24' Storage June 27, 2009, 04:38:38 pm Yahoo Message Number: 103562Any owners of either the 24' FL or 24' FD have any trouble with balancing weight side-to-side? It seems to me with the water storage tank (60 gallons) under the sofa (curb side) and the only two exterior storage compartments being adjacent to that area (also curb side) that a lot of weight is concentrated in that one area of the motor home. I'm probably "thinking" my choice of floor plans to death, but at this point I have the time to do that.Thanks, Glenn
Re: 24' Storage Reply #1 – June 27, 2009, 05:55:48 pm Yahoo Message Number: 103564"It seems to me with the water storage tank (60 gallons) under the sofa (curb side) and the only two exterior storage compartments being adjacent to that area (also curb side) that a lot of weight is concentrated in that one area of the motor home." I can't speak specifically about those two models, Glenn, but in general, Lazy Daze has always paid exceptional attention to balance, both side to side and front to rear. The first time I had my fully loaded twin/king weighed by RVSEF, it was within *one pound* side to side (and only a few pounds front to back). They told me that in more than 10,000 weighings, this was only the sixth time that had happened... and went on to comment that Lazy Daze was well known for its well-balanced coaches. Your concern based on water tank location doesn't take into account the holding tanks, fuel tank, and interior furniture, among other things. You can guess about balance, but Lazy Daze *knows* what their coaches weigh per wheel and per axle--and unlike many RV makers, they take great pains to ensure good balance. I'm pretty sure you can trust them not to build a seriously imbalanced coach. :-)Andy Baird http://www.andybaird.com/travels/
Re: 24' Storage Reply #2 – June 27, 2009, 07:50:03 pm Yahoo Message Number: 103565"You can guess about balance, but Lazy Daze *knows* what their coaches weigh per wheel and per axle--and unlike many RV makers, they take great pains to ensure good balance. I'm pretty sure you can trust them not to build a seriously imbalanced coach. :-)"Quote Andy Baird http://www.andybaird.com/travels/ Andy, Thanks for your reassurance on the quality of Lazy Daze. I'm sure you are right on target when it comes to them knowing the weight per wheel and per axle as their motor home leaves the factory. Accepting that a motor home leaves the factory in perfect balance, having no option to balance the weight of exterior storage items by moving things from one side of the motor home to another would seem to make it an impossible challenge to maintain that balance. I realize some people opt to travel with little or no water in their fresh water tank, but I like to have the option to fill that tank in advance of departure for a boondocking site. The only other choice I can see is for a person to try and adjust interior storage to keep the rig in balance, but the exterior compartments tend to hold those heavier items we all find it necessary to take with us. Are there any owners of the 24' FD or 24' FL that have first-hand experience with this?Thanks, Glenn
Re: 24' Storage Reply #3 – June 27, 2009, 08:52:03 pm Yahoo Message Number: 103566Quote "You can guess about balance, but Lazy Daze *knows* what their coaches weigh per wheel and per axle--and unlike many RV makers, they take great pains to ensure good balance. I'm pretty sure you can trust them not to build a seriously imbalanced coach. :-)"Andy Baird http://www.andybaird.com/travels/Andy, Thanks for your reassurance on the quality of Lazy Daze. I'm sure you are right on target when it comes to them knowing the weight per wheel and per axle as their motor home leaves the factory. Accepting that a motor home leaves the factory in perfect balance, having no option to balance the weight of exterior storage items by moving things from one side of the motor home to another would seem to make it an impossible challenge to maintain that balance. I realize some people opt to travel with little or no water in their fresh water tank, but I like to have the option to fill that tank in advance of departure for a boondocking site. The only other choice I can see is for a person to try and adjust interior storage to keep the rig in balance, but the exterior compartments tend to hold those heavier items we all find it necessary to take with us. Are there any owners of the 24' FD or 24' FL that have first-hand experience with this?Thanks, Glenn Glenn, don't worry whether your tanks are full or empty when you load your rig. Assume it will all even out as you use water or/or fill holding tanks. Load your LD by distributing the weight about - just eyeball it and divide things up. There is nothing scientific about it. Not to worry...Chris
Re: 24' Storage Reply #4 – June 27, 2009, 10:21:39 pm Yahoo Message Number: 103568QuoteAre there any owners of the 24' FD or 24' FL that have first-hand experience with this?Thanks, Glenn Glenn. On my 96 FL the house batteries, propane tank and generator are on the opposite side of the water tank and outside storage bins. This helps offset the weight from that side. There really isn't that much outside storage space anyway, so you won't upset the balance much no matter what you put there.Jay
Re: 24' Storage Reply #5 – June 28, 2009, 02:55:35 am Yahoo Message Number: 103569"Are there any owners of the 24' FD or 24' FL that have first-hand experience with this?Glenn The last time our 2003 23.5' FL was weighted, it had less than a 100 pound difference from side to side. It comes fairly balanced from the Factory. You just need to be careful about where you store the heavy stuff. Driving our old 1983 22' FL, built on a G-30 chassis, I could feel if the water tank or holding tanks where full. It was almost always loaded up to the maximum GVW. The 2003 FL, built on the E-450 wide-body chassis, is very different. With the 14,050 GVW, unless one takes up bolder collecting, you will never overload a short, E-450 LD. I really cannot notice if the tanks are full or empty. Only slightly noticeable the 150 pounds of sea kayaks and gear on the roof rack. Living in California and having experienced a lot of earthquakes, we always keep the water tank filled, just in case. We think of the LD as our survival pod. If you are buying a short (23.5' or 24') LD, 2003 was the first year the E-450 was used. Dual, thermal pane window were also introduced in 2003.Larry
Re: 24' Storage Reply #6 – June 28, 2009, 12:32:05 pm Yahoo Message Number: 103576QuoteAre there any owners of the 24' FD or 24' FL that have first-hand experience with this?Thanks, Glenn I have first-hand experience with a 22' FL. LD definitely did not do a good job balancing mine. With the water tank filled, my rig is listed to the passenger side. The height difference between left and the right is up to 2 inches. I built a battery compartment on the driver side, underneath the floor. I installed 4 group 27 marine battery. My rig is now much better balanced. The height difference has been reduced to less than 1/2 inch.Sam
Re: 24' Storage Reply #7 – June 28, 2009, 12:36:58 pm Yahoo Message Number: 103577Sam i am wondering...have you ever replaced the shocks on your rig? Could have something to do with the sagging....John O
Re: 24' Storage Reply #8 – June 28, 2009, 01:07:56 pm Yahoo Message Number: 103578Quote Sam i am wondering...have you ever replaced the shocks on your rig? Could have something to do with the sagging....John O in the 85 FL. Hi John, No I have not replaced the shocks. They look ok when I bought the unit 7 mths ago. Unless I'm mistaken, shocks have nothing to do with weight distribution. Their only function is to minimize the vertical motion.Sam
Re: 24' Storage Reply #9 – June 28, 2009, 03:31:12 pm Yahoo Message Number: 103581QuoteThe last time our 2003 23.5' FL was weighted, it had less than a 100 pound difference from side to side. Larry, how much fresh water did you have in the tank at that time?Thanks,Sam
Re: 24' Storage Reply #10 – June 28, 2009, 03:56:48 pm Yahoo Message Number: 103582"LD definitely did not do a good job balancing mine. With the water tank filled, my rig is listed to the passenger side." It's worth keeping in mind, though, that you're talking about a 27-year-old motorhome. In two or three decades it's not unusual for springs to sag, but that doesn't necessarily mean your rig was badly balanced when it was built.Andy Baird http://www.andybaird.com/travels/
Re: 24' Storage Reply #11 – June 28, 2009, 07:31:40 pm Yahoo Message Number: 103585"how much fresh water did you have in the tank at that time?"SamA full tank. Our 2003 FL is better balanced with the water tank full. Positioned on the other side of the rig are the generator, 2 propane tanks and 4 T-105 batteries. Moving heavy items, such as the tools, automotive fluids and the jacks, to better balance the load is a great way of restoring balance. Getting all four wheel weighted is the only way to know how balanced your LD is.A weak spring can cause a balanced rig to lean to one side.Larry
Topic: 24' Storage (Read 11 times)
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Topic: 24' Storage (Read 11 times)
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