Gulfstream Greg Posted June 19, 2004 Share Posted June 19, 2004 On my last trip on the way I had my toy weighed at a public scale. 6840 lbs with out me in the seat and only a ? tank of propane. So 7000 lbs would be an average weight. More than I expected. Has anyone else weighed their rig? Greg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MR.D Posted June 23, 2004 Share Posted June 23, 2004 Wow, that seems pretty heavy, what's the weight rating of your coach? I' haven't weighed mine yet but I do plan to sometime this summer. I'll let you know what our '90 Dolphin weighs... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gulfstream Greg Posted June 28, 2004 Author Share Posted June 28, 2004 According to the sticker from Sunrader the GVWR is 5080 pounds. But that is the same as the Toyota sticker. That seems like it would be a stock pickup GVWR. I will find my manual and see. Greg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WME Posted July 1, 2004 Share Posted July 1, 2004 Wow and I thought mine was a porker. 1986 Escaper, 4c, auto, A/C, 2.8 generator. Full water, propane, gas , driver... 6160lbs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gulfstream Greg Posted July 5, 2004 Author Share Posted July 5, 2004 I am really suprised at the weight. I have searched the internet to find what the GVWR is for a 1 ton toyota pickup with no luck. My manual says 5080 lbs. for a 4x4 pickup. Both tags on the door frame say 5080 lbs. So what is the actual GVWR supposed to be with the full floating axle? I will give Toyota a call on tuesday and see what they say. The stickers below reflect stock pickup GVWR I think. It does say 15x6 rims, at 32 psi cold dual. But like I said the manual for a stock 4x4 without duals is 5080. My guess is I am reading it wrong. What is GAWR ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MR.D Posted July 6, 2004 Share Posted July 6, 2004 GAWR is your max weight for each axle, on my '90 Dolphin the GAWR adds up to 700lbs more than my GVWR. My numbers are front 2300lbs, rear 4400lbs, total GVWR 6000lbs. I'm almost afraid to weigh it to see what it actually weighs. I'm just praying that I don't exceed that total number of 6700lbs fully loaded with passengers and that my front and rear numbers are close to those 2300 and 4400lb numbers. My wife, 4year old son, and I are headed out on a three week 4000 mile trip 3 weeks from Thursday... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gulfstream Greg Posted July 9, 2004 Author Share Posted July 9, 2004 MR D You are probably on your trip, hope it is a great one. Catch ya when you get back. The GVWR still makes no sense to me. As I said my truck manual has a 5080 GVWR for a single wheel rear axle and that's what the sticker says on the truck. Its got to be higher for the full floating rear dual wheel axle. Greg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MR.D Posted July 9, 2004 Share Posted July 9, 2004 That does seem weird. Were 4WD trucks ever offered by Toyota with the rear duals or was that something the RV manufacturer added? If so it could be that sticker is just referencing the max weight that Toyota gave the 4WD trucks with single rear wheels?? We don't leave on our big trip until 7/28, we're headed to Dinosaur NP in Utah for 2 nights, Grand Tetons and Yellowstone in Wyoming for 5 nights, Beartooth HWY up to Red Lodge MT for 2 nights, and then on to the Black Hills in SD where my mom lives in a log cabin out in the Hills for 5 or 6 nights. Our time in the Black Hills is also the week of Sturgis Bike Week which my brother and 4 friends are attending on their Harleys. It should be a great trip... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gulfstream Greg Posted July 10, 2004 Author Share Posted July 10, 2004 That sounds like it will be a great trip. We want to do a cross country sometime in the near future, maybe next summer. As for duals on the 4x4's I have never seen one except the motorhomes. So maybe thats it. The Gardner Pacific tag does have dual on it. Toyota may be the only ones with the answer. My guess is they supplied the 4x4 to Gardner Pacific with the duals. There is allways the possibility that someone else built the truck in between toyota and gardner. Greg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HTRDLNCN Posted July 12, 2004 Share Posted July 12, 2004 I haven't weigh my RV but I just sold a 1993 Toyota V6 box truck ( http://www.hotrodlin....org/toyota.jpg ) on the commercial dual wheel pickup chassis and at a certified truck scale it weighed 4350lbs. I didn't realize the RV model was that much heavier,doesn't feel like it just from driving it.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gulfstream Greg Posted July 13, 2004 Author Share Posted July 13, 2004 Here is a photo of my left rear spring. The previous owner or someone installed some sort of helper springs on both sides of the axle (front and rear part of the spring). I have considered installing some air bags but because of the distance between the frame and axle I would have to do some sort of custom fabrication. That anti-sway bar running over the top of the axle might be a problem also for an air bag. My springs appear to be almost flat across. Is everyone's springs flat across or is it just me? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nolan Posted July 14, 2004 Share Posted July 14, 2004 Hi Greg, Looking at the picture you posted of the rear spring on your 4x4 it looks as though its getting kinda weak from age and weight, they should have some positive arch to them. A couple of things I noticed from the picture was if you look closely at the center of the spring pack where the axle Ubolts and the axle pad are you can see the spring is wavey, sign its bending towards negative arch. Also noticed that apparently when they converted the floater axle assembly in that the axle housing is mounted on the top of the springs, standard for a 2wd but backwards for the 4x4's, they were mounted on the bottom of the spring pack originally. In so doing they probably added the clamp on overloads to help with not only the weight but to also help lift the rig, along with the homemade extended shackles to attempt to gain some ride height to make the rig sit semi level, the extended shackle adds to the fatigued springs because of leverage. If you were to think about changing out the springs to a new set I would consider relocating the axle mount pad to the top of the housing and go back to the standard length shackle to help in making the springs live a bit longer and possibly improve the handling a tiny bit. Just my 2 cents worth for what its worth. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gulfstream Greg Posted July 14, 2004 Author Share Posted July 14, 2004 Nolan You may be correct. I found out for sure that the GVWR is 5080 lbs. for a 1 ton chassis. But there are no 4x4 1 tons offered in 1986 unless they were custom orders. I know the axle is the upgrade as the previous owner told me Toyota had installed it. It?s hard to tell from the photo but I question if there is enough room for the anti-sway bar if the axle is sitting under the spring. I will have to crawl under and take a closer look. I think you are correct that these springs are worn out. I would expect them to have an arch to them. At some point I do want to replace them. Just not sure who to get them from and how to order them. Guessing I would need to know how much weight is actually sitting on each wheel or axle. Greg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HTRDLNCN Posted July 15, 2004 Share Posted July 15, 2004 Mine has firestone airbags on top of everything you have,they look factory installed as there is a panel on side to check air pressure. Ill try and get good pictures this weekend. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ray83sunrader Posted July 15, 2004 Share Posted July 15, 2004 Hi Greg, Came over here from Yahoo to see the pictures of the cracked Dolphin frame and saw your question. Many years ago I weighed our 83 Sunrader, same 18' version as yours except of course ours is 2wd. It came in at about 4400 pounds more or less empty except for a full tank of gas. There are a lot of reasons why yours would be significantly heavier: 4wd makes for a much heavier front end, ours was weighed before we upgraded the rear axle, and the Toyota trucks generally got heavier starting in '84 I believe. It also looks like you've got something extra hanging off the rear end, and maybe you've got roof air conditioner or generator or such as well. But even with all of that 2400 pounds is a lot of metal and I'm surprised yours is that much heavier. Maybe one or both of our scales weren't calibrated too good for this weight range. One other thing - you wondered whether the GVWR would go up because of the rear axle upgrade. Not necessarily. GVWR depends upon a whole slew of things including front brakes and steering components that take stress from the entire weight of the vehicle, not just from the front axle weight. Maybe those parts are alot heavier on your camper because of the 4wd, but comparing the front end on our camper to the front end on our f250 (GVWR 7700 lbs) you can readily see that the toyota is not built for the same kind of weight. Ray Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gulfstream Greg Posted July 15, 2004 Author Share Posted July 15, 2004 Hi Ray, thanks for joining the board here. If your rig was weighing 4400 I can not imagine mine at 7000. I think I better get it weighed again at a different scale. I suppose its possible for the 4x4 gear to raise it 800 to 1000 pounds. The rear pods I have are just extra storage, probably no more than 300 to 400 pounds if even that and maybe 200 pounds for the frame that was extended to put the bumper out past the pod. Took the roof air off and have no generator. As you know it would be really hard to add 1600 plus pounds of gear inside. Wait, how many cases of beer would weigh 1600 pounds, just kidding. I made a mistake on the previous post the actual GVWR is 5500 pounds for the 1 ton chassis with the early dual axle. The standard 2 wheel drive pickup is 4400 GVWR. 4X4 Is 5080 GVWR, And The 1 Ton Is 5500 GVWR. Greg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nolan Posted July 15, 2004 Share Posted July 15, 2004 Greg, Your 5500 GVW sounds about right with the floater axle, used to have the figures somewhere but can't find them now, the true 1ton V6 chassis was rated at 6000#, the 4cyl was 5900#. so 400 to 500 # is about right for the axle upgrade with dual wheels. A spring shop should be able to fix you up with a new set of springs or possibly even build you a set of beefier springs to support the load. I built the rear spring pack on mine using the stock 4x4 set, took another main leaf from another set, cut off the end eyes and added it to the pack, along with the adjustable overloads they have worked fine. The 4x4 conversion on mine added roughly 1000# to the total weight, amazing how much all those extra parts add up to so quickly. OH!! by the way, I got Blew running now wanna race Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gulfstream Greg Posted July 15, 2004 Author Share Posted July 15, 2004 Nolan do you want to race for pink slips? I'm afraid I will have to pass this offer up as you would blow my doors off! Glad to hear you got it running! Send me some updated photos and info when you get time and I will add them to ypur pages. And how is it running? Are you happy with it? Maybe I am in the ball park for weight in a 4x4. I will weigh it again at a different scale. This time I will do three weights, front, all and rear. Greg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nolan Posted July 16, 2004 Share Posted July 16, 2004 Greg, I might be able to do a dirty T-shirt, don't have any pink slips At this point you would have a big advantage, I still need to get the driveshafts built to make it driveable. The engine sounds great, nice lope to the idle, crisp throttle response from idle, the temperature and oil pressure are but it definately has its own distinct sound, mix between a whiney growl, but thats normal. I,m anxious to put the pedal to the metal and see how it does, it will either run or the leftovers will make a nice door stop. The work now is slowly progressing to the camper body and all the remodeling thats needed on the framework to pull off my ideas. Wish me luck, I'll probably need it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
david.brenda.morrow Posted September 15, 2004 Share Posted September 15, 2004 I weighed my rig yesterday, full gas, 1/2 propane, no water, and got 5120 lbs. Split f/r is 1720/3400. The toyota decal says front/rear GAWR is 2410/3000 and GVWR is 4800. So I am only 300 lbs over, or 300 under depending on how you look at it. That is, sticker GVWR, or adding the two GAWR's together. My rig is a 1985, 18ft 4x4 sunrader. David Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gulfstream Greg Posted January 8, 2006 Author Share Posted January 8, 2006 I weighed my rig yesterday, full gas, 1/2 propane, no water, and got 5120 lbs. Split f/r is 1720/3400. The toyota decal says front/rear GAWR is 2410/3000 and GVWR is 4800. So I am only 300 lbs over, or 300 under depending on how you look at it. That is, sticker GVWR, or adding the two GAWR's together. My rig is a 1985, 18ft 4x4 sunrader. David That certainly makes me wonder why mine is so heavy. I am going to have it re weighed this coming summer. Greg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davewbmd Posted July 6, 2006 Share Posted July 6, 2006 Hey All. Just to continue the thread... I have two motorhomes (until the Escaper sells...). 1988 Escaper --> 6200 # (with generator, etc.) 1987 SunLand Express --> 5400 # with every tank (including gas tank) full It just depends on the make, year, equipment, 2WD/4WD, etc. I can tell the power difference between mine (both w/ cylinders, but the Escaper has mods)! Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RonSwanson Posted July 11, 2006 Share Posted July 11, 2006 Well, okay, you've all piqued my curiosity about how much my Sunrader weighs. I noticed that one of the first posts mentioned "public scale." Does that include the one at my nearby landfill, which charges $9 for a run-through? I've got this defunct Sony TV (the manual for it says that it weighs 103 pounds) which is just hankering for a rapid descent into the disposal pit. And of course I know how much I weigh. So why wouldn't I go this route and get the vital information? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gulfstream Greg Posted July 12, 2006 Author Share Posted July 12, 2006 Well, okay, you've all piqued my curiosity about how much my Sunrader weighs. I noticed that one of the first posts mentioned "public scale." Does that include the one at my nearby landfill, which charges $9 for a run-through? I've got this defunct Sony TV (the manual for it says that it weighs 103 pounds) which is just hankering for a rapid descent into the disposal pit. And of course I know how much I weigh. So why wouldn't I go this route and get the vital information? I would think that should work. As long as the scale is certified. I still question what my weight was. I plan to take it to a different scale and see if it was even close. What would really be nice is to know what each wheel is carrying. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
picklebill Posted July 12, 2006 Share Posted July 12, 2006 Hi Greg, We just weighed our 18 foot Sunrader 2WD last month. It is pretty basic, no power steering and no air an cab or coach and a manual 4 speed. We weighed it at a CHP truck scale located between Willis and Ukiah, Ca. The weight was 4860 total, 3360 rear and 1500 front. We have one 5 gallon LPG tank which was full, the gas tank was full, and the fresh water tank and black water tanks were empty. We have the upgraded floater axle that is rated for 6000 Lbs, but the paperwork cautions that the chassis GVWR is what you still go by - brakes and tranny limits and such I assume. Ours has the Gardner Pacific weight tag which says the GVWR is 4650 Lbs, so with all the tanks full, Judy and I and the 2 dogs aboard, I would guess we are at a little over 5000Lbs. Incidentally, the CHP scale we used is only open part time, and when the sign on it says "scale closed" if you drive on the scale and look through the window of the office, there is a readout in there that is always left on. We found this to be true in most of Nevada as well. Have you re-weighed you rig yet and what did find out? 73's Bill WA7FBU Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
olddude Posted September 3, 2006 Share Posted September 3, 2006 (edited) I just weighted my 1990 Odyssey Americana 22', (full fiberglass 2 piece construction), 5 gal water, 1/2 tank of fuel, full propane, nothing inside (just bought it), front weight was 1700lbs, rear was 4150. GVW on door sticker is 6000lbs. Sure doesn't leave much room for anything or anybody!!!! Edited September 3, 2006 by olddude Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gulfstream Greg Posted September 4, 2006 Author Share Posted September 4, 2006 Well maybe mine is in the ball park then considering I was fully loaded. I would though like to have it weighed again like you guys weighing the front and back separately. I would really like to know what each wheel is holding and possibly try to balance things if one side is really heavy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alexandrea Posted October 7, 2006 Share Posted October 7, 2006 Scales - Most truck stops have scales for a very low fee. CAT scales are sometimes advertised. All these scales are inspected by the weights and measures division of the DOT. If you want to be sure your truck stop has scales, just try any of the 'major' ones. Flying J's all have scales and they have facilities coast to coast. I also like to stop at Flying J's because they give you a customer value card that saves 3 cents a gallon on gas, and their prices are always competitive. No, it's not a credit card, just a customer reward card. The food is always good, restroom facilities are clean, and they even have showers if you have to have one on the road. I've been from Alaska to Louisiana a number of times as I have a child in each of these states. I stop at the old Flying J anytime I get a chance. As a woman alone, I feel secure there. They have lots of on the road goodies and are a wi-fi hotspot too. 83 Dolphin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shoprat Posted October 8, 2006 Share Posted October 8, 2006 I got mine weighed at a grain elevator. Cost was 5 bucks. With a partial load of gas and propane- no water, it weighed 5860 pounds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geysergazers Posted August 13, 2007 Share Posted August 13, 2007 Hi, Folks Just thought I would add a little info to the Memory Bank here...Ours is an '86 21ft Dolphin with full floating axle, no generator, and Window AC in place of Roof Air. The Builder's Tag says GVWR-5950#, front-2050#, rear-4150#. Actual weight with 24gal fresh wtr, wastewater empty, 6# propane, 1/2 tank motor fuel, and 2 bicycles on the rear is front-1460#, rear-4160#. Lew Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bufbooth Posted August 13, 2007 Share Posted August 13, 2007 Regarding seeing dual rear wheels on non-motorhome toyotas, in the midwest, some of the truck rental places (U-Haul for example) had a fleet of Toyota trucks with the dual rear wheels, and I have seen a hand full of toyota pickup trucks with the dual rear wheels and their tailgate was marked "1-Ton". Dennis... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChairmanMeow7 Posted May 20, 2008 Share Posted May 20, 2008 I weighed my 1986 21ft. Winnie (with roof air) at the local landfill last fall and with a full tank of gas , propane and fresh water (holding tanks empty) I came up with a STAGERING 6800 Lbs. !! The scale was just intalled about a month earlier , so I am wondering if anybody else has a 21ft. Winnie and if they got a similar weight ? I realize from an earlier post that someone on here replied to me that Winnies were VERY , VERY heavy. But , at 6800 lbs. (and that's without a generator , or passengers or light amount of gear) , am I SERIOUSLY overloaded ??? Also , I do have the 6 lug rear axel , but only 5 lugs in the front. Does that mean that this had the rear axel upgrade done on it ? I also heard something about 5 lug to 6 lug adapters for the FRONT tires. Does it sound like I should DEFINITELY look into these ? Where might I find them (junkyard) ?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yostfmx Posted May 21, 2008 Share Posted May 21, 2008 Thats why the 5 lugs brake! 7000 lbs thats crazy... I'm hopping mine will weigh in at 3000 lbs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
turtle Posted May 21, 2008 Share Posted May 21, 2008 Also , I do have the 6 lug rear axel , but only 5 lugs in the front. Does that mean that this had the rear axel upgrade done on it ?I also heard something about 5 lug to 6 lug adapters for the FRONT tires. Does it sound like I should DEFINITELY look into these ? Where might I find them (junkyard) ?? Your 86 may be a 1985 cab/chassis. Check your vin on carfax (http://www.carfax.com/) They will do a check of the basic info with out any charge (you will see year of manufacture) If you have a 1985 you have a recalled/replaced axle. If you have a 1986 you have a factory installed axle (there may be some variation as late 85 early 86 is the change over year). You may also have left hand lug nut threads on the rear drivers side if it is an early axle (mine is this way). I picked up a set of 5 to 6 lug factory adapters when I got my 1 ton axle from a salvage yard 14 years ago. Toyota no longer makes this part so your only other alternative is to go with an aftermarket manufacture. Finding them in a salvage yard would be a miracle as they were only on early trucks. Toyota changed the front rotor system and went to a 6 lug to 6 lug adapter This company is the only one I know of that makes these front adapters for Toyota. http://www.customcommercialwheel.com/ The only advantage of this adapter is that all rims will be the same and fit on all wheel locations so that you can carry 1 spare for all 4 wheels (all 7 rims will be the same, 6 on the ground and 1 spare). You may want to measure your front torsion bars with a caliper. If they are smaller than 23 mm you may want to replace your front bars with 1 ton 23 mm bars. Downey off road makes these HD front suspension torsion bars. Here is what the factory 5 to 6 lug adapters look like: http://www.toymike.com/diesel/pics/front5to6adapter2.jpg Here is what the later 6 to 6 lug adapters look like http://www.toymike.com/sunrader/pics/frontRimAdaptor1.jpg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
turtle Posted May 21, 2008 Share Posted May 21, 2008 Thats why the 5 lugs brake! 7000 lbs thats crazy... I'm hopping mine will weigh in at 3000 lbs. Guess again..... Add 2500 lbs to your guess and you will be closer, even with no interior. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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