Arctic Fox 990 on SRW in the Snow?

[Sliding-into-ho]

Hi All,

New member here, excited to be joining your ranks. Less exciting is the prospect of wrecking my new truck and TC.

I have the truck (2017 F-350, CC, SRW, 6.7l, FX4), but not the TC. Reason being the safety factor.

I understand that AF990's weight is roughly 4k lbs. I'll never be carrying more than 1 day of water or LPG. Also opting not to get AC, Fox landing, solar, or any side awnings. I don't need any of the above, and all would save some weight (although I've heard carrying a bit more water can improve handling).

I'll do whatever I need to do on the truck (independent air bags at minimum). I plan on running Nokian LT2 studs (e-rated, and roughly 3600lb per tire). I don't care if they're destined to last only 15k miles, as I feel there's no safer way to transport my family in winter conditions.

Speaking of that, this camper will be used 99% of the time to overnight up on the mountain (5400ft climb from my house). I will have to make the drive every weekend, all winter, regardless of conditions (the first 2/3rds is essentially never snowy, and the last 3rd is highly variable (Mt. Hood, OR).

All of the above brings me to my hang-up. I know I could put everything together in such a way that I stay under my 11,500 GVWR, but given the weight of the TC, it wouldn't be by much. I wonder if I'm going to regret not leaving myself more overhead in terms of payload.

Ultimately, I know I can always slow down enough to make the trip safely, but I don't want to be "that guy" on the road who is holding everyone else up in single Lane sections.

As there will frequently be 2 adults and an almost-teenage man child camping, and since one of those adults is my wife, my impression from reading these forums is that a slide is almost a necessity. Would you agree?


If so, I could also consider a Lance 995 to save several hundred lbs (just felt like the AF had the edge in build quality, and with all the extra weight, it better!). I think I could even save a few lbs in a Host (but not a few dollars).

If not, that would bring Northern Lite into the running, which seems to make a lot of sense as an exclusive winter camper where weight is also a factor (especially the sportsman).

I'm sure if you've made it this far, you get the idea. Thanks in advance for any wisdom you can offer. I look forward to being a part of this community.

[Reality_Check]

Bedlam wrote:
If you were to be weighed over your paid amount, you would be fined.

I think the key word here is "could". Extremely unlikely for an RV, since in most jurisdictions, RV's are exempt from scales and weight enforcement.

ticki2 wrote:
Is there no limit to what you can register the GVWR . Can a 3500 series truck be registered for 20000 Gvw ?

There is no limit; the states would gladly take your money. Understand folks, that tonnage is a tax; it's not about safety. They are two different beasts. You can be legally under weight (talking trucks here, not the toys we play talk about on this forum) and still be 'overweight' if one didn't buy enough tonnage. i.e. running at 54k and you only paid for 50k, yet your vehicles can legally carry (axle config) 80k. You're overweight but not unsafe.

Kayteg1 wrote:
Don't think any state will register your truck higher than factory GVW without some kind of technical procedure.

Same response as above; the state will take your money, but it doesn't mean you can drive around that heavy. i.e. I register our 550's at 34k, but they are actually only capable of 33k, and only with a trailer. The state doesn't care if you have a trailer, or ever tow one. I could register it for 60k, but I still can't go over the capacities of the vehicles.

I don't pay tonnage on the RV's. They're marked as personal.

Interesting thread for sure, and alot of ado about nothing and 'what ifs'. A LEO career behind me, and still involved in CDL driving and drivers, and to this day, I haven't seen nor witnessed a single RV being pulled/cited/arrested/sued because they had an accident and were found to overweight. Most TC's are over. Period. Skip the constant arguments about tires, axles and everything else, the brakes are maxed out. But the reality is, it works for most and most slide by and keep going. The odds are...in your favor.

The OP mentions that he is greatly concerned about liability. Has a friend who's an attorney, and a really good one too. Welcome to the club. Got a couple of them in my ring, worked with dozens, some good, some sucky, some rather prominent. First thing to learn; the law is black and white and open to interpretation of intent. OP mentions later that being a 'little' overweight doesn't bother him. What's a little? and why does 'x' amount seem ok? Join the club of reality.

The weight police on here think that whatever number is posted....here, there, anywhere.. is the absolute. Others find what works for them and what they're comfortable with. Others have pushed the limits, gotten away with it and tout it as proof. No lawyer, arm chair forum poster or LEO is going to give you the perfect, absolute, correct answer.

Searching and listening is ok; but don't beat yourself up thinking you're going to get 'the' answer and be good. That's not realistic. What are YOU comfortable with? If having an accident and the fact that you were 50 pounds overweight and maybe it was a contributing factor is something you can't live with, then buy a bigger truck or stay in a hotel. But I suspect you’ll realize that isn’t very realistic and join the ranks of the rest. Best wishes for good camping ahead.

[Reality_Check]

duplicate post

[Kayteg1]

ticki2 wrote:
Buzzcut 1 , I understand what and why you are doing , makes sense . My question is , what is the upper limit gvw you can register your f350 if you are willing to pay the fee ? Could you go to 20 or 30k .

Don't know if you've got it, but California seems to be unique where you have to declare GCVW and pay the "weight fee" accordingly.
They give you declared weight stickers in big size, that need to be attached on truck sides.
I believe that is what Buzzcut meant
Don't think any state will register your truck higher than factory GVW without some kind of technical procedure.

[Buzzcut1]

wnjj wrote:

ticki2 wrote:
Buzzcut 1 , I understand what and why you are doing , makes sense . My question is , what is the upper limit gvw you can register your f350 if you are willing to pay the fee ? Could you go to 20 or 30k .

Max axle weight limits are usually 12k for steer and 20k for non-steer so I would guess 32k max, not accounting for any commercial/non-commercial overall limits. The single axle dually 2-ton gas-powered grain trucks I drove during college summers routinely weighed in around 32k.

to be legal you have to be under the tire/wheel ratings and axle ratings so on my truck on the rear you have the 11,000 pound axle which is the limiting factor on my Dually and the front axle is 6500 but the front tires are rated at 6400 so 17,400 but the DMV gives ranges so you would be in the weight rating above that but need to stay under that 17400 weight if you got scaled

[Sliding-into-ho]

Just a quick update on my weigh in. Not on a certified scale, so I don't know how far the DOT scales might be off, but it had me at 5k front and 3400 rear. With a GVWR of 11.5k I'm suddenly very glad I ended up choosing my lightest option. Every bit as eye opening as you guys assured me it would be.

[wnjj]

ticki2 wrote:
Buzzcut 1 , I understand what and why you are doing , makes sense . My question is , what is the upper limit gvw you can register your f350 if you are willing to pay the fee ? Could you go to 20 or 30k .

Max axle weight limits are usually 12k for steer and 20k for non-steer so I would guess 32k max, not accounting for any commercial/non-commercial overall limits. The single axle dually 2-ton gas-powered grain trucks I drove during college summers routinely weighed in around 32k.

[ticki2]

Buzzcut 1 , I understand what and why you are doing , makes sense . My question is , what is the upper limit gvw you can register your f350 if you are willing to pay the fee ? Could you go to 20 or 30k .

[Buzzcut1]

ticki2 wrote:

Bedlam wrote:

emcvay wrote:
Interesting. So from a legal standpoint, as long as the two rear tires are rated high enough to carry the weight the law is ok with it? If I read that right?

It wouldn't surprise me really, since the sticker is based on stock components and people can and do upgrade components all the time.

In WA, you register your truck GVWR in 2000 lb increments to pay for road wear. If you were to be weighed over your paid amount, you would be fined.

Is there no limit to what you can register the GVWR . Can a 3500 series truck be registered for 20000 Gvw ?

same in CA. My truck with TC and horse trailer tongue weight comes to 14,500 I have it registered at 15,000 and I am way under the duallys tire wheels and axle ratings, and I pay $800 per year for the privilege.

[Bedlam]

Yes, it can.

[ticki2]

Bedlam wrote:

emcvay wrote:
Interesting. So from a legal standpoint, as long as the two rear tires are rated high enough to carry the weight the law is ok with it? If I read that right?

It wouldn't surprise me really, since the sticker is based on stock components and people can and do upgrade components all the time.

In WA, you register your truck GVWR in 2000 lb increments to pay for road wear. If you were to be weighed over your paid amount, you would be fined.

Is there no limit to what you can register the GVWR . Can a 3500 series truck be registered for 20000 Gvw ?

[Sliding-into-ho]

I just want to say, this forum has been great. Thank you all so much for participating in this thread. Lots of ground covered in a short amount of time, and I learned several things I probably wouldn't have considered otherwise. Got a date with a Northern Lite 9-6 and a weigh station this weekend. Fingers crossed for no drama.

[GeoBoy]

Sliding-into-home wrote:
That's just as far as Oregon's state law is concerned, and as far as I (an individual human with no legal background) was able to find in a few hours of research.

Obviously, manufacturers publish payload ratings, GVWR, etc. While I didn't find anything in Oregon's laws about these other measurements, I know if got into a car accident with someone driving overloaded, all those measurements would come up in court. While they wouldn't guarantee any particular outcome, they would add to evidence if there was a case there to begin with.

For those reasons, and for the safety/longevity of my truck, I'm limiting myself to the GAWRs front and rear as determined by my actual truck and the actual camper I buy (or very close to them... I won't sweat being a couple hundred lbs over). The dealer I'm working with will let me "test drive" for this purpose (that is, I'll decide on a camper and before completing the deal, I'll get to verify the axle weights).

Sliding, I am with you. I bought a truck that carries my AF990 and is under the manufacturers recommend weights. My camper ready to go with a full tank of fresh water weighs 4,880 lbs., GMC states that the maximum recommended slide-in camper weight not to exceed 4,913 lbs..

[Bedlam]

emcvay wrote:
Interesting. So from a legal standpoint, as long as the two rear tires are rated high enough to carry the weight the law is ok with it? If I read that right?

It wouldn't surprise me really, since the sticker is based on stock components and people can and do upgrade components all the time.

In WA, you register your truck GVWR in 2000 lb increments to pay for road wear. If you were to be weighed over your paid amount, you would be fined.

[Sliding-into-ho]

That's just as far as Oregon's state law is concerned, and as far as I (an individual human with no legal background) was able to find in a few hours of research.

Obviously, manufacturers publish payload ratings, GVWR, etc. While I didn't find anything in Oregon's laws about these other measurements, I know if got into a car accident with someone driving overloaded, all those measurements would come up in court. While they wouldn't guarantee any particular outcome, they would add to evidence if there was a case there to begin with.

For those reasons, and for the safety/longevity of my truck, I'm limiting myself to the GAWRs front and rear as determined by my actual truck and the actual camper I buy (or very close to them... I won't sweat being a couple hundred lbs over). The dealer I'm working with will let me "test drive" for this purpose (that is, I'll decide on a camper and before completing the deal, I'll get to verify the axle weights).

[emcvay]

Interesting. So from a legal standpoint, as long as the two rear tires are rated high enough to carry the weight the law is ok with it? If I read that right?

It wouldn't surprise me really, since the sticker is based on stock components and people can and do upgrade components all the time.