Hit the scale, how can I be this heavy?

[hedge]

I hit the scale yesterday and pretty surprised by the numbers. I'm over on GVW, rim capacity and tire capacity. Would never have thought I was based on estimates. I thought I was maybe over by a couple hundred, some of the units I see must be crazy overloaded. I've been using it this way for 4 years and it never felt unsafe but now I'm concerned.

Truck: 2012 F350 SRW Diesel, 11,500GVW, tires: 3750x2=7500
Camper: 2013 Adventurer 89RB, published dry weight ~2400lbs

Scale: Front 5,038, Rear 7,700, Total 12,738

Truck GVW is 11,500 with a cargo capacity sticker of 3,492, that would mean the truck empty weighs ~8,008. 12,738 - 8,008 would mean the camper weighs ~4,730.

This just does not seem possible for a non-slide camper. It was in ready-to-camp condition with water but still that's over a ton more than the dry weight. Something here is not making sense, I am not towing and I don't really pack many extras... where would it even go on this small camper.

[SidecarFlip]

rjxj wrote:

TxGearhead wrote:

SidecarFlip wrote:
Why I sold my Lance. It was a tank. I have a one ton SRW and my little pop up don't even set the springs down. I have about 2" clearance between the helper leaf and the rub block. We take minimal clothes, just the food we need (always a WalMart close by) and basic necessities and no BBQ either...lol I have a set of TorkLift Revolution steps, they aren't light (about 50 pounds), my little Champion 200 watt inverter (another 65 pounds) I don't even have a TV or AC. Roof AC's weigh about 100 pounds each. I take basic tools, a breaker bar and wheel socket, roll of 100 mph tape and a bottle jack and blocking a pair of vice grips and a West Virginia Socket set.... My unit weighs 2400 ready to camp.

I gotta ask...
What's a west Virginia socket set?
Channelocks?

lmao I just fell off the couch.

West Virginia Socket set: Adjustable open end wrench (also known as a Crescent Wrench)...lol One size fits all, guaranteed to round off a tight nut.

Every toolkit needs one with a roll of 100 mph tape. You can 'fix' about anything and screw up about anything too...

[azrving]

TxGearhead wrote:

SidecarFlip wrote:
Why I sold my Lance. It was a tank. I have a one ton SRW and my little pop up don't even set the springs down. I have about 2" clearance between the helper leaf and the rub block. We take minimal clothes, just the food we need (always a WalMart close by) and basic necessities and no BBQ either...lol I have a set of TorkLift Revolution steps, they aren't light (about 50 pounds), my little Champion 200 watt inverter (another 65 pounds) I don't even have a TV or AC. Roof AC's weigh about 100 pounds each. I take basic tools, a breaker bar and wheel socket, roll of 100 mph tape and a bottle jack and blocking a pair of vice grips and a West Virginia Socket set.... My unit weighs 2400 ready to camp.

I gotta ask...
What's a west Virginia socket set?
Channelocks?

lmao I just fell off the couch.

[TxGearhead]

SidecarFlip wrote:
Why I sold my Lance. It was a tank. I have a one ton SRW and my little pop up don't even set the springs down. I have about 2" clearance between the helper leaf and the rub block. We take minimal clothes, just the food we need (always a WalMart close by) and basic necessities and no BBQ either...lol I have a set of TorkLift Revolution steps, they aren't light (about 50 pounds), my little Champion 200 watt inverter (another 65 pounds) I don't even have a TV or AC. Roof AC's weigh about 100 pounds each. I take basic tools, a breaker bar and wheel socket, roll of 100 mph tape and a bottle jack and blocking a pair of vice grips and a West Virginia Socket set.... My unit weighs 2400 ready to camp.

I gotta ask...
What's a west Virginia socket set?
Channelocks?

[mkirsch]

We're talking about at least 1000lbs above and beyond what would be expected here, based on the factory numbers... A ladder, barbecue, and a few tools isn't the problem.

Even accounting for 1000lbs of water, propane, battery, and "stuff," the camper is still 1000lbs heavier than expected. The dense stuff is already accounted for. Another 1000lbs of typical camping "stuff" would be pretty bulky and obvious, especially in a 9' truck camper.

Once you get a weight for the empty truck, we'll have a clearer picture where the weight is.

[SidecarFlip]

Why I sold my Lance. It was a tank. I have a one ton SRW and my little pop up don't even set the springs down. I have about 2" clearance between the helper leaf and the rub block. We take minimal clothes, just the food we need (always a WalMart close by) and basic necessities and no BBQ either...lol I have a set of TorkLift Revolution steps, they aren't light (about 50 pounds), my little Champion 200 watt inverter (another 65 pounds) I don't even have a TV or AC. Roof AC's weigh about 100 pounds each. I take basic tools, a breaker bar and wheel socket, roll of 100 mph tape and a bottle jack and blocking a pair of vice grips and a West Virginia Socket set.... My unit weighs 2400 ready to camp.

[pcoplin]

On my 2005 Ford with 18s I was able to get some Nittos that were rated to over 4k each. 4100 I think.

[hedge]

I think it will be a struggle to remove much, we already pack light. The only heavier things I can think of to remove are the bed mat and maybe the telesteps ladder, not giving up my Baby-Q. Really can't think of anything else in there that ways anything. Maybe I can remove some of he tools I have under the truck seat but don't think they're really that heavy.

The cat scale wasn't much different than the free one so I'll probably go experiment there.

[SidecarFlip]

hedge wrote:
Went to a Certified Cat scale tonight, a bit better but still more than I'd like to see. I think I'll be buying a dually if I get a new truck, for now I'm going to see if I can remove a few things to see if I can drop the weight a bit. I'm also going to get on the scale with the truck empty sometime soon to see where the problem actually is.

Cat Scale #'s Front 5,040, Rear 7,400, total 12,440

We've learned over the years to run light as possible.

You could kill 2 birds with one stone so to speak, most CAT scales are at truck stops with parking so just pull into a parking spot and unload the camper, weigh the truck and reload the camper.

[hedge]

Went to a Certified Cat scale tonight, a bit better but still more than I'd like to see. I think I'll be buying a dually if I get a new truck, for now I'm going to see if I can remove a few things to see if I can drop the weight a bit. I'm also going to get on the scale with the truck empty sometime soon to see where the problem actually is.

Cat Scale #'s Front 5,040, Rear 7,400, total 12,440

[JIMNLIN]

hedge wrote:
The tire capacity is worrisome, I also believe I'm over the rim capacity....

Ford fleet service specs shows the 18"-20" OEM wheels for the superduty truck have a 3590 lb rating. Time for some 19.5" wheels/tires or lighten the load on the rear axle.

[SidecarFlip]

hedge wrote:
thanks, going to try the cat scale as well and see what it says.

It was a scale with a single pad so you could only weigh one set of axles at a time.

After being an over the road trucker for 40 years (retired now), I can tell you that the issue with any scale, split pad or one piece pad, will be the entrance and exit ramps. If the scale entrance and exit ramps are level and on the gradient as the scale, you can split weigh using a solid pad, but, if the approach or the departure ramps are sloped to a lower gradient than the scale plate, it throws off the weigh by quite a bit. IOW, everything has to be on the same gradient / plane to accurate weigh

Why CAT scales are all split pad. You weight on the same plane for all axles.

Why, when any jurisdiction uses portable weigh scales, the place where they weigh must be certified level and flat by a registered surveying company and have that certification on file and viewable at all times or you can beat an overweight fine in any court. I know, I've done it more than once.:E

[hedge]

thanks, going to try the cat scale as well and see what it says.

It was a scale with a single pad so you could only weigh one set of axles at a time.

[SidecarFlip]

Additionally, all CAT scales are split pad. That is so a trucker can gross and axle weigh in one shot.

[SidecarFlip]

Alberta Locations: CAT Scales:


Husky Truckstop
2525 32nd Avenue N.E.
Calgary, ALB T1Y6B7
Phone: 403-291-1233
Latitude: 51.08067
Longitude: -113.999371


Nite Star Trux Wash
Hwy 2 (Deerfoot ) Exit 251
Calgary, ALB T2B3B5
Manager: Terina Wallace
Phone: 403-279-4118
Latitude: 51.011377
Longitude: -114.004017


BVD Calgary
2515 50th Ave SE
Calgary, ALB T2B 3R8
Manager: Birkham Dhillon
Phone: 403-236-2515
Latitude: 51.00773000
Longitude: -113.999430


Flying J Travel Plaza
Highway 2, Exit 240
Calgary, ALB T2Z4V6
Manager: Ivan Kerr
Phone: 403-720-0904
Latitude: 50.948221
Longitude: -113.98057


Flying J Travel Plaza
Highway 1 & Cassils Road
Brooks, ALB T1R 1B7
Manager: Christopher Fleming
Phone: 403-362-5594
Latitude: 50.5732300
Longitude: -111.8688100


Flying J Travel Plaza
Hwy 16 Exit 400 - Broadmoor Blvd
Sherwood Park, ALB T6P1J5

I'm not familiar with Alberta at all. There are a couple in Montana near Sweetgrass as well..

www.CATscale.com/locator

[JimK-NY]

Truck camper magazine lists the wet weight as 3444#. http://www.truckcampermagazine.com/buyers-guide/hard-side/adventurer-camper/

They only bumped the weight 500# for gear. It is easy to go way over that. Don't forget to consider any heavy accessories such as a generator, second battery, solar panels, tools, canned goods, books-brochures-maps, screened canopy, chairs, etc. Some how mine jumped from the manufacturer's 2400 dry weight to 4400 wet.

Sadly, I suspect you are going to find that the scales were accurate.