How much does your van weigh?

[daveb]

I have Brakeman rotors and pad plus I added their high temp brake fluid. I've said this before, I would love to go with the larger storm setup but that means going with new tires and rims and I have 8 tires and rims. That plus the 4K the brake system would really hurt the pocketbook. Besides the trucks I drive at work are heavier than my van and they don't stop like a sports car, so I'm used to it. Maybe I'll win the lotto.

[joey2cool]

Back to the weigth of your van...

SMB must weigh the van after conversion. At first I though they just estimated it, but found it is within 60 pounds of results from my local moving company's scales ($10 - certified if you want it).

Ford E250 RB 5.4L V8 2WD, 10 gal propane tank (full @ 8 gal.), 35 gal gas tank (full), driver @ 130 pounds , passenger @ 126 pounds, furnace, 3 cf frig, gaucho, 6 gal. grey water tank (empty), 10 gal pure water tank (empty), penthouse roof with bed, the rest is standard:

GAWR Front = 3,900 pounds
Front weight = 3,420 pounds

GAWR Rear = 5,520 pounds
Rear weight = 3,680

GVWR = 9,000 pounds
Total weight = 7,180 pounds

Plenty of capacity left over for the bikes, bags, water, and food. Tires are for 2W drive; 60 psi (front) and 80 psi (back).

[jage]

Empty Weight (completely stripped- no bed, no water, no tools):
*slightly under 1/4 tank diesel ~8 gallons
*included driver

Front Axle: 4450 lb
Rear Axle: 5120 lb
All Axles: 9530 lb

46% Front
54% Rear

Minus Driver Weight:
All Axles: 9225 lb

The tires I have are E/3525lb@65psi each, but I'll do tire pressure calcs with the loaded van.

[Greggd]

I am at 10,590 with Fuel , Water , accessories and a full refrigerator . This weight is without my Bride or any of the Grandsons . I tried to spec out heavier Axles at the time of our build but was told that they were not available from Dyna Trac but that they were considering them in the future and the future is here as they have the 80 configuration now available for a little additional money . I immediately set out to rectify what I felt was inadequate suspension and have finally made myself happy with the exception of the Brakeman Package that is very unnerving at times . I am seriously considering ordering another Van and setting it up like Herbs and the Dyna Trac 80's .
Greggde

[Ford_6L_E350]

Greg,

You can swap out the rear axle for a Dana 70 fairly cheaply. I got one off an E350 Cutaway SRW for $1500. That axle is a full floater rated for 7800#. I thought it was reasonable insurance.

Mike

[Greggd]

Thank you Mike ,
Food for thought I already pull the rear Dyna Trak 60 and swapped with one of my Sons as he wanted the rear Air Locker to match his front Dyna Trac , what I didn't consider at the time of this charitable contribution was that I now have a Semi Floater on our Van and will have to remedy that sometime in the near future . Gosh I Love Feeding The Beast !
Greggde

[DUKCSUN]

10,400 lbs

EB 50 with Aluminess front and rear.

That is a pretty much weighed down weight. I filled 4 jerry cans in the back, full tank of gas and loaded up the interior with all manner of heavy objects.

I didn't get the corners weighed,just the whole rig, sorry.

[stikine]

I went up to the county landfill & weighed in just before I left for 10 day trip to S Utah last autumn. Had 47 gal of diesel, plus 10 gal in fuel cans, 20 gal of water, food and 2 cases of ale for 10 day trip, plus wife & dog & 2 mountain bikes.

SMB WEIGHT & TIRE PRESS CALCULATIONS

GROSS WEIGHT 10780
REAR AXLE 5900
FRONT AXLE 4880

DETERMINING ACCURATE TIRE PRESSURE
REAR AXLE:
My tires rated @ 3970@80PSI 49.6
or 50 LBS/PSI
Rear axle weight/2= 2950.0
2950 divided by 50= 59.0
Add 15% safety margin= 68

FRONT AXLE:
Front axle weight/2= 2440.0
2440 div by 50= 48.8
Add 15% safety margin= 56

CURRENT TIRES:
TOYO OPEN COUNTRY M/T
·******* 295/70/17 E – 10 PLY (33X11.50R17)

·******* MAX LOAD: 3970 LBS @ 80 PSI

[j.whitbread]

A company cannot arbitrarily increase the GVWR over what the manufacture rates a vehicle. UNLESS they spend the money for crash testing at that higher value. Even if you put in 10K lb. axles, the rating is still whatever the unit was crashed at to determine FMVSS Certification. (Seats tearing out of the floor, gas tanks leaking in the rollover, windshields retaining integrity, and a whole list of other items).

Anyone who publicly says their 10Klb units are over the rated GVWR are playing with fire should you ever be involved in an accident and a smart attorney starts sniffing around SMBF and sees your post. All they have to say is you overloaded your vehicle. End of story.

[carringb]

Originally Posted by j.whitbread

A company cannot arbitrarily increase the GVWR over what the manufacture rates a vehicle. UNLESS they spend the money for crash testing at that higher value.

Crash testing is not required for a re-certified GVWR. Only supporting engineering documents are needed. The components that require crash testing are mostly GVWR independent (such as fuel tanks.... which TF has crash tested). Performance measures for up-rating pretty much only focus on braking systems. And... a certified up-rating is only required if you sell the vehicle. At least in Oregon, private operators may up-rate their trucks by paying for the more expensive registration. Doing this is actually commonplace.