Overweight

Having adequate tires is a plus, but it doesn't change the axle rating. Hard to know what the weakest link in the chain may be, but it's that "weakest link" that caused Ford to set the limit at 9600 lbs.  Of course, the limit is a somewhat arbitrary number. It's not OK at 9599 but the wheels fall off at 9601, but you are definitely abusing the mechanical components by overloading.

Jim Godward said:

Get the actual weight of the scooter and measure from the center of the rear wheel to the center of the carrier.  The scooter weight times the length is the amount of weight the scooter is adding to the rear axle.  When I had a class C, the distance from the rear wheel center to the ball hitch was just short of 9 feet so that 100# scooter would have looked like over 900# to me.  Just a thought.

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What I was thinking as well...cantilevered weight  grows as the length gets longer...

Don't forget that the rear axle is acting like a fulcrum. The scooter on the back adds weight to the rear axle and removes weight from the front. When you weigh again, get the weights as loaded, then take the scooter off and park it to the side. Now re-weigh and see what the weights are. Then weigh while you stand on the front bumper. If you weigh something close to the scooter then you'll see what the effect of moving it will be. I'd hate to see you pay to move the mount and find that it just moved the problem to the front from the back.

Somewhere in the middle of moving canned goods, and less water and maybe scooter is a happy medium. You may still be overloaded, many are. The manufacturers simply don't allow for enough CCC in many rigs. But once you know you're overweight you can make sure you do the maintenance, keep the tires inflated properly, and slow down for the big bumps and things that really stress the rig.

Ken

After reading your other post about your shipping problems... I wonder if one has something to do with the other.

Every unit has two weight ratings.  Dry weight, shipping weight. means with nothing extra added. it may or may not even include a full tank of fuel.  Than you have Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR)  The different is what you can add to the the unit.
 
Think about what you put into the unit.  Dishes, flatware, paper products, pots, pans, clothes, food, linens, blankets, towels, CD's, books, cleaning supplies, laundry supplies, coffee pot, grill with extra tank, fold up chairs, tables, pop up sun shade, computer, printer, plants, pictures, storage bins, tools, spare parts, satellite dish, hobby supplies and anything else we all carry.  It's all weight, just that simple...

Now on your other post you're talking about having Amazon shipping problems and it sounds like you shop there often.  Just guessing, but if you are not getting rid of anything and keeping adding....well...IT ALL ADDS UP and BANG..YOU'RE OVER LOADED!

Most of us never think about adding something here and there but it is still weight and it adds up.

Wi1dBi11

These purchases were all necessary (like replacing a dead computer, which I need to work with), or very light items, so, no, the two are not related.

At least, not until I start buying canned goods on Amazon!

At this point I don't have any extra cash to blow on "fun stuff" that would just add weight to the rig. It's a nice idea, but some of the things you mentioned I specifically did not buy because of the extra weight, and that was before I knew how overweight I would be! (I thought one of those fire-in-a-pit things would be nice  , and I also had two outdoor chairs and left one behind because I thought it was too heavy.)

No satellite dish (I stream everything); no books (that's what Kindle is for); I digitized all my music, movies, and photo albums before leaving; my hobby is needlework = lightweight; no coffee pot, no grill, no dishwasher, no sunshade or tent. I carry 1 set of dishes, 1 change of linens, and an embarrassingly small amount of clothing.

I will admit to having an extra propane container in the back, and that is quite heavy (my onboard tank isn't very large), and a slightly heavy tool box (non-negotiable -- how does any homeowner live without a drill, a socket wrench set, and the like?), and there are some lighter things back there that I thought I'd need - like the woven plastic front porch mat that everyone seems to have, but I so far haven't needed because I take my shoes off at the door. That stuff I figure I'll give it a year, and if I haven't used it by then, I'll get rid of it.

But your post + mine should help anyone else who stumbles on this thread and, like me, wonders "What the Heck?!" That's what brought me to write the post in the first place, because I was so mindful of weight while I was choosing what to take and what to leave. SIGH.

I wouldn't bother with lugging  the heavy  propane tank. since you are driving RV as car (like me, no toad) then you can drive for the propane refill. Many rv parks refill in the park anyhow as does most all the U-haul places.

Which some info good to know is that U-haul  sells and installs permanent hitches, it's their game, so if you do go with a forward hitch, get a quote from u-haul.

Also, a portable ceramic electric heater weighs a lot LESS than a spare propane tank. There are kits (I installed mine all by myself) that convert your hot water to electric (but the propane still works if you need it). Using just propane for cooking and the fridge when bouncing down highways will last you about a year. So that spare propane tank is going to be a huge pain in the rear. And it's heavy!

Check your AC overhead, many are made to add an electric heat strip. Here again, the strip weighs far far less than lugging that extra propane tank.

As for the scooter thing... I couldn't imagine myself running amuk on a scooter, and I thought I was for sure getting a scooter right after I got my Class C, but I am so glad I scrapped that idea.

However,  I did end up with a bicycle with a front wheel electric kit. So I can pedal or use the elec motor or both. The 5 pound battery is rated for 20 miles (flat land) less for hills. The bicycle is 35 pounds and the baskets and motor and battery add about another 20 pounds, so it's only 55 pounds total to have an electric bicycle that you can also pedal for fun!

I might be overweight, in my Class C I don't know. I do know that according to the life insurance charts, I am too short for my weight, so I am striving to grow taller.  ;D

What I do know is, I don't drive pedal to the metal, and I don't swerve and drive like my rig is a sports car, yet incredibly I see folks in massive rigs racing down the highways with a toad, at 80 miles an hour and changing lanes like they are going after a fire. No idea what that is about... but if I am overweight, I can't tell it by the way my rig handles. It's a smooth ride and handles remarkably well, no real effort in handling it on hairpin curves, hilly terrain or rotten roads. The ride is comfy both up front and in back.

My friend had to drive me around recently while I was often bed ridden in back or lounging in a rear chair, so I got a feel for how the rig feels in back too. It was a super smooth ride.

I travel with a full water tank in most cases and a full gas tank. I try to travel with empty black and gray tanks, but sometimes not. I have forward storage compartments where I try to keep the heavy stuff like tools. I am hoping there is a fudge factor too and one of these years I might weigh myself. Might not.

Wow, lots of good ideas here!

DearMissMermaid said:

I wouldn't bother with lugging  the heavy  propane tank. since you are driving RV as car (like me, no toad) then you can drive for the propane refill. Many rv parks refill in the park anyhow as does most all the U-haul places.

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I admit it's a security blanket, since I don't know what winter will bring, even though I'm trying to avoid staying in places that freeze. I stop for 3 weeks at a time and still use propane for heat, stovetop cooking, and water heater boost only when showering.

I guess it's unlikely that even in winter I will run completely out in only 3 weeks. I will think seriously about giving up the heavy security blanket.

DearMissMermaid said:

I did end up with a bicycle with a front wheel electric kit. So I can pedal or use the elec motor or both. The 5 pound battery is rated for 20 miles (flat land) less for hills. The bicycle is 35 pounds and the baskets and motor and battery add about another 20 pounds, so it's only 55 pounds total to have an electric bicycle that you can also pedal for fun!

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Pedaling ≠ fun. 

I just LOVE my electric scooter.
The interesting thing about what you're doing, though, is that a real bicycle can be lifted up and stowed on the back ladder, eliminating that fulcrum effect that bucks2 mentioned.
If I were just strong enough to lift 125 pounds over my head, I'd do that.

DearMissMermaid said:

I might be overweight, in my Class C I don't know. I do know that according to the life insurance charts, I am too short for my weight, so I am striving to grow taller.  ;D

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Sigh. Me, too. Although when weighing the rig, all my excess blubber is over the front axle, not the back. So there's one less reason to care about eliminating Taco Bell and Subway runs from my lifestyle.

DearMissMermaid said:

I travel with a full water tank in most cases and a full gas tank.

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I'm afraid now that full water tank is a luxury I can no longer afford, but that, too, was a security blanket, since boondocking is not for me.

So there's this pattern here, about keeping things around "just in case", even though I did leave a lot of heavy stuff behind.

DearMissMermaid said:

I am hoping there is a fudge factor too and one of these years I might weigh myself. Might not.

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Maybe it's just one of those things most people would rather not know? 

DearMissMermaid said:

Which some info good to know is that U-haul  sells and installs permanent hitches, it's their game, so if you do go with a forward hitch, get a quote from u-haul.

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I didn't know that! Thanks for the referral.

The scooter rack and ramp weight on the hitch hasn't been mentioned. If you add a hitch + the scooter rack and ramp and the scooter to the front you may exceed the front axle rating. Taking the weight from the rear has two effects. One is the weight back there is a counter balance taking weight off the front axle, just removing the scooter and rack from rear will reduce rear axle weight but will also likely increase front axle weight I would start by traveling with empty tanks and moving some heavy items from way back near the rear of rig up forward of the rear axle. Clothing and linens get real heavy real fast. If your tool box is behind rear axle move it forward of the axle. Get rid of canned food, travel with less groceries.

I traveled 2800 miles approximately 1 ton over weight  on the combined weight, 1500 of it was toad and dolly 500 was in the rig. we made it without issue. Some people will totally disagree with me but if I was within 500 of the gvw I wouldn't worry to much about it, but I would try to keep it spread out so that each axle was a wee over instead of one axle carrying all of it. Adjust tire pressure according to weight.

Bill

I agree with Miss Mermaid about the electric heater and ditching the extra propane tank.  It is really not that difficult to refill your vehicle's built-in tank.  (I have a 32' Class C.)  I use my electric heater on chilly nights, along with a down throw that keeps me comfy.  Even with heating water for my daily hot shower, cooking and baking, and occasionally using it for heat through my furnaces, I refill my propane only once every couple of months.  It really isn't hard to find propane since truck stops often carry it as well as the places Miss Mermaid mentioned. 

And definitely limit your travel water to 1/4 of a tank.  I carry around a gallon jug of emergency fresh water for flushing because I cannot afford the weight of a full tank of fresh water.  Almost every campground has water available when you get there.

It sounds as if you are relatively new.  Most of us, like our pioneer ancestors, dump a lot of the stuff we thought we would need when we first started.  I think if you do all of the things above, as well as moving the heavy cat food, you will be within a reasonable weight range. 

And companies will not admit it, but there are small fudge factors in both tires and vehicles.

JudyJB said:

I agree with Miss Mermaid about the electric heater and ditching the extra propane tank...I refill my propane only once every couple of months.... Most of us, like our pioneer ancestors, dump a lot of the stuff we thought we would need when we first started.

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If dumping "a lot of the stuff we thought we would need" is the same as calling the husband (we're separated) when I'm within 1-1/2 hours of him and saying "come get all this stuff!", then I am JUST like my pioneer foremothers. ;D

I'll mention this in case anyone else has the same blind spot I did: The heaviest thing I had him take were the table that came with the RV and the two heavy steel slats that held it up. (Hey, it came with the RV, right? I should keep it. LOL.) Since I'm limited to TT parks, everyplace I stop has a picnic table! I was thinking that it would be good to have a work surface to make or repair things outside, but the picnic table will do.

Besides dumping that and the extra propane tank, I had him take other things I no longer needed or decided I would never use, in spite of the fact that so many other RVers use them. And I did move most of the heavier things to the front over the cab.

JudyJB said:

And companies will not admit it, but there are small fudge factors in both tires and vehicles.

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Yeah, I knew that, but being SO overweight, when I was not at all expecting to be, came as a huge shock. You guys have helped me rethink some of these things, and see the way I carry the scooter as another possible factor.

I'm moving again tomorrow and hoping I can find another one of those unattended weigh stations that flashes your axle weight. I'll post what the new stats are. 

How goes the weight struggle? I just came across this thread and I am driving "C" also. We so far are okay on weight, but DW just loves to add a new thingie at various times.

I know we still struggle with this, as our last few rigs.. either Motorhome or TT, was built so heavy that it only allowed for 1000 lbs or so after you weighed the people.

A few things we did to try to trim the weight was to not carry a ton of water in the tanks. 8.3 pounds per gallon, so 40+ gallons in the fresh water tank is 332 pounds... add in the hot water heater... the propane.. the fuel.. driving "wet" is heavy. We instead only keep a few gallons in the tank, and bring a case of water, kept up front over the front axle. Bottled water gets the job done when you can't use the facilities at Flying J or Pilot or rest areas.

Not carrying a few hundred extra pounds in the grey and black also helps.

If you can, ditch the canned goods and look for brands that come in lighter, dry packs. I know its a chore, but you can carry a ton for much less weight. (topic for another time, but watch your sodium too, prepackaged and canned foods can be horrible with the ingredients!)

Tools... I've spent a long time working on this. I am OCD about being able to have what I need in an emergency, so I have a lot of tools! What I have done though is over time, I purchased new tools that were lighter in weight. Aluminum "race" jack.. wrench sets that aren't oversized for no reason (chinese tools tend to be thick and chunky.. some better wrench sets are much more svelte, loosing several pounds over the set compared to the cheapie sets).. Having a cordless drill that is also a screw driver and 3/8 impact with a bit set that covers everything.. that alone eliminated several heavier tools!

No metal tool box... Lowes and others sell collapsible tool bags with padded metal handles that hold everything with pockets, but weight next to nothing.

Hope that helps!

May have to call or rig  Fleetwood Fat? We will most likely be over. F rated tires should help?

William52 said:

May have to call or rig  Fleetwood Fat? We will most likely be over. F rated tires should help?

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Load range F tires are probably what your coach's manufacturer called for. IF you want "heavier" tires, you'd need Load range G...and that will NOT give you more GVWR.

herekittykitty said:

Finally got to take the rig through a weigh station and the front axle weighed 4,050 (vehicle tag says max GAWR for front is 5,000), but the back weighed an astounding 11,000 pounds! Sticker says max rear is 9,600.

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One thing, I presume you got a total weight in addition to the front and rear axle weights - if yes, does the math add up? (Front+rear=total)

As I read through this thread I couldn't help but wonder if it would be worthwhile to get a second opinion, i.e., get it weighed again somewhere else. If this first time you paid at a certified scale, if you stay out of the way you can often get it weighed for free at a gravel yard. And (again, if they're not busy) weigh it with and without the scooter (even though I realize you're planning on always carrying the scooter, will just give you more info to work with). I weighed corners, front and back plus total. I'd move on the scale, get my reading, see a truck coming, move out of the way until it was free, then get another weight. Hopefully you can find a place as accommodating.

When I was done, I added the various weights as appropriate to check accuracy and everything came out within an astounding 2 pounds - this gave me confidence that the numbers were right.