Montana Owners Club - Keystone Montana 5th Wheel Forum - View Single Post

derfr · 01-28-2006, 08:40 AM

Here are my brochure and scale weights as a basis for comparison of the accuracy of published weights. The scale weights were taken as I drove home from the dealer with an empty trailer.

Model: Mountaineer 298RLS

Brochure:
Gross dry weight (UVW) = 8910
Carring capacity = 3130
Hitch = 1880
GVWR = Gross dry weight + Carring capacity = 12,040

Scale weights:
Trailer only ie. Gross dry weight = 9780
Hitch = 2280

What this is telling me is that the options I have (not Gel Coat or Dual pane windows) have added about 730#, and the hitch weight as published is low by 400#. The options that I have are all the Moving to Montana, Convenience Group and Value group options. The brochure does say the UVW is "calculated as base unit with standard equipment only". The trouble is that some of those "options" are mandatory. I cannot remember what the sticker on the cabinet door said, but it was certainly not close to the true scale weights. I agree with Hemlockusa that a scale as the trailer exits the manufacturing plant would certainly relieve a lot of the stress that we have in trying to determine the true weight of our unit.
In response to many of you, I have seen on several Forums that Gel Coat and Dual Pane windows DOES add about 500 - 600 EXTRA pounds of weight to the coach, in spite of what we may intuitively feel.
In summary, yes our Carrying Capacity with options is much less than what we may think or feel comfortable with. This is a common concern that I read about constantly on various Forums all over the Net relating to all manufacturers.

01-28-2006, 08:40 AM	#57
derfr Established Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: High River Posts: 24 M.O.C. #4953	Here are my brochure and scale weights as a basis for comparison of the accuracy of published weights. The scale weights were taken as I drove home from the dealer with an empty trailer. Model: Mountaineer 298RLS Brochure: Gross dry weight (UVW) = 8910 Carring capacity = 3130 Hitch = 1880 GVWR = Gross dry weight + Carring capacity = 12,040 Scale weights: Trailer only ie. Gross dry weight = 9780 Hitch = 2280 What this is telling me is that the options I have (not Gel Coat or Dual pane windows) have added about 730#, and the hitch weight as published is low by 400#. The options that I have are all the Moving to Montana, Convenience Group and Value group options. The brochure does say the UVW is "calculated as base unit with standard equipment only". The trouble is that some of those "options" are mandatory. I cannot remember what the sticker on the cabinet door said, but it was certainly not close to the true scale weights. I agree with Hemlockusa that a scale as the trailer exits the manufacturing plant would certainly relieve a lot of the stress that we have in trying to determine the true weight of our unit. In response to many of you, I have seen on several Forums that Gel Coat and Dual Pane windows DOES add about 500 - 600 EXTRA pounds of weight to the coach, in spite of what we may intuitively feel. In summary, yes our Carrying Capacity with options is much less than what we may think or feel comfortable with. This is a common concern that I read about constantly on various Forums all over the Net relating to all manufacturers.