[A/S] Re: aawg

[Jim Dunmyer <jdunmyer@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Jerry,
  I'm going to copy this back to the list because I think it IS of 
general interest.

  While at the Fall Escapade, they charged $30.00. The weighing was done 
in 2 steps for those with trailers:

You were given an appointment for Thursday at a particular time to get 
your puller weighed. You had an appointment on Friday to get the whole 
rig weighed, being urged to have your puller in the same configuration 
as it was on Thursday. IE: if your co-pilot wasn't in the rig on 
Thursday, he or she should step out during Friday's weighing.

The gross results were handed to you after Friday's weighing, along with 
a very brief synopsis. ("you're in good shape" or "you're overloaded") A 
couple of weeks later, you received a nice computerized printout of the 
results, along with load/inflation charts for your tires. Other printed 
information elaborated on various issues, with recommendations for 
corrective action if needed.

The fella in charge ("John") was very nice and business-like throughout. 
He conducted 2 seminars during the Escapade in which he went into weight 
& balance issues, tires, etc. He told us that some brand-new MHs are 
legally overloaded on the rear axle before adding any of your stuff. 
MANY MHs are overloaded on the Left Front tire; filling the [left] 
rear-mounted water tank makes the auto-levelers kick in, jacking up the 
rear. The front axle has automatic side-to-side leveling, and that will 
attempt to lift the Left Front corner, causing that tire to be in an 
overload condition.

We became friendly with a couple who had a brand-new high-end rig, built 
to their specifications. It was a tandem-axle 5'er, pulled by a 
Freightliner MDT. Imagine their consternation when they found out that 
their trailer axles were over their nameplate rating. Mind you, these 
folks aren't full-timers, so don't have quite as much "stuff" on board 
as they might otherwise.

AWWG was founded by a fella who bought a new rig and had something like 
ELEVEN tire failures in the first year on the road. His investigations 
showed that the tires were badly overloaded, causing the failures. He 
determined that his experience isn't unique, so founded the 
organization. They are actually sponsored in part by the RV industry, 
but the industry doesn't seem to see fit to follow the recommendations.

One recommdation that they make in the seminars and on their Web Site is 
to have your rig weighed BEFORE YOU SIGN THE PAPERS. Do not ever take a 
salesman's word for it, they'll tell you anything to make the sale. You 
must remember that when you slide behind the wheel, it is YOUR 
responsibility to be sure that your rig is safe.

AWWG had a free service for attendees; they would check your tire 
pressure guage to verify its accuracy. Many guages are not all that 
accurate, so it's nice to know if yours is lying.

                                 <<Jim>>