On
The
Road
Cargo Carrying Capacity
and
Load Distribution
.II
NOTE I
Cargo Carrying Capacities (CCC) of your motor
home are specified
on
a label affixed
to
the
inside
of
the
motor home.
The
label includes all factory
installed options.
If other equipment such as leveling
jacks, awnings, roof pods, etc., are installed after
the
motor home leaves
the
factory
the
weight
of
these
items must be subtracted
from
the
total of
the
pas-
senger and cargo carrying capacities.
The amount
of
cargo weight you can place in
your motor home is the motor home's
OVWR
minus its UVW, or maximum capacity minus the
weight
of
your motor home
as
assembled by
Fleetwood,
i.e., without dealer installed
accessories, water,
LP
gas, cargo or occupants.
When the motor home is being designed, the
number and size
of
storage compartments, the
liquid tank capacities and number
of
belted seating positions are determined for value and
convenience. If you fill all liquid tanks to
capac-
ity, fill all storage compartments and cupboards
to maximum volume and fill all available seating
positions with passengers, the motor home could
be overloaded. (See
Loading Tips). Be aware
of
the weight
of
the items you store, where you
store the items in your motor home, and weigh
your motor home after it is fully loaded.
In addition to knowing the overall weight that
can be safely loaded in or attached to the motor
home, you must know how to distribute the
weight so that correct amounts
of
weight are dis-
tributed between the axles or front-to-rear and
also between the wheels or side-to-side.
It
is also
important to place heavier items in
under-the-
floor storage or low in the motor home.
If
you
make the motor home top heavy or much too
heavy on one side, the motor home can be
over-
turned and crash in a curve, turn or in an emergency steering maneuver. When the load is properly distributed, your motor home will handle
and respond safely, and you as the driver can be
more confident and will be more comfortable.
05-4
If
your motor home is improperly loaded, it may
be unsafe to drive, uncomfortable to drive, or
both. Axle load is important and it is
recommended that you should load your motor home
so that the front axle is loaded to at least
80%
of
the front OAWR.
How
to Weigh Your Loaded
Motor Home
Refer to your local telephone directory to find a
public weigh station. The following procedures
will help you determine whether your loaded
motor home (complete with cargo, fluids,
passengers, and driver) is within OAWR, OVWR, and
OCWR limits. When you arrive at a weigh sta-
tion, the attendant will guide you through the cor-
rect positioning
of
the motor home on the scales.
Your
RV
must be weighed fully loaded, that is,
with passengers, food, clothing, fuel, water,
propane, supplies, etc. Any towed vehicle
(car/pickup, boat or trailer) or item loaded on
brackets on the back
of
the
RV,
such as bikes
or
motorcycles, should also be included in the
weighing.
The following steps are suggested and are
illus-
trated on the following pages:
I. Pull onto the scale so that only the front
axle is on the platform (with the end
of
the
scale midway between the front and rear
axles), and record the scaled weight.
2.
Pull forward until the full unit is on the
scale, and record the scaled weight.
3.
Pull forward so that only the rear axle is on
the scale (again with the edge
of
the scale
midway between the front and rear axles),
and record the scaled weight.
If
the
RV
has a rear tag axle, pull forward
so that only the tag axle remains on the
scale, and record the scaled weight.
To
determine individual wheel position weights,
it
is necessary to repeat the first three steps, but
this time, use only one side
of
the scale,
as
shown on the following pages.
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