Table of Contents
Advertisement
Section 3: Pre-Travel Information
Weighing Your Tow Vehicle and RV
When the RV is fully loaded it should be weighed. The actual weight of the vehicle, all op-
tions, liquids, the hitch weight, and your personal cargo is important for you to know so you
do not exceed the GVWR. Two important factors when loading your RV are 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.
Periodically weigh your RV at a public scale to determine proper load distribution. To obtain
the side-to-side weights, there needs to be enough space on either side of the scale to ac-
commodate the RV being partially off the scale. Keep in mind that individual scales will
operate differently.
To weigh your tow vehicle and RV
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 ca-
pacity of the tow vehicle hitch. By doing so, you may exceed the total
GCWR of your tow vehicle and RV towing combination.
It is important to redistribute the load to avoid component failure as well
as to improve the handling characteristics of the vehicle and not void the
Towable Limited Warranty.
Your RV must be weighed fully loaded (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 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 each wheel position 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).
To calculate the opposite side of the RV wheel position weight, subtract the first side's
6.
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
30
Table of Contents
Advertisement
Table of Contents
