how much weight is too much

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crazzyfoxx27

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Oct 28, 2010
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i have a question regarding weight in an RV and what is too much.  i have a 32' wildwood toy hauler fifth wheel which has six lug wheels.  there was no info with the rig when we got it so i would like to figure out the weight axles it has and such.  i also am new to RVs and don't know if there is like some sort of "rule of thumb" around.  any insight would be greatly appreciated.
 
Absent finding anything on the manufactures website, I suggest you take your truck and 5er to a truck stop with a scale and weigh the truck and trailer. When you get on the scales without unhooking, you will get the weight of each truck axle and of the trailer axles. From there you can look at your truck specs to see if you're within weight tollerances. You need to 1) be under the allowable combined weight of your truck and trailer per the truck specs and 2) not pulling more than your truck is designed to handle especially if you're going out west on the hills. You also need to know the trailer axle weight so you can be sure you're not overloaded (trailer that is). Knowing the trailer axle weight will give guidance as the trailer tire pressure. I suggest running your trailer tires at max cold pressure.
This is only a start of the sage advice you will receive on this site. You will enjoy your unit more if you know more about it. I'm sure others will also offer their suggestions.

Good Luck
Bob
 
thank you for the info.  the thing is, which i think may have been from lack of insight or just being rushed, i already made the trip from UT to RI with the toy hauler loaded to the gills.  the tires are what i feared the most due to the fact they are D rated, which did some damage to one of them pretty bad and moderately on another.  i wonder now if i ruined my axles or maybe just the bearings, but the rear wheels are really cambered out. 
 
oh yeah, i did put it on a scale at a flying j. both the truck and the camper weighed 19k+ the truck is a xcab chevy DMax and takes about 7ish of that.
 
There should be a sticker somewhere on the front, left, side of the trailer frame showing the axle GAWRs and trailer GVWR. hat will tell you what the axles are rated to carry. The axles themselves usually carry an axle manufacturer's mark or tag of some kind, but it may be a code rather than a straight-forward weight rating.

The combined axle GAWRs will typically be less than the trailer GVWR because it is assumed that at least 10% of the total trailer weight is carried on the hitch (more for a 5W).

If the wheels are cambered, odds are you have bent the axles fairly severely. Totally failed bearings can cause a camber, but the wheel will wobble (camber in & out), whereas with a bent axle or spindle, the camber is always the same direction.
 
thats what i was afraid of. we are moving my fiances things back from Utah and unfortunately she has quite a few books, lol.  we were parked on packed red dirt when loading.  i was keeping an eye on the tires to sort of give me an idea of the weight plus the fact that it had six lugs.  didn't show a bulge till we started down the road.  looks like i may be replacing the rear axle=(.  thanks for all the info, now at least i have something to work off of.
 
Wow, overloaded and moving from UT to RI.  Brings back memories.  My wife is from Ogden, I was from RI.  We married out there and then pulled our camper with my Chev Van.  Van was loaded way too much, and overheated.  That is a long story though.

Axles are most likely 7k giving you a max of 14k.  Thrailer dry is probably about 11k.  D rated tires?  Dang, seeing they need replacement, get some E's. 

Stationed at Hill?  Where in RI? 
 
we had a great trip out there and back that's for sure.  after this trip i was wondering about buy 16" rims and going with E rated tires, but now i think that money may be going toward repairs.  i had about 12k in the trailer.  and i noticed before we left that the rear tires were cambered slightly, but i figured it was the way it sits in the driveway.  im hoping just bearings, but if not, how much are axles?

im located in n scituate.
 
Well, Arlington is the best but might be a little high.  Then again most anywhere in RI will be.  Dexter Axle may be a good source.  Try Craigslist too.

Use to live on Warwick, EG line, on the Bay, good spot, but we are free of all that!
 
yup, its official... i bent the rear axle beam=(  i checked the tag and it said 5200 lbs axles.  i cant believe i bent them that badly! 
 
Ranger friends at the park have quite a library with them, but they ship the books home and back each year.  Books get shipped at book reates, a lot cheaper than axles.

 
good to know, lol.

  i looked into replacing the just the rear beam and most likely the bearings since the hardware all looks in good condition. this is one i found... i had some trouble finding them for that weight.  am i on the right track so far?

http://www.southwestwheel.com/store/p-3037-5200-lb-electric-brake-standard-spring-trailer-axle.aspx
 
All axles have some positive camber to them, which may be noticable when unloaded. Your axles can probably be re-bent, if they are out of spec. check with your local trailer and alignment shops.
 
they're bent pretty bad, not sure if they're a candidate for being rebent. i found a place by me that can get the axle for 220 or so.  not sure if i want to do it myself or have a friends auto repair shop do it.  seems straight forward enough.
 
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