Jayco 2011 pinnacle, Owner'S Manual

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SECTION 3
PRE-TRAVEL INFORMATION
W
EIGHING
Y
OUR
T
OW
V
EHICLE
& RV
Now that your RV is loaded you should have
it weighed. The actual weight of the RV,
passengers, all options, liquids, the hitch
weight of your towed vehicle and your
personal cargo is important for you to know
so you do not exceed the GVWR.
There are two important factors when loading
your RV, total weight and balance. It is
imperative that you verify compliance within
all applicable weight ratings. Overloading your
RV will void the
Towable Limited Warranty
and the warranties of many component part
manufacturers.
Have your RV weighed periodically at a
public scale to determine the proper load
distribution.
Keep in mind that individual
scales will operate differently. The
surroundings of the scale need to be
adequate to accommodate weighing each
side of your RV.
To weigh your tow vehicle and RV
Read through all the weighing instructions
before you begin. If you have further
questions, consult with your dealer or the
scale operator. Your RV must be weighed
fully loaded (that is with food, clothing, fuel,
water, propane, supplies, etc).
1. Weigh the RV including the tongue
weight, while detached from the tow
vehicle. This actual overall weight must be
less than or equal to the GVWR for safe
operation. If the overall weight is greater
than the GVWR, some contents must be
removed until the actual overall weight is
less than or equal to GVWR.
2. Hitch the RV to your tow vehicle. Weigh
the RV and the tow vehicle to determine
the GCW. Make sure that this rating is
less than or equal to the GCWR as
specified by the manufacturer of your tow
vehicle. If this overall weight is greater
than the GCWR, some contents must be
removed to bring the combination into
compliance with the listed ratings.
3. Weigh the RV while attached to but
excluding the tow vehicle. This will result
in the actual weight that is exerted on all
of the RV tires. This weight may be
subtracted from the overall RV GVWR to
determine the actual “tongue” weight.
4. With the RV still attached to the tow
vehicle, weigh each wheel position
separately to ensure each tire is not
overloaded.
To determine the wheel position weight:
5. Pull the RV onto the scale so only one tire
is on the scale. Record the weight. Your
RV must remain as level as possible on
the scale (even though an axle or side is
not physically on the scale). Obviously, to
obtain the side-to-side weights, there must
be enough space on either side of the
scale to accommodate the RV being
partially off the scale.
6. To calculate the opposite side of the RV
wheel position weight, subtract the first
side’s weight from the weight determined
in step #3.
If there is a difference in the weights on one
side of the vehicle as compared to weights on
the other side, components (tires, wheels,
brakes, springs, etc.) on the heavier side
Store items in areas designated for
storage. Do not store anything in the areas
reserved for the converter, electrical panels
or the furnace or water heater, etc.
Total weight of your tow vehicle and RV
must not exceed the GCWR.
Do not
assume that you can tow a RV that
happens to be within the capacity of the
tow vehicle hitch. By doing so, you may
exceed the total GCWR of your tow vehicle
and RV towing combination.
It is important to redistribute the load to
avoid component failure as well as to
improve the handling characteristics of the
vehicle.
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