What does my Fiber Stream Weigh? - Page 2 - Fiberglass RV
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View Poll Results: Can you guess my Travelling Weight?
2000 to 2100 pounds 3 10.00%
2100 to 2200pounds 1 3.33%
2200 to 2300 pounds 0 0%
2300 to 2400 pounds 1 3.33%
2400 to 2500 pounds 1 3.33%
2500 to 2600 pounds 2 6.67%
2600 to 2700 pounds 4 13.33%
2700 to 2800 pounds 2 6.67%
2800 to 2900 pounds 4 13.33%
2900 to 3000 pounds 5 16.67%
3000 to 3100 pounds 1 3.33%
3100 to 3200 pounds 1 3.33%
3200 to 3300 pounds 0 0%
3300 to 3400 pounds 4 13.33%
3400 to 3500 pounds 1 3.33%
Voters: 30. You may not vote on this poll

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Old 03-25-2006, 10:22 PM   #21
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My FS when nearly empty is 2,200 pounds.
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Old 03-25-2006, 11:51 PM   #22
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Quote:
My FS when nearly empty is 2,200 pounds.
Yes, Benita, That makes sense to me.
I believe I remember the differences between out units. You have a little more weight to your interior. Mine is just the fiberglass shell, painted on the inside much like the very first Bolers. No Ensolite, No Reflectix, No Rat Fur, and My panneling is only on the interior partition walls. You also have a roof mounted air conditioner and a separate furnace that I do not have. And I seem to remember that you have more than one spare tire...
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Old 03-26-2006, 12:32 AM   #23
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Good topic Fred!
But given your parameters, I can't play either. We gotta lead egg! Loaded and ready to roll for an extended trip ours weighs right at 2T, w/ 600# tongue wt. Extensive frame and tongue alterations, 15" wheels/tires, 3000 watt generator an extra battery and 2 full propane tanks on the tongue all contribute. The WDH is required but the sway control doesn't seem to do anything. For our needs, our one-of-a-kind 17' FD Casita functions like a dream. 17' was before 2 ' extension for the generator and the A/C unit on top also contributes to the weight.
Perhaps starting this discussion will contribute to an awareness of a little of the physics involved in towing and more importantly stopping our TT's.
Enjoy all the aspects (including planning and execution of mods) of owning one of our FG jewels,
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Old 03-27-2006, 09:00 PM   #24
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Quote:
I look forward to the specs, but of course there's no rush.
[b]overall length: exactly 16'-0" from tip of ball socket to original rear bumper*
[b]body length:13'-2"
[b]body width: 80"
[b]interior height: 76"
[b]outside height: 92" (factory spec**)
[b]axle capacity: 3500 Lbs.
[b]tire size: 4.80 x 12" (factory spec***)
[b]refrigerator: 4 cubic foot
[b]fresh water tank: 15 gallons
[b]hot water heater: 6 gallons
[b]gray water holding tank: 13 gallons
[b]black water holding tank: 13 gallons
[b]bed size: Twin Beds: 27" x 75" each, King Bed: 75" x 80"

* I added a 4" hollow bumper for sewer hose storage, making mine 16'-4"
** Due to my "flipped axle", mine is 97" to the top of the roof, and 101" to the top of the Fantastic-Fan "dome"
*** I have 5.30 x 12" tires
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Old 03-28-2006, 02:57 PM   #25
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Great info, Frederick!

Just one little question... is that 3500 lb per axle, or total for both of them? It sounds like way too much for each axle (especially with 12" tires), but 1750 lb seems like a strange single-axle capacity. Maybe each axle is higher (e.g. 2000 lb), but the trailer is rated for a total of 3500 lb between them...

I know the fiberglass shell is thin, but if the King bed runs long (80") direction across the trailer (and 75" along the seats in the fore-aft direction), and the outside of the body is 80" wide, there nothing left for the 'glass! I'm guessing that all dimensions are approximate, the body does taper a bit bottom-to-top (so maybe the 80" is at the top?) and the shell without lining is probably only 1/8" anyway.
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Old 03-28-2006, 04:43 PM   #26
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Quote:
Great info, Frederick!

Just one little question... is that 3500 lb per axle, or [b]total for both of them?

Maybe each axle is higher (e.g. 2000 lb), but the trailer is rated for a total of 3500 lb between them...
Actually, 3500 Lb is "stopping capacity" of the brakes on the leading axle, (trailing axle is brakeless) according to the doccumentation. There is no doccumentation of the axles' capacity. There is nothing legible on my axles, themselves. Each spring assembly has 4 leaves.
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Old 03-28-2006, 04:57 PM   #27
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Quote:
I'm guessing that [b]all dimensions are approximate, the body does taper a bit bottom-to-top (so maybe the 80" is at the top?) and the shell without lining is probably only 1/8" anyway.
80" is the measurement at the widest point, near the bottom. Near the top it is 78" because the "Child's Upper Bunk" measures 27" x 78", with a 2" thick mattress. (all other cushions are 4" thick) The taper is so slight as to be just discernable. I can verify, after removing the windows, installing new putty tape, and re-installing them, that the shell is 1/8" thick.
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Old 03-28-2006, 05:57 PM   #28
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Actually, 3500 Lb is "stopping capacity" of the brakes on the leading axle, (trailing axle is brakeless) according to the doccumentation. There is no doccumentation of the axles' capacity. There is nothing legible on my axles, themselves. Each spring assembly has 4 leaves.
Now I'm really curious. Frederick, do you know how wide and long (and perhaps how thick) the leaves are? The trailer axle world is full standards, or at least very common practices, so given the dimensions the capacity can probably be guessed. I'm wondering how much extra capacity was built in compared to a single-axle design, to account for the uneven sharing of load.

I had forgotten about the one-axle braking setup. The brake size is also indicative of axle series and thus potential capacity. With the 12" wheel size, I would guess 7" brakes, but that doesn't sound big enough for 3500 lb of "stopping capacity" (which would normally suggest 10" diameter by 2.25" wide drums).
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Old 03-28-2006, 06:11 PM   #29
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Quote:
...Near the top it is 78" because the "Child's Upper Bunk" measures 27" x 78", with a 2" thick mattress.
Thanks for the clarification, and the reminder that there is also (in some Fiber Streams) an upper bunk running across the width of the trailer at the front.
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Old 03-29-2006, 01:32 PM   #30
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Now I'm really curious. Frederick, do you know how wide and long (and perhaps how thick) the leaves are?
The leaves are 1/4" thick and 1-3/4" wide.
The longest leaf is 22-1/2", the next is 17", the next is 13", and the shortest is 10-1/2"
(this was measured along the curve)
The direct length between mounting bolt centerlines is 21".
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Old 03-29-2006, 01:47 PM   #31
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Quote:
The brake size is also indicative of axle series and thus potential capacity. With the 12" wheel size, I would guess 7" brakes, but that doesn't sound big enough for 3500 lb of "stopping capacity" (which would normally suggest 10" diameter by 2.25" wide drums).
The Brake Drums are 8" diameter by 2" wide.
I also found a partially decomposed stick-on label on the center of each axle tube:
(styleized TN logo) Trade Na****s Axle C****on, Elkhart, Indiana
(The number of asterisks (*) are completely arbitrary on my part)
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Old 03-29-2006, 08:23 PM   #32
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I'll have to do some measuring when I get home, but I think the Fiber Stream's springs are normal for the same series of axle I have in my Boler, which are good for 3500 lb/pair in 4-leaf configuration. The width sounds right, the eye-to-eye spacing is actually a bit shorter than mine (probably to allow closer axle spacing, but it makes them stiffer), and I don't know about the thickness. Maybe they actually put in two 3500-lb axles, which seems like overkill.

It's unfortunate sometimes that the RV world in centred around Elkhart, Indiana: it makes it hard to find an obscure axle company when "Elkhart" doesn't narrow the search. Dexter, for instance, is there.

I can see the 8"x2" brakes having just enough capacity for 3500 lb per pair of trailer weight, given the standards of the trailer industry. I find my 10"x2.25" drums work fine under normal conditions, but can't provide enough force to do their share at maximum braking; that's apparently okay with the trailer component companies. The Fiber Stream's small overall tire diameter will help somewhat, putting the brakes at less of a leverage disadvantage than they would be with a larger tire, but the end result is about the same as the Boler:
  • B1700 stock tire
    • size approx 205/78-14: nominal overall diameter 676 mm (26.6")
    • drum is 10" (254 mm) diameter
    • braking force at tread is 38% of force at drum surface
  • Fiber Stream stock tire
    • size 4.80x12: nominal overall diameter 20.5" (521 mm)
    • drum is 8" (203 mm) diameter
    • braking force at tread is 39% of force at drum surface
  • Fiber Stream upgraded
    • tire size 5.30x12; nominal overall diameter 21.9" (557 mm)
    • drum is 8" (203 mm) diameter
    • braking force at tread is 37% of force at drum surface
The 12" tire specs are from a randomly chosen website: Trailer Parts Superstore. And yes, I know I ignored the compression of the tire and thus overestimate the effective diameter and brake disadvantage.

It seems strange to me to put so much more load capacity in the axles than the tires they depend on. In the end, it doesn't matter how hard the brakes can grab if the tire slips because it isn't carrying enough of the trailer weight, and it doesn't matter that one axle could hold the whole trailer up if only one pair of the tires can't. It's a good thing it seems to work better than it sounds like it should!
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