Lance 1130, Owner'S Manual

Page: 49 / 132

49
TRAILER AND TOW
VEHICLE
MATCHING TRAILER AND TOW VEHICLE
Selecting the right combination requires understand-
ing a few guidelines. Your Lance Trailer Dealer can
be a valuable source of information when properly
matching a trailer to your tow vehicle.
A Federal Certification Label is required by law on all
motor vehicles. On tow vehicles it is usually located
on the driver side door post. It lists the Gross Vehicle
Weight Rating (GVWR), the maximum weight at which
the vehicle may be operated. It also provides a Gross
Axle Weight Rating (GAWR), the maximum weight
allowed for each axle.
RV’s become overloaded when people put too many
things into them. There is no easy way to determine
the weight you’ve loaded, so there’s a temptation
to keep loading until every available space if filled.
People are loading by volume, but weight is far more
important. Unfortunately, you may have exceeded the
load-carrying capacity of the tires before everything
is on board. The only way to tell if your tow vehicle/
trailer combination is overloaded is to weigh them
fully loaded.
The most critical point about weighing a vehicle is
that it must be weighed with everything on board that
will be there while you’re traveling. That means you
must weigh the tow vehicle/trailer with passengers,
supplies, food, water, propane and the tow vehicle full
of fuel. Bear in mind that water weighs 8.3 lbs per gal-
lon, gasoline weighs 6.74 lbs per gallon and propane
weighs 4.2 lbs per gallon. These items alone can add
over 300 lbs. Limiting your on-board water until you
arrive at your destination will lower your total weight.
You must know the actual load on the axles and
wheels, and there’s no other way to do it other than
on a commercial scale.
In addition to knowing the total weight, it is crucial
to know the weight on each end of each axle of your
trailer. That’s the only way you can find out if the load
is both within the tire capacity, as well as whether or
not the load is properly distributed.
You should be able to find certified scales by looking
in your Yellow Pages for moving and storage com-
panies, farm suppliers, gravel pits, recycling compa-
nies or commercial tow vehicle stops. Be sure to call
in advance to determine whether the facility offers
public weighing services, their hours of operation and
any fees that might be involved.
WARNING
Failure to properly match trailer and tow
vehicle can result in undesirable handling
characteristics and create a safety hazard.
Do not load your vehicle beyond its gross vehicle
weight rating (GVWR) and/or gross axle weight rat-
ings (GAWR). Both of these ratings are given on an
identification label normally located at the driver’s
doorpost area.
In addition to knowing the overall weight that can be
safely loaded in or attached to the tow vehicle, you
should know how to distribute the weight in the trailer
so that correct amounts of weight are placed on each
tow vehicle axle. Proper weight distribution is re-
quired for driving stability and will assure that the tow
vehicle/trailer is not rear, front or side heavy. Heavy
weights placed at the rear end of the trailer may
cause undesirable handling characteristics
When loading the trailer, store heavy gear first, keep-
ing it on or close to the floor. Place heavy items over
the trailer’s axle area. Store only light objects on high
shelves. Distribute weight to obtain even side-to-side
balance. Secure loose items to prevent weight shifts
that could affect the balance of your trailer.
TIRES
Tow vehicle tires are available in a variety of load
ratings and sizes, and if the tires you currently have
cannot handle the load, it may be possible to replace
your tires with tires of higher pound capacity. Bear in
mind, that the ultimate capacity of the tow vehicle is
determined by the weakest link in the system. This
could be the tires, wheels, suspension or brakes.
The maximum ratings are molded into the side of
the tire. The sidewall of the tire shows maximum and
minimum inflation pressure for that load. Be sure you
also know the load and inflation pressure ratings for
your wheels as well. Often, these are stamped on the