- Grand Canyon National Park to End Sale of Water in Throw-away Containers
- Crossroads Travel Trailers Recalled for Incorrect Wheel Hub
- The 2013 Palazzo from Thor Motor Coach
- California’s Morro Strand State Beach campground to close July 1
- Hershey Highmeadow Campground will offer sweet deal to campers and RVers
- Camping World Adding 11 New Stores
- Dutchmen Rubicon and Voltage Travel Trailers Recalled
- Beeville, TX to See Expansion of RV Sites
- U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to cut Campsites
- Idaho hopes to raise $1.9m from State Park Passport
- WiFi WPS security vulnerability found, major router makers affected
- Belkin Wi-Fi Range Extender Works Well
- HughesNet Will Decommission Horizon 2 Satellite
- Some Impressions of HP’s Wi-Fi Mobile Mouse
- RV Park & Campground Wi-Fi Pushed to the Limits
- Free Wi-Fi in all US Taco Bells by 2015
- Verizon Plans Wi-Fi “Hot Zones” To Ease Burden on Mobile Network
- WiFi Comes to Campgrounds in Ontario
- RVers want WiFi at campsites
- HP makes first WiFi mouse, no USB dongle required
- Older Single Women Living On The Road
- Dicor TPO RV Flooring Experiment
- Dicor Corporation demonstrates a stronger composite wall panel
- Campground Host Lives the Good Life
- RVer talks about Damage to her RV and the Campground
- Watch the making of a Pleasureway Class B Motorhome
- Fifth Wheel RV Versus Low Railroad Overpass
- Australian Goes Off Roading With a Travel Trailer
- Motorhome Burns at Flying J Fuel Pump
- How one RVer made his own tiny travel trailer
Archive for the ‘Fifth Wheel/Travel Trailers’ Category
Did you know that tires have a maximum speed rating? They do. This isn’t a big deal for passenger, light truck and motorhome tires because they usually have a MPH rating well above typical highway speed limits.
But nearly all Special Trailer (ST) tires used on all but the larget RV travel trailers and fifth wheels have a maximum speed rating of just 65 MPH.
You can drive faster than 65 MPH but in order to do that, however, you need to increase your cold inflation by about 10 psi (without exceeding the maximum PSI stamped on the tire) for every 10 mph over 65 that you are going, as well as decrease your load carrying capacity by 10%.
So, for example, a Carlisle ST225/75RR15 Load range E (10 ply) tire, has a load carrying capacity of 2830 lbs at 80 psi. But you will have a load carrying capacity of 2,547 lbs at 75 mph.
If you’re maxing out the load rating of your trailer’s tires it’s imperative that you keep your speed at or below 65 MPH. Driving faster will, at the least, shorten the life of the tires and may result in tire failure in the road.
What I’d like to have, and would be willing to pay for, is the full 2830 lbs load carrying capacity of the LRE tires and be able to drive at a more reasonable speed. Tire manufacturers should realize that RVers aren’t pulling 1960′s travel trailers anymore.
RV manufacturers provide load ratings on certification tags at various points inside or outside the RV. The certification tags are usually placed as follows (if you can’t locate the sticker, check with your dealer):
- Motor homes: on door edge/pillar, or near the driver’s position in the interior.
- Pickup Camper: on back exterior wall.
- Travel Trailers & Fifth Wheels: on front left-side exterior wall.
- Tow Vehicles: on driver’s side door frame.
To weigh your RV, a level, commercial platform scale is needed to obtain five weights… look in the yellow pages of your local telephone directory under “Scales—Public Weighers”:
For more information on weighing your RV see:
How to Weigh a Travel Trailer or Fifth Wheel
Why You Should Know Your RV Travel Trailer Weight
RV Tow Vehicle Basics… weight ratings, tow packages & hitches
RV Travel Trailer Hitch System Ratings