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SECTION 6
PRE-TRAVEL INFORMATION
Now that your RV is loaded you should have it
weighed. The actual weight of the RV,
passengers, all options, liquids, the hitch
weight of your towed vehicle and your
personal cargo is important for you to know so
you do not exceed the GVWR. There are two
important factors when loading your RV, total
weight and balance. It is imperative that you
verify compliance within all applicable weight
ratings. Overloading your RV will void the
Towable Limited Warranty and the warranties
of many component part manufacturers.
Have your RV weighed periodically at a
public scale to determine the proper load
distribution. Keep in mind that individual
scales
will
operate
surroundings of the scale need to be adequate
to accommodate weighing each side of your
RV.
To weigh your tow vehicle and RV
WARNING
Total weight of your tow vehicle and RV
must not exceed the GCWR. Do not
assume that you can tow a RV that
happens to be within the capacity of the tow
vehicle hitch. By doing so, you may exceed
the total GCWR of your tow vehicle and RV
towing combination.
WARNING
It is important to redistribute the load to
avoid component failure as well as to
improve the handling characteristics of the
vehicle.
Read through all the weighing instructions
before you begin. If you have further
questions, consult with your RV dealer or the
scale operator. Your RV must be weighed fully
loaded (that is with food, clothing, fuel, water,
propane, supplies, etc).
1. Weigh the RV including the tongue weight,
while detached from the tow vehicle. This
actual overall weight must be less than or
56
differently.
The
equal to the GVWR for safe operation. If
the overall weight is greater than the
GVWR, some contents must be removed
until the actual overall weight is less than
or equal to GVWR.
2. Hitch the RV to your tow vehicle. Weigh the
RV and the tow vehicle to determine the
GCW. Make sure that this rating is less
than or equal to the GCWR as specified by
the manufacturer of your tow vehicle. If this
overall weight is greater than the GCWR,
some contents must be removed to bring
the combination into compliance with the
listed ratings.
3. Weigh the RV while attached to but
excluding the tow vehicle. This will result in
the actual weight that is exerted on all of
the RV tires. This weight may be
subtracted from the overall RV GVWR to
determine the actual "tongue" weight.
4. With the RV still attached to the tow
vehicle,
weigh
separately to ensure each tire is not
overloaded.
To determine the wheel position weight
5. Pull the RV onto the scale so only one tire
is on the scale. Record the weight. Your
RV must remain as level as possible on the
scale (even though an axle or side is not
physically on the scale). Obviously, to
obtain the side-to-side weights, there must
be enough space on either side of the
scale to accommodate the RV being
partially off the scale.
6. To calculate the opposite side of the RV
wheel position weight, subtract the first
side's weight from the weight determined
in step #3.
If there is a difference in the weights on one
side of the vehicle as compared to weights on
the other side, components (tires, wheels,
brakes, springs, etc.) on the heavier side could
be overloaded, even though the total axle load
is within the GAWR. It is important to
redistribute the load to avoid component
failure, improve the handling characteristics of
each
wheel
position
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