Foretravel Motorhome Forums => Foretravel Tech Talk => Topic started by: Michelle on April 20, 2012, 03:32:38 pm
Title: Coach individual wheel weight experience
Post by: Michelle on April 20, 2012, 03:32:38 pm
While at the CatRV Club rally in Kerrville, we lucked into the opportunity to have our coach weighed by RVSEF RV Safety & Education Foundation (http://rvsafety.com/)
We are loaded as if for a casual trip. We were all in our usual seats.
Front Street 6200 lbs Front Curb 5975 " Front Total 12175 " GAWR 13880 "
Drive Dual Street 8300 lbs Drive Dual Curb 8300 " Drive total 16600 " GAWR 21000 "
Tag Street 3600 lbs Tag Curb 3700 " Tag total 7300 " GAWR 9000 "
The folks doing the weighing commented on how evenly balanced we are for such a large coach.
The RVSEF website has a schedule of where they'll be for weighing Weighing Schedule | RV Safety.com (http://rvsafety.com/weighing-schedule/) (they are supposed to confirm with Steve and I that they will still be at Buckhorn for the FT Pal Rally, and I'll post again when we have word). It cost us $60 and takes 15 minutes at most.
Michelle
Title: Re: Coach individual wheel weight experience
Post by: travelite on April 20, 2012, 03:36:47 pm
Hi Michelle,
What's the GVWR on your coach? The balance looks good. How does Foretravel configure the height control valves on the later model coaches? Two on the steer axle and one on the drive?
Thanks, David Brady '02 Blue Bird Wanderlodge LXi, NC
Title: Re: Coach individual wheel weight experience
Post by: Michelle on April 20, 2012, 03:44:14 pm
What's the GVWR on your coach? The balance looks good. How does Foretravel configure the height control valves on the later model coaches? Two on the steer axle and one on the drive?
GVWR is 42,000 lbs. So at 36,075 we have capacity left over. We don't anticipate collecting gold bars anytime soon (unless folks would like to send them as gifts :)) ), so we should be ok even if I bring home my usual bounty of butter and cheese from Vermont and Maine this year.
1 height control on the front, 2 on the rear IIRC, and I believe (would need to verify) a regulator for the tag.
Michelle
Title: Re: Coach individual wheel weight experience
Post by: John S on April 20, 2012, 07:01:46 pm
We weighed all the coaches at one of our rallies. All were evenly balanced and most had many tons of capacity left. The exception way the 40 foot ISM slide coaches. They were at the max but all the others were fine. I have similar weights to yours and I had full water and some stuff in the tanks too.
The fuel tank in the back my the drive axle makes a big difference on the front axle.
Title: Re: Coach individual wheel weight experience
Post by: Caflashbob on April 20, 2012, 07:44:05 pm
I was always told 20,000 pounds per axle was the legal limit?
Bob
Title: Re: Coach individual wheel weight experience
Post by: Michelle on April 20, 2012, 08:31:25 pm
I was always told 20,000 pounds per axle was the legal limit?
It is. I was just including the GAWRs as listed on our plate to show margin (weight compared to rating). We'll always be well under GAWR on our drive if we're legal on that axle.
-M
Title: Re: Coach individual wheel weight experience
Post by: Michelle on April 20, 2012, 08:35:51 pm
We weighed all the coaches at one of our rallies. All were evenly balanced and most had many tons of capacity left. The exception way the 40 foot ISM slide coaches. They were at the max but all the others were fine.
The non-tag versions of multi-slide coaches could well be "weight challenged". Like yours, ours is a 40 ft ISM 2-slide coach well balanced with tons (literally ;) ) of capacity thanks to our tag axle :D
Michelle
Title: Re: Coach individual wheel weight experience
Post by: red tractor on April 20, 2012, 09:37:49 pm
I just had my coach weighed at Lazy Days Tampa,Fl, It was more than the 60.00, but I wanted to see what all weighed. left front 5595 right front 6620 for front axle weight of 12215 the left drive axle 9140 the right drive axle 7520 for drive axle weight of 16660 and left tag 3860 and right tag 3760 for total tag weight of 7620 for a total weight of 36505 We had full fuel tank,fresh water and about 1/2 in each holding tanks. This leaves me with 5495 available pounds. We also have it fullyb loaded with clothes and food. I needed to know as I thought the front tires might be overloaded as are load range G. I will replace them with load range H
Title: Re: Coach individual wheel weight experience
Post by: John S on April 20, 2012, 10:55:23 pm
WOW, you are much different than most of the readings. I wonder if you might consider shifting some weight around in your joey beds to equalize the weight a bit.
Title: Re: Coach individual wheel weight experience
Post by: Michelle on April 20, 2012, 11:13:50 pm
I just had my coach weighed at Lazy Days Tampa,Fl, It was more than the 60.00, but I wanted to see what all weighed. left front 5595 right front 6620 for front axle weight of 12215 the left drive axle 9140 the right drive axle 7520
I'm curious how different your floorplan is from ours. I'll post ours in a few days when we get home (it's a custom amalgam of several, so not in the brochures). Steve is also wondering if somehow a mismatch on the rear ride height valves are contributing to the diagonal weight differential. Hopefully someone like Brett or another expert will chime in.
Michelle
Title: Re: Coach individual wheel weight experience
Post by: Caflashbob on April 21, 2012, 12:24:05 am
I just had my coach weighed at Lazy Days Tampa,Fl, It was more than the 60.00, but I wanted to see what all weighed. left front 5595 right front 6620 for front axle weight of 12215 the left drive axle 9140 the right drive axle 7520 for drive axle weight of 16660 and left tag 3860 and right tag 3760 for total tag weight of 7620 for a total weight of 36505 We had full fuel tank,fresh water and about 1/2 in each holding tanks. This leaves me with 5495 available pounds. We also have it fullyb loaded with clothes and food. I needed to know as I thought the front tires might be overloaded as are load range G. I will replace them with load range H
The weight differential on the corners will show in the dips and bumps. Higher pressure in the air bags will dip less. Although shock valving can influence this.
Bob
Title: Re: Coach individual wheel weight experience
Post by: Dave M (RIP) on April 21, 2012, 09:22:19 am
Adding air pressure to air bags, will raise the coach, there is a spec for ride height and should be at that point. Adding/raising height degrades ride quality, lowering allows bottoming out on bumps.
Just to make real simple, MY coach has three height air valves, one front center for height, one on each side on drive axle for height of each side. Simple Dave M
Title: Re: Coach individual wheel weight experience
Post by: Caflashbob on April 21, 2012, 12:15:20 pm
Adding air pressure to air bags, will raise the coach, there is a spec for ride height and should be at that point. Adding/raising height degrades ride quality, lowering allows bottoming out on bumps.
Just to make real simple, MY coach has three height air valves, one front center for height, one on each side on drive axle for height of each side. Simple Dave M
Interesting story that happened many years ago. Mr neway came to test a coaches air ride system as installed at the factory. Looked underneath and shook his head and told boney that the installation was incorrect. What? Supposed to be two ride height valves in the front. One in the rear. The way it is installed was for a truck trailer.
The liability was so high that to this day this is the install.
The gillig guy knew of the story and laughed as they did it the same incorrect way.
If they reversed the system everyone would want theirs fixed so it's still this way.
Some busses have 4 valves but incorrect adjustment will twist the shell so they require more care and feeding...
Bob
Title: Re: Coach individual wheel weight experience
Post by: Dave M (RIP) on April 21, 2012, 12:58:36 pm
Bob, Being a ex-bus/MCI guy, I laugh at alot of miss info, but wonder if you have ever been around the Eagle chassis in regard to adjusting each torsion bar and trying to get the correct weight per wheel ? requires 6 scales, BIG tools, lots of labor, time and alot of luck, every adjustment changes the other five, then you have aging issues. SO no thanks for 4 or 6 individual wheel adjustments, WOW. MCI has the tag axle, it is air bag too, using a regulator at about 35 psi normal, assume FT does about the same, not height valves. Eagles also have the high speed rusting issues too, so no thanks for me. ;D Dave M
Title: Re: Coach individual wheel weight experience
Post by: Caflashbob on April 21, 2012, 01:52:27 pm
Bob, Being a ex-bus/MCI guy, I laugh at alot of miss info, but wonder if you have ever been around the Eagle chassis in regard to adjusting each torsion bar and trying to get the correct weight per wheel ? requires 6 scales, BIG tools, lots of labor, time and alot of luck, every adjustment changes the other five, then you have aging issues. SO no thanks for 4 or 6 individual wheel adjustments, WOW. MCI has the tag axle, it is air bag too, using a regulator at about 35 psi normal, assume FT does about the same, not height valves. Eagles also have the high speed rusting issues too, so no thanks for me. ;D Dave M
Yes the mci guys raved about the torsilastic ride. The other shell guys mentioned the adjustment issues over drinks.....
I have driven all of them and I liked the mci ride much better in those days.
Bob
Title: Re: Coach individual wheel weight experience
Post by: PatC on April 21, 2012, 01:56:46 pm
I was always told 20,000 pounds per axle was the legal limit?
Bob
It is on the interstate system, actually a bit more, and is also dependent on the tire size. But off of it, and off the federal access routes, it is all over the place. Each state is different. i.e in Florida with 9R22.5 tires, it would be 10,290 on one axle. And that can be further limited by the manufacturer of the axle and his specs. NY uses this on state highways: Maximum load per tire, the lesser of: 800 pounds per inch width or manufacturer's tire rating.
But then, I have never heard of a motorhome being weighted, but will not say it hasn't happened. I've known of truckdrivers who went to jail in Pennsylvania until someone came and paid the fine.
Title: Re: Coach individual wheel weight experience
Post by: John S on April 21, 2012, 06:05:52 pm
Usually, they will not let you on the toll roads if you are overweight.
Title: Re: Coach individual wheel weight experience
Post by: red tractor on April 21, 2012, 08:43:16 pm
I plan to shift my tools to the other side of the coach but this will put them on the road side which could be unhandy if broken down on the side of the road. I was really surprised when I saw how it weighed out. Sounds like another job to do, keeps one from being bored.
Title: Re: Coach individual wheel weight experience
Post by: Ted H on April 21, 2012, 09:44:07 pm
Eagles also have the high speed rusting issues too, so no thanks for me. ;D Dave M
A long time ago I sold Motor Coaches and we joked about the rusting Eagles... If a customer had a Eagle to trade tap on the sides and watch for rust to fall out.. if you got rust you were ok, there's still some framing left. :))