amfisher
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Re: Whats Your Real Weights? Truck and Trailer. The Real Deal
"Rv Travel", a weekly emailed news publication, surveyed their readers last year and found that only 47% of the 1800 or so respondents, actually knew their "weights". And I believe many of these folks are full-timers or nearly full-timers! After weighing our truck and fiver at a certified CAT scale, and being very surprised with the actual weights compared to those from the factory, I have a theory that most tire failures are because of inadequate tires for the loads of the fivers. Most people are careful about their psi's and watch the tire temps, but the tires are often just not sufficient enough to carry the loads placed on them. I changed to GY 114 "H" rated tires 17.5" from the factory "E" rated Duros. The new tires were "fresh" (manufactured within the last 4 months) and will be replaced in four years regardless of the tread condition. The CAT scale weights really startled me because we don't have the fiver "overstocked", but our fiver is near capacity for CCC. Good luck. amf362Views0likes0CommentsRe: Whats Your Real Weights? Truck and Trailer. The Real Deal
Be careful with a 3/4 ton and a unit that weighs that much. We have a Cameo which has a dry weight of approx. 11250 and pull with a one ton dually. The issue is not the diesel but the bed-load capacity and the GVW of the truck. We too were told " that truck will pull anything", and the dealer was wrong. If you are searching for stability, comfort and safety, just be careful. I made a mistake of believing a dealer, and it cost me dearly. I know many will extol the virtues of the diesel and a 3/4 ton, but to me there is no comparison between a one ton and a 3/4. I tried to send you a spread sheet sent me by a knowledgeable person on this subject but I cannot copy it to this post. PM me and I'll try to send it to you. alan amfisher102@mac.com482Views0likes0CommentsRe: Whats Your Real Weights? Truck and Trailer. The Real Deal
Ford 250 PSD 6.4 SD '08 4x4 Crew total wt: 8550 ( two people, dog , some luggage, hitch) GVW: 10,000 Pin wt: 2100 Total hitched : 10650 (truck fails here) Cameo 34' dry wt: 11,733 total wt: 14,000 Max fiver for this truck: 15,300 Truck payload: 2400 GCVW : 23,000 Truck also fails in pin wt-payload. We are new to this Rv life. I allowed a salesman to convince me that I had the correct truck for the fiver we planned to purchase. In fact, we purchased one that was "lighter" than the one we originally planned to buy, and one of the lightest that Carriage makes. Our overall weight and pin weights are less than what appears to be a majority of fivers in the same length of fiver class. If we exceed the GVW ( ok with the GCWR : within the 23000) but fail in the other categories, what are the real safety ramifications? If a majority of five drivers are also over their GVW limits, where are the GVW "police", and why don't we see more catastrophic accidents? After all, it is not so much a towing issue as it is a "stopping " issue. You would think that industry wide there would be some sort of listed recommendations for trucks and fifth wheel manufacturers. And you would think that more often the state police would periodically monitor fifth wheel drivers to check on weights, because it just might be a financial gold mine for them with fines and the like. We now must consider our options, among which would be to purchase a one ton dually, or even a one/one-half dually. I am not certain about the latter, but it certainly would provide a much wider margin of safety. I am bewildered by it all at times, and wonder how many folks feel the same way. Thanks for the opportunity to ask questions and "pontificate"! <>< al fisher460Views0likes0Comments
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