Cargo Carrying Capacity


Grayshadow

New Member
I am new to these forums, though I have been lurking and reading for quite some time. I would like to thank all the folks that take the time to help all us newbies. The info/advice is great.

My wife and are are selling our way too large home and going semi_full timing. We will be sailing the North Channel of Georgian Bay (Great Lakes) in the summer. We have been doing that for several years now. In the Spring, Fall and winter we want to RV. We can visit family and friends in the spring and fall and head to warmer clim in the winter and explore. We have decided a A class MH + toad will be the best for us.

In doing my research I have found answers to a lot of my questions but not much on this topic. One of my concerns in deciding what to purchase is the CCC. I really don't know how much Cargo Carrying Capacity I will need. I realize that every case is different. Some couples will need very little and others may want to move all their belongs from a house into an RV. What I am looking for is some opinions on what is "reasonable". I don't want to bring everything but I do want to be able to have the carrying capacity to be able to have a couple of lawn chairs, fishing tackle, laptop, tools (I am a mechanic by trade and must have some of my tools :) ), additional electronics, in addition to food, clothes, bedding, linens, cookware etc, etc, etc. You get the picture. I don't want to have to consider every little thing as to if we can carry the weight safely. I want to be able to take a grandkid or 2 with all their stuff on a trip without worrying about the extra weight etc. I have seen HM's with a CCC of under 700 lbs and others with well over 6000 lbs of CCC. What should I be looking at as a "reasonable CCC" for a fulltime lived in MH to have a comfortable lifestyle?
 

akjimny

Senior Member
Re: Cargo Carrying Capacity

Hi Tim and welcome to the RVUSA Forum. The Jimmy Theory has always been "If some are good, more are better." :laugh: :laugh: so I would go with the largest CCC I could afford. As long as I don't have to tote it on my back, I WILL bring the kitchen sink and everything else I can think of that I will need.

If you are considering a Class A, size matters. A large Class A diesel pusher should have enough carrying capacity to meet your needs, plus pull any toad you want to drag along. On the other hand, a smaller gas engine rig may not have enough. :eek: :eek:

I don't know of any way to accurately estimate the weight of all the stuff we tend to stow in or motorhomes. One of the other forum members may have a formulae to work out the average weights. I know I always seem to take too much food (which doesn't weight much), and I try to travel with half a tank of fresh water. I know my toolbox weighs about 70 pounds, and the oil, antifreeze and other spare parts probably add another 50.

Reading this I see I haven't been much help, but we have some pretty smart folks here who will come up with better answers. Welcome to the wonderful world of RVing. :) :)
 

Kirk

Senior Member
Re: Cargo Carrying Capacity

I guess I am not an expert, but we have lived for 11 years in a gas chassis morothome that has a ccc of 2400#. It does take some careful planning and weeding out of all duplicate items, but it has served us very well over the past years. At present we are parked in Sequim, WA for the rest of this month before moving down to Oregon for the next couple of months.

The best size will depend upon you and the lifestyle that you wish to lead. For some people big may be better, but big also limits where you will be able to go with it. We like the more out of the way places and so have chosen to live in a 36' motorhome. The size of your chosen tow vehicle is also important so take that into consideration. Check the different weight limits and the relations of the axle weights to the location of storage space.
 

Grayshadow

New Member
RE: Cargo Carrying Capacity

Thank for your reply. Gettting information from people that are actually fulltiming helps.

I was originally thinking of going to a 40' or there about Diesel Pusher. Then I found out that there is a really big hassle here in Ontario getting and keeping a Class DZ (over 11000kg with air brakes) license. After age 65 you have to do the test and full medical every year. A real pain with an expense every year. Because of this I have tenatively scaled back my plans to a Gas A class in the 34-38 ft range with a total weight of Motorhome and toad under 11000kg so my class G will be good enough.

One thing I have found out is that for the most part the 36' or so MH often has a higher CCC than the larger models of the same manufacturer. They normally use the same axles under the 36'-40' models so the extra size adds weight that is removed from the CCC. So it would seem that you can trade a bit of size for a bit more CCC.

I would still like to hear from other full timers as to what their rig's CCC are to get a better feel for what people are able to live with and still have a reasonable life style.
 

Kirk

Senior Member
Re: Cargo Carrying Capacity

You can get a pretty respectable capacity with a modern gas chassis, but you do need to make sure what it has because there are gas chassis that range from 18K to 26K in gross weight rating, which is the ultimate limit to what any RV can carry. We and also friends of ours from NB, have both done quite well in gas chassis RVs. It does require a bit more planning and also a need to learn about and understand the weight limits.
 

Clay L

Senior Member
Re: Cargo Carrying Capacity

We have 2800 pounds of CCC and would like to have 3500 or more.
It is amazing how the stuff you take on board adds up - at least for us.
 
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