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04-30-2004, 02:14 PM
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#1
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Rivet Master
1977 Argosy Minuet 6.0 Metre
1964 26' Overlander
1977 25' Tradewind
Eastern
, Washington
Join Date: Jan 2004
Posts: 865
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What's my GVWR rating?
I have a 77 Minuet 20', and I just replaced the axle.
The old axle was rated at 3200 lbs. and had 10" drums and used bolts instead of studs to hold the wheel to the hub.
The new axle is rated at 6000 lbs. and has 12" drums and uses studs instead of bolts. The difference in the new axle spindle is almost twice as thick as the old one. It looks to me to be a very good upgrade to the axle.
My questions are:
Has the GVWR for the trailer changed, and by how much?
How much of a consideration to the GVWR be given to the trailer chassis?
Will the chassis de-rate the GVWR of the axle/trailer?
I'm not worried at all about weight, seeing the upgrade and all, just curious.
This ought to be a good topic!
__________________
Peace
Gary
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04-30-2004, 02:24 PM
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#2
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Patriotic
1973 23' Safari
North of Boston
, Massachusetts
Join Date: May 2002
Posts: 4,546
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Janet's Husband
Has the GVWR for the trailer changed, and by how much?
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No. at least, if it was a dodge truck, the answer would be "no". according to the OM for my truck, upgrades don't change the gvw. even if they're things directly related to the gvw...like tires, shocks, springs, etc.
this is what we were talking about in the other thread...obviously, it can handle more with these upgrades...but they're (the factory) not going to give you their blessing. perhaps because their testing (or wild-assed guessing) was based on the unit as a whole, and not the sum of its parts (?) (now I'm wild-ass guessing )
__________________
Air:291
Wbcci: 3752
'73 Safari 23'
'00 Dodge Ram 1500 4x4 QC
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04-30-2004, 02:31 PM
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#3
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Rivet Master
1948 16' Wee Wind
1953 21' Flying Cloud
Denver
, Colorado
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 1,169
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Probably no change
Maybe, but probably not. Your GVRW (maximum allowable gross vehicle weight) should be the smallest weight bearing value among your single axle [presumably a Dura-Torque type, hence no springs], wheels and tires. You just upgraded the single axle from 3200 pounds to 6000 pounds, so by far it's not the smallest value anymore (if it ever was). Wheel ratings are difficult to determine, but assume at a minimum they exceed the largest recommend tire that mounts to the wheel.
Your tires should have their weight rating molded into the side walls, so find it on one tire, multiply by 2 for both tires, and that's you new [maybe higher, but probably not] GRVW. If you installed heavier rated tires on the same wheels, then your GVRW will likely increase by the difference between your old and new tire ratings (assuming the wheels are sized for the new tires and vice versa). GVRW would vary with tire pressure in my example, as I assume the tires have the smallest weight bearing value of the three suspension components and the wheels are rated to exceed the largest recommend tire size and rating that fits on them.
__________________
Fred Coldwell, WBCCI #1510, AIR #2675
Denver, Colorado - WBCCI Unit 24
Airstream Life "Old Aluminum"
Airstream Life "From the Archives"
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04-30-2004, 06:40 PM
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#4
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Rivet Master
1977 Argosy Minuet 6.0 Metre
1964 26' Overlander
1977 25' Tradewind
Eastern
, Washington
Join Date: Jan 2004
Posts: 865
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Well the tires are Load Range D or 2540 Lbs at 65 psi cold.
That would put the total load capcity of the axle tire combination at 5040 lbs with the tires being the limiting factor, the axle being 6000 lbs.
I wonder how many people have looked at their tires to see if their trailer GVWR is truely what the tires will handle?
__________________
Peace
Gary
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04-30-2004, 08:01 PM
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#5
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Rivet Master
2001 34' Limited
The State of
, Ohio
Join Date: Sep 2002
Posts: 1,605
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Isn't this a bit like putting a 6000 lb rear axle/springs on a Ford Ranger? Won't it beat the trailer to death?
Our tire ratings are 2 times 2540 lbs per 3200 lb axle times three axles for 15,240 lbs of tire ratings and 9600 lbs of axle ratings, for a 9800 lb GVWR.
__________________
Maurice
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04-30-2004, 09:01 PM
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#6
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Rivet Master
, Minnesota
Join Date: Aug 2003
Posts: 7,721
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Uprated axle
Gary,
I did something similar on my '59 Tradewind.
The original axle was rated 3500 and has been replaced with a 5200# Dexter axle. The main reason was to allow more weight for an added A/C and greywater tank and other accessories.
I also added about 120# of steel to the frame.
I doubled the front frame by welding new 14ga. channels over the existing frame members. I added one more leaf to the spring pack and installed higher capacity Monroe RV shocks. And a class IV coupler.
I plan to install Marathon tires and new wheels with 2600# capacity.
Although the theoretical GVWR could be as high as 5900#, I plan to set it up and use it around 4500#.
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