First, I have known for some time that I was overweight. (Not me, the motorhome!) The tag inside my RV says that the front GAWR (gross vehicle operating weight) should be 5,000 pounds. The rear GAWR (gross vehicle operating weight) should be 9,500. I checked it last fall and the front was light and the rear was heavy. I got rid of a few things and moved some stuff from the rear to the front last fall.
Gross vehicle operating weight is, per Wikipedia, the "maximum operating weight/mass of a vehicle as specified by the manufacturer including the vehicle's chassis, body, engine, engine fluids, fuel, accessories, driver, passengers and cargo but excluding that of any trailers." Cargo includes me, water in my fresh water tank, waste in my grey and black water tanks, and my belongings, which include clothing, food, electronics, and anything else I have added to my RV since I bought it.
So, yesterday, as I drove into Waldport to dump my waste tanks, I stopped by the weigh station. Oregon is unique in that they have a lot of these roadside weigh stations which are not manned but where they leave the scales on. They are along two-lane roads, mostly in the country but on major highways. You drive in, weigh the front and then the rear of your vehicle, and drive out. In fact, I have never seen one with a booth or that is being manned. I think they are mostly there for logging trucks, but it is an easy way to get your vehicle weighed, and I have been told they are pretty accurate.
There is a metal plate that you have to center your wheels on. Over to the right is the weight display.
The front looks good!
But the rear is horrible. I am 1,100 pounds overweight, which is a serious issue I need to deal with. The problem is that I really have much more storage space in the rear than in the front. I also have a 50-pound bike on a 60-pound bike rack on the very back of my motorhome.
Much of the problem is due to the fact that they use the same Ford medium-duty chassis for many Class C motorhomes, regardless of their length. So the main difference between my 32' RV and a 26' or 28' motorhome built by the same company, is that mine has a more body added to the rear, meaning I have a LOT of overhang past my rear wheels.
In addition to that much weight stressing the chassis, it also stresses things like springs, shock absorbers, brakes, and tires. Tires are critically important because they keep you on the road instead of careening into ditches or oncoming traffic during a blowout.
Frankly, these RVs are built for weekenders or people who take a month-long trip a couple of times a year. As with a lot of other vehicles made by the automobile industry, people want goodies added, and those goodies add to weight, so a lot of vehicles are overweight, except few people ever check.
When was the last time you weighed your car loaded with people and suitcases as you head out for a long vacation?? Bet you were overweight!
So, tonight, I did more pruning of belongings and moving stuff from one storage area to another. I am really going to have to be ruthless. The only other option is to buy another motorhome, but I just cannot afford that.
The good news is that I have driven 124,000 miles over the last six years, most likely close to the current weight and have not broken anything. I did have two tire sidewall blowouts in 2014, but those were due to defective Michelin tires and were part of a recall. I got 7 new tires as a result of that recall.
Onward. As I mentioned yesterday, Tillicum Beach Campground has no dump station. I have a 60-gallon fresh water tank and a 35-gallon grey-water (shower and sinks) tank and a 35-gallon black-water tank which is where the water from the toilet is stored. So, every 3-4 days, I must dump my tanks. I can go a little longer if I am really careful, but I feel comfortable at every 3 days. So, to nearby Waldport I go!!
Waldport is one of the few small towns that has a dump station. It is on the side road to the right.
All RVs have their tank dump valves on the left, so you pull into the dump station on the right.
The tricky part of pulling up to the right place so that your sewer hose is lined up with the cut in the curb. (Sewage does not run uphill, so the curb cut is important.)
If you are new at this, you need to read the instructions. You also have to insert $10 into the locked box.
My utility box contains my electrical cord and the plug that connects my vehicle to campground electricity. When I am not at a campsite and want to use my generator, I plug it into the receptacle shown on the left wall. If the plug is not plugged in, the generator will run, but there will be no power to the vehicle.
On the right are the dump valves from the two tanks: fat black one on the left and skinnier grey on the right. The big hose is my sewer connection.
I pull the sewer hose out, thread it up through the hole in the bottom of the utility compartment, and screw it to the connection. Then I pull the black tank handle out first to start dumping that tank.
The other end of the sewer hose goes into the waste pipe and into the sewer. It is really, really important to make sure you have the end securely stuck into the opening or you will have a serious mess to clean up!
If your sewer hose slips out of position, or if the hose breaks, as I have seen a couple of times waiting in line, all dump stations provide flushing water. (Luckily, I have not had that problem yet. I am on my fourth sewer hose, however, because I check it often for cracks and tears.)
You also use the water hose when you are done to rinse the inside and outside of your hose before you put it away. If you dump your soapy grey water after dumping your black water, it will probably be pretty clean anyway.
It takes a few minutes both both tanks to be completely drained. Then rinse the hose, put it away, close the storage area, and use an antiseptic wipe on my hands. And away I go.
I really enjoy reading your posts. Even though I leave everything up to Bill. I do wonder what we weigh. Enjoy and take care.
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