What's the payload on a Barth Regal 1988 31 ft, 460 with a John deere Chassis. We will be fulltimming and we want to be able to fully use it's storage capacity as well as ow a car. Anything we need to be cocerned about ?

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jack !!!

Hi Brandman,

Welcome to Barthmobile.com. By email I have sent you the brochure for your 1988 Barth Regal. Unfortunately it does not have the weights however, I suspect you have a 14,500 lb chassis. This is your GVWR (gross vehicle weight rating). There is a tag, probably right behind the drivers head on the end of the cabinet that tells you the actually number. This will also tell you the distribution to the front wheels and the rear. It is important to be evenly loaded for handling reasons. The GVWR is the most your coach can weigh with full load. Water--everything...

Unless you are a machinist and are carrying a ton of tools I suspect you will be with in spec. But you can alway go to a truck stop or a moving company and have your coach weighed after it is loaded you all of your stuff. Remember that water weighs 8+ lbs per gal so traveling with empty waste tanks and just enough fresh water to flush the toilets is wise. This not only saves a pinch of fuel but also is easier on the chassis and engine.

Now you will see on the brochure that Barth made a bunch of different lengths. I suspect that for your 31 footer they welded an extension to the frame to make it that long. If I were towing a car any bigger than my Saturn SC2 (2800 lbs) I would increase the weight of the hitch. I would go to a certified welder who does such things and have that extension fortified. Yes, I have talked to a Barth owner who had the rear of his coach break at the extension. Luckily, because of the robustness of the Barth it was repairable with not much damage.

Other than that, check your wheel-bearings, hoses and belts and have fun....

Hello Dave,
Never did thank you for your reply. We did get the Barth. It's GVRW is 18000 pounds so I don't expect we will have much trouble with payload capacity although I should probably weigh it dry to see where we're at.
It has some pretty heavy cabinetry(teak) so I'm thinling it will come in a little higher than normal for most coaches that size. Been doing some minor things. Changing oil in the generator along with filters and trying to fix some lighting fixtures and swithes that don't work. Other than that she is in great shape.


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jack !!!