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I have a 20,000 pound 37' rig setting on an F53 Chassis !  What weight tires do I want? My question is not what brand but witch weight side wall? I am currently running 8ply side walls and its betting me to death. And can I lighten up the front tires and not the back?

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So with individual tire weights, I might wind up with a 2 ply tire on the right and a 4 ply tire on the left???

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homelesshartshorns | Trying to spend the last Dollar on the Last Day! (wordpress.com)

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No, you will be able to determine how much pressure you need in each tire based on the weight. This is normally the first step in adjusting the ride and can make a huge difference. 

I also don't think they use plies anymore. Some other measurement is used. I haven't needed tires so I haven't researched the new method.

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Correct, ply count as a rating system went the way of the dodo years ago. Tires are now using Load Range ratings.

I have been wrong before, I'll probably be wrong again. 

2000 Kenworth T 2000 w/N-14 and 10 speed Gen1 Autoshift, deck built by Star Fabrication
2006 smart fourtwo cdi cabriolet
2007 32.5' Fleetwood Quantum


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I don't want to build a clock I just want to know what time it is? Can anyone with a larger class A tell me the load rating of there tires? I have 19 " tires and a 20,500 pound rig.

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homelesshartshorns | Trying to spend the last Dollar on the Last Day! (wordpress.com)

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33 minutes ago, ARGO said:

You might start by reading the print on the side of the tire.............................

Too small, too far down, maybe.

Nowt that you've shared some info, I can abstain from recommending any of the tire threads in the HDT forum. Those mostly involve 22.5 and 24.5" tires. You also have 19.5", not 19". The choices here are considerably smaller in this tire size.

I have been wrong before, I'll probably be wrong again. 

2000 Kenworth T 2000 w/N-14 and 10 speed Gen1 Autoshift, deck built by Star Fabrication
2006 smart fourtwo cdi cabriolet
2007 32.5' Fleetwood Quantum


Please e-mail us here.

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https://i2.wp.com/homeless.byethost17.com/pics/idplate.jpg

Does this offer any help to giving me suggestions?

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homelesshartshorns | Trying to spend the last Dollar on the Last Day! (wordpress.com)

George Hartshorn | Facebook

 

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Given the info on the plate, Tires-Easy has the largest selection. Granted, many of them are 3rd string brands, at best. Tire Rack has exactly 1, a Michelin. Toyo has several in their line-up. GoodYear has several, but watch your load ratings, as they have more range "G" than "H" tires. A higher letter rating is equivalent to the old Ply rating system, so higher is capable of carrying more weight, but at the expense of ride quality on too light a vehicle. Range "G" are typically rated for approximately 4400 lbs per tire, in a dual wheel application, and 4500 lbs in a single wheel position. Your plate indicates  approx. 3500 per tire front and rear.

I have been wrong before, I'll probably be wrong again. 

2000 Kenworth T 2000 w/N-14 and 10 speed Gen1 Autoshift, deck built by Star Fabrication
2006 smart fourtwo cdi cabriolet
2007 32.5' Fleetwood Quantum


Please e-mail us here.

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George-

Your rear axle is rated for 13,000 pounds max, and that is on four tires. So you'll be looking for a tire that can carry 3375 pounds each when used in a dual configuration. Tires are generally rated a little higher as singles, so look for the rating as a dual. That really isn't a lot of load, and I think that is why your tire pressure plate is showing only 70 psi.

What pressure are you currently running? Higher pressure could be giving you your harsh ride. 

Mark & Teri

2021 Grand Designs Imagine 2500RL, 2019 Ford F-350

Mark & Teri's Travels

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I have been running G rated tires that are set at 80 psi and they have been beating me to death. So I wanted to replace the front tires with something more comfortable?

Still seeing Places we have never seen before and others that we thought we would never see again!

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homelesshartshorns | Trying to spend the last Dollar on the Last Day! (wordpress.com)

George Hartshorn | Facebook

 

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Are you sure it is the tires and not the suspension?

Also, if you got yourself weighed you may be able to drop the PSI and have a more comfortable ride.

Our label says 90 PSI, after weighing, the charts said 80 PSI for our weight. More comfortable ride.

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40 minutes ago, homelesshartshorns said:

I have been running G rated tires that are set at 80 psi and they have been beating me to death. So I wanted to replace the front tires with something more comfortable?

Your front axle is rated at 7000 pounds, and the factory inflation pressure is 70 psi. Just dropping your pressure 10 psi (from 80 psi to 70 psi) might make a nice difference. If you got your rig weighed and determined that you weren't at max capacity on the axle, you may be able to drop it a little more. 

I don't know that you'll be able to find a specific tire that will be "more comfortable". Tires of a specific size and a specified pressure tend to run pretty ride pretty similarly. Have you considered that you may need something else like new shock absorbers?

 

Mark & Teri

2021 Grand Designs Imagine 2500RL, 2019 Ford F-350

Mark & Teri's Travels

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The proper tire load range and size to support the vehicle's GVWR and GAWR is printed on the Federal Tire Placard in the MH. That is the minimum ratings for any tires installed on the vehicle. No tire manufacturer will recommend running less air pressure than what is on that placard; their load/inflation chart reflects the minimum pressure to support that load, not the optimum.

For instance: Goodyear states:

" NOT ALL RVs ARE BUILT THE SAME The recommended inflation pressures for your tires are indicated on the certification label of your RV or in your owner’s manual. Because RVs can be loaded with different configurations, the load on each tire may vary. For this reason, refer to your owner’s manual or the load/inflation information that can be found at www.goodyearrvtires.com when adjusting the pressure of each individual tire, or consult your Goodyear® Commercial Tire Dealer. • Never reduce the recommended tire pressure to have a “softer” ride. This will likely damage the tire and could result in a sudden loss of air and erratic driving• For every one psi a tire is underinfl ated, you will lose approximately 20-30 pounds of load-carrying capacity per tire (varies based on tire size and single- or dual-tire application)

 

2000 Winnebago Ultimate Freedom USQ40JD, ISC 8.3 Cummins 350, Spartan MM Chassis. USA IN 1SG retired;Good Sam Life member,FMCA ." And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you--ask what you can do for your country.  John F. Kennedy 20 Jan 1961

 

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11 hours ago, homelesshartshorns said:

I have been running G rated tires that are set at 80 psi and they have been beating me to death. So I wanted to replace the front tires with something more comfortable?

IMHO you are trying to correct an issue by replacing the wrong part.  I had a 37' gas coach with the F53 suspension prior to my current RV.  It was rough riding and when a big rig would pass me on windy days it was hard to keep it between the lines.

The steps I took were to first weigh the coach then consult the tire manufacturer's chart and adjust my tires to the proper psi.  Then I had the front end aligned.  Next step was doing the CHF (cheap handling fix).  My final step was having Sumos installed.

After all of that it rode more stable and smoother but still wasn't perfect by a long shot.  My next step would have been a different rear stabilizer bar and upgraded shocks but we traded it off instead.

Joe & Cindy

Newmar 4369 Ventana

Pulling 24' enclosed (Mini Cooper, Harley, 2 Kayaks)

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The overwhelming recommendation in this thread is to get weighed as a first step. Are you planning to do that? You have convinced yourself that you need different tires as a solution yet most of us don't think that will make much of a difference.

Is this a new rig for you?

You also say you are getting beat up when driving. What are the symptoms? Hard to keep between the lines? Trucks pushing you around? Sway? Rough ride?

We are trying to help you but you continue to go back to your original solution.......................

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59 minutes ago, FL-JOE said:

IMHO you are trying to correct an issue by replacing the wrong part.  I had a 37' gas coach with the F53 suspension prior to my current RV.  It was rough riding and when a big rig would pass me on windy days it was hard to keep it between the lines.

 

I too used to travel in a coach riding on the F53 chassis and had a very similar experience. Not so much the difficulty in trucks passing but the front ride was stiff as can be. When we weighed it the first time was at a CAT scale so that we only got axle weights but that pointed out a big part of the problem anyway. The front axle was more than 1000# under axle rating while the rear was about 300# over. Unless things have changed the F53 has leaf springs on the front and tends to ride stiff anyway. I did a great deal of rearranging things in the storage bays to move all of the heavy items as near to the front as I could. I also added some storage behind the grill and mounted to the frame rails to contain the jack and associated tools, putting them in front of the axle. After all of this, I went back to the same scale and found that the rear axle now was 250# under and the front was now up to some 500# under. Up to this point, I was running the tires at the maximum pressures listed on the sidewalls so had the wheel weights run at Smart Weigh and adjusted the inflation by the charts supplied by the tire manufacturer based on the highest wheel weight on each axle. I also did some shifting of weight from one side to the other as Smart Weigh also showed me that I was running with one side weighing more than 1000# heavier than the other.  Both of these actions made a significant improvement in handling but the inflation was only part of the ride improvement for the passengers as loading that front axle helped a great deal. The last time that I had it weighed(year 5 on the road) the two sides were less than 400# different and we actually carried less total weight than when we started. If memory serves (that was almost 15 years ago) we began at very nearly the max GVWR and at year 5 were nearly 600# under the GVWR. 

One other thing that you may find helpful from our experience was that about year 8 I began to notice that the rear of the coach was not sitting as high as it did when we first began to live in it. After discussion of this with several other experienced motorhome people and an RV tech friend, I had airbags added to the rear and with them raised and leveled the coach to the ride height that it had when new. It is hard to say for sure, but I would swear that the ride and handling were both better after that than it ever was prior to the airbags. I don't know what year your coach is but you may want to look at the ride height as well as getting it weighed because unless much has changed, tail sag has long tended to be an issue with more experienced gas chassis coaches. 

Good travelin !...............Kirk

Full-time 11+ years...... Now seasonal travelers.
Kirk & Pam's Great RV Adventure

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29 minutes ago, SWharton said:

The overwhelming recommendation in this thread is to get weighed as a first step. Are you planning to do that? You have convinced yourself that you need different tires as a solution yet most of us don't think that will make much of a difference.

Is this a new rig for you?

You also say you are getting beat up when driving. What are the symptoms? Hard to keep between the lines? Trucks pushing you around? Sway? Rough ride?

We are trying to help you but you continue to go back to your original solution.......................

I tend to agree.  What led you to the conclusion that tires are the answer to your "princess and the pea" issue? You may want to look at your suspension and steering first. Also your RV is not going to ride like your 760Li BMW. Possibly your expectations are a not realistic. 

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Hey guys,

 

  Speaking of load ratings...granted I'm running a 5th, and I may be in the wrong forum...but my question is:

Is there a load rating to weight reference guide  ?

 Currently running G rated on 8 lugs...I have heard them scaringly  referred to as "China Bombs" at the rated 70psi

My fear is if I go to H rated to handle the weight and hopefully give me a little piece of mind,

will it  ride too hard and put more stress on the suspension ...and we all know how fragile they can be..

I do have cameras running I can monitor while driving...right now,   not much is moving around

the sticker says the coach is 14k...but with all my crap in it....?

I see a stop at the scales in my near future...

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Your tire mfg. has a guide on their site to give you load ratings. Your first stop is to get weighed. Ideally, a 4 corner weigh is best but an axle weigh will work. 4 corner weighs are harder to find, generally at rallies or the Escapees have permanent setups in Wickenburg(AZ), Livingston(TX) and Bushnell(FL). You will need an appt.   Weight ratings are weight ratings no matter if you are a MH, 5th or TT.

Happy to see you are being proactive with your safety.

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