Most people who are new to RVing and have just recently bought their first RV may be too excited to get out there on the road that they do not think about how much cargo they are loading. Every unit, whether it is an RV, camper, trailer, or a toy hauler, has its individual weight limits. It's one thing to have everything you need, but to have too much cargo on a trip can be dangerous. This can be the difference between a safe, enjoyable experience and a disastrous nightmare.

Before you set off on the road, make sure you know the manufacturer weight ratings for your vehicle. These include the Gross Vehicle Weight Ratings (GVWR), Gross Combined Weight Ratings (GCWR), and Gross Axle Weight Ratings (GAWR). Never exceed these weight limits that are set. They are there for a reason. Exceeding them would put a great risk to you and your family. Also note that you can be within the vehicle weight ratings but still exceed the axle rating. To avoid this, weight each axle separately and make sure the weight in your vehicle is distributed evenly.

To find out where you can weigh your vehicle, you can look through the yellow pages under moving companies and/or truck stops. There are different types of scales such as a platform scale, which can measure the entire vehicle, single axle scale that weighs one axle at a time, and a segmented platform scale that checks both the whole weight and that of each individual axle. Be sure the place that you do find have the appropriate scales.

When you go to have your vehicle or trailer weighed, make sure everything is loaded as if you were going camping the same day, which means include all passengers, cargo, pets, food, water, clothing, fuel, and propane tanks. If everyone can't come, bring something that’s approximately the same weight. You don't want to leave anything out and practically waste the trip to the scales. Once you get there, the weighing process isn't very difficult, just time consuming. Take your time and make sure you weigh everything correctly.

Not weighing your RV can cause you to damage your vehicle and ruin the trip altogether. Having too much weight can cause a tire to blow and possibly end up in an accident. For the safety of yourself, your family, and your recreational vehicle, follows the weight ratings and you'll have a great RV-ing experience.