ATF: MPG - tech question - load limits

bigmaho

Active Member
I had an axle go bad on my 181 after 4 months of use. Lippert replaced it, so all is well (though I have to pay for new tires). But here's my question. I know I didn't overload the MPG. It states on the door the load limit is 892 lbs above dry weight. With a full water load that brings it down to around 492 lbs. I added a 2nd Marine battery (65 lbs) but other than that it's mostly sleeping bags, groceries and pots and pans. 150 lbs tops. But I don't know what Heartland considers the dry weight. Is the 1st marine battery included? The fridge? the toilet? the 2 propane tanks? the gas in them? etc. Also, what happens when the camper is not moving and there are people in it. Would 4 people having dinner be considered overloading? I now travel as light as possible and never carry a full water load. But I don't want to go through another axle!
Thanks,
Billy
 

marc515

Well-known member
From what I was told by Heartland Customer Service, the battery is not included in the dry weight number on the yellow sticker. The "Empty" propane tanks are included in the dry weight. The fridge and toilet are also incuded in the dry weight.

As for the weight of "Stuff": I actually weighed about 95% of the stuff we carry in our MPG 181, and it adds up to 546 pounds of "Stuff"; "Stuff" adds up quickly. I only carry propane in one tank.
 

kb0zke

Well-known member
Having a known base weight is a great idea, and one that is frequently recommended. We brought our Foretravel home a month ago, and after we're sure we're not going to get any more frost I'm going to dewinterize it, fill the water tank, fill the propane tank, fill the fuel tank, and then weight each corner. I've already pulled almost everything out of it, so the weight will be a real empty weight. Then I'll weigh everything that goes in (groceries, clothes, etc.) and we'll have a pretty good idea of what it actually weighs. Also, if one axle is closer to capacity than the other we will know better how to load it. At least that' the theory. We'll see how it pans out in real life.
 

PeternLiane

Well-known member
Why don't you leave it as is and take it to a scale and weigh your rig and TV together? It cost me 10 bucks to weigh ours. We were pleasantly surprised at the weight of our rig and TV. They both were way under what we thought and what we were told. So before you believe what everyone says go find out for real. I feel so much better after we did.
 

kb0zke

Well-known member
There isn't much stuff in it, and we want to make sure that everything is clean and ready to go, so it won't take more than a few minutes to get everything out. Right now the biggest delay is all the rain we've gotten. We've gone from major drought to flooding. I'm sure that by July we'll be wanting the rain back, but right now I'd settle for 3-4 days of severe clear.
 
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