Bumper Storage Compartment Question

[merle&louise]

Jon:

I weighed the coach and the front axle weighs 16,910 with an 18,000 GVWR on the front axle.

I am good to go

[Jon Wehrenberg]

Tuga,

Well....maybe you are good to go.

Your axle weight certainly does not exceed the capability of the tires, inflated to the pressure required for the load, but what is the front axle rating of the coach? Newell must have a plate somewhere that lists axle ratings, along with the gross vehicle (GVW) weight and gross combination weight (GCW). The GVW is the maximum allowable weight of the coach, and within that weight you are likely to have individual axle limits that when totalled add up to more than the GVW. You should not exceed any individual axle weight, or the GVW.

The GCW represents the weight of the coach, plus the weight of the vehicle being towed.

[garyde]

When I was at Liberty, there was talk , which I have read before ,about one Prevsost Converter at least, who had exceeded the weight on their Conversion on the Front end. So , All those out there who are still looking for a Prevost Coach should be aware of these posts. To have a Coach too heavy in the front before you Sit down is not a good thing!

[Jon Wehrenberg]

In the interests of insuring the information we discuss is identified as a know fact or assumption, how is it you know there is a safety margin.

I am not trying to pull your chain as much as I am concerned that someone trying to sell a coach that exceeds the Prevost axle limits would explain their serious engineering faux pas by claiming they really are overweight, but it is OK.

BTW, without naming names of the converters (there are two that I think fall into this category) when Prevost was putting on seminars at the Prevost Proud rallies in the early nineties there was a serious warning to all owners that overloading an axle could have dire consequences.

[Jon Wehrenberg]

I didn't sleep at a Holiday Inn last night and I did not engineer a Prevost coach, but I think when the manufacturer of the shell says that an axle limit is XXXX, they did not just make up that number.

There is no doubt in my mind that you can overload our axles and unless the amount is extreme, the coach will handle that extra weight. But the minute an owner chooses to exceed the limits he becomes a test pilot. His problems may be as simple as shortened bearing life, or poor tire wear. Or more seriously his overloaded condition may compromise the coach's braking. There are likely a few hundred conversions going up and down the highway with a front axle overloaded so whatever bad is happening, it is not so bad there is any widespread concern.

But the minute we start looking at axle limits as nothing more than suggestions, then I see us going down a slippery slope in which temperature limits, maintenance requirements, and other limits are also tossed out the window.

If I were ever involved in an accident with a coach that had an overloaded axle, I will certainly use that to try to extract the largest amount of money I could from the owner and the converter.

[win42]

I know of an actual case of a Winnebago that sold new and was determined to be too heavy for the chasis. The dealer gave them the runaround, It was headed to court and Winnebago stepped up and took it back and furnished a new coach of their choosing. Because they went through so much hell to get it done they chose the top of the line Chieftain with every option available and got it.
Jon is right this overloading is serious business. Snap something under there and buy a bridge abutment.