2012 Phaeton Owner's Manual - Tiffin Motorhomes

GENERAL INFORMATIONcan be taken to any drive-on scales or individual-wheel scales to determine that the final weight is withinspecified limits for the motor home. The procedure which can be used is as follows:First, drive the motor home onto the scales so that all wheels are on the scales; this provides the gross vehicleweight (GVW) of the vehicle and can be recorded as such. The GVW should not exceed the GVWR specifiedfor the vehicle. Second, drive the motor home so that the front wheels are off the scales and only the rearwheels remain on the scales; this provides the total weight of the vehicle, save for the front axle. This weightshould not exceed the total rating of the axles remaining on the scales. The front axle weight is determined bysubtracting the weight from the GVW that was obtained in the first step which was performed earlier. Theresult should not exceed the listed front-axle weight rating. Chapter 14 contains more specific axle-weightdeterminations.Weight Distribution Throughout the Motor HomeTo assure the maximum stability of the motor home under static (i.e., parked) and dynamic (i.e., moving)conditions, the distribution of the items to be carried and stored within the motor home and in the storage baysunderneath the motor home should be performed in such a manner to strive for reasonably even side-to-sideand front-to-rear dispersion of the weight of the stored items. This process will assure that the motor home isnot “lop-sided” in weight distribution (i.e., all the stored weight on one side and/or mainly towards the front orthe rear)—keeping a center of mass of the motor home essentially centered on a front-to-rear and side-to-sidebasis will also provide better control of the motor home when it is in motion.1-7