We crossed the border into Texas today and headed for the small town of Livingston. The Rainbow's End campground in Livingston is home to the national headquarters for the Escapees RV Club. The Escapees run several co-op campgrounds, mostly geared to full-time RVers. We wanted to avail ourselves of a program that they offer called SmartWeigh.
In January we traded in our previous RV, a 27 foot Coach House Platinum for a 35 foot Itasca Suncruiser. We loved our Platinum, but had found it increasingly difficult to travel in for extended periods. It was just too small for the two of us and SiSi. We also wanted the flexibility to be able to take our kids or grandkids along with us. We will miss the freedom that we had with the Platinum where we could fit into just about any campsite anywhere and we never had to worry about low bridges. But we're very happy and comfortable in our new RV which we have named the Liberty II.
Since we are members of Escapees, a full-hookup campsite (water, 50 amp electric, and sewer) cost us $16 per night plus metered electric for a grand total of $17.20. We paid them an additional $45 for their Smart Weigh service and feel that it was money very well spent.
We had called ahead to make an appointment to be weighed. When our appointment time arrived we drove the Liberty onto a large scale that they have permanently installed in the campground. They proceeded to weigh us, giving us an overall weight as well as weights for each individual wheel and each axle. For a small extra fee they would have done the same thing for the Elantra that we tow, but it is so small and light that we didn't bother. Our total weight was 21,620 pounds including the two of us, a full 88 gallon fresh water tank, and a half a tank of propane.
We got a good report from Smart Weigh. We came in under our gross vehicle weight rating and our weight was pretty close to being balanced. They made some very good suggestions about how we could improve the balance. Had we been overweight they would have also suggested ways to lighten and balance our load. But one of the most helpful things they did was to direct us to the Michelin website where we were able to get exact tire pressure recommendations based on the actual weight that each axle was carrying.
We spent just one night at Rainbow's End, heading out the next day for a short trip to College Station, TX.
I would like some pics of SiSi in the new RV, please!
ReplyDeleteClick the picture of the RV in this post to enlarge it. You will see SiSi lying by my feet outside the RV.
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