Read the article in my February 2008 Family Motor Coaching where they review a Featherlite Vantare H3-45 Conversion with the "gucci" interior. I can hardly believe how heavy that rig is! The wet weight is listed as 53,200 lbs! My bus right now weighs around 30,000 lbs and when empty (pre-conversion) it weighed 26,000 lbs. So, this 45' Prevost conversion is the equivalent of two of my busses empty combined! No wonder they need a 14liter 515hp S60 to push it around. Wonder what kind of mileage it would get if it were to weigh in at a more "featherlite" weight?
With full water and full fuel, the coach weighed 35,720 pounds at a certified scale, which means it had a remaining cargo carrying capacity of 1,280 pounds.
WET WEIGHT AS TESTEDfront axle — 17,500 poundsrear and tag axles — 35,720 poundstotal — 53,220 pounds(weighed with full fresh water, fuel tanks)
My 40ft conversion with full water, provisions, my wife and I on board added 3,000lb. Even a 45 ft'r maybe 3,500lb. Then what about the cost. The 45 ft Prevost bus conversion shell is about $400,000. That motorhome is just over $1.7 million! How can you install $1.3 million into a 45 ft space? If I had 1.7 million to play with, I certainly would not spend it on a motorhome. Instead, I'd buy a limo, hire a limo driver, and stay at all the best 5 star hotels- and that on just the interest on 1.7 million. But-- to each their own. Good Luck, TomC
Weighing at a truck stop on a trip wouldn't help due to all the stuff we put in the bays for a trip.
I have not had the bus reweighed yet as I need to find a public scale near home. Weighing at a truck stop on a trip wouldn't help due to all the stuff we put in the bays for a trip.
Although I doubt anybody with a $1.7M rig stays anywhere they don't have full hookups.
Oh, I know there are scales around, but I just haven't checked into which ones are public and what I would need to do as far as hours and payment once I do find one. I am curious how much weight I have added during the conversion process. Supervalu is around 40 or 50 miles round trip. There is a recycled gravel place 1 mile away that would probably give me my weight for free during the off season. I think their scale doesn't do axle weight as they just care about how much product to charge for.My loaded weight can vary by 1,000 lbs easily based on how many friends and how much cargo we all have. It would still be better to go by this weight for tire pressures.