Overweight Problem (Motorhome, not me!)

[JudyJB]

I live in a 2012 32' Fleetwood Tioga Ranger.  The cargo carrying capacity is 1,300 pounds.  I weighed my rig twice in one of those Oregon weigh stations along two-lane roads where there is no booth but they leave the scales on.  Last fall, overall weight was 14,900 pounds, which is 400 pounds overweight.  It did tell me the front was light and the rear was heavy, so I moved a bunch of heavy stuff from the back to front storage. Tools went in the front and outdoor chairs went in the back, for example.  I never travel with more than a quarter tank of fresh water and I always dump my grey and black tanks before driving.

Just weighed it again, after dumping my tanks, and front was 4,400 and rear was 10,600 pounds, which was very disappointing, as that is 500 pounds total over what it should be, in spite of my getting rid of my heavy air compressor and my small carpet cleaner.  Per the yellow sticker, weights should be as follows:

• Front GAWR = 5,000    Mine = 4,400
• Rear GAWR = 9,500    Mine = 10,600

Obviously, I still have some rearranging to do.  I don't tow, but I do have a 48 lb electric bike on a heavy bike rack on the rear.  I also accumulated an ice maker.  Frankly, I don't know what else to move and where to move it to.  I could mail some travel books back to Ohio, but that's only about 40 pounds.  I don't carry a lot of tools, but I do have some heavy boards to level my rig, but they are in front bins.  I have a printer, but I can't get rid of that because I need it for work. I also have a vacuum cleaner I could get rid of for a lighter one, I suppose.

The other possibility is that these roadside scales are wrong.  When I get back to a larger town, I will find a certified scale before I do a lot of dumping stuff.

So, my question is, I know you are not supposed to run over the weight limits, but what kind of leeway do they give you on these rigs??  And, anyone ever used these roadside unofficial weigh stations in Oregon? 

 

[Isaac-1]

This is the problem with Class C's particularly larger ones, they have way too low of cargo carrying capacity for serious traveling.  My best suggestion is to trade it in on a similar size class A with much higher carrying capacity, some 30 ft gas class A's have over 4,000 pounds of cargo carrying capacity with empty water tanks, even my 2002 28 ft class A have a bit over 3,000 pounds, and in 2004-2008 the same model as mine was offered with an optional heavy chassis with over 5,000 pounds of cargo carrying capacity.

If trading in is not an option, shifting weight will only get you part of the way there, if you can't live without 1/4 of your stuff (in pounds), you might consider a small cargo trailer, or tow a small car and carry some of your stuff (e-bike) in it.  Most class C's have a 4,500 - 5,000 pound towing capacity, so if you do go with towing a car which will be loaded down, you probably want to look at something on the lighter end, but with a fair amount of interior volume, perhaps something like a Chevy Spark which weighs in around 2,300 pounds.

 

[jackiemac]

Hi Judy, your title made me laugh!

I'd go to a certified scale first. If those scales have differed so much they may not be regularly calibrated.

https://catscale.com/cat-scale-locator/

If you are still over can you weigh the things you are talking about?  They might not be as heavy as you think or might be worse and you can swap for lighter versions. How about kitchenware, pots and pans etc? They can be heavy. Do an inventory and guesstimate of the weights - that might clarify things in your mind.

Good idea to get a little storage tow behind, but not sure how secure it would be.

Hope you get it sorted out...

 

[wackymac]

And, anyone ever used these roadside unofficial weigh stations in Oregon?
Many times and they always seemed to be accurate enough for me.

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

And, anyone ever used these roadside unofficial weigh stations in Oregon? 

Those aren't unofficial - they are merely unmanned at times. It's the same scale the Oregon DMV would use for an "official" weight. I've used them when traveling thru Oregon myself.

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

Sorry that it is bad news, but Isaac-1 is right on target.  A large class C simply lacks adequate cargo capacity because it is severely limited in GVWR (14,500 lbs for the Ford E450 chassis). People think that 1300 lb payload is a lot, but it is not, even for weekend use.  I always advice folks considering a 30+ foot class C to go to a class A instead. You get more payload (cargo capacity) on a more robust chassis, a bit more usable space inside, and usually more exterior storage as well.

 

[KandT]

the difference you saw in weight was likely due to how full your fuel tank was.

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

The net difference is only 100 lbs, 15,000 vs 14,900, but the trend is upward (a common problem).  There isn't enough front storage on a class C to do much useful weight shifting.

 

[camperAL]

Hi JudyJB and all,

Something I know quite a bit about (weight Scales in Oregon). My nephew is an officer at the scales and I can tell you they keep close tabs on the scales and calibrate them on a regular basis. Reason is that if trucks are over weight, they fine them. So if the scales weren't accurate they could get in to trouble (lawsuits). They do allow a certain amount over but what happens is truckers sometimes take less used routes in order to try to escape being detected on their purposely overweight rigs. I have stood by the scales myself while my nephew did inspections. They also check trucks for safe operation. My nephew has pulled over rigs in the scale area because they were grossly over weight and someone from the truck company has to come and unload some of the weight from the rigs before they will let them continue down the roads in Oregon.

I myself have weighed my rig while on vacation at those scales, mainly because my nephew said they had just calibrated them and I would get a good weight check on the items I had. I had estimated that I was around 2,800 lbs payload and found out I was 400 lbs under that. I had weighed things on my personal scale that went in the RV. Glad I was under but I sometimes add a pound or two more rather than be over.

Long story short, you can trust those scales and you don't have to pay for their use.

 

[RVMommaTo6]

For me, staying away from carbs helps me eat less. ?

 

[Mark_K5LXP]

The cargo carrying capacity is 1,300 pounds.
...
I don't tow,

Maybe that's what you could do?  Move the weight into a cargo trailer so it's on a different set of axles.  Not necessarily easy or convenient but if you've got more towing capacity than cargo capacity that might be one way to address it without having to start over with a different RV.  FWIW I have a class A and with full tanks I don't have much more cargo capacity than you do.

Mark B.
Albuquerque, NM

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

Good suggestion, Mark. She can tow a small car and carry a few hundred lbs in that - we always put the bulky stuff in the back of ours anyway. And also have the convenience of a car ro use after arriving at a campground.

But Judy would still be 200-300 lbs overweight. Er, I mean Judy's RV would be...

 

[jackiemac]

Hi JudyJB and all,

Something I know quite a bit about (weight Scales in Oregon). My nephew is an officer at the scales and I can tell you they keep close tabs on the scales and calibrate them on a regular basis. Reason is that if trucks are over weight, they fine them. So if the scales weren't accurate they could get in to trouble (lawsuits). They do allow a certain amount over but what happens is truckers sometimes take less used routes in order to try to escape being detected on their purposely overweight rigs. I have stood by the scales myself while my nephew did inspections. They also check trucks for safe operation. My nephew has pulled over rigs in the scale area because they were grossly over weight and someone from the truck company has to come and unload some of the weight from the rigs before they will let them continue down the roads in Oregon.

I myself have weighed my rig while on vacation at those scales, mainly because my nephew said they had just calibrated them and I would get a good weight check on the items I had. I had estimated that I was around 2,800 lbs payload and found out I was 400 lbs under that. I had weighed things on my personal scale that went in the RV. Glad I was under but I sometimes add a pound or two more rather than be over.

Long story short, you can trust those scales and you don't have to pay for their use.

Good to know, thank you!

 

[JudyJB]

Thanks all.  I have some serious thinking to do.  And I need to do some more thinking about what I can get rid of or move forward.  I have some savings, but I really cannot afford to buy an A.  I will check into what I can get in a smaller used one, however.  I still owe money on what I have, and although mine is in good condition, it does have 124,000 miles on it.  In addition, I am allergic to cigarette smoke and dogs, which really limits what I can buy.  A used small A would likely have had dogs in it,

I really don't want to tow anything because it makes it harder to drive places and backup.  I am going to work on more pruning of my belongings, but being a full-timer makes that difficult.  I do have a few books and some booklets I can send to my son for storage.  I also have a small safe I can put in his garage.

One question:  Wouldn't a tow bar and such add even more weight to the rear of my RV? 

 

[youracman]

JudyJB: "One question:  Wouldn't a tow bar and such add even more weight to the rear of my RV? "

Between 30 and 50 lb.  Most of the 5000 lb-rated tow bars are around 35 to 40 lb .  Whilst towing, part of that weight would be borne by the towed vehicle.

As noted earlier, carrying dense/heavy items in the toad is a big help.  Many do that (especially those with 30-plus foot Class C's) .... I know I always carry bottled water, tools etc in the toad. 

Good luck with a "fix" for your dilemma ...... and safe travels.

 

[jackiemac]

You've been doing this for almost 7 years- have you always been overweight or has something changed?

 

[Gizmo100]

You've been doing this for almost 7 years- have you always been overweight or has something changed?

This is a good question....We do tend to keep adding to our toys.

I still owe money on what I have, and although mine is in good condition, it does have 124,000 miles on it.  In addition, I am allergic to cigarette smoke and dogs, which really limits what I can buy.  A used small A would likely have had dogs in it,

This is a good reason to make it work....124,000 miles is not bad.

I would focus on making it work. Keep moving stuff forward and getting rid of what you can.

I Will also recommend you have someone (Fellow camper) come in and suggest things you could do without. Sometime a 2nd set of eyes makes all the difference.

Good luck

 

[RRR]

I'm surprised no one mentioned "but I do have a 48 lb electric bike on a heavy bike rack on the rear."

While the weight isn't a large amount and we don't know the rack weight, there is the overhang past the rear axle that compounds it. I doubt if it can be moved to the front but it might be worth a shot.

My 'C' was overweight on the rear 300-500 all the time and if I remember correctly near the tire max weight rating. I ran my rear tires at the maximum pressure and didn't worry about it. Carried enough fresh water for travel and tried to keep grey and black empty.

As far as the Oregon scales they "are close enough enough for government work." Washington too. Use them if closed, that is why they keep them open.

 

[JudyJB]

OK.  Confession time.  :

I have driven almost all of those 124,000 miles without checking my RV's weight.  I am VERY good at avoidance, but once I checked it last fall and found out I had a problem, it has been bothering me.  For various medical reasons, I did almost no driving this past November through the beginning of March.  Last fall, I did get rid of my large and heavy air compressor and a small carpet cleaner, but I accumulated a small safe weighing about 25 pounds and a portable ice maker weighing about 15 pounds,  I also went through and got rid of anything in the way of clothing and bedding that I did not need.  I moved the heavy bike battery to the floor of the passenger seat and also put pop (soda for you folks not from the Great Lakes states) in the front passenger floor. 

I think the rear weight being so much more than the front is one of my biggest worries.  Five years ago, I had two sidewall blowouts in rear duallies and got 7 new tires under the Michelin December 2013 sidewall blowout recall.  Since then, I had another blowout in a rear dually--it was on a very busy Bay Area section of I-80 and it caused some damage underneath, but I was lucky.  So, tires really are a worry to me.  I recently used my income tax return and got a tire pressure monitor and had it hooked up at a tire dealer. (I am still working out how to read it.)  And, I do get my tires checked often for cracks.  I am on my third set, second set after the free tires due to the recall in early 2014.  The two newest tires are on the front, and I keep all tires at the maximum pressure. And when i had the TPM thingmonitors installed, I had all tires checked for cracks and the air pressure set correctly.

So, at least I do not avoid tire maintenance.

So, before I drive to my next campground tomorrow morning, I am moving my safe to the farthest forward underneath storage bin.  I am also moving the suitcase I have had sitting around in the back to another storage area, just in front of my rear axle.  I keep accumulating national park booklets and have accumulated about 10 pounds of them in the last year.  I also accumulated another 15 pounds of books in UK last spring, so those will all go on the floor of the passenger seat tomorrow morning also.  I need to read through them all and put them in storage at my son's house. 

And, sorry, but I really like carbs, especially good bread, so can't give those up.   I have lost 35 pounds in the seven years I have been on the road, so I have not done too badly personally.     

 

[sightseers]

The scales officers always told me... they allow a 10% error factor before you even get red-lighted.