Math for determining CCC

[MilesandSmiles]

Today at the Hershey show I looked at a Winnebago Forza 38R that my wife and I are both impressed with. I've been trying to figure out how much cargo we can carry, and the numbers just seem too low. Am I figuring this right?

GCWR 33,000 lbs
GVWR 27,910 lbs

---> Cargo + Tow Vehicle maximum weight 5090 lbs

We would be towing a VW Jetta which weighs about 2200 lbs with a full tank of diesel and nothing else in it.

So, 5090 - 2200 = 2890 pounds left for cargo and fluids

At 8lbs/gallon a full fuel tank would weigh 720 pounds. Have both holding tanks filled half-way adds another 264 pounds. Half a tank of fresh water adds 336 pounds. So, all told, we'd be carrying 1320 pounds of fluids after filling up with diesel with all other tanks 1/2 full (not an unreasonable assumption?)

This seems to leave only 1570 pounds for cargo and passengers! Lets say that my wife, three teenagers, and I weigh a total of 625 pounds. Yes, we really do.

Does this really mean that we could only carry 925 pounds of cargo? That seems like a paltry amount.

Is my math right? Is 925 pounds of cargo a lot, or really not that much? My head is spinning.

[luvlabs]

To the OP - the CCC is normally printed and stuck to the door post. If not it is posted in a closet or near the driver's position.

If you really want to calculate it yourself, try this calculation from "How stuff Works":

"So how would you ever be able to determine if you were overloading an RV? After all, recreational vehicles carry things like furniture, appliances, televisions and people -- often lots of people. How much is too much? The short answer is that you would need to know the RV's cargo carrying capacity, or CCC. The long answer involves a little bit of simple math and a few definitions. Here's how to calculate an RV's cargo carrying capacity:

Start with the vehicle's gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR)
20,000 pounds (GVWR)
Subtract the vehicle's unloaded vehicle weight (UVW)
The UVW is a manufacturer provided weight measurement of the vehicle that includes a full tank (or tanks) of fuel, coolant and oil
14,500 pounds (UVW)
Subtract the weight of the sleeping capacity weight rating (SCWR)
The SCWR is another manufacturer provided weight measurement (a maximum weight) determined by multiplying 154 pounds times the number of sleeping positions
924 pounds (SCWR) (6 sleeping positions x 154 pounds)
Subtract the weight of the propane fuel (LP gas)
Propane weighs 4.2 pounds per gallon
50.4 pounds (LP gas) (12 gallons x 4.2 pounds)
Subtract the weight of the fresh water on board
Water weighs 8.3 pounds per gallon
207.5 pounds (fresh water) (25 gallons x 8.3 pounds)
The result is the cargo carrying capacity (CCC) of the vehicle
4,318.1 pounds (CCC) (cargo carrying capacity)"

Easier to look for the label.

[Two_Jayhawks]

msmith1199 wrote:
I don't see on Winnebago's webpage where they list an empty weight of the RV. I don't recall seeing that number on any motorhome as they are probably variable. There is a lot of wood in a motorhome so identical motorhomes could have different weights. I have never weighed mine, but it's probably a good idea to do so. And just because the GVWR is 27,910, doesn't mean the axles are going to fall off if you load a thousand pounds or so over that.

Some manufactures list approximate unloaded weights in their spec sheets (Winne does not)to give you some idea on what you can carry. However they are required to have the finished weight as manufactured posted on the motor home.

[Kayteg1]

I think the whole logic start in wrong point.
Unless you plan to tow ClassC, or Suburban, you can ignore GCWR.
That number usually come from hitch rating, what is easy to upgrade.
You critical numbers will be GVWR minus actual weight, what gives you cargo carrying capacity.
There is good reason why RV manufacturer hide those numbers from buyers.
Lot of RV have cargo capacity in hundreds of pounds >> not much for heavy family, full refrigerator, winter cloths and 60-100 gallons of fresh water.
Bottom line, when you shop for RV, step on the salesman to present those numbers, or drive with you to the scales.
Also might be good idea to check the tire ratings as lot of RV tires come overloaded from factory.

[creeper]

OutdoorPhotographer wrote:
Make sure it's a Ford E-450 chassis or Chevy equivalent. Pretty sure 2015 and newer E-450's have 7500 lb tow rating instead of 5,000.

I don't think they are putting class A's on the E-450 chassis and I don't think Chevy is in the Class A chassis at all.

[OutdoorPhotogra]

I'm pretty sure all new RVs/TT/5er's must have a sticker with actual weight of that unit as it left the factory. Unfortunately my schedule didn't work out to drive up to Hershey but when I was at a show in RI last year, everything we looked at had a sticker with actual curb weight. Once you have that, just subtract it from GVWR and that is what you have for cargo.

We were looking at Class C's and I will tell you it is disappointing that some of them are only around 1,000 lbs on cargo capacity, especially as they approach 30'. Make sure it's a Ford E-450 chassis or Chevy equivalent. Pretty sure 2015 and newer E-450's have 7500 lb tow rating instead of 5,000.

[Blaster_Man]

Here's the easy way. Weigh the coach and subtract that weight from the GVWR. Don't forget to add the tongue weight of a toad if you'll have one...won't be much anyway. The answer is what you can carry.

[hanko]

msmith1199 wrote:
GCWR is the Gross Combined Vehicle Weight Rating. That is the max gross of the motorhome and the toad. GVWR is the Gross Vehicle Weight Rating. That's the max weight of the motorhome alone. Neither of these numbers gives you the cargo weight capacity as you have to know how much the motorhome actually weighs first. These are max numbers, not the actual weight of the motorhome.

subtract UVW unloaded vehicle weight from GVWR, simple math

[creeper]

Towing 4 down does have an affect on your GVWR, but it's minimal. Hitching equipment, accessories and a tow bar all weigh something.

[msmith1199]

wa8yxm wrote:
CCC - Max GVW minus Actual weight of RV. Curb weight with full tanks)

IE: if your RV has a max GVW of 22000 pounds and the tank full weight is 21000 you can carry 1000 pounds. Including yourself.

CGVW has no impact on this if you tow 4 down.. If you trailer tan it does and can eat up to half that CCC in the above. (tong weight).

So if I town four down I can tow a 45 foot Prevost behind my 35 foot DP? GCWR in fact does count for four down towing also since it's near identical to towing a trailer, except less a few hundred pounds tongue weight. Towing four down does no affect the Gross Vehicle Weight Rating, or the axle weights as it does not change those. But it does apply to the combined weight rating.

[wa8yxm]

CCC - Max GVW minus Actual weight of RV. Curb weight with full tanks)

IE: if your RV has a max GVW of 22000 pounds and the tank full weight is 21000 you can carry 1000 pounds. Including yourself.

CGVW has no impact on this if you tow 4 down.. If you trailer tan it does and can eat up to half that CCC in the above. (tong weight).

[pulsar]

Although CCC is no longer used, here is how it was defined by RVIA in 2000.

(Other definitions are given for clarity.)

• GVWR: Gross Vehicle Weight Rating
  
  
• UVW: Unloaded Vehicle Weight (1996 RVIA Definition)
  Unloaded Vehicle Weight (UVW) is the weight of a vehicle as manufactured at the factory. It includes full engine and generator fuel tanks and fluids, if applicable. It does not include cargo, water, propane, or dealer-installed accessories. Be aware that some manufacturers weigh each unit to determine UVW, while others provide only the average or estimated weight for each model.
  
  Note: Some dealers include the weight of all factory installed options; other include the weight of commonly ordered factory installed options.
  
  
• SCWR:
  Sleeping Capacity Weight Rating (2000 RVIA Definition)
  The manufacturers designated number of sleeping positions multiplied by 154 pounds (70 kilograms)
  
  
• CCC:
  Cargo Carrying Capacity (2000 RVIA Definition)
  Equal to GVWR minus each of the following: UVW, full fresh potable water weight (including water heater), full LP gas weight and SCWR.
  
  
• NCC:
  Net Carrying Capacity
  Equal to GVWR - UVW
  

The federal government (NHTSA) developed its own standard, Occupant and Cargo Carrying Capacity or OCCC, which is a very different number. CCC is in addition to water and passengers; water and passengers are part of the OCCC number.

A label is required (by the Feds) to be affixed to the coach with the following information:

"The Combined weight of occupants and cargo should never exceed
xxx lbs or xxx Kgms
Seat belt equipped seating is X

CAUTION
A full load of water equals xxx Lbs or XXX Kgms of cargo 1 gal =8.3lbs and the tongue
weight of a towed trailer counts as cargo."

The label should be black type on a yellow background.

In our coach the label is affixed to the wall just to the left of the driver and is beside the VIN number label.

Note: for trailers, the NHSTA defined a CCC, different from that defined by RVIA. It is the same as OCCC except the number does not include the weight of passengers.

Tom

[creeper]

GVWR is something that needs to be considered separately from GCWR.

You don't want to be over your GVWR at any point, even though you might be under the GCWR.

GVWR is based on suspension components, tires and axle ratings.

Theoretically I could load my Coach to exceed my GVWR and be under my GGWR.

You must also consider your towing method. Towing 4 down and you're not adding much to your GVWR. If you're using a tow dolly you're adding to your GVWR.

To figure your CCC you need the unladen weight of the coach. Your math is wrong because you're using the GVWR as the weight of the coach. My Winnebago loaded for travel is 23K and that's on a 40ft Coach that has a GVWR of 26K.

Ask to have it weighed before purchasing.I suspect your unladen weight will be around 23-24k lbs.

With 900+ lbs left over after using incorrect numbers you'll be fine. You'll probably easily have 3-4 thousand pounds of real world CCC. Which you'll find out when you get the unladen weight.

[mowermech]

IMO, CCC is GVWR minus the actual weight of the coach when ready to travel (full fuel, full propane, full fresh water tank, and batteries installed)
everything else is cargo. food, dishes, pots and pans, clothing, camp stove, grill, jack pads, antenna masts, antennas, coax cables, ham radios, folding chairs, fishing equipment, hunting equipment, people, dogs, cats, etc. that is all cargo.

[wolfe10]

Just curious what year Jetta you have that only weighs 2200 pounds.

Lightest current (2016 Jetta TDI manual transmission) is 3241 pounds.

http://www.vw.com/models/jetta/trims/2016/tdi-s-trim/