Fiber Stream GVW set at 5000 lbs !! - Fiberglass RV
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Old 08-18-2013, 04:16 PM   #1
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Name: JD
Trailer: Fiber Stream
Maryland
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Fiber Stream GVW set at 5000 lbs !!

Registered my Fiber Stream in Maryland on Friday and I just noticed the original title (and therefore my MD registration and title) shows 5,000 GVW.

Can this be right??


There's NO WAY this little guy could correctly be set at this weight.

I have a 1972 28' Airstream Overlander that is correctly around this GVW.

Can any other Fiber Stream owners provide some info and what GVW their titles show?? I will go back to DMV, but want to have my facts in hand.

Perhaps there's a little too much fiber in my fiber stream??

Thanks.
Dave in Baltimore, MD USA
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Old 08-18-2013, 05:11 PM   #2
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Trailer: 1988 16 ft Scamp Deluxe
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Cricket had the same problem in Minnesota! Check out this thread: http://www.fiberglassrv.com/forums/f...ght-57398.html

If it were me, and it's not, I'd get a certified weight for the trailer at a weight scale and take it to DMV. In Oregon, registration is based on length, not weight. But, if it was weight... I'd get it corrected! YMMV

See this thread for more info: http://www.fiberglassrv.com/forums/f...rld-43010.html as you can see Frederick's Fiber Stream weighs approx. 3,250 lbs and he says it's "bloated."

Best of luck!
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Old 08-18-2013, 10:46 PM   #3
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JD1994 View Post
I just noticed the original title (and therefore my MD registration and title) shows 5,000 GVW.

Can this be right??
In a word, no.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Fiber Stream Fact Sheet
3. Tandem axles equipped with electric brakes on the forward axle capable of stopping 3500 lbs.

24. Total weight is 1700 lbs.
When I first bought mine in 2004, I removed everything that wasn't permanently attached, including the propane tanks, battery, spare tire, etc. and then took it to a vehicle scale where it weighed 2000 lbs. Then I added everything back, including camping gear like dishes and sheets and towels and stuff; took it back to the scale where it weighed 2620 lbs. In the 9 years since then I have added modifications like doubling the steel in the frame, adding a roof Air Conditioner, and more stuff, and it now weighs around 3300 lbs. packed.

I don't know what the title says, since it's in the safety deposit box at the bank; and I've never looked for that info on the title. California "Permanent Trainer Identification" paperwork in the trailer has no place to indicate GVW.
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Old 08-18-2013, 11:06 PM   #4
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Trailer: Boler (B1700RGH) 1979
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Donna D. View Post
If it were me, and it's not, I'd get a certified weight for the trailer at a weight scale and take it to DMV. In Oregon, registration is based on length, not weight. But, if it was weight... I'd get it corrected!
I don't know what an actual weight would prove, although I suppose it would help with the discussion. The registered weight is the amount it is legally allowed to weigh when on the road, not what it weighs empty. It should, of course, be no more than the trailer can safely weigh when loaded, but other than that physical limitation there is no "correct" value.

The previous discussion which Donna linked gets into some of the consequences of the registered weight, which might include taxation, or requirements for brakes (which the Fiber Stream has, but only on the front axle as originally built). Due to these factors, a higher registered weight than required to cover the highest loaded weight it might ever reach is not desirable.

It would make sense it the registered weight matched the GVWR shown on the placard on the trailer. What does that say, if there is one?

Many trailers have the Gross Vehicle Weight Rating - and likely thus the registered weight - set at the total axle capacity. Perhaps there's the Fiber Stream's problem: it has tandem axles, perhaps rated at 2500 pounds each (GAWR), or maybe someone guessed that's what they're rated for. Of course, those of us who have followed the adventures of Fiber Stream owners in this forum would have trouble accepting the idea that the frame is good for 5000 pounds - it seems to have trouble with it's own weight. What are the axles rated at?

For comparison, I note in the BigfootRV specs for the 2500 series travel trailers, the 21-foot rear bed model ( 25B21RB ) has a 7500 pound GVWR (corresponding to two 3500 lb axles and a 500 pound tongue weight capacity), even though it "only" weighs 4205 pounds dry. Do we seriously think people add 3295 pounds of stuff to these trailers?
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