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Weight limits.  Big deal!
If you think that being a few pounds over the GVWR or GCWR of your tow vehicle is not that big of a deal, or it�s not worth the hassle to do the math to figure it all out, then read the following story that a fellow RV�er has allowed me to share with you.

Jim writes�..
Click on the links below to download PDF files instead of viewing the web page or for easier printing.

How much weight?
How to weigh?
How long?
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[In 1999] my dad was towing a pop-up camper up north with his mini-van. In the van he had himself, my mother, my younger brother and my two kids.  Someone suddenly stopped in front of him for one reason or another (we'll never know since the jerk left after the accident) and my dad knew he couldn't make the stop in time.  He could see small children in the backseat of the car he was following, so he knew he didn't want to rear-end the car.  He also had no shoulder on the right side to speak of, so there was no way around that way.

What he decided to do is controversial, I'll admit, but it could have worked and I doubt I would have done anything different.  He decided to try and make an emergency LEFT turn onto a side street that happened to be there.  He didn't make it.  He was hit broadside by a full size Chevy PU.  My mother was killed instantly, and my son suffered serious injuries to his face which scarred him physically and mentally forever.  My point of dragging out this whole terrible story is as follows:  After the accident, the state crash investigator came to the scene.  They spent hours gathering information about both vehicle.  They measured brakes, tire tread...etc.  They also took a great deal of time investigating his towing setup.  They weighed the truck and trailer.  They checked his hitch to make sure is was the right class...etc.  They calculated all the GVWR and GCWR.  In the end they found that he had not been negligent of any unsafe towing practices, although they did find him at fault for the accident.

The crash scene investigator told me on the day the report was released that my dad had been very close to overloading his truck, and that if they had found he had been overloaded he would've been charged with "vehicular homicide" for my mother's death.  On top of that, he would've been sued by the others involved relentlessly.  I never actually told my dad about my conversation with the crash scene investigator, because I knew it would destroy him.  I can only imagine the pain he would have had to go through to find out his wife of almost 30 years was dead, and he was being charged for it.
Now how do you feel about all of this weight stuff?

Is it worth the risk?
Is it worth the time to figure it out the right way?
Is the added expense of the right tow vehicle worth it?
Is it worth the potential outcome if something went terribly wrong?
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