More Cargo Weight Questions

[Wrenchtraveller]

I had a brand new 95 Ford PSD F250 4x4 with 8800 GVWR. We bought a 95 Vanguard slide in Camper, took the kids to Disneyland and the Grand Canyon. I got the truck weighed at a Cat scale and it was well over 11000 pounds. It handled fine but when we got home I sold that camper and went back to a Fiver. The truck drove fine but I could hear a clunk when I went around a corner. I took it in , long story short, the front end was worn out, the swivel bracket holding the IFS arms was almost ready to fall off. The older Ford IFS 4x4 front ends are not very strong so that one 3000 mile trip in an overloaded condition wore out the front end. The new Ford straight axle 4x4 front ends are very tough but anything will wear out faster if you abuse it.

Anyway, after that experience I have been trying to keep inside the weight specs.

Don & Donna
Vancouver Island
2005 Ford F350 V10 Lariat CC 4x4 LB SRW 11200 GVWR
2006 Montana 2955RL
click on the little pic to see a big pic

[sreigle]

The 3000 is right around what ours appears to be, given the weight measurements we've done. We also have the high gloss and washer and dryer included in our total. The 3000 would include that in my measurements, though. We may be a bit more than the 3000.

Brakes is not a problem on my F250. They're the same as on the F350 and larger than 2004 and earlier F350's. Thus the reason the standard wheel is now 17 inch. It stops very well. Brake pads are still in good shape at 62,000 miles. But I can see where a truck with smaller brakes might struggle. I sure wouldn't attempt 18,000 lbs with a truck this size, though.

See another Montana or Mountaineer on the road? Flash lights twice, it might be one of us!
Steve Reigle (pronounced Regal)
Fulltiming since 3/21/03
'03 3295RK
'05 Ford F250 SD Lariat CC SB 6.0L PSD/TS FX4 4x4

Our RV Travels (now Firefox-compatible)

[David and Jo-Anna]

It is possible that the 3000# figure for full timers could be inflated a bit by dealer installed options. I suspect that what RVSEF did was compare the actual weight of the vehicle with the posted UVW or dry weight on the RVIA sticker. Since the UVW figure would not include dealer installed options, then the 3000# would include personal cargo, dealer options, and presumably whatever water or waste was in the tanks. So maybe the number for "personal stuff" for full timers is more like 2500#. More manageable, but still enough to put us over Montana's artificially low GVWR for the 3400.

David and Jo-Anna Kikel

[Wrenchtraveller]

I really don't think the Montana 3400 will suffer any damage if you run it 500 pounds or so over the coach's GVWR. You guys are going to love those new 3400s. They are an awesome coach and I wish you all many, many happy years in them. Take care.

Don & Donna
Vancouver Island
2005 Ford F350 V10 Lariat CC 4x4 LB SRW 11200 GVWR
2006 Montana 2955RL
click on the little pic to see a big pic

[Parrothead]

It seems like we have run this weight issue into the ground. If we were not suppose to carry anything with us, then why did Keystone build in all the storage areas? I think you may be overestimating the weight of normal household items and clothes, etc. Relax and enjoy - just leave your weight set at home or sell it.
Happy trails......................

Sue and Ed Rowe
Hemet California

2005 3400RL

2006 GMC 3500 Dually, D/A, Crew Cab, Long Bed

[mobilrvn]

Keystone built it so you'd buy it! Lots of sizzle, but not for the fulltimer. Just because the cupboard is bare, doesn't mean you can fill it up. First thing I check out when looking at a new rig is the weight sticker in the cupboard, not of the brochure. Yes, fulltimers average 3,000# a couple. We have our whole world with us and most of us have limited it severely to fit into a Montana (we have to carry clothes for all seasons and pictures of our kids and past animals, for example). We had to get rid of 1900# when we moved out of our old 5W and it was hard. Put 7,000# axles under your 3400s and carry another #2,000 if your TV can handle it.

MoBillTuxRex&Princess
Fulltiming since '93
'04 3575; '06 2500HD Duramax/Allison

[Montana Sky]

I hope Keystone takes a look at upgrading the axles to 7k, would be a much better fit for the 3400RL.




2004 Chevy Silverado LT 2500HD CrewCab Duramax
2004 Montana 3400RL

[Wrenchtraveller]

Mobil does make a very valid point about Montanas and full timers.
I think for most snowbirds and part time users the Montana cargo capacities are adequate.

My cupboard sticker says with a full water tank and full propane tanks I have 1900 pounds of cargo capacity. I do have double pane windows which I figure at 300 pounds max for my model. I did this by weighing glass and doing the math. I also have the washer/dryer combo which is 160 pounds.
We have a generator in the front storage and I had 100 pounds of tools as well as many heavy grocery items. We had flats of bottled water and a few cases of soups and juices because we shop at Costco. Anyway I weighed my rig on the way home after 6 weeks on the road. We had a full tank of water and I was only 160 pounds over my 12140 pound weight. I was pleasantly surprized because I thought I would be much heavier. The 2955RL only has 5080 pound axles so it is only good for 10160 pounds on the axles. At 12300 pounds , my rig put 2600 on the pin and only 9700 on my trailer axles. This is 21 % of the total weight on the pin and you can safely go up to 25% on the pin IF your truck can handle the weight. This set up puts my truck at 11080 GVW just under my 11200 GVWR and would overload an 9900 pound one ton by over a 1000 pounds.

So my point is if you load up a 3400 to the max, you can probably overload most duallies .

If Montana were to put in 7000 pound axles, bump up the CC a full ton, the only people who could safely use this extra cargo capacity would be the folks with F450s or F550s or the MDT crowd.

How many people on this forum own these heavier trucks? Montana is building RVs for the heavy duty pickup buyer and for that the Montana 3400 has all the cargo capacity you want.




Don & Donna
Vancouver Island
2005 Ford F350 V10 Lariat CC 4x4 LB SRW 11200 GVWR
2006 Montana 2955RL
click on the little pic to see a big pic

[sreigle]

Sue, the weights on mine are from a CAT scale. I don't know actual empty weight, just the dry weight on the sticker. We're 3600 pounds over that dry weight. Some of that is the dealer added washer/dryer, some is the high gloss and other options. The rest is what we added, including a residential sofabed that's heavier than the RV sofabed, etc.

I just got off the phone with Keystone. I had called asking for a 2007 brochure and was transferred to someone we happen to know and to whom I sent my email about how gvwr and cc and all are figured. He just an hour ago got an email reply from an engineer and is forwarding it to me.

I told him our weights in the 3295RK and asked if that will be a problem in the 3400RL. His answer is it will not be a problem. He also said don't go nuts, be reasonable about what we carry but if we have it in our 3295 it shouldn't be a problem in the 3400.

Soon as I receive and digest the email I'll either paste it here or summarize, depending on length.

Because there are so many threads on this topic I'll start one more for this info. Hopefully we can then put this issue to rest.

See another Montana or Mountaineer on the road? Flash lights twice, it might be one of us!
Steve Reigle (pronounced Regal)
Fulltiming since 3/21/03
'03 3295RK
'05 Ford F250 SD Lariat CC SB 6.0L PSD/TS FX4 4x4

Our RV Travels (now Firefox-compatible)

[Parrothead]

Thanks Steve. I too hope we put this subject to rest. The 3400 is such a nice unit and we know we can live in it full time with no problem.
Happy trails..................

Sue and Ed Rowe
Hemet California

2005 3400RL

2006 GMC 3500 Dually, D/A, Crew Cab, Long Bed