In order to not be overweight.....

[coachgrowl]

We have a 2017 Montana High Country 310RE pulling with a ram 2500 cummins turbo diesel. After much deliberation and gnashing of teeth about GVR, pin weight etc. etc. We have decided to remove everything from the inside of the trailer that we don't actually need. Stove (wife never likes to cook anyway). Couch and reclining chairs we will sit on chairs from table (2 were discarded). Refrigerator just use a cooler with portable ice maker. Bed will sleep on air mattress. Seems we are light enough now.

[1retired06]

Guess the m/w can go as well. ...... Weight can become a serious factor. Years ago we were involved in an interstate accident outside St Louis. Not our fault. Other driver got three citations. However we were escorted to scales and weighed to insure we were within specs. If it had been our fault and we were out of specs, who knows what liabilities we would have faced.

[Mike117]

Before you did all of that, you should have taken it to a scale. I have no idea on your dry weight and loaded weight. Truck should be able to pull it but seems like a lot of good stuff to remove. Plenty others will weigh in literally.

[AZ Traveler]

Have you thought about filling the interior with helium filled balloons? And maybe a wing to further reduce load on the pin as you build speed?

[Mr Pachu]

Originally Posted by AZ Traveler

Have you thought about filling the interior with helium filled balloons? And maybe a wing to further reduce load on the pin as you build speed?

You could also inflate the tires with helium?

[Theunz]

Originally Posted by 1retired06

Guess the m/w can go as well. ...... Weight can become a serious factor. Years ago we were involved in an interstate accident outside St Louis. Not our fault. Other driver got three citations. However we were escorted to scales and weighed to insure we were within specs. If it had been our fault and we were out of specs, who knows what liabilities we would have faced.

I'm certainly no lawyer, but I would venture that you would of gotten an overweight ticket and nothing more. The other driver got 3 citations, so he was clearly at fault. They can't do an about face and put the blame on you just because you were over weight. They would have to prove that you being overweight impacted the outcome. Most of the over weight conversations I read pertain to 3/4 ton trucks being slightly over on the rear axle, not exceeding gross combined vehicle weight. At the small percentage that most of these trucks would be over due to pin weight I think it would be hard to find a circumstance in witch this would be the cause of an accident.
PS maybe someone can invent an electromagnetic hitch system that allows a trailer to be towed without any actual contact with the tow vehicle, thus allowing us to tow with any vehicle we wish

[beeje]

Cant say I have ever seen nor heard of someone intentionally destroying a brand new Montana or any other SOB to make it lighter so it could be pulled with an inadequate truck.

By the way, there was no mention of the year of your truck. Are we talking 2007 or 2017?

[Phil P]

Hi

#1 I believe this post to be “Tung in cheek” a joke. LOL

#2 in the state of Florida there is what is called the “dangerous tool” doctrine.

This can result in a conviction on a Vehicular Manslaughter or vernacular homicide charge if you are grossly overweight and there is a death involved.

On a thread where I posted this before a Judge came on and said it couldn’t happen. The thread then disappeared. I know of 2 people that sure wish their trials were in his court room because my information came from sitting in on federal court appeals trials trying to overturn the convictions. If they were at the federal level it had already been upheld by the lower courts. I was working for an attorney that was handling a civil suit in federal court at the time and just was interested in see what that was all about.

So I just don’t take the chance we tow with the water tank full and the waist tanks empty and 300 hundred pounds under the GVW rating of the Montana to stay within specs.

Phil P

PS: beeje has a valid question the new truck have a much increased weight rating.

[The Bone]

All they check for is combined weight. They dont look at pin weight or if your truck is over the trucks limit. Just look at both trailer and truck together. If you are under max towing capacity than you are golden regardless of the rest of the weights. I weighed my truck and its a F250 and max weight was 20,000 with trailer and truck.

[DQDick]

Dodge 2500's can be all over the place. Mine is 23,500 but it's a 2011 Maxi Cab single axle 4x4. Year and model of 2500 makes all the difference with Dodge.

[Former StClairSailor]

For those of you who attend the Annual Fall Rally in Goshen, we usually have a vendor who will weigh the truck and rig on the individual tires and give you a report. This past rally they were not available, which was unfortunate as we could see several that appeared to exceed the truck GVWR. We have spoken to next years Wagon Masters to see if we could book them well in advance.

[coachgrowl]

My truck 2017 dodge ram diesel 2500. GCWR 25,300 lbs
Cat scale truck alone steer axle 4,840 lbs. drive axle 3,840 lbs total 8,280 lbs
Cat scale with 5er steer 4,840 lbs. drive 5,820 lbs. Trailer axles 8,920 lbs
Combined total 19,580 lbs. Am I overweight? If so and the weigh police care why are trucks not allowed to weigh on the interstates?

[beeje]

Not quite enough info to be sure.
-What cab configuration? regular/crew/mega etc.
-Long or short bed?
-What transmission?
-What engine (I assume diesel)
-When you got weighed was the camper and truck loaded the way you would be traveling down the road? Example: Was the truck full of fuel.? Were all persons you would take with you in the truck.? Was the camper loaded with all you food/tools/clothes/coolers of ice/tank of water/truck bed full of firewood etc. All of these things are cargo that are included in the payload weight of your truck.

Your truck could have a payload of between 1850# to 3100#s

[beeje]

In most states any cases, trucks towing Rvs are exempt from having to go through weigh stations. Why, I don't know. But I do know there are 100s of 1000s of them being towed down the roads WAY overweight.

[1retired06]

Actually, we were pulled over in California 3 or 4 years ago by Highway Patrol into the scales for a spot check along with several other RV units. We were fine, but there was one unit pulled off to the side, with the wife in tears. Guessing they were overweigh and not allowed to continue on. We have owned trailers since 1971 (wife still to young to order a drink) and that was the first and only time we ever saw an RV weight check, other than when we had our accident.

[beeje]

I here ya, California is different. Seams like everything is a pita there. No desire to go there. Way to many crazy rules for me.

[Steve Hayden]

Buy a TV with enough capacities and hook up and go. my '15 F450 has 40K gcvw. Full time for 2.5 years in a ' 3720RL, all east of Mississippi, Leaving for "The Last frontier" in April '18 for 5 months. We'll see how it goes.

[coachgrowl]

crew cab, automatic trans, tanks full, loaded for full time camping payload 2310

[coachgrowl]

Why are rv dealers not required to check if you are over weight before leaving lot?

[Steve Hayden]

They r only interested in seeing you leave with your money in their pocket. Most of them don't care what happens outside the chain link fence. My dealer walk thru was about 5 minutes. " you seem to know a lot about campers, so this won't take long." That is the statement made by the salesman.