Any weight issues with your 8329SS?

[MHBroker]

Narrowed our search down to the model 8329SS. Seems as though FR made some "mid-year" mods. Some good, others not so good. We like/prefer the cherry or hickory cabinetry which are no longer available. Also like the expansive view from the atrium windows....guess what? No longer available. Even the Corian countertops now resemble the looks of formica since they no longer have the bullnose edging. Don't mean to sound so negative but the disappearance of these features have have cooled our enthusiasm to purchase.

We have found a few early year 2016 models that were produced with all of the above that we may consider. The problem is that most are heavy in the dry weight area with little NCC.

Found one we really love and is optioned nicely with great colors. Unfortunately this one scares me a little....

Dry Weight 7975
GVWR 8849
According to data plate, cargo weight should not exceed 824 lbs. OUCH !
Built on twin 4,000 lb. axles and 15/C tires...again OUCH ! Not much NCC for a 35 ft trailer.

I expressed my concerns to the dealer and a FR Guru and their comments were that it should be OK and that they have never had an axle problem. My reply was that I was skeptical especially since the recently produced 8329SS are now setting up 5,000 axles and 15/D tires. Hence they have a greater GVWR and higher NCC.

The questions (without starting a new war)......

1) Has anyone had weight issues with their 8329SS or sister unit Flagstaff 832IKBS on the 4000 lb axles and 15/C tires?

2) If we were to exchange the 15/C tires for 15/D tires we would increase the total tire weight capacity from 8,600 up to 10,160 and hopefully gain marginal NCC. However I am thinking the lower axles and wheel bearings would be weaker link in the equation.

Any actual experiences or thoughts? Any axle problems?

Like I said, we really love the above available unit but just wondering if by upgrading the tires would increase our level of safety. Should we trust the existing axles?

Thanks,

[7.3Excursion4x4]

We had the same concerns with the tires and axles when we bought ours but in the end decided we would just replace the tires with D rated tires and keep the others for spares. We haven't upgraded yet, but haven't had any problems.
We bought a 4 year extended warranty that covers tires, brakes, axles etc and I figure if we have a weight issue, they will have to prove we didn't have it overweight. As long as I keep up with the routine bearing maintenance, it should be fine.
I totally agree with you on the interior option changes. We were fortunate to find an early model year that was sitting on a lot in January. The mid year changes in my opinion was a substantial downgrade in appearance in our opinion. The dealer offered us $4K lower price on the newer one if we would take it because they couldn't get rid of it. Keeping my wife happy was well worth the $4k. If I would have bought the newer one, I can almost guarantee I would have had to either upgrade the interior myself or we would have sold it within the 1st year, because I would go nuts listening to how we should have spent the extra money.

[lbrjet]

Forget about a cargo capacity of 800 lbs. Fill all of your tanks and you will probably exceed that. Buy something else.


2010 F250 5.4L 3.73
2011 Flagstaff 831FKBSS
Equal-i-zer 4pt 12K

[ChateauV10]

Our 2016 8329SS was built in August of 2015. We purchased it off the lot here in Northern California in March of 2016. It has the "flat" sided Corian, the non-radiused shower and Aspen/Hickory interior. It also has 5000 lb axles and "D" rated tires. Cargo is indicated at 1566 lbs and a dry weight of 7919.

For peace of mind, I'd look for one with the 5,000 lb axles and the D range tires.

We just got back from our second outing with the new trailer and it tows behind our E350 V10 van very, very well using a garden variety WD hitch (and no "anti sway" attachment). Once I am close enough to a CAT scale I'll weigh it and see what we are actually dealing with, especially considering tongue weight.

Cheers!