Allegro 34PA Front Axle Overload?

[nboston]

Has anyone with an Allegro 34PA had problems with an overloaded front axle? Have you had the unit weighed with full fuel, water, propane, and normal contents?

We are very interested in a 34PA but are concerned that the data shows less than 800 pound capacity left on the front axle with 1/2 fuel and a little water.

[wolfe10]

And, answers would be more valuable with the following information:

Chassis GVWR

Front axle GAWR

Actual front axle weight when loads like this ..........

I would also suggest the same info for the rear axle:

Rear axle GAWR

Actual rear axle weight when loads like this ..........

[nboston]

The info we were given showed the corner weights of a fully optioned 34PA with 1/2 tank of fuel:

LF  4,130 lbs

RF 4,110

LR 6,710

RR 6,800

The front axle total is 8,240 lbs with an axle limit of 9,000 lbs. The rear axle total is 13,510 with an axle limit of 17, 500. We're wondering how we could load this coach for an extended trip without overloading the front axle. The rear axle is a non- issue. The liquid tanks are between the axles as would be most of the "stuff" we all seem to need. It would seem that even focusing the loading of "stuff" toward the rear of the coach wouldn't overcome the weight of a full water tank, propane, etc. We really like the floor plan of this coach and would order one if we could see how to safely load it.

 

[dickandlois]

nboston,

When traveling the freshwater tank starts around 3/8's of a tank and the black and gray tanks are empty for the most part. We have never run short of water when on the road. When we know we will be dry camping(no water at the location) the fresh water tank is filled and the black and gray tanks are emptied. 

Running with only 30 gallons of fresh water reduces the weight by 560 lbs. and empty B and G reduces the load 800 lbs.

Rich.

[nboston]

You are correct on the weights. I like to travel with a full gas tank and usually fill up when it hits 1/2. Traveling to destinations with full hook ups we usually only have 1/4 to 1/3 of a tank of water. But many times when we go into chapter rallies we need full water. Likewise, a lot of National Park and Forest Service units don't have water. We also need food and "stuff". We want enough fuel to comfortably use our gen set when traveling to more remote locations. When I add all that up, it seems to me that we would be, at best, very close to the weight limit. I am hoping someone has already faced this issue and figured out a way to live within the stated axle weight limits.

[wolfe10]

I applaud your interest in making sure an axle is not overloaded.

Remember, fuel tank is BEHIND the rear axle, so weight in it REMOVES weight from the front axle (with the rear axle being the "fulcrum").

[dickandlois]

27 minutes ago, wolfe10 said:

I applaud your interest in making sure an axle is not overloaded.

Remember, fuel tank is BEHIND the rear axle, so weight in it REMOVES weight from the front axle (with the rear axle being the "fulcrum").

Brett, My fuel tank, propane, gray / black and fresh water are all located between the rear and front axles ?

Rich.

[wolfe10]

The Allegro 34PA is a gas coach, so fuel tank is behind the rear axle.

[nboston]

Yes, the gas tank is behind the axle. A full gas tank will have some impact, but it appears to be located just aft the axle. This would reduce the impact of its weight (a short lever distance). The rest of the tanks are between the axles though toward the rear. I  would think more of the weight loads the rear than the front but not enough to compensate for the limited front axle capacity. When you are travelling, the driver and passenger are a little ahead of the front axle .Assuming the FAA standard 170 lb adult- that would put most of the 340 lbs on the front axle.Additionally, there are several storage compartments toward the front of the unit. They would probably need to be left empty or very lightly filled to minimize impact on the front axle

The more ideal chassis for this floor plan would be a 11,000 front axle and a 15,500 rear axle. Unfortunately Ford doesn't offer anything more than a 9,000 lb front axle. T offer a 11,000 lb front axle, they would need to put heftier tires on the axle. The tires currently on the axle will carry 10,410 pounds at 110 psi.

[gulya]

I know I am committing heresy by offering this info, but there is an extensive thread on the 34PA overload problem on the tiffin RV network blog . The potential problem was identified right after the model was introduced. I would go to the tiffinrvnetwork.com website. 

[nboston]

Thanks for the lead to the Tiffin RV Network. We registered and found a thread titled" Has anyone weighed the new 34PA?". The thread confirms that there is a real issue with the remaining capacity of the front axle. The numbers folks quoted are way too near the 9,000 lb limit to be reasonable. The only suggestion was to load heavy toward the rear. That seemed to help a little, but didn't really "fix" the issue. We really like the floor plan. But, 4 slides, a washer and dryer, etc. may simply be too much to be practical for a gas Ford chassis.

[gulya]

We loved the floor plan until we actually saw it at the Tiffin rally in Sevierville back in 2015. Besides the front overload issue when traveling on the road you cannot get in fridge or other parts of coach without putting out a slide. People in the adjacent lane of the highway don't like that.