C/V weight limits

[billg27]

Another stupid van question about weight. My van weighs 6,160 with me, my gear and full of fuel. I took a heavy load to get out of Atlanta. The load was 3,368 plus my van weight of 6,160 for a total of 9,528. Thats almost right at my 9,600 door sticker. Question is, at scales do they go by what the door sticker says or by the 10,000# license plate? I also noticed that when you add up the front axle weight limits and the rear axle limits they total 10,384. So I was close on weight and the axle ratings gave me some loading margin of error.

By the way, I did drive extra cautious and the van handled the weight just fine.

 

[Dynamite 1]

most by the door sticker. some states will be more about the tire rating but you also have to be aware of each axle rating. all that only matters if they pull you over.

 

[mjmsprt40]

About being pulled over: In the vans, I would imagine a lot of that has to do with how the van looks to the officer. If it looks overweight, he'll want to check.

My van can be close to it's limits without showing "heavy". I've seen vans when I was doing courier work that pulled out resting on the rubber axle blocks, and any officer seeing that-- yep, you know that had to be too heavy.

 

[billg27]

I do have the correct size "E" range Firestone truck tires, so that's not a problem. And it was 2 equal weight 48" skids, on my short van it was very evenly loaded. Being its a 3500, even loaded like it was, it didn't look overloaded. I know I see 1500's on the road that look like they have no suspension left. LOL

 

[xmudman]

I see 1500's on the road that look like they have no suspension left. LOL

Saw a Chevy 1500 pickup at a masonry place one time, with half a cube of block, 14 bags of cement and a ton of sand in the bed. Tot it all up, you get 5000 lbs. Asked the guy how far he was going: "Philly, why?" I was stunned! 60 miles on your bump stops? Riiiight....

 

[mjmsprt40]

Saw a Chevy 1500 pickup at a masonry place one time, with half a cube of block, 14 bags of cement and a ton of sand in the bed. Tot it all up, you get 5000 lbs. Asked the guy how far he was going: "Philly, why?" I was stunned! 60 miles on your bump stops? Riiiight....

Pickup-- say no more. I've seen some insanely loaded pickup trucks. Scrap metal guys will load so heavy and so high that you wonder what on Earth they're thinking.

 

[billg27]

They have the simple attitude that its a truck. I can haul anything! LOL

 

[billg27]

Back to my original question. I was easily legal with each axle limit, with tire load rating and with my plates. Just really was pushing the 9,600# door sticker. If I had been scaled, would they have put me OOS or given me an over weight ticket?

 

[xiggi]

I'm cunfused. I think by your first post you were under both your plate and gvw rating? If so how could you get an overweight ticket?

Another question are you trusting the bowl weight or did you hit a cat scale? Makes no difference to dot if the bol is wrong and your actually overweight because of it.

Sent from my Fisher Price - ABC 123

 

[LDB]

Whatever the plate on the door says is the limit. That or less and you are fine, provided of course you are below axle limits as well. Anything over that sticker and you are in violation or if it's so concentrated a weight it puts either of the axles over the limit you are in violation.

 

[billg27]

I was just under my 9,600 weight. I'm just looking ahead to the day I'm offered something that might put me 100 or 200 over my 9,600# limit. I asked the fork driver to scale the skids for me, I then verified the weight. In this instance I was 100% legal. I'm only asking in case some day I go to a pickup and it does put me over by a slight amount.

 

[LDB]

I was just under my 9,600 weight. I'm just looking ahead to the day I'm offered something that might put me 100 or 200 over my 9,600# limit. I asked the fork driver to scale the skids for me, I then verified the weight. In this instance I was 100% legal. I'm only asking in case some day I go to a pickup and it does put me over by a slight amount.

There's legal and there's not legal. If your door plate says 9600 pounds and the scale says 9600 with the axle weights being legal you're fine. If the freight is some weird thing and it's right by the back doors and has 3600 on the front and 6k on the back axle you'll be illegal I suspect even though still legal on total weight. If the total weight is 9601 you're illegal no matter how it's balanced.

Being over by a slight amount is similar to being slightly dead. Both are all or nothing.