Well sir in this case I do not care how much you are overloaded.
From your own post: "The front of the coach weighed, 8,900 lbs, the rear weighed 20,100 lbs" so in a perfect world each rear tire is carrying 5025lbs. You blow one of those four tires and it's mate is now carrying 10,050lbs... OK a 5,025 increase by simple math.
OP, still interested in your numbers???
From your own post: "The front of the coach weighed, 8,900 lbs, the rear weighed 20,100 lbs" so in a perfect world each rear tire is carrying 5025lbs. You blow one of those four tires and it's mate is now carrying 10,050lbs... OK a 5,025 increase by simple math.
OP, still interested in your numbers???
Ivylog wrote:
If Fire Up had a blowout it would've been 5000 more pounds on the tire that was already overloaded. 0P if you do not have a 20,000 pound rear axle you're going to be in the same situation as Fire Up...pushing your luck.
0P when are you going to list your CCC, your rear axle rating, and your hitch rating for us? I'll bet they're so bad you don't want to know what the numbers are.
Well Sir,
Not exactly sure where you got the "5000" lbs. from because, as stated, my rear axle was overloaded by 2600 lbs. That meant, using advance math, that each side was 1,300 lbs. That meant, again using advanced math, that each tire was around, 650 lbs. over loaded. And, again, if I'd have blown one, on either side, the remaining tire would have seen a 650 lb. raise in weight, instantly and, would be carrying the full 1,300 lb. overweight.
But, it doesn't really matter, I know what the numbers said, right from the scales. And, again, there was right at 200 lbs. less on the front end of the coach, with the bike on there. It made no difference in handling what so ever.
Scott
Here is my setup. We made it ourself, except the welding on the RV frame. There is a winch to bring the motorcycle up and a ramp that slides out from under. It works perfectly, takes couple of minutes to bring up. Cost was about $1000.00 in parts and some welding on the RV.
As for handling, moto and rack weight around 750 lbs, I did not notice any effect on the RV, none, I have to be carefull not to forget it is there.
http://i651.photobucket.com/albums/uu235/Kidoo/DSCN9106_8337_zpsynazzb0b.jpg
http://i651.photobucket.com/albums/uu235/Kidoo/DSCN9117_8348_zpsclgseayx.jpg
As for handling, moto and rack weight around 750 lbs, I did not notice any effect on the RV, none, I have to be carefull not to forget it is there.
http://i651.photobucket.com/albums/uu235/Kidoo/DSCN9106_8337_zpsynazzb0b.jpg
http://i651.photobucket.com/albums/uu235/Kidoo/DSCN9117_8348_zpsclgseayx.jpg
If Fire Up had a blowout it would've been 5000 more pounds on the tire that was already overloaded. 0P if you do not have a 20,000 pound rear axle you're going to be in the same situation as Fire Up...pushing your luck.
0P when are you going to list your CCC, your rear axle rating, and your hitch rating for us? I'll bet they're so bad you don't want to know what the numbers are.
0P when are you going to list your CCC, your rear axle rating, and your hitch rating for us? I'll bet they're so bad you don't want to know what the numbers are.
BigGuy82 wrote:
I hope this is the right forum for this. I am taking delivery on a 2016 Itasca Solei 38R pusher in a few weeks and want to put an Overbuilt motorcycle carrier on it rather than towing a trailer. The lift plus my Gold Wing tags in a 1,300 lbs. Overbuilt says it's no problem for the frame to handle and the dealer says the unit can handle it also. BUT, here's what I'm looking for.
What happens to the control characteristics of the coach? The math doesn't change ... the rear wheels are a fulcrum and the more weight you put behind them, the lighter the front end becomes. The question is how much? Does this negatively impact control or are the effects negligible? I've checked a variety of forums and what I am looking for but can't seem to find is someone who owned a motorhome, drove it for a while and then put one of these things on. Lots of opinions and generalities but no hard facts (at least that i could find).
Long story, simple question: did the installation of this unit make your diesel pusher noticeably "lighter" in the front end?
Thanks!
BigGuy82,
Well Sir, I've got the "Hands on" knowledge you're looking for. In all PRACTICAL reality, you can "calculate" all you want, but, it's the end result that speaks for itself. I've done exactly what you're asking about. One of the main differences from mine to yours is, I used what I consider (and most others do too) to be the top lift on the market. And that was a Hydralift. If you've looked into all the available lifts, you more than likely know about it vs any other lift on the market.
Waaaaaaaaaaaaay less moving parts and, considerably more stable while the coach is in movement. But, I'm not here to try and change your mind on lifts. Use what you feel is right for you. Another difference between your operation and mine is, your coach is 2' longer than ours. Ours is an '04 Itasca Horizon 36GD with the C-7 330HP CAT and, Allison MH3000 Trans.
We are exactly the same in terms of the motorcycle though. Ours is an '08 Level II GL 1800 Goldwing. Basically both our bikes are within only a few pounds of each other. The Hydralift hovers around 375-400 lbs.
Now, long story short:
I weighed my coach, prior to any addition of any lift or the bike. Basically it was loaded for a trip. Full fuel, propane and, 90 gallons of fresh water. I'm not one that sweats the "added weight" of water. If you've ever been in a break down situation for a few days, but, get to stay in your coach while it's being fixed, you definitely appreciate the full tank of water. Anyway, the coach was loaded.
It came in at 16,900 lbs. for the rear and, 9,180 for the front. Now, the GAWR for the rear is, 17,500 lbs. and the GAWR front is, 10,400 lbs. So, right off the bat, I KNEW I was going to be over weight of the rear axle rating if I were to add a lift and, our Wing. It's my rig, no warranty is present and, if I break it, it's mine to fix. So, I decided to go for it.
We purchased a used Hydralift off of ebay ($1,800) and it was in flawless condition. I did the install. I removed the factory 10,000 lb. rated trailer hitch/receiver and, utilized the holes in the frame, to mount the steel needed to adapt to the Hydralift brackets. It worked flawless. When all was said and done, it looked really nice back there.
We hauled our Wing all over the Western U.S. and, towed our '04 Jeep Rubicon along with it. Now, here's what YOU asked about. The HANDLING. What I can tell you is, there was absolutely NO ILL HANDLING EFFECTS WHAT SO EVER, PERIOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!! That coach drove straight down the road as if it had "0" extra weight on the back at all. There was NO porpoising, NO wandering, NO shimmying, NOTHING!
The ride height sensors did their job flawlessly. I measured the body height prior to the install and, as it would be running down the road. I added the lift and, the Wing and, guess what, it was the exact same height, with the lift and the Wing back there. The front changed by 1/16th of an inch.
As stated, we toured all over with that setup. And, I inspected that lift, all the welds, (I had to weld the cradle brackets to the adaptive steel that I used) all the mounting points, nuts and bolts etc. on a regular basis. Not one crack, not one broken bolt, not one of them EVER came loose and the clearances of all the parts (I positioned that lift to within 3/8" of the back of the rig so I would have the least possible "leverage" effect) remained at the same clearances I started with for all the time that lift was on the coach.
OK, now, here's the deal. We traveled over 8,000 miles with that exact setup. But, we'd changed toads a couple of times and, were not happy with a couple of things. One, the toads, we'd changed from the Jeep to a Honda CRV and after less than a year, we both hated that car. And, I didn't like the "Bouncing" that the Wing did back there when we encountered some really hideous U.S. roads out there. And believe me, there are really bad roads in EVERY STATE!
So, one day, while filling the coach up with diesel, we were at Seven Feathers Casino and RV Resort in Oregon and, right next to the fuel docs there was a certified scale. So, when done filling up, I mosied the rig over to that scale and, asked the nice lady if I could weigh my setup. She motioned me to drive onto that scale. Well, here's the figures.
The front of the coach weighed, 8,900 lbs, the rear weighed 20,100 lbs, and, the CRV weighed 3,700 lbs. And of course, the bike and lift were on at the time.
What that meant was, I was running down the road, for all 8,000 miles, at 2,600 lbs. overweight on the rear. As for the front, it was still 1,500 lbs. under weight but, it was 280 lbs. less than it weighed without the lift and Wing on the back. Big deal!
OK, as stated, there was some things we weren't happy with and one was the toad. We both missed our truck 'cause we sold it a while back so, a decision was made. I'd decided that the coach frame and all the mounting system could take it for ever but, what I was concerned about was the tires on the rear. They were overloaded too. If I'd have blown one of the tires on either side, the remaining tire would IMMEDIATELY take on an extra 1,300 lbs. Not really a good thing.
So, we made the decision to change our "M.O." (Cop speak for, Method of Operation). We got home from that trip and, I removed the lift and sold it and, we purchased an '11 GMC Sierra 1500 Extended Cab 4x4 to be used as a toad and, we also purchased a used, (used twice) Rampage motorcycle lift/carrier for the Wing to be carried in the back of the truck.
I really miss the Hydralift. It was nice to be able to carry it when only the bike was going to be used on any given trip and no toad was needed. But, things change so, it is what it is. But, as for "REAL WORLD" experience, PM me if you'd like to know more. Take care and have fun hauling your Wing. What a great bike. Below are pics of what we used to do and, what we do now.
Scott
