Hi Chris,
In Jim Dunmyer's reply to your note, he wrote,
>The best thing is that fella who Terry talks about, where he weighs
>every single wheel. He'll pick up a side-to-side imbalance that would be
>difficult to see with most motor truck scales. The scale at our quarry
>is raised instead of in a pit, so such measurements would be impossible
>on it.
1 - Chris, you may want to send my guy a postcard inquiring about his
schedule for weighing RVs. His name is John Anderson. In February 1995,
we had our Airstream weighed again, at the State Rally in Sarasota, FL.
The name of his service is "A'Weigh We Go" Recreation Vehicle Weight
Safety Program. At the time, his sponsors were Michelin Tires,
Freightline of Grand Rapids, MI and Cabriolet Custom Vehicles.
His address was 3152 Parkway, Suite 13-155, Pigeon Forge, Tennessee 37863-3343.
In 1995, he had voice mail service at (409) 327-0079 Extension 5225.
This is old information and I have not verified it. But...., perhaps
this is enough data to get you started on tracking him down.
Net result of his latest weighing was, our '77 31' Airstream weighed in
at 8,800 pounds which meant each of our four tires needed 50 PSI to be
within the load limits at 60 mph. If we drove 65 mph, we'd be exactly at
the load limits. At 75 mph, we've be at minus 10% of the load limits.
John has the data to support his recommendations and freely shares it
with Airstreamers (and anyone else who asks). Fifteen minutes with him
and it's blatantly obvious that only the foolhardy take a cavalier
attitude toward load limits of tires and the PSI needed to stay cool.
2 - On a different topic, we have towed many RVs ranging from 15' to
35' and the ones with the greatest stability were those whose tongue
weight was at the high end of the 10-15% recommended range. I have
intentionally loaded this Airstream for 1,000 spring bars. She has
excellent manners when trucks try to get close and flirt with her.
3 - Last comment. Michelin puts out a Recreational Vehicle Tire Guide
booklet (29 pages - 8 1/2" by ll"). In it, on pages 16-29, are charts
showing the exact tire pressure needed in each tire (by size and
load rating) to ensure safe functioning. Perhaps a local Michelin
dealer could obtain it for you. If not, in 1995, the 800# was 847-3435.
Chris, you didn't ask for any of this. But, if you are interested
in knowing FACTS, this can be an excellent source. Unfortunately,
the data is five years old. It may lead to a brick wall. If so,
my apologies. Then again, it may lead to the mother lode.
Stay sharp and drive smart,
Terry
PS - We roll west in September with our '77 31' Airstream.
The tow vehicle will be our '78 Ford Van E250 (460 CID)
with a highly enhanced trailer towing package. Nine
months later, we'll be back in the northeast. All of
our tires are new and inflated close to the maximum.
********************************************
Websites useful for restoring Airstreams
http://www.tompatterson.com
http://www.phrannie.org/phredex.html
http://www.geocities.com/~tctour/links
http://www.rvsolarelectric.com
http://www.escapees.com/website/index2.htm
http://www.airstream.net/
