Old Girl Fatter Than I Thought!

[wolfe10]

Joe,

Yes, particularly with some floor plans there is a significant side to side imbalance.

Large galley slides are poster children for this-- the weight of the slide, appliances, cabinets, cookware and dinner ware, etc all on one side.  Offset by a recliner.

Also, out of spec ride height can move significant weight from side to side.

[wayne77590]

Joe, also what inflation would you use based on axle weight? 

Just a couple hundred pounds could put one tire under inflated.

 

[wildebill308]

1 hour ago, wayne77590 said:

Joe, also what inflation would you use based on axle weight? 

Just a couple hundred pounds could put one tire under inflated.

 

Wayne, I agree with you 100% 

[ispjs]

20 hours ago, wayne77590 said:

Joe, also what inflation would you use based on axle weight? 

Just a couple hundred pounds could put one tire under inflated.

 

What I have always done is divide the axle weight in half of course.  Then I generally add a couple hundred pounds or go up to the next set number on the tire chart.   I see your point though.  My current rig has FWS with frig, couch, and dinette among other things in it.  Other side has smaller couch, galley, and bed.  Depending on how holding tanks are mounted along with the Oasis down below I guess one side could be a few hundred pounds different than the other.

First things first, tomorrow morning will be the first fully loaded trip pulling enclosed trailer.  When we take off I will head to the Pilot station to top off and run across scales again.  I really want to get an idea on what tongue weight I am going to have.  Then I will probably start thinking about where to get 4 corner weight done.

[manholt]

Joe S.  Since your in Florida, Escapees has a place there that does corner weights...I don't remember the name of the camp ground, but do know it's North of you!

[wayne77590]

Escapee's RV park is in Bushnell, FL.

[manholt]

Wayne.  Your right...I did not have my card handy, or I would have asked...no I do not know my #....4 digits.  My bad.

[wayne77590]

Carl,

I wasn't chastising you for your old age memory!  I just knew where the park was.

[ispjs]

That isn't the only Escapees park in Florida because we are headed to one in Clermont (outside Orlando).  That would have been great if their park in Clermont was where they did 4 corner weights!

Pretty fired up about heading out.  Little tight getting off my site with this wagon train but the real issue will be putting it back on this Thursday.  I have left and returned with the coach but never hooked up to the enclosed.  Will be putting that turning tag to the test.

[manholt]

Joe S.  Good Luck.  I think Bushnell is the only place with the weights.  You might want to call Clermont and ask? 

Wayne...I was hoping someone would jump in with the answer!  On behalf of Joe S. and others, Thank you!

[wayne77590]

Joe, remember, WIDE turns.

Carl, anytime!

[ispjs]

This will be like hijacking my own thread, but since Wayne brought it up......yes, wide turns!

When we hooked up and left our site there were no issues.  We are just over 72' long and our site is around 85'.  With the turning tag I only cut into about 3 feet of grass at the end of the site leaving.  Went up U.S. routes to Clermont and though a couple construction zones, no issues.  Got to the Thousands Trail's park, backed the trailer into a space and dropped it, no problem.  Found a pull through site we could fit in without trailer, not an issue.  When we left you have to exit back out onto U.S. Route 27.  There is no cut median and you have to go north only (right turn).  So I went north and turned into a Publix, followed the edge of their lot to another side exit, turned right, followed a service road one block to another right turn, and that road came back out onto Rt. 27 and a stop light intersection.  Of course I had scoped all this out on the Harley the day before.  There were some close turns and I needed more than my lane but never once touched my trailer tires on any curbs (gold star).

Returned to CG in North Ft. Myers via I-4 to I-75.  Stopped in a rest area on I-75 south of Tampa.  Confirmed that we are slightly longer than 90% of the big rigs out there.  Again, pulling out from a space was close but not an issue because I really think the turning tag makes all the difference in the world.   When we got to our site I had to do some serious slow cuts and then saw it back and forth twice on my site to straighten it out, but again no problem.

The whole trip was a pleasure and I can't wait to get on the road the end of March!

 

[ispjs]

I was confusing Escapees with Thousand Trails for some reason.  The park in Clermont we visited was Thousand Trail's, the Escapee's park that does the 4 corner weights in Florida is Busnell.  We will be making a run to Tampa next month for a few days to watch our grandson play baseball, then in March we will be staying in St. Augustine for a few days on the way out of Florida.  I may try to get up/over to Busnell for that weigh in during one of these runs.

[ispjs]

I was confusing Escapees with Thousand Trails for some reason.  The park in Clermont we visited was Thousand Trail's, the Escapee's park that does the 4 corner weights in Florida is Busnell.  We will be making a run to Tampa next month for a few days to watch our grandson play baseball, then in March we will be staying in St. Augustine for a few days on the way out of Florida.  I may try to get up/over to Busnell for that weigh in during one of these runs.

[manholt]

Joe S.  Good Luck with the length.  Get weight ASAP.  Don't know where your going for Summer, just hope you don't get pulled over for your length.

[ispjs]

Weighed at Love's for the second time in a month, this time with the loaded trailer hooked up of course.  Increased my gross by 9,700.  Max on my Ventana is 15,000 so I'm good there plus my tongue weight was great.

Discussed the whole length issue in prior posts.  Just like this trip we are staying on interstate highways and U.S. highways.  We will see what happens.  In my CG at Upriver I am certainly not the longest combination here.  There are some 45' coaches pulling 28' to 30' triple axle enclosed.  

[dbenoit]

Driving on a non attended open scale might not be that accurate. They are usually calibrated or zeroed out before "official" attended use.

[manholt]

Joe S.

In ref: Length & Cops = primarily, where in the lower 48 you travel.  AZ, Nev, NM, WY, MT, OK, TX, LA, AL and FL., I have not heard of any complaint's!  CA, OR, WA, ID and most East Coast states, seem to be questionable ! 

Good Luck, Keep in touch and above all enjoy!

Carl C. 

[ispjs]

On ‎3‎/‎15‎/‎2018 at 7:26 AM, DBenoit said:

Driving on a non attended open scale might not be that accurate. They are usually calibrated or zeroed out before "official" attended use.

I have always weighed on CAT certified scales at Pilots, Flying J's, or Love's.  Have never been across an unattended state scale.

[manholt]

They are open 24/7/365!  Linda did a Pilot at 3am and got a person to do it.

[ispjs]

On ‎3‎/‎15‎/‎2018 at 8:08 AM, manholt said:

Joe S.

In ref: Length & Cops = primarily, where in the lower 48 you travel.  AZ, Nev, NM, WY, MT, OK, TX, LA, AL and FL., I have not heard of any complaint's!  CA, OR, WA, ID and most East Coast states, seem to be questionable ! 

Good Luck, Keep in touch and above all enjoy!

Carl C. 

I will be finding out if the east coast side looks at the RV length issue closer later in the fall.  We will be spending some time in both Virginia's and both Carolina's before cutting back over toward New Orleans to sit for November.   I am fully aware of being at least 7-8 feet over length in most states.  If stopped and ticketed and/or made to get legal then so be it.  We picked this rig set up so we could travel with a car and motorcycle behind a 43' DP.  If it turns out that other's I have talked to that are traveling in rigs longer than mine are full of crap and western or eastern states do stop and ticket them, well then it is a easy fix for me.  I will simply get rid of my 24' enclosed and buy an extended tow dolly to still haul our car and Harley.   I can get to 65' or under that way, just can't back up or haul much extra stuff.

[ispjs]

29 minutes ago, manholt said:

They are open 24/7/365!  Linda did a Pilot at 3am and got a person to do it.

When you are paying to run across a truck stop scale, you need to walk inside to the fuel desk and tell them you are needing a weight first.  I would not just drive in to their lot and park on the scale.  Walk inside and tell them you have an RV and want to weigh.  Go back out and drive on scale.  You may need to have a short stick to reach the "talk" button on their pedestal depending on their set-up or if you are vertically challenged.  They will lock your weight in when the scale settles down and tell you they have it.  Drive off, park out of the way, and go back inside to pay and get your printed weight ticket.  Easy peasy.

[manholt]

Short stick?  From armpit to finger tip is 47"...no stick needed.  My leg length used to be 38" Long for Jeans...to bad arms don't get shorter with age. By the time I get to 90, I'll be dragging knuckles !