Some RVs can only carry 600 pounds of cargo, including passengers. What?

Dear Dave,
How about a simple discussion on how to determine actual RV load capacity? We turned down a beautiful Class C because of its small load capacity. It was very difficult to find a correct answer. —Thomas, 2012 Phoenix Cruiser 2552

Dear Thomas,
Thanks for the comment and the discussion point. This is a big issue, in my opinion, with many of the Class C and B van units. And as you stated, it is hard to find the correct answer. Most people selling RVs today do not do their homework and, frankly, just want to sell something no matter what.

The issue is Cargo Carrying Capacity (CCC) or the amount of weight you can add to an Unloaded Vehicle Weight (UVW) before it gets to the maximum weight the unit can weigh, which is Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR). The UVW or “Dry Weight” listed on the weight sticker is the unit as it sits with no passengers, water, propane, or “stuff” (cargo).

Some RV manufacturers don’t list the CCC in their literature

I don’t know of any RV manufacturer that lists the CCC in their literature of the smaller Class B van and Class C units that are built on the Mercedes Cutaway chassis. Typically you just see the GVWR, Gross Axle Weight Ratings (GAWR), and Gross Combined Weight Rating (GCWR). For example, a 2020 Winnebago View has a GVWR of 11,030 pounds listed in the brochure but nothing about dry weight or CCC.

This was a huge issue back in the late 1980s and early ‘90s, when there was no requirement for listing dry weight or CCC. RV manufacturers were building units that were over GVWR before anyone stepped inside or added cargo.

Weighing RVs at events

We have John Anderson of the RV Safety & Education Foundation (RVSEF) to thank for bird-dogging the industry and exposing the problem. John retired from the military, bought a 5th wheel and large hauler, then started blowing tires on the trailer. He finally got it weighed and found it was severely overloaded, thus the reason for the tire issues. He formed “Weigh We Go,” and with sponsorship from Michelin, Goodyear, and the Tire & Rim Association, started weighing RVs at rallies and events.

It was found that more than 75% of the rigs were overloaded in either GVWR or GAWR, and the same amount had underinflated tires. This prompted the RV Industry Association (RVIA) to mandate weight stickers that showed what the unit weighed dry and the CCC. Most RV manufactures were not happy with this, as it uncovered the fact that just because you have huge storage compartments all along the bottom doesn’t mean you can fill them up!

So, now all RVs have a weight sticker; however, it is a little short on information. Here is an example of the typical weight sticker with our example of a 2020 Winnebago View: The Dry Weight is 9,730 lbs. Since the GVWR is 11,030, as we noted above, the CCC is 1,300 lbs. This is actually one of the better Class C models on the Mercedes Cutaway chassis. I have found some units that only have a CCC of 600 lbs.

Dry Weight is without passengers

What they don’t tell you is the Dry Weight is without passengers. So most people shopping for these smaller units don’t realize you must subtract the weight of a driver and all passengers before calculating what cargo you can shove into every nook and cranny. And if you fill up the 40-gallon water tank, that adds almost 328 lbs. That puts you right at or over GVWR with a 600 lb. CCC!

The problem, in my opinion, is RV shoppers want everything in these small units and are not educating themselves on weight ratings. And the competition in this market is fierce. So RV manufacturers will give them what they want, while hoping the buyers don’t do the math. This is a point I make in my RV Buyers Seminar for buyers looking for the smaller units.

And don’t forget options that can be added later, such as a generator that would add another 200+ lbs. However, full fuel and engine lubricants is factored into the Dry Weight.

Glad you did your math!

 You might also enjoy this from Dave 

Why is the GVWR higher than the combined GAWR?

Dear Dave,
I have this question regarding just about every 5th wheel RV manufacturer sticker I see. Why is the gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) allowed to exceed the combined weight rating of the axles supporting the 5th wheel? For example, my GVWR is 12,600, but my two axles are rated at 6,000 lbs. each. I can only surmise that the tongue weight of the 5er is always going to be supported by either the front jacks or the tow vehicle. If true, I’m curious how they arrived at the GVWR of 600 lbs. over the combined axle rating. —Ray

Read Dave’s answer.

Dave Solberg is a leading expert in the RV industry and the author of the “RV Handbook.”

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