Re: Foretravel Vehicle Weight
Reply #6 –
How much CCC you have/need will vary greatly, depending on what you include in CCC. Determining what is included in CCC is confusing because manufacturers and people vary widely in what they include in CCC.
My 1996 U320 weighs 27,500 with empty diesel, empty water, empty propane, no people, no spare, but three 8D + three start batteries (720#) (it does not have Aquahot, which is common and adds weight). It has a GVWR of 32,000 pounds (12,000 front, 20,000 rear), so it can carry another 4500 lbs.
My 1996 U320 weighs 30,000lbs with full diesel (140gal=1000#), full propane (42gal=175#), full water (95gal=790#), two people (345#), empty cargo bays except for a spare tire (190#), so it can carry another 2000 lbs? Is this the CCC? Most folks will tell you that CCC of 2000# for two people is inadequate, however, the way CCC is defined here, it is adequate for me.
When traveling in California last year with full diesel, propane, and water tanks, as well as a spare tire, six batteries, two people, cargo bays full, and cupboards full, it weighed 31,990 lbs, just under the GVWR. I was carrying a lot of power tools, a big tool box, ladders, many spare/replacement parts, the pantry was full of groceries, there was a 30 pack of beer in the fridge and the liquor cabinet was full. Life was good!
When I travel south at Halloween this year, there will only be 10 gallons in the water tank, no beer, no alcohol, few groceries, so coach will be less than 31,000lbs.
An important factor that you need to learn about, particularly if your coach is near GVWR, is load balancing. The front GAWR, and rear GAWR should not be exceeded. In addition to this, side to side loading. When my coach was at 31,990 lbs, one front tire was 60 pounds heavier than the other and the left rear was 90 pound heavier then the right rear. This was due to carefully weighing each corner of the coach and positioning the heavy items near the rear tires on the passenger side because the passenger rear was lighter then the driver rear. I also positioned one of the three house batteries behind the rear passenger duals with the factory installed start batteries by building a larger battery tray.
Most Foretravel motorhomes over the years will have adequate CCC, but not all. Foretravel has a better record with CCC than most other manufacturers, however, their record is not perfect. Weigh all four corners of a coach you are interested in and do some calculating before you buy. I have seen SOB motorhomes where the weight leaving the factory exceeded the GVWR, frightening to drive.
Topic: Foretravel Vehicle Weight