Howard,

Your writing style leads me to believe you are actually trying to provide a forum for intelligent discussion. That, I appreciate.

Since I am learning about the whole field of RVing I am going to shows and asking a lot of questions. I would like to use the forum as a means of "fact checking" some of the answers I am getting. Two examples:

1. I was at an RV show in Portland and one of the "sales" reps told me you can get a general feel for GVWR an RV is capable of by count the lugs on a tire.
2. I was told by a "sales" rep, different one this time, that the carry capacity I was looking at (1650#) could be changed because the chassis could carry more weight then represented by the dry weight + hitch weight + carry capacity. they only put on that carry capacity so as not to scare the customers.

I am not looking for you to answer these questions; only to tell me under which topic I should be addressing these types of questions. Being new and not wanting to start by having people tell me I don't know what I am doing, I only thought it right to get help right from the start.

I spent forty years in nuclear power where perfection is the expectation so, I might be a little more sensitive than some. Given time, I will get over that.

Thank you for your help,

Richard

Hi Richard,

Welcome to RV-Dreams and yes we try very hard to provide a forum for "intelligent discussion".

You can see from the number of topics and posts that our "Community Chat" get the most discussions followed by "Buying An RV" and then "RV Maintenance & Technical Tips".  Since it appears the questions of the type you posted came up in the realm of buying an RV, I'd say that's your best bet.

Now, I know you weren't looking for me to answer the questions, but I can't resist.

First, while there are some really good sales reps out there that actually own and use an RV, most are far more skilled in selling an RV than having knowledge of RVs.  So take everything a sales rep tells you with a grain of salt and verify what they tell you.  You correctly presume that this is a good place to do that.

Your first example is quite amusing.  The best way to get a "feel" for the GVWR of every RV is to look at the federal compliance label which tells you exactly the GVWR.  Every RV is required by law to have that label which also tells you the Gross Axle Weight Ratings, and the tire and rim sizes.

As for the second example, since June of 2008, there is another federally required label that tells you the maximum cargo carrying capacity.  Can the RV carry more?  Sure, but it will likely have a negative effect on the components of the RV over the long term and it could even be dangerous with respect to tires, wheels, and brakes.  If you carry any fresh water, then the cargo carrying capacity is reduced by the total weight of the water (8.3 pounds per gallon).  The cargo carrying capacity may be increased by upgrading components such as tires, wheels, axles, brakes, but only the manufacturer can change the federally required label, and they aren't too keen on doing that.

Finally, I'll say this.  If you are expecting perfection out of RV manufacturers, dealers, and repair facilities, you will be greatly disappointed.  :)

Richard, Howard is being diplomatic (my "feeling") in his characterizations of the sales reps, if I can be so bold as to say that. Any rep that gave such a vague statement like that "feel" comment to me would have my spidy sense tingling and cause me to run away.  Feel is a subjective thing... a mattress feels comfy, a tool feels solid in your hand, and so on.  With GVWR, there is no "feel". As Howard says... the required label tells you what you need to know... exactly, without "feeling". Armed with those numbers you can calculate a lot of things related to what goes into the trailer, what can tow it etc.

Yep, those are my opinions and feelings... hopefully they are are considered "intelligent discussion" also.

FWIW, Brian

Thank you both very much for the input and with help regarding where to "fact check".

We are not as brave as you all so we are looking to get something that will allow us to travel for about a year (we need both the RV & the thing to pull it). At that point (or before) we would decide whether "full-timing" is for us.

Most enticing to us is the idea of "debt free".

Again, thank you for your feedback. -Richard

To put it Un-politically correct, An RV salesman is just a tad lower than a used car salesman. If their mouth is open, generally they are either exaggerating the truth or, well, lying to make the sale.

Do your homework.  Find a brand you think you like and start tearing it down.  

Unfortunately, many of the RV builders all use the same components, with most made or owned by Lippert.  Quality control of 2nd and 3rd party items is lacking.