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ON THE ROAD
MOTOR HOME LOADING
Even though your motor home is built on a van
chassis, there are limitations to how much it can hold
and carry. These limitations are called Gross Vehicle
Weight Rating (GVWR) and the Gross Axle Weight
Rating (GAWR).
The GVWR is the maximum load the motor home
is designed to carry. This includes everything - the
body, all interior furnishings, your belongings,
passengers, fuel, fresh water, waste water - attached
to or carried in the vehicle. GVWR limits are govern-
ed by the structure and materials used in the chassis,
frame, axles, bearings, and tires.
The GAWR is the maximum load that either the
front or rear axle is designed to carry. The GVWR is
equal to or slightly less than the sum of the front
and rear axle GAWRs. The total of the axle loads must
not exceed the overall GVWR.
The GVWR and the front and rear GAWRs for your
motor home are shown on the certification tag posted
on the driver's step well. Remember, these ratings
are for a fully loaded vehicle. To find out how much
load you can carry, you have to weigh your motor
home empty, and compare the empty weight readings
with the GVWR ratings. Do this initial weighing with
the water, holding tanks and fuel tank(s) as close to
empty as possible. Water and gasoline are heavy and
can make the motor home seem heavier than it real-
ly is. Weigh without passengers. When you weigh,
get out of the motor home. The weight of even one
person can influence the scale readings. Weigh at an
accurate and certified weigh station that uses platorm
scales suitable for trucks. Consult your telephone
directory for weigh stations in your area. The dif-
ference between the empty weight and the weight
of the motor home in traveling configuration is your
usable load. If the loaded weight of your motor home
exceeds the GVWR or the weight on any axle exceeds
that axle's GAWR, the motor home is overloaded and
you'll have to remove items to bring the weight down
to Qr below the GVWR and GAWRs.
Carrying Capacity
During the design and development of our motor
homes, the number and size of storage compartments
and the liquid tank capacities are maximized for value
and convenience. If the motor home operator fills all
liquid tanks to capacity, fills all storage compartments
and cupboards to maximum volume and fills all
available seating positions with passengers, the motor
home will probably be overloaded. According to Na-
tional Highway Traffic Safety Administration figures,
an average vehicle occupant weighs 150 pounds, each
gallon of gasoline weights six pounds and each gallon
of water weighs over eight pounds. The operator is
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responsible for analyzing the conditions in which the
motor home will be utilized for each trip.
The number of passengers and placement of cargo
will affect the amount of water and cargo that you
can carry (See Loading Tips). For convenience, the
passenger capacity for camping use and the
passenger capacity for day use are shown on the per-
manent table in the driver's area or adjacent to the
main entry door. The smaller passenger capacity for
camping provides reasonable cargo capacity for trips
taking more than one day. The larger passenger
capacity for day use provides less cargo capacity for
trips or activities not involving overnight stays. It may
be necessary to reduce the amount of water carried
and unload some cargo items normally carried for
camping in order to provide carrying capacity for the
additional day use passengers.
Thoughtful consideration of the weight placed in
the motor home can yield important benefits:
*
maximum flexibility in the use of the liberal storage
facilities provided in the motor home;
*
improved handling characteristics and ride comfort;
*
better fuel mileage and reduced tire wear.
Weighing Your Loaded Motor Home
1. Drive the front wheels onto the scale platform and
take a reading. This is the front Gross Axle Weight.
(Reading 1).
2. Drive the entire vehicle (both axles) onto the scale
and take a reading. This is the Gross Vehicle Weight
(Reading 2).
3. Drive forward until only the rear axle is on the plat-
form and take a reading. This reading is the rear
Gross Axle Weight (Reading 3).
4. Compare reading 2 with the GVWR (Gross Vehicle
Weight Rating) of your vehicle. This rating is located
on the certification tag. If the reading exceeds the
GVWR rating, you will have to reduce the total vehi-
cle load.
5. If reading 2 is less than the GVWR of your vehicle,
check readings 1 and 3 to verify that each is less
than the GAWR on the certification tag. If either
exceeds the GAWR for the axle, redistribute enough
of the load to ensure that loads on the front and
rear axles are within the required limit.
6. Since the placement of cargo on each side of the
motor home is important, each side of the motor
home should also be weighed. This will require
positioning both wheels on each side down the the
center of the scale platorm and taking a reading
for each side. The attendant will help you with pro-
per positioning.
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