Joe wrote:
> $7200 does seem a bit out of line for what comes with it. For a few months I
> have been haunting the various RV newsgroups and forums asking about Four
> Wheel campers. Admiration for their strength and lightness seems near
> universal.. Of those who have used them none regret the buy.
Still...it's $7200 and you aren't getting much in the way of materials
for the price, IMHO.
> Your weight breakdown is pretty good but, again thinking of our "primitive
> camping" expierence, that 12 gallons of water goes way byond necessity To
> gain a little extra storage
> that 12 gallon tank will likely be replaced with a smaller one, collapsible
> containers being available should the need arise to carry more.
Being away from a trusted water supply, I'd be inclined to take as much
water as is reasonable for the duration of my trip. Especially since
that water can also be used if you have an engine cooling system emergency.
> About that 140 for gas. I was under the impression that rated (advertised)
> payload was GVWR minus CURB WEIGHT, that is the weight of the vehicle
> unloaded but with all fluids (gas, oil, coolant, etc). Advertised payload
> does not account for the weight of any options but DOES account for the
> weight of the fluids because, without these fluids, you have no truck, only
> a large doorstop or hurricane grade paperweight.
OK, we'll assume that gas isn't included in the payload. But if you
re-read my post, I didn't figure based on "payload" - I totaled up the
weights of everything and compared that to the GVWR - the maximum your
truck is rated to weigh, rolling down the road, including the weight of
the truck and all fluids. That number came up to 445 pounds under GVWR
(more if you don't fill the water tank to capacity, but you won't do
much better than 500 pounds). And that assumes you have 3.92 gears. If
you have 3.55s, your GVWR drops into the mid-5K range, and then you're
right at the limit.
You're looking at less than a 10% safety margin for off-highway use.
Sounds dicey to me.
Payload capacity can also be affected by the rear leaf springs.
> Digging around the net I came up with this:
>
> http://www.phh.com/fleetServices/truckFleetManagement/glossary.html#P
>
> "Payload: Maximum allowable weight of cargo to be carried in a vehicle,
> including occupants (150 lbs. x seating capacity). Computed by subtracting
> curb weight from GVWR."
>
> "Curb Weight: Base curb weight is the shipping weight plus fuel to capacity.
> The addition of optional equipment will change the curb weight."
>
> I am no expert in these matters and maybe "pph" isnt either but are you
> sure the weight of the gas takes up payload?
Even if the gas isn't part of your payload, it's only a 140 pound
difference. Do you want to be running right at your maximum rated
payload capacity, or do you want a safety margin? Especially if you're
going off paved roads, which means you're putting more stress & strain
on the vehicle?
-- -andyhttp://home.twcny.rr.com/andylevy/dakota - andy-dml@levyclan.us -------------------------------------------- "Whatever Adam does, do the opposite and you'll be fine" -Bob Tom --------------------------------------------
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Sun Feb 01 2004 - 16:29:48 EST