Weigh your rig!

We are talking about towing a fifth wheel here. If you are looking at a large unit like ours, it pays to do your homework ahead of time or you may end up overloaded before you know it! Not to mention the length of this RV is nearly the longest in the industry (40 feet). There are a few longer but not by much. You are still dealing with an overall length close to a full sized tractor trailer rig. It takes practice to handle a rig this large. If you are totally inexperienced you need to take the time to practice different maneuvers before you get on the road full time.

Check the required weight specifications on the unit you are looking at.

Weigh it! Don't take the word of the RV dealer. 

Learn and understand GCVWR, GVWR, and NCC. These all will affect your decision on which tow vehicle to use.

GCVWR or Gross Combined Vehicle Weight Rating is the combined total weight of the tow vehicle and the trailer. This is the maximum allowable combined towing weight of both the RV and truck fully loaded with fuel, water, LP gas, cargo and passengers.

GVWR or Gross Vehicle Weight Rating is the manufacturers maximum total weight of the towing vehicle fully loaded.

The NCC or Net Carrying Capacity is the unloaded weight of the RV and or the tow vehicle. You also need to note that with a 5th wheel the pin weight needs to be added to the load on the tow vehicle. The rule of thumb for pin weight is roughly 15-20% of the loaded RV weight. That is, if the fully loaded RV weighs 19,000 pounds the pin weight should be around 3,800 pounds.  That weight needs to be added to the GVWR of the tow truck. For example, If the GVWR is 26,000 pounds then the weight of the truck includes the weight of the truck bed, cargo and the pin weight of the RV.

It is also important to have an adequate 5th wheel hitch which is rated to handle the GVWR of the RV. Be sure that the hitch is designed to handle the pin weight of your respective 5th wheel.

Try to get enough information to determine the total overall weight of the entire rig. You need to know if your tow vehicle can stop that huge RV before you get pushed through a stop light that changes suddenly. Now that means you got to take all those confusing acronyms and add them up and know what you weigh going down the road. Truckers have to have their weight checked all the time. Currently, RVs aren't required to be weighed. This may change in the future. Do yourself and the other people on the road a big favor and know how much you weigh and know you can stop that thing if you need to!

There various commercial scales available that can weigh you for a small fee. Many truck stops have professional scales where you can get this done fairly quickly. Scales busy? Wait for a less active time so you don't aggravate the truckers. When your fully loaded, get on the scale and get the total rig weighed. Many scales can give you the weight of both your RV and your truck. If not, and I recommend this, go park your rig one night your are passing through in an area where you know there is a scale nearby and then weigh just the tow truck by itself after filling it with fuel. The next day, have the entire rig weighed. You can do this 2 or 3 times as you travel and get a pretty good idea what your average weight is from these figures. You can calculate the approximate pin weight by taking between 15-20% of the total RV weight. Add this figure to the total weight of your truck and you know how much weight is on your truck as your going down the road.

It's not rocket science. You can do it. You need to do it. You want to be safe. There is a very empty feeling in the pit of your stomach when you are going down a curvy 10% grade that's 10 miles long and you can't seem to slow down! Know your weight. Know your vehicle. Plan ahead. accidents can be avoided if you think about what you are doing ahead if time.