34Y Four Corner Weight Concern

Yoda2405 · 07-06-2012, 09:03 PM

Had my 2011 Coach weighed at Freightliner in Gaffney a couple weeks ago. Was a bit troubled by the rear axle weights.
4 corner weights are:
LF 4220 RF 3868
LR 8960 RR 8520
My concern is the coach had about 3/4 fuel, fresh water and LP. Holding tanks close to empty. I have less in this coach that the gasser it replaced yet I am almost at max on rear axle. Axle rating is 17,500 and I am at 17,480 with a significant imbalance from left to right on both the front and rear. I was not in the coach when it was weighed, so another 230 pounds of imbalance in front left to right. I have over 2,000# of additional capacity on the front axle but there is no way to load much weight on the front axle, so I am not sure what I can do.

I tried calling Winnebago but after holding for over an hour, I gave up. Sent them an EMAIL and they have yet to contact me.

Thought I would see what other 34Y owners that have weighed their coach have gotten for their 4 wheel weights. I do have the washer/dryer option which adds weight to the left rear, I assume that is some of the left right imbalance in the rear.

Any thoughts from the forum members,

Mr_D · 07-06-2012, 09:39 PM

Very common with RV's.

Our DSDP had an advertised NCC of 5,300#'s so I wasn't worried about loading it with options. When it came in the CCC was 663#'s and all of that was on the rear axle. In fact we were 50#'s overweight on the front axle if I filled the fuel and propane tanks, let alone anything in the bay freezer or even us aboard. That made it illegal to be on the road and the only fix was a new front axle. Newmar had Spartan replace the OEM 12,000# axle with a new 14,600# unit.

stik · 07-07-2012, 03:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Yoda2405

Had my 2011 Coach weighed at Freightliner in Gaffney a couple weeks ago. Was a bit troubled by the rear axle weights.
4 corner weights are:
LF 4220 RF 3868
LR 8960 RR 8520
My concern is the coach had about 3/4 fuel, fresh water and LP. Holding tanks close to empty. I have less in this coach that the gasser it replaced yet I am almost at max on rear axle. Axle rating is 17,500 and I am at 17,480 with a significant imbalance from left to right on both the front and rear. I was not in the coach when it was weighed, so another 230 pounds of imbalance in front left to right. I have over 2,000# of additional capacity on the front axle but there is no way to load much weight on the front axle, so I am not sure what I can do.

I tried calling Winnebago but after holding for over an hour, I gave up. Sent them an EMAIL and they have yet to contact me.

Thought I would see what other 34Y owners that have weighed their coach have gotten for their 4 wheel weights. I do have the washer/dryer option which adds weight to the left rear, I assume that is some of the left right imbalance in the rear.

Any thoughts from the forum members,

David,

I, too, have a 34Y. 2009 with Splendide combo washer/dryer. Your weights don't seem that far off, but that is easy for me to say because my '09 has a 10,410 lb front axle and a 19,000 lb rear.

I have done 4 corner weighing several times, the latest was:

LF 4160 RF 4040
LR 9120 RR 9100

This weigh was with full fuel, fresh water, and LP and the waste tanks empty. I was also in the driver's seat (230 lb). I am a single full-timer and will probably stay that way so I took out the EasyRest couch and Eurochair and replaced them with one small LazyBoy recliner and home-made end table. If I find a soul mate this late in life, I will just buy her another LazyBoy and put the end table in between them.

The 34Y floor plan and basement compartment layout doesn't lend itself too much to shifting weight fore and aft. Side to side, maybe a little better, but not much. The left side / full slide has all the heavy stuff; washer/dryer, reefer (full of beer, soda, and frozen dinners) microwave, pantry (full of canned goods), all the drawers and LOTS more cabinets then the right side, that tend to be the "best" spots for dishes, pots and pans, silverware, etc.

I know this doesn't help you much, but at least I answered the question you posted. Good Luck!

jim

Yoda2405 · 07-07-2012, 08:32 PM

stik:

Thanks for the information, I really wish Winnebago had not lowered the chassis specs on the 2011, it really seems very marginal from what I have seen with my loading and weights. Not sure what I can do to avoid being overloaded. Will have discussion with Winnebago if they ever return my EMAIL/call.

Thanks again,

Yoda2405 · 07-09-2012, 09:08 PM

How about the other 34Y owners out there, have any of you weighed your unit? Do you have any issues with the rear axle loading on the 2010, 2011 or 2012 units? I did notice they went back to the larger rear axle on the 2012 34 model.
I am stumped about what I can do to keep the rear axle within its rating and would like to hear what others are doing, as I am lightly loaded at present.
Thanks,

ChasA · 07-10-2012, 04:39 PM

Yoda,
Thanks for starting this thread. I am (or was) about to purchase a 2011 34Y.
I think I'll insist on getting it weighed first now. I looked in the unit for a CCC label and the only thing I could find was a placard below the DOT placard below the driver's side window. It stated the CCC number but did not say anything about fuel, water, or propane. I don't recall what the number was, but I think it was about 4500 lbs. That would be fine if it doesn't include those liquids. The unit has a lot of exterior storage and it would be very easy to overload it.
By the way, it's the 2013 34 footer (34B) that has the increased rear axle capacity.

Yoda2405 · 07-10-2012, 05:10 PM

The Occupant and Cargo Carrying Capacity Tag on my MH states:
The combined weight of occupants and cargo should never exceed 3969 lbs.

Which I am well below but the issue is the rear axle loading, I think they simply put too small of a rear axle in the 34Y. In 2009, first year for the 34Y they had a larger axle, but went away from it for subsequent years until they came out with the replacement 2013 34B and went back to the heavier axle.

I finally called and got through to Winnebago and they do not have any weight information by VIN, only general overall weight by model type. Not real helpful for my trying to figure out what is going on.

Winnebago's only suggestion was 1) don't be overly concerned as most MH's run overweight and 2) to run without any significant amount of water as the fresh water tank runs longitudinal with the chassis and sits slightly to the rear of the holding tanks underneath them. This should unload the rear axle much more than the front, just wonder why they chose not to place the fresh water tank more forward to load the front axle more? Must be something else in the way, maybe the LP tank as it sits between the frame rails somewhere.

I asked them what was the limiting factor on an axle rating and they did not know, wonder if anyone on the forum might have an answer for that. Is it the differential, the housing or the axle shafts themselves? Just wondering what would have to be changed to increase the weight rating.

I would check the 4 corner weights if I had it to do again, but now this is my problem. Do plan on going to Forrest City for some warranty issues and will pursue this issue further in person, probably in late August or September.

Thanks for your response,

Texas TC · 07-23-2012, 05:41 PM

I have not weighed mine corner to corner but I have weighed it twice front to back. The front axle weight is 8220# and the rear is 16700#. That was full of fuel, fresh water, and loaded to travel. I have since added ballast of 50# to each side in the front basement compartments to get a bit more weight on the front axle. I, too, wish they had done a better job of balancing the weight of the coach back to front.

Yoda2405 · 07-23-2012, 07:56 PM

I am impressed with your rear axle weight, you are 700# lighter than I am and I felt I was loaded lightly and tanks were less than full. Do you travel lightly in the bedroom, hard to believe I have that much stuff in there but something is weighing me down. Do you have the washer/dryer? I do and it is right at the back end.

Thanks for your input,

Texas TC · 07-23-2012, 08:23 PM

I do not have a washer/dryer. The way we travel, we have not found the need. However, we keep the closet full of clothes, chest drawers full, and the location for the washer is filled with extra blankets, towels and bedding. We also have the basement storage full of camping gear, grills, tools and at least five gallons of extra DEF.

Your washer/dryer should be the only real difference that I can see.

Sky_Boss · 07-23-2012, 08:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Texas TC

I have not weighed mine corner to corner but I have weighed it twice front to back. The front axle weight is 8220# and the rear is 16700#. That was full of fuel, fresh water, and loaded to travel. I have since added ballast of 50# to each side in the front basement compartments to get a bit more weight on the front axle. I, too, wish they had done a better job of balancing the weight of the coach back to front.

Sorry, I'm confused. LOL

In an aircraft with an aerodynamic "center of gravity" it is common to add ballast to compensate for a plane with a excessive rear or forward location of it's center as long as the ballast doesn't cause the aircraft to exceed gross weight. As an example, owners of the Beechcraft Sundowner often carry 25-50# in the back luggage area when they are flying without passengers to help overcome the nose heavy location of the center of gravity.

I don't see how adding any ballast to the front compartments on the 34Y (or any MH) will take any weight off the rear. ANY weight behind the front axle and in front of the rear axle will add weight to the rear. It will be proportional to the distance the added weight is from the rear. As an example, if you add 100# to a point half way between the front and the back axles, you will be adding 50# to each axle. Even if you had storage in the nose, the short arm length would make any impact of loading ballast in in an effort to offset rear axle weight very negligible indeed.

Now, one can unload some weight off the front if they have storage behind the rear axle. I have also found that my black and grey tanks are far enough behind the rear axle that they will actually unload some weight off the front axle as they fill. Of course, that puts the entire weight of their contents on the rear.

So, perhaps there is a handling issue you are trying to correct with the extra weight on the front. If not, I'm not sure why you do that. I'm all ears and perhaps I need to learn some more tricks about weight and balance.

Sky_Boss · 07-23-2012, 09:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Yoda2405

Had my 2011 Coach weighed at Freightliner in Gaffney a couple weeks ago. Was a bit troubled by the rear axle weights.
...

My Adventurer has a similar but not as severe weight problem. I was mildly surprised that full water and 1/2 black and grey tanks put me exactly at 15,500# which is my rear GAWR. Kinda freaked me out until I went back the next day after dumping my black and grey tanks and found I was about 380# under the rear GAWR. Not perfect but much more manageable.

We talked about taking out the W/D combo (about 230#) but we just haven't decided we want to give it up...even though we haven't used it yet. LOL What we do know is that we haven't yet reached a weight we would expect to be if we were full timing it. We also don't have a tow bar on the back.

Still, we think we are in reasonable shape and if we made the decision to FT tomorrow, we could make it work. Our first adjustment would be to be very careful on what we put in the rig. The next would be to reduce fresh water. Going from 75 to 50 gallons would save over 200# on the rear. I might feel different if we were in the drier parts of the country with larger gaps between towns but for now, it would be a reasonable accommodation if needed.

The thing I have learned is that if we upgrade our rig, we will have any short list rigs weighed instead of relying on the sticker. You have no idea how much stuff may have been added by the previous owner. Even if it is new, I'm still doing it. "Trust through verification."

Texas TC · 07-24-2012, 05:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by athuddriver

Sorry, I'm confused. LOL

In an aircraft with an aerodynamic "center of gravity" it is common to add ballast to compensate for a plane with a excessive rear or forward location of it's center as long as the ballast doesn't cause the aircraft to exceed gross weight. As an example, owners of the Beechcraft Sundowner often carry 25-50# in the back luggage area when they are flying without passengers to help overcome the nose heavy location of the center of gravity.

I don't see how adding any ballast to the front compartments on the 34Y (or any MH) will take any weight off the rear. ANY weight behind the front axle and in front of the rear axle will add weight to the rear. It will be proportional to the distance the added weight is from the rear. As an example, if you add 100# to a point half way between the front and the back axles, you will be adding 50# to each axle. Even if you had storage in the nose, the short arm length would make any impact of loading ballast in in an effort to offset rear axle weight very negligible indeed.

Now, one can unload some weight off the front if they have storage behind the rear axle. I have also found that my black and grey tanks are far enough behind the rear axle that they will actually unload some weight off the front axle as they fill. Of course, that puts the entire weight of their contents on the rear.

So, perhaps there is a handling issue you are trying to correct with the extra weight on the front. If not, I'm not sure why you do that. I'm all ears and perhaps I need to learn some more tricks about weight and balance.

I added the ballast to load the front axle for better handling at the advice of Freightliner. I am aware it will not take load off the rear. However, I don't seem to have the same overload condition on my rear axle that others here are experiencing. My coach is light on the front axle, thus the reason for ballast. So, there ya go.

TxTc

Sky_Boss · 07-24-2012, 05:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Texas TC

I added the ballast to load the front axle for better handling at the advice of Freightliner. I am aware it will not take load off the rear. However, I don't seem to have the same overload condition on my rear axle that others here are experiencing. My coach is light on the front axle, thus the reason for ballast. So, there ya go.

TxTc

Fair enough! Tanx!

I wasn't trying to imply you have a bad rig.

Like my example of the plane, sometimes ya gotta trick the machine into being a bit better.

Yoda2405 · 07-25-2012, 07:13 AM

Texas TC:
I added a wire shelf to the front of my 34Y. It sits on the frame rails that extend forward of the generator. I added an aluminum angle piece across the brackets that hold the nose cap to support the forward edge. I did this to move my tool box and fluids that I carry forward of the front axle. Not a lot of weight but maybe 100# and moved some stuff around in the compartments. I will get the rig re-weighed when I get the opportunity and see how much I have impacted my rear axle.
The shelf might work for you to help load the front axle.