 3L turbo diesel. We tow our 2 door wrangler...it weighs in at just under 5,000. We are a bit over combined GVWR, but take it easy.

The vehicle has enough power and with the braking shared between the Mercedes and the Jeep (via the ReadyBrake system of the toad setup) I don't feel any issues with braking. The tranny temps do rise quicker on mountain inclines with the toad compared to no toad, but I take it slow and easy monitoring the temps (using ScanGauge to monitor). Towing on flat highways the rig is great with the Jeep in tow.

With a GCWR of 15,250 and a GVWR of 11,030 that is a net of 4,200 lbs capacity. That's before you add a drop of water, fuel, a single person - anything. After adding everything you need to travel my guess would be it's overloaded by a 1-2k lbs with the toad. To each his own but I wouldn't feel good about being over capacity by 10-20%. Not trying to be the weight police, but there are reasons the capacities exist. If you are over capacity 1-2k on a DP the percentage is much smaller, but due to the low weight to start with on the sprinter - (and thus smaller brakes, motor (188 hp) smaller frame rails) small variances make up a much larger percentage of the total combined weight. That said, people ignore these capacities all the time without issue. But, know the facts. If you choose to ignore them and have an issue or an accident because of it, well that's on you. I would expect a warranty claim related to a frame/chassis, engine, tranny, brake or receiver issue would be denied.

Thanks for your concern.

Torque is 325ftlb. Sprinter braking system is not under designed. Rating for towing is 5,000. GVWR is 11,030. CGVWR is 15,250.
I have scales and I know my weights. Curb weight is significantly less than 11,030. Loaded combined weight is about 250lbs over CGVWR - 15,500.